740.0011 Pacific War/1443
The British Embassy to the Department of State
On December 14th Mr. Hamilton of the State Department handed to the British Ambassador two communications regarding the situation in Borneo.
[Here follows summary of communication printed on page 383 and quotation of text of document printed on page 384.]
The British Ambassador was informed some days ago that the British Government agreed with the views of the United States Government as set out in the first communication referred to above. So far as British territories were concerned the demolition scheme had been completely put into effect. The British authorities in Singapore had too been instructed to take the necessary steps to ensure early action by the Dutch authorities.
The British Ambassador has furthermore been instructed to express the warm appreciation of His Majesty’s Government for the second communication quoted above. He has also been instructed to express the hope that the British authorities are right in assuming that the undertaking which this statement gives to “the British and Dutch Governments” in connexion with the destruction of the North [Page 396] Borneo oil fields also applies to all parts of the British Empire which may be affected by the destruction of these oil fields.90
- In a memorandum dated January 19, 1942, the Department informed the British Embassy: “By way of clarification it may be stated that the undertaking of the Government of the United States as set forth in the second communication which was handed to the British Ambassador by Mr. Hamilton on December 14 applies to all parts of the British Empire which, as a result of the destruction of the oil fields in Borneo under the circumstances under reference, suffer oil shortages.” President Roosevelt approved the original draft of this memorandum with this notation: “C[ordell] H[ull:] O. K.—Does no harm for the record. F[ranklin] D. R[oosevelt]”.↩