London, 19 November 1965
2978. Top Secret
Please pass the following message with date 19 November from the Prime Minister to Sir Robert Menzies:
Thank you for your message which your High Commissioner gave me on 22 October.1 I was glad to have such a considered statement of your personal views on our common defence interests.
2. Most certainly our Defence Review is being made in a world-wide context. We have recognised the vital importance of maintaining effective and relevant Western defence machinery for dealing with the threats which face us all outside Europe and, above all, in South East Asia, and for that reason we have taken many months over the Review.
3. It is clearly common ground between us that the defence requirements of the South East Asia area are an integral part of total Western defence. You are already well aware of our wish to play a continuing role in co-operative arrangements for defence in the Far East.
4. We are now getting to the stage of our Defence Review in which the options are becoming clearer. I had meetings with some of my senior colleagues over the week-end at which we reviewed the progress so far made in assessing the important issues which face us over the whole field in the world context. There is still further work to be done before we have the complete picture. We shall then wish to have Ministerial discussions with your Government, and with New Zealand and the United States, and I hope soon to be able to suggest how these might be carried out.
5. Meanwhile there is an important point in your letter on which l should be particularly glad if you would, as you suggest, elaborate your views further to our High Commissioner. I am not sure what kind of circumstances you envisage when you express the view that we should look towards means of staying in Singapore ‘even in adversity’. As you know our own feeling is that recent events have significantly reduced the period for which we can rely on retaining our Singapore base in conditions which enable it to make a significant contribution to security and stability in South East Asia. It would therefore be helpful to us to know more fully how you assess future developments in this regard and I am asking our High Commissioner to get in touch with you.
6. I am letting Holyoake and the Americans know of my reply.
1 See Document 42.
[UKNA: PREM 13/889]