237 — The Governor-General of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
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237
The Governor-General of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
In view of your secret telegram of 16 July and of a subsequent communication2 from the Governor of Fiji expressing his concurrence
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in the proposal made in my telegram of 12 July [No. 235], His Majesty's Government in New Zealand propose to despatch the three Chiefs of Staff1 with a few expert officers to Fiji in HMS Achilles2 forthwith. At the same time they are arranging to forward to Fiji an adequate supply of aviation spirit and bombs. They fully appreciate the desirability of secrecy and will take every step that is possible to avoid unnecessary publicity.
On receipt of the report of the Chiefs of Staff His Majesty's Government in New Zealand propose again to consider the question of despatching a force to Fiji, to which they attach considerable importance for the defence of New Zealand as well as Fiji, and the necessity for which they feel might conceivably arise at very short notice.3
2 Not published.
1 Major-General Sir John Duigan, Chief of the General Staff; Group Captain H. W. L. Saunders, Chief of the Air Staff; Commodore W. E. Parry, RN, Chief of the Naval Staff.
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