Cablegram 107 WASHINGTON, 1 June 1940, 5.52 p.m.
SECRET AND PERSONAL FOR THE PRIME MINISTER
Since I sent my telegram No. 103 to Canberra and No. 26 to London [1], I have been watching the situation carefully doing what I can to emphasise our position and endeavouring to assess movement in U.S.A. opinion. I have judged it unwise to make any further official approach for present but Lothian [2] saw Welles [3] yesterday and gained impression that he and President Roosevelt were seized with the gravity of the situation and were giving every consideration to what steps they can take without going beyond public opinion. The President’s message yesterday to Congress was quite definitely more robust than his radio talk of Sunday and he is undoubtedly going at each step as far as he believes possible in leading public opinion.
It is painful to me and no doubt to you and the British Government how slow opinion here is moving but I am assured it is above all essential that we do nothing that could be considered as interfering with or trying to influence it. I therefore repeat my urging everyone in speech or in press to avoid any criticism of U.S.A. opinion or any suggestion as to what U.S.A. might do.
CASEY
_1 Document 307.
2 U.K. Ambassador to the United States.
3 U.S. Under-Secretary of State.
_
[FA: A3195, 1.3803]