HOBCAW [1], 25 April 1944
TOP SECRET
MEMORANDUM
The President entertained Prime Minister Curtin at lunch today.
After luncheon the President was closeted with the Prime Minister for nearly an hour. The President directs that the following notation be made a part of the files of the Pacific War Council:
‘In the course of conversation after lunch, Prime Minister Curtin expressed concern lest the accounts published about the agreement between Australia and New Zealand concerning the future control of the Pacific might be misunderstood and possibly resented in the United States and in the United Kingdom. He wished to explain to the President what had brought about the agreement. President Roosevelt said that he thought he had already figured out what had occurred. His guess is that Prime Minister Curtin had had very little to do with the drafting but that Evatt had done most of it and others had merely agreed. Curtin said that was exactly right:
that a group had discussed the future of the white man in the Pacific and that they had all disapproved of the Government’s India policy and feared that unless properly handled China might turn against all white men. While pursuing this theme the proposal for an agreement between Australia and New Zealand was made and carried in what may well prove to be an excess of enthusiasm.’ ‘President Roosevelt directs that the record show that his present opinion is that it will be best for us to forget the whole incident. He told Curtin he hoped he would attend a Pacific War Council meeting when he returned to the United States.’
W. BROWN
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1 South Carolina.
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[FDR:PRESIDENT’S PAPERS, MAP ROOM COLLECTION, NAVAL AIDE’S FILES, PACIFIC WAR COUNCIL. FOLDER #2, SEPTEMBER 1942 - APRIL 1944]