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(A 609/21/45). \     * ' ' ~ 27th January, 1939.
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Dear Herbertson,
Please see my letter to Dixon of the Dominions Office
6l^^A     on A 117/2l/45 of the 11th January, of which a copy was
sent to you on the 14th January, enclosing a minute "by the
Air Attache at V/ashington on the subject of the Pacific
Islands.   As we understand it, the reluctance of the United
States Navy Department to accord facilities to British
aircraft at Honolulu is based inter alia upon the
apprehension that it would be difficult to refuse to the
aircraft of other countries and to Japan in particular any
concession granted to us in this matter.    In point of fact,
we believe that this apprehension, if it in fact exists, is
not based on very substantial grounds since there is not,
so far as we know, any general most-favoured-nation
principle under which a country can claim the same rights
as are accorded to other countries in the matter of the
establishment of civil air lines.   If this is so it would
/follow
Captain J.J.W.Herbertson,O.B.S.
Air Ministry.
follow that, excepting in the unlikely event of there
beir^ a special bilateral United States-Japanese most-
favoured-nation treaty covering air matters, the United
States Government would be under no obligation to grant
Japan the same rights as may be accorded to us.    It may
become desirable to remind the United States Government of
this fact at some convenient opportunity, which would
presumably not however occur until we are in a position to
bring pressure tc bear upon them to agree to our proposal
for a conference on Trans-Atlantic air facilities.    In order
to render it easier fcr the United States Government to
refuse any request for similar treatment on the part of
Japan it would seem necessary that any facilities eventually
granted to us should be embodied in a formal agreement.
One other point: re take it for granted that when the
time comes for bargaining with the United States Government
our object will be to demand facilities fcr landing on the
United States mainland as well as at Honolulu.   It would
obviously not be to our advantage to acquire facilities
at Honolulu at the expense of conceding our bargaining
counter of the Australia-New Zealand terminal facilities
and thus leave it open to the United States Government to
raise difficulties about cur aeroplanes preceding to the
United States cf America, even though I suppose it would
/still
still be possible,even if uneconomic,for them to use
Victoria as a terminal point instead of San Francisco.
The foregoing considerations relate to an unpredictable
future, but v/e have thought it well to place them on
record against the time when the need for action arises.
I am forwarding copies of this letter to Jarrett of the
Admiralty, Acheson of the Colonial Office, Dixon of the
Dominions Office, Jones of the Treasury, and the Embassy
at Washington.
Yours sinoereljf
KfSd.) J BA- -