oyer Miller,
*/'/Jf
As Pan Amerioan Airways have failed to
fulfil their contract with the New Zealand Govt,I don't really
see why we should be so 'squeamish' about persuading the N,2.Govt
to terminate it,especially as in other directions,the new
International Communications branoh of the State Department is
taking the line that private arrangements between U.S. Aircraft
Operators with foreign Governments must now be supplanted by
Inter-Govt agreements.Clearly the most logical means of obtaining
landing rights for ourselves in Hawaii is to deny terminal landing
facilities to U.S. operators in New Zealand and Australia,unless
reciprocal facilities are given us in Hawaii and the U.S. And I
have no reason to believe that the Australian and New Zealand
Governments would want to take a different line, While therefore I
agree that if we can avoid taking this line we should do so,I
really cannot see any other possible course,as U.S. operators
now have an adequate number of intermediate refuelling bases
between San Francisco and New Zealand, Of course the excuse the
Navy always give for their attitude in regard to Hawaii is that
they would like to grant us facilities at Hawaii,but that if they
do so,they must grant similar facilities to the Japs.I have
never been able to discover whether this is a genuine belief
inspired by the State Dept or merely a convenient excuse.
As regards intermediate stops for
us in the Pacific,! don't think that the U.S, attitude is of the
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'dog in the manger1 type. They Vant,froma defence point of view,
to have a chain of naval(air)bases from Unalaska through MidrCy, >
Johnston and Canton to Samoa so as to spread their reconnaissance
screen as far to the Westward as possible and thus prevent the
Japs from launching attacks against Hawaii.These potential
naval bases should also be adequate for any U.S. commercial air service
operating in the Paoifio; and if we play our cards properly,I
do not see why they should object to us having the necessary
facilities at Christmas Island or Hull Is,
But I think it is most important to
keep the two questions (viz Hawaii and other intermediate stops)
quite separate. Otherwise we may well be worsted in the argument.
Febraary Ilth.
Air Attache.
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