EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF lHE„tfl
MEETING OF THE-_________GfiC............HELD---'Mk$
THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OP THE PACIFIC ISLAND S,- •
(O.D.O. Papers Nos,  1635, 1642).
THE COMMITTEE had under consideration a Note by the
Secretary on the subject of the strategic importance of
by the Director of Military Operations and Intelligence,
War Office, on the same subject (O.D.C* Paper No* 1642)*
THE CHAIRMAN said that this subject could be
conveniently considered under three heads, defence*
political and commercial*   He proposed to consider defence
first*   He asked the War Office representative to
introduce his Note on the subject*
MAJOR FRITH said that the War Office thought that
the Conference should consider whether any of the Pacific
Islands which it might be decided to develop for
commercial or strategic reasons required any defences.
The matter should be discussed in very general terms.
The War Office could only consider the details when the
full requirements in the Pacific were known* Some
reconnaissance might also be carried out at the time of
the Conference*
THE CHAIRMAN said that although he knew that the
N**w Zealand Government were now undertaking a survey of
certain Pacific islands he questioned whether it would
be possible for the Conference to consider defensive
matters at so early a stage0

MR, HERBERTSON said he thought that the
survey now "being undertaken should be finished in about
two Bionths1 time and these results would in that case be
available for the Conference.
MAJ OR GR0V3R said that the Admiralty interest
in the matter was to obtain a good service of information
in the event of Japanese raiders operating on the
Pacific trade routes, and to deny the use of Islands
to the Japanese*     He thought the Air Ministry were
chiefly concerned in the defence question.
rflNfc OUMtfANJJER FOSTSR said that undoubtedly
the first development of the Pacific Islands would
be for commerci?.?- air routes.
THE CHAIRMAN asked whether it was not a matter
for the v'/arren Pisher Committee to make proposals
on the subject of these air routes.
MR. IIERBKkTSuK said that the sarren Pisher
Committee was fully conversant with the action
proposed in the Pacific and knew the
history of the matter.     The important point was to
secure our interests on the route Auckland - Suva - Hukcnono-
f
Christmas Island - Honolulu - ban Franciaco* the two
latter places, of course, dependent on reciprocal rights.
j:\ixb was the route which the .Air Ministry had
provisionally selected,? but they would require emergency
landing pla-.es;   and this was one of the reasons for
the importance   of   Islands   not   r-n the
normal   route,   Such   as Hull Island.
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It so happened that the cards in the Pacific with
respect to ports of call were fairly evenly divided
¦between ourselves and the United States^ "but it
was important that we should secure our interests
and not lose control of any of the trump cards.
The time would come when the Americans would have to
come to a discussion with us round a table about trans-
Pacific air routes*
The Air Ministry therefore
wanted this Conference to consider appropriate
action to ensure that our position at such a
discussion would be as strong as possible,
MR. 3ALF0UR agreed with this view and pointed
out that the United States were now making efforts to
wrest some of our trump cards from uss
THE CHAIRMAN* returning to the consideration of
defence,said he considered that there was good reason
to include an item in general form in the Agenda so
that the preliminaries could be considered at the
Conference, to be elaborated ?.ater when full
requirements were known.   He suggested that Item 1
on the War Office Note could be taken as it stood.
Turning to the political side of the question, the
Chairman invited Mr~ Balfour to give the Foreign
Office views.
MR. BALFOUR said that it was important to forestall
the United States in those Islands where dispute as to
ownership might be possible, and to have levers ready
for use at the four-party Conference which the United
kingdom Government had proposed, so far unsuccessfully.
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to the Government of the United States- Furthermore,
it was highly desirable that a British Company
should be ready to lodge an application for facilities
at the American end of an air route.     If such an
application were not favourably received, it would then
be possible to cancel the contract with Pan-American
Airways for facilities at Auckland*      The Conference
might also consider whether the ownership of any Islands
should be discussed" with the United.States.     As far as was
known by the Foreign Office, the United States had no
genuine grounds for their claims on any Island except perhaps
the six southern Islands of the so-called "Line Group".
It was known that the United States might make claims
to Christmas Island and Hull Island, and recently
there had been indications that  a claim might be
put forward at Tonga, but these claims were very shadowy,
MAJOR GROVER said that the Admiralty wore averse
to any extension of the condominium idea as they were
advised that under such an arrangement, neutrality would
be the dominant right*
MR. BALFOUR pointed out that in fact the
condominium seemed to lead to supremacy of the other partner.
THE CHAIRMAN said that this view should be noted
for the guidance of British representatives at the
Conference in New Zealand,
After further discussion it was decided that the
Foreign Office should forward to the Secretary an
item on the political bsnoot to be included in the Agenda.
At the request of the Chairman   ^R- HERBERTSON read
out the Air Ministry views on the items which should be
included in the Commercial part of the Agenda.
MR. DIXON suggested that the Warren Fisher Committee
should be consulted as to the attitude to be adopted on
each of these items*
MR. HERBERTSON said that the Warren Fisher Committee
would be kept informed of all progress in the matter and
would be consulted as to the instructions which would be
issued to the United Kingdom representative   at the
proposed Conference with respect to these items, but he
considered that there was no reason why they should not be
placed on the Agenda now? and at the request of tho
Chairman a copy   was handed to the Secretarya
THE CHAIRMAN then drew the attention of the Committee
to the question of the United Kingdom representation at the
proposed Conference and asked whether Sir Harry Batterbee
would have arrived out in New Zealand in time for the
Conference.
MR. DIXON said it would be the end of March before
Sir Harry Batterbee arrived and settled in<,   He suggested
that the United Kingdom High Commissioner in Australia
should therefore be one of the United Kingdom representatives,
as it would probably not be desirable to wait so long before
holding the Conference:,
MAJOR GROVER said that the Admiralty had
revised their 'pinion previously expressed in
the Chiefs of Staff Repcrtp end now considered that
the Commodore, New Zealand Division, should ze tneir
representative, as events  had made it undesirable
to spare any senior officer from the China Command.
MR. DIXON questioned whether it would be correct
for a servant of the New Zealand Government to be
a United Kingdom representative.
WING COMMANDER FOSTER said that the Air Ministry
also proposed that their Group Captain in New Zealand
should be their representative.
After further discussion, THE CHAIRMAN suggested
that the Dominions Office should consider whether there
was in fact any objection to the proposed Service
representation.       He also said that he considered the
High Commissioner for the Western Pacific should
be asked to attend the Conference which, he supposed,
would be in New Zealand,
CONCLUSIONS.
THE SUB-COMMITTEE agreed:-
(a) To instruct the Secretary to draft an
Agenda for the proposed Conference
between .representatives of the Governments
of the United Kingdom, Australia and
New Zealand, in accordance with the
discussion at the Meeting.
(b) To recommend that, subject to further
examination by the Dominions Office
of the constitutional question involved,
the United Kingdom representatives at
the prcoosed Conference should be -
The High'Commissioner for the United..
Kingdom in, Australia, the High Commissioner
far the Western Facific, the Commodore
i.r:   orime'nd of the New Zealand.station and
the Group Captoin, R.A.F. attached to
the K'5W Zealand Air Force,