811.0141 Phoenix Group/163
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Moffat)
Mr. Mallet, Counselor of the British Embassy, called to leave a short third-person note32 to the effect that the considerations we had advanced with regard to the Pacific islands on August 16 were now being studied and that an answer would be given us in the near future. Mr. Mallet then went on to say that His Majesty’s High Commissioner for the Western Pacific had been distinctly worried over the actions of the hydrographic survey party on the Phoenix Islands. They had blasted away into the lagoon on Hull Island, had erected four steel masts 100 feet high, and set up some flag posts. They had then gone to Sydney Island and erected more steel masts. Mr. Mallet said that he hoped this did not indicate a new “invasion”. I replied that we had informed the British Government that the hydrographic survey was without prejudice to political claims, and that we had promised the British Government a copy of the survey findings. I then said that it seemed a pity we could not come to an understanding on the Pacific islands at the present time, and hoped that the matter might be cleared up without delay. Mr. Mallet replied that the British still considered trans-Pacific flying the nub of the situation and landing rights at Hawaii the center of the nub.
- Note not printed.↩