The Secretary of the Navy (Know) to
President Roosevelt
38
undated
My Dear Mr. President: I am attaching herewith
a formal reply from the Defense Committee of the British Cabinet to the
query we
[Page 184]
put to Adm.
Dankwertz39 on transfer
of part of the Pacific fleet to the Atlantic.
Yours sincerely,
[Enclosure]
Reply to Certain United States Proposals
Aide-Mémoire
Inform U. S. authorities that the issues raised by this proposal have
been considered by the Defense Committee of the Cabinet and that as
such a move vitally affects Australia and New Zealand we have
obtained their opinions.
- 2.
- Our opinion which is concurred in in general by both Australia
and New Zealand is that any marked advance by the U. S. Navy in
or into the Atlantic would be on the whole more likely to deter
Japan from going to war than the maintenance of the present very
large U. S. Fleet at Hawaii, and further that it might exercise
a profound influence on the present critical situation in Spain,
Turkey and Vichy France. You should therefore strongly encourage
American action in this sense.
- 3.
- The problem for the U. S. authorities is so nicely to judge
the degree of the transfer that while still retaining the
deterrent effect of a strong U. S. Fleet in the Pacific, there
will also be the deterrent effect of an increased U. S. Fleet in
the Atlantic.
- 4.
- It is not only the strength but also the composition of the
Fleet in the Pacific which will act as a deterrent, and in our
view the necessary effect will not remain unless the Fleet in
the Pacific consisted of not less than 6 capital ships and 2
aircraft carriers. Inclusion of the latter is considered of the
greatest importance.
V. H. Danckwerts
Rear Admiral
[Washington
?] 8
May, 1941.
