No.   Ppcf^Ci Subject: Pckc^o
A
Reference to previous correspondence
<y/ With the compliments of        ^-w«>x^ .
A copy has also been sent to ^ &oa^~((p_<,.)
Dominions Office, Downing Street,
10 MAR 1939 193
(BCfiJO)   Wl I88W/XH   30.000(4)   7,36   II A Sp   Cp fl40
PAKAM1RA3E TELEGRAM
COl DdOITOSALTH OF AUSTRALIA
From the United Kingdom High Commissioner in the
Commonwealth of Australia.
Dated 10th March, 1939.     Received 11.10 a.ra*, 10th Inarch.
Noo"41. Secret.
With reference to your telegram No* 38 of the 2nd
March Commonwealth Government are sending telegrams to you
and to New Zealand Government proposing that Item (j) of the
Conference Agenda should he omitted.
Commonwealth Government have been giving
preliminary consideration to the v/hole queation of Paoifio
Defence and in the course of this consideration they have
reached the provisional view that it might he desirahle to
endeavour to reach agreement with the United States of
America that north of the equator the latter should "be
responsible for Trans Pacific Air Route and south of
equator British interests should "be responsible.     Idea is
that the United States of America's machines should fly
from the United States of America via Honolulu to a
suitable island (preferably one of those in dispute) as
near as possible to the equator and that British machines
should take over from that point and via Fiji to Auckland.
The following are the advantages claimed :"or this idea,
(a)   No question would then arise as to landing rights in
Honolulu for British machines or in British islands for
United States machines.
(b)   It is understood that at present there are no
British machines which could do the hop from Honolulu to
the United States of America, whereas machines now being
built for Trans Tasman service ax*e fully capable of flying
that part of the route which lies south of the equator.
(c)   ThiB proposal would work in with the plane already
in hand for the extension of the existing services (1) from
Darwin to the Timor and (2) from Thursday Island via Papua
arid Rebaul to the Solomon Islands*     while these extensions
would ostensibly he made as a part of the Civil Aviation
programme they are in fact important from defence point of
view:   and, in combination with British control over the
southern portion of the Trans pacific route would go far to
consolidate British aerial control over the Southern
Pacific•
Seeing that these proposals would involve negotia-
tions, not only with the United States Government, hut also
with the Portuguese and possibly the Dutch Governments,
Commonwealth Governnent feel that the most suitable place for
preliminary discussion is London rather than New Zealand,
especially as matter will closely concern Imperial Airways*
For their part   they would be willing to be represented
in London by Commonwealth High Commissioner or Acting High
Commissioner if discussions begin before the return of
Mr* Bruce.       They would like discussions to begin at earliest
convenient date and desire to emphasise that they are sincerely
on
anxious to push/as rapidly as possible with the establishment oi'
the Trans pacific route*
I have repeated the above to the High Commissioner
for the United Kingdom in New Zealand*