851W.20/33
The British Ambassador (Halifax) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: You will remember that when I saw you on August 24th and handed you an aide-mémoire about the situation in Madagascar, I explained that the British Government very much hoped that the United States Government would be prepared, as in the case of the earlier operations against Diego Suarez, to issue a statement on their own account indicating that the British Government had acted with their entire approval. You were good enough to say that you would have this proposal examined.
I should be very grateful to know what decision you have reached in the matter. If, as I hope, the United States Government feel that they can issue such a statement,93 then I would suggest that it would be convenient if this were to be made public in Washington at the same time as the British declaration, the text94 of which was attached to my aide-mémoire of August 24th, is published in London. From a telegram which I have just received from the Foreign Office, I gather that the publication of the British declaration is likely to take place fairly soon.
Believe me [etc.]