302

Dr H. V. Evatt, Minister for External Affairs, to Mr R. G. Casey, Minister to the United States

Cablegram 111 CANBERRA, 26 January 1942

IMMEDIATE MOST SECRET AND PERSONAL

1. In my No. 15 [1] I asked you to convey Prime Minister’s [2] personal message and I regret that without any authority you circulated such a document to British Chiefs of Staff. Such a course is embarrassing in the extreme and may be prejudicial.

2. The JOHCU series is a personal series of messages and that is why it was intended for the eye of the President [3] alone.

3. If I correctly gather from your para. 2 [4] that specific operation referred to was not mentioned to President, whole purpose of our suggestion may be frustrated; it does not follow, because you are not supposed to know, that Prime Minister here is not informed, because of liaison over Anzac area.

EVATT

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1 See Document 294, note 10.

2 John Curtin.

3 Franklin D. Roosevelt.

4 Of Casey’s cablegram 148, published as Document 299.

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[AA:A981, WAR 33, ATTACHMENT B]