Defense Files

Revised Memorandum by the British Chiefs of Staff1
secret
WW–8

Post-Arcadia Collaboration

1. We think that the United States Chiefs of Staff will wish to know what representatives of the Minister of Defence and the British Chiefs of Staff organisation it is proposed to leave in Washington after the departure of the Arcadia party.

2. To avoid confusion we suggest that hereafter the word “Joint” should be applied to Inter-Service collaboration of one Nation and the word “Combined” to collaboration between two or more Allies United Nations.

Representative of the Minister of Defence.

3. Field Marshal Sir John Dill is remaining in Washington as representative of the Minister of Defence. He will have contacts with such authorities on the highest level as may be arranged between the President and the Prime Minister.

Representatives of the British Chiefs of Staff.

4. The Heads of the Joint Staff Mission, Admiral Sir Charles Little, General Sir Colville Wemyss, and Air Marshal A. T. Harris, will [Page 231] continue to represent the British Chiefs of Staff in Washington. It is hoped that a meeting between the United States Chiefs of Staff or their representatives and the representatives of the British Chiefs of Staff may be held weekly or more often if necessary. An agenda would be circulated before each meeting.

Combined Planning.

5. For the time being, the British representatives on the Planning Staff will be—

  • Navy
    • Captain C. E. Lambe
  • Army
    • Lieut. Colonel G. F. [G. K.] Bourne
  • R. A. F.
    • Group Captain S. C. Strafford

Combined Intelligence.

6. The arrangements for production of complete intelligence to serve the Planning Staffs are of great importance and we suggest that this matter should either be referred to the Combined Planning Staffs for report or considered by the Combined Chiefs of Staff at their next meeting.

7. We have here representatives of the Joint Intelligence Committee in London, and these are available to work in conjunction with any organisation the United States Chiefs of Staff may desire.

Priorities and Allocation.

8. In our view the Combined Chiefs of Staff should settle the broad programme of requirements based on strategic policy. We suggest that it will be the duty of the Combined Planning Staffs, advised by appropriate Allocation Officers, to watch on behalf of the Combined Chiefs of Staff the production programmes and to bring to notice instances where output does not conform to strategic policy.

9. Similarly the Combined Chiefs of Staff should from time to time issue general directives laying down policy to govern the distribution of available weapons of war. Effect should be given to these directives by appropriate Combined Allocation Committees. These would meet periodically and make both long-term allocations (on which planning and training of forces must be based), and short-term allocations to meet immediate military needs.

10. The British representatives on the appropriate Combined Allocation Committees will for the present be—

  • Navy
    • Rear Admiral J. W. S. Dorling
  • Army
    • Brigadier D. Campion
  • R. A. F.
    • Air Commodore E. B. C. Betts

[Page 232]

11. Allocation should be made as between the United States and the British Commonwealth, each caring for the needs of the Allies for whom it has accepted responsibility.

Military Movements.

12. The Combined Chiefs of Staff should settle the broad issues of priority of overseas movement. In order to advise the Combined Chiefs of Staff and to coordinate the movement of United States and British troops and equipment so that the shipping resources of both countries are put to the best use, it appears to us that a Combined Body is desirable. The British representatives for such a body are available under Brigadier R. Kerr.

13. It is suggested that this Combined Body should work in close touch with the Combined Planning Staffs through whom their advise to the Combined Chiefs of Staff would be submitted.

Secretariat.

14. A British Secretariat under Brigadier Dykes is available to serve the above organisations and to work in any similar Secretariat system which the United States Chiefs of Staff may establish.

  • Dudley Pound
  • J. G. Dill
  • A. T. Harris

(for Chief of Air Staff)
[Attachment]
Draft Minute for Submission by the United States Chiefs of Staff to the President and by the British Chiefs of Staff to the Prime Minister

“We, the combined United States-British Chiefs of Staff are agreed in principle that finished war equipment shall be allocated in accordance with strategical needs. We accordingly submit that an appropriate body should be set up, under the authority of the combined Chiefs of Staff, in Washington, and a corresponding body in London, for the purpose of giving effect to this principle.”

  1. The source text was Annex 1 to JCCSs–11; see ante, p. 200. This memorandum was a copy of the memorandum of January 8 (ante, p. 217) with indicated revisions in the text and with the addition of the attached “draft minute.” Since these amendments to the original memorandum were made at the meeting of the Chiefs of Staff on January 13, 1942, the editors have supplied this date on the revised version.