Cablegram unnumbered LONDON, 15 February 1938, 4.36 p.m,
MOST SECRET HIMSELF
The Prime Minister most appreciative of your message of 12th February [1] and asked me to convey to you his sincere thanks.
With his concurrence I am now discussing the position with the individual United Kingdom Ministers concerned. [2]
BRUCE
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1 Document 125. Bruce saw U.K. Prime Minister Chamberlain on 14 February.
2 Bruce had talks with Sir Maurice Hankey (Secretary of the Committee of Imperial Defence) on 15 February; Sir Thomas Inskip (Minister for Co-ordination of Defence) on 3 March; Malcolm MacDonald (Dominions Secretary) on 15 March; Sir Horace Wilson (Chief Industrial Adviser to U.K. Government) on 21 March; Leslie Hore-Belisha (Secretary for War) on 28 March; and Sir Robert McLean (Chairman of Vickers (Aviation) Ltd) on 7 April. In each case he stressed the urgency of rearmament, particularly with respect to air defence, and advocated that this should have priority over financial considerations. See AA : AA1970/556 item 6(1).
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[AA : A463, 57/1535]