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H.E.
The present position in regard
to messages exchanged "between the Prime
Minister and the President is as follows.
We of course get here the full
text of any message from the Prime Minister
which he wishes us to deliver to the White
House,   We have also hitherto been sent
for our information the texts of any
messages from the Prime Minister which
have been sent to the President via the
American Embassy in London.
Despite the President's assurances,
given 2 months ago, that he would let us
have copies or the substance of any
messages which he might send to the Prime
Minister (these messages are practically
invariably sent through the American Qnbassy
in London), we have only been given a few
of the messages - and then as a rule only
after we have asked for them.
Furthermore, such messages as we
have been given have been given us in
paraphrase form which is really not so
satisfactory as the original.
The present situation is therefore
not very satisfactory and it may become
even worse if the suggestion made by the
P.O. is adopted.    This is,that whenever the
Prime Minister sends a message to the
President through the American Embassy in
London.the P.O., instead of as now telegraphing
the full text to us for our own information,
should merely inform us of the fact that
some message has been sent.    This of course
would be an improvement from the point of
view of our cypher room and of economy, but
it may mean that unless we can make some
better arrangement with the American
authorities we shall never get the texts of
these messages at all.
I do not think there is much use
in our taking the matter up with the white
House as the P.O. suggest, as the machinery
there never seems particularly efficient.
Much the best way, I think, would be to
explain matters quite frankly to Mr. Welles,
since all the telegrams pass through the
3.D.       Mr. Welles is more likely than
anyone else to appreciate our difficulties.
What we want is to be sent - automatically
and without having to ask for them - copies
of all messages in either direction between
the President and the Prime Minister Qu^4>
through the United States Embassy in London,
unless of course in any rare case the
President feels that the messages are so
private that we ought not see them.    If we
cannot have copies, then paraphrases would
do, but copies would be much better and
probably mean less trouble for the 3.D.
Jun-j Uth, 19U1.