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Letter from the Prime Minister to the United States Naval Attaché

I am very much obliged to you for your note of 8 December conveying to me the text of a message from President Roosevelt. Would you be good enough to forward the following reply from me to the President:

Thank you so much for your kind message. As you know, our one object is to further the common cause to the best of our ability and resources. We are most anxious to assist effectively in due course in the offensive in the South Pacific, and this was our primary motive in raising with Churchill the possibility of the return to this area of our Division in the Middle East.

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In the circumstances we have agreed that this is at present impracticable, and though our contemplated co-operation in the Pacific will necessarily be less powerful we will, nevertheless, do all we can.