373
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to the Prime Minister of New Zealand

I am very grateful for your message (No. 372) and for its generous and courageous terms. We have been kept very short of information ourselves, but as most brigades were working independently and moving fast, these complicated operations were apparently most difficult to follow. The Anzacs and New Zealanders have hit the enemy far harder than he has hit them and have acquitted themselves in a glorious manner. Our troops are now on the Thermopylae position, but I have no doubt that their early re-embarkation will be necessary. All plans were made some time ago for this operation and have only to be applied to existing circumstances. The three Commanders-in-Chief are re-uniting at Cairo in order to concert the highest possible action. You can be sure that the safe withdrawal of men will have precedence over any other consideration except that of honour. However, the battle in Libya cannot be endangered by withdrawing too much of our Air Force from there. I have so greatly admired the [word mutilated] your Government and my thoughts turn many times a day to the fortunes of your one splendid New Zealand Division and of my heroic friend Freyberg. Highly competent officers on the spot seem to feel good confidence in their ability to solve the problem in the Greek theatre, but, undoubtedly, a phase of acute anxiety lies before us there.