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MOST SECRET,
I agree with Mr. Peake's
observations and I would regard this mainly
as a colossal piece of window dressing which
would appeal to the President and probably
to the majority of the American people,
especially if the President agrees to take
one or two prominent Republicans with him.
But it is going to be extremely difficult
to arrange the meeting and to synchronize
the a rivals of the tv/o principal participants
It is a bad time of the year to reach New-
foundland (which I would certainly prefer to
Iceland) especially for the P.M.     It is
not unusual for aircraft to be kept waiting
at Botwood for the best part of a week
before being able to take off, and I under-
stand that they have to attain a height
of 25,OOu ft. in the first few hundred miles.
It will-be a tiring and risky journey for the
P.M. and his colleagues and, even after the
meeting, they might be detained for another
week before they could start back, and the
time thus occupied might prove to be one of
the most critical periods in our history.
The question I would therefore ask
is whether the real results of the meeting as
contrasted with the psychological results,
would justify the undertaking?     It is
certainly not worth risking a fiasco.