THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OP HIS BRITANNIC! MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT Printed for the Committee of Imperial Defence. A ugust 1938. SECRET. Copy No. 35 1463-B. COMMITTEE OF IMPERIAL DEFENCE. STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. (Previous C.I.B. Paper No. 1455-B.) ^ J Copy of a Letter, dated July 23, 1938. from the Colonial Office to the Secretary. Committee of Imperial Defence. (7025/2/38.) Sir, I AM directed by Mr. Secretary MacDonald to refer to the letter* from the Dominions Office, No. 720/128 of the 9th July, enclosing a copy of a despatcht from the Governor-General of New Zealand regarding the strategic importance of the Pacific Islands, and to transmit to you, for the consideration of the Committee of Imperial Defence, a copy of a despatch from the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific commenting on Jvord Galway's despatch. 2. Copies of this letter and enclosure are being sent to the Dominions Office and Air Ministry. # - * # (Signed) J. A. CALDER. ENCLOSURE Copy of a Despatch, dated June 13, 1938, from the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Sir, I HAVE recently received from the Governor-General of New Zealand a copy of a secret despatch,! dated the 20th May. which has been addressed to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, and for your convenience of reference I attach copies to this despatch. You will doubtless wish to receive at an early date any comments which I may wish to make from the point of view of Fiji and the Western Pacific, and I therefore anticipate such a request. 2. The extent of the future strategic importance of the Pacific Islands to the British Empire is set forth, in paragraph 1 of Lord Galway's despatch, in the quotation from Paper No. C.O.S. 586. § The despatch then proceeds to envisage the Fijian and Tongan Groups as the key to New Zealand, and to draw the conclusion that it is essential to prevent an enemy from establishing himself in this area. Fiji, and by inference the Island of Viti Levu, being selected as the best focal point, it is stated that " the provision of landing grounds and * Enclosure to C.I.D. Paper No. 1455- B. ^/ f Annex to Enclosure to C.I.D. Paper No. 1455-B. § Also C.I.D. Paper No. 1327-B f ^ ,|hv [17643] V 1 other facilities for the operation of air reinforcements, will be an important addition to the existing means of defence." The existing means of defence are, as you are aware, extremely meagre. Suva, the capital and the oil-fuelling station, possesses no anti-aircraft guns and no artillery. It has been presumed that air attack will not assume serious proportions, and that the main danger would be a cruiser attempting to land raiding parties to seize or destroy the cable station and the wireless station as well as the oil-fuel depots. There is no question that suitable landing facilities for aeroplanes on Viti Levu would provide a valuable addition to the defences of Fiji by enabling air reinforcements to arrive from New Zealand. Incidentally, I feel that the existence of an aerodrome in Suva or anywhere else as part of a defence scheme should also connote anti-aircraft guns and defences. Nor is it clear to the layman why aeroplanes, with their concomitant necessity of aerodromes, should be selected for reconnaissance purposes in an area where nature has been lavish in the provision of sheltered waters suitable for the use of seaplanes. 3. The proposal to use Fiji as a focal point, from which might run a series of aerodromes on the Routes A, B, C and D, seems to me to open up wider possibilities. I gather that the aerodromes are to be undefended—indeed, they could scarcely be defended in present circumstances—and if that is the case, may they not prove a double-edged weapon? This seems to apply particularly to Route A, which the New Zealand Government proposes to take first. It leads straight from Suva to the Marshall Islands, but it also leads straight from the Marsnall Islands to Suva, and might facilitate the air attack which, in present circumstances, from ships, is not considered likely to be serious. Whether or not any refuelling stores are kept on the route, it would remain an inviting and open road. It is possible that the general improvement .of co-ordination of wireless services in the Western Pacific, which is now under consideration, and the local scheme for establishing local wireless links throughout the Gilbert and Ellice Islands may obviate some of the need for air reconnaissance in that direction other than by occasional seaplane visits. 4. I need hardly say that I am whole-heartedly in favour of proceeding, as soon as your advisers consider it desirable, with the provision of landing facilities for aeroplanes in Fiji, both seaplanes and land planes, and the necessary technical and professional advice would doubtless be available from New Zealand and would be welcome. 5. If you decide to approve in principle the proposals made by the New Zealand Government, I shall, of course, render every possible assistance to the officers detailed to make preliminary surveys. It will be realised that on any save the largest islands, the clearance of space necessary for an aerodrome would very seriously affect the living resources of these already over-populated atolls, but if the strategic need is conceded, such considerations are relatively minor matters which can be dealt with by some of the measures for transfer of population to other islands of the Pacific which I have now under consideration. * # # (Signed) A. F. RICHARDS, High Commissioner. THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT Printed for the Committee of Imperial Defence. July 1938. SECRET Copy No. gg 1455 B. {Also Paper No, C.O.S. 751.) COMMITTEE OF IMPERIAL DEFENCE. STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. (Previous C.I.D. Paper No. 1327-B.)^ftA^-fl^j Report by the Chiefs of Staff Sub-Committee. WE have had under consideration a letter* from the Under-Secretary of State, Dominions Office, to the Secretary, Committee of Imperial Defence, covering a despatcht from the Governor-General of New Zealand on the subject of the strategic importance of the Pacific Islands. 2. In the opening paragraphs of his despatch, the Governor-General refers to a Report which we prepared in May 1937 on the above subject (C.I.D. Paper No. 1327-B). which was forwarded to Hi's Majesty's Government in New Zealand. In our conclusions to that Paper, we expressed the following views :—• 11. We conclude that we would endeavour to establish our sovereignty over any of the Pacific Islands offering facilities for fuelling bases or landing grounds. It should be our policy to assist, where feasible, the development of those facilities which would be of value in war. We should, at the same time, take whatever measures are possible to gain information as to Japanese activities in the Islands.'* ¦ 3. In pursuance of the above recommendation. His Majesty's Government in New Zealand propose that, using Fiji as a focal point, future development of air routes should take the form of extending the route New Zealand-Fiji to the north, north-east and east in the following manner :— Route "A": Fiji-Gilbert Islands. Route "B": Fiji-Phcenix Islands-Fanning and Christmas Islands. Route " C " : Fiji-Samoa-Northern Cook Group. Route "D": Fiji-Tonga Islands-Cook Islands. 4. In paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 of his despatch the Governor-General points out that the four routes referred to above would enable aircraft to reach the greater part of the Southern Pacific if the need arose, and goes on to state that His Majesty's Government in New Zealand propose, as a first step, to make a full survey of Route "A," i.e., the route from Fiji to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Furthermore, owing to the importance of this route to the security of New Zealand, His Majesty's Government in New Zealand express their willing- ness to bear the cost of undertaking the technical work of such a survey. • Enclosure. f Annex lo Enclosure. [17626] .,,