353

Mr A. Eden, U.K. Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, to Mr R.G. Menzies, Prime Minister

Circular Cablegram D82 LONDON, 11 November 1939, 10.26 a.m.

SECRET

My Telegram Circular D.76. [1]

Following for the Prime Minister.

War Cabinet have now considered further draft of His Majesty’s reply to the Queen of Holland and the King of the Belgians and the reply will be despatched tomorrow morning Sunday in the form set out in my telegram subject to the following amendments:-

(1) At the end of paragraph 3 the words ‘which are overrun with every circumstance of brutality’ have been omitted.

(2) Paragraph 6 has been revised in the form suggested by His Majesty’s Government in Canada with the following additional amendments:

(a) for ‘the immediate occasion and decision’ substitute ‘the immediate occasion leading to our decision’.

(b) the insertion before the quotation of ‘in the words of my Prime Minister in the United Kingdom’.

(c) the last sentence for ‘on a number of occasions, including statements’ substitute ‘on a number of occasions, in particular in statements’.

Message will be published at 12 noon G.M.T. Sunday 12th November.

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1 Document 347.

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[AA: A981, WAR 45B, ii]