145
The Prime Minister to the New Zealand Minister, Washington

War Cabinet have considered your suggestion, but in view of the fact that, after lengthy discussion and the frank expression of our reasons for preferring Washington to London, we nevertheless did accept the Far East Council in London and stated we would do everything in our power to ensure that it operated to the fullest possible advantage, it is felt that we must without further qualification give that arrangement a fair trial. I should be sorry at this stage, moreover, to create any impression at all that we were perhaps trying to by-pass the channels agreed upon, however cumbersome we believe those channels to be.