for comprehensive immigration control. In these circumstances, H.M. Government wished to obtain a machinery which, whilst retaining to the fullest possible extent the powers of the Governor and the advantage of his knowledge and experience, would prevent the ultimate defeat of military defensive measures, by subversive activities known to have been so successful elsewhere. In the plan
set out in the Instructions which I handed to him, the intention was to provide him with a Military Commander over all military defence forces in the Colony, including local naval defence forces, of the required status and knowledge to obtain adequate discussion and agreed decisions to meet the problems projected. For that purpose General Festing had been selected. I felt confident that with loyal co-operation from both sides, this could be made to work effectively. Having read the Instructions the Governor at once indicated that he would be quite willing to do his very best to make the plan work, but pointed out that, if he were to do so, it would in his judgment be essential if on any matter which he considered to be of great importance to the welfare of the Colony there was disagreement, he should have a right of appeal to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. I said that obviously there could be no intention of preventing his normal free access to the Secretary of State, provided that there was no delay in matters of urgent military necessity. There was also the question of the possibility of reference to the British Defence Co-ordination Committee. Our discussion then ranged over a wide area in complete frankness, and I found the Governor's attitude to be generally most helpful. He asked to sleep on the question of appeal, and indicated that it was the one point in the whole matter which might otherwise produce a situation in which he would have no alternative but to resign. When he met me again at 9 a.m. on the 7th Junc Sir Alexander repeated that he was anxious to co-operate but submitted a form of words to
be inserted in the Instructions to safeguard his right of appeal to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Не