388

Mr M.J. Savage, N.Z. Prime Minister, to Mr R.G. Menzies, Prime Minister

Cablegram 224 WELLINGTON, 28 November 1939, 12.45 a.m.

Following message has been sent to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs [1] :-

MOST SECRET

With reference to your telegrams Circular D.68 of 9th November [2] and Circular D.100 of 24th November. [3] His Majesty’s Government in New Zealand concur generally with the views on war aims which His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom propose shortly to express to the French Government. They wish however to suggest certain verbal alterations in your telegram D.68 as follows:-

Paragraph 4 for ‘willing and able voluntarily to accept their terms’ they suggest the substitution of ‘willing and able voluntarily to negotiate terms’.

Paragraph [7]. It is suggested that in place of ‘never again be allowed to build up a preponderant element of force in relation to the United Kingdom and France’ this sentence should be altered to read ‘never again be allowed to build up a preponderant armed force to menace the peace of European nations and of the world’.

Copies sent to Canada, Australia, South Africa.

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1 Anthony Eden.

2 Document 340.

3 Document 385.

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[AA: A1608, B41/1/1]