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Sir Geoffrey Whiskard, U.K. High Commissioner in Australia, to Lord Cranborne, U.K. Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs

Cablegram 395 CANBERRA, 5 November 1940

MOST SECRET

Your telegram Circular Z. 308 of 19th October [1], paragraphs 2 to 4. In contingencies in question, Commonwealth Government agree in principle to establishment of unified naval strategic command (under American Commander-in-Chief) in the Pacific Ocean and Far East, and also that air units should come under the operational control of the air command in which they are operating. The above is subject to reservation that local Australian Defence Forces should remain under Australian control, including such Forces as are necessary for the protection of trade against a raider scale of attack.

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1 Document 178.

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[AA:A3196, 1940, 0.8479]