PARAPHRASE TEL3GRAM
NEW ZEALAND
From the Governor-General of New Zealand
Dated 2nd March, 1939.   Received 3*50 a.mo, and March.
No«,27„ Secret,
With reference to your telegram No* 27 of 20th February,
I am informed "by my Ministers that His Majesty's Government in
the Commonwealth of Australia have now agreed to the holding at
an early date of the proposed Defence Conference, subject to the
reservation that consideration of Items (c) (d) and (h) of the
Agenda should be only exploratory.
In reply Hie Majesty's Government in New Zealand have
expressed concurrence with the suggestion*   The date of the
Conference is now entirely dependent upon the time within which
the United Kingdom Representative(s) can arrive.   My Ministers
would be grateful if they could be advised at earliest possible
convenience as to the date of arrival in order that the date of
the Conference may be fixed and they may advise His Majesty's
Government in the Commonwealth of Australia and the High
Commissioner for the Western Pacific accordingly.
My Ministers would appreciate being supplied as soon as
possible with full list of names of the British Delegation who,
they trust, will regard themselves while they are in the
Dominion as guests of the Government-
My Ministers would also like to be advised of the itinerary
of the British Delegation for the purpose of despatch by safe
hands of the papers on the Agenda (which it is hoped will be
completed next week) so as to reach them en route.
The British Delegation will, it is assumed, be in a position
to discuss fully the subjects referred to in the first paragraph
of my secret telegram No.,144 of the 24th December.