Hopkins Papers: Telegram
Prime Minister Churchill to the President’s Special Assistant (Hopkins)1
Prime Minister to Mr. Harry Hopkins, personal, private, and top secret.
[Page 18]For Stage 2 I should require to have with me Chancellor of Ex chequer Anderson, Oliver Lyttelton and Lord Cherwell. These com plicated discussions could take place side by side with military topics. It might also be well for Anderson and Cherwell to contact your people on TA.
For President’s most secret personal information Alexander is going to make a considerable push in the near future, with what he has got left. You know, Harry, that I have here the Army of British Empire, British, Canadian, Australian, South African, and Indian. The air borne army is so [also?] representative of whole Empire. They are in grand fettle in spite of unsettlements caused to all ranks by pulling out of key elements, which has gone on for three months, but I hope their action will remind you they cannot possibly be left on side line during later phase of war. I could never consent to this.
I Shall now probably come by Boeing,3 which gives me four or five days more in London and France, to which I must pay a visit.
Foresee enemy present policy of holding on to all ports to utmost while withdrawing under strong rearguard to Swiss frontier-Dijon-Paris line or farther make it most necessary we shall obtain port facilities and not be jammed up against autumn and winter gales, as is evidently the desire of Schickelgruber.4
Looking forward so much to seeing you and our great friend in near future.