421

Mr F.K. Officer, Australian Counsellor at British Embassy in Washington, to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram 92 WASHINGTON, 16 December 1939, 12.10 a.m.

MOST IMMEDIATE MOST CONFIDENTIAL

You will note from the copy of Lord Lothian’s telegram of today to the Foreign Office copy of which has gone to you as No. 91 [1] that Mr Menzies’ anxiety reference a Russo-Japanese agreement was mentioned to Mr Hull. As regards Mr Menzies’ impression that there had been insufficient discussion with the U.S.A. on the broad and positive policy to be followed Lord Lothian [2] had discussions at State Department on broad lines on 7th and 9th December. If you have not had reports from London I will telegraph relevant extracts forthwith. [3]

_

1 Document 420.

2 U.K. Ambassador to the United States.

3 See Officer’s memorandum Was. 188/39 of 21 December 1939 (on file AA: AA 1975/223, 1939, Far East Policy (U.S.) Japan & China).

_

[FA: AA 1975/223, 1939, FAR EAST POLICY (U.S.) JAPAN & CHINA]