856B.01/11
The British Ambassador (Lothian) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honour under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to inform you that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands Government are most concerned about the security of Aruba and Curaçao and of the oil refineries which are vital to their war effort. There is reason to fear attempts at sabotage by Germans or German agents, and that local authorities may have insufficient forces at their command to deal with these attempts. It has therefore been agreed that a small additional force from neighbouring British territory should be placed at the disposal of the local Dutch authorities for security purposes. In case the United States Government would feel inclined to cooperate with His Majesty’s Government and the Netherlands Government in this matter, such cooperation would be most welcome to both Governments.
I have [etc.]