Mr. Stacpoole
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Future of Defence and Security in the
Pacific Dependencies.
Your minute of May 2nd.. I have no time at the moment than do more than glance through the papers referred to in Mr. Moreton's minute of the 3rd, but I am not sure that the picture is as dark as you have painted it. It seems that, in the event of a virtually complete withdrawal East of Suez, the plan will be to provide forces for commitments in the Pacific Islands from the West, i:e. presumably by flying them out at short notice. With the aircraft that will be available at the time in question, this should I think deal with most eventualities. We must remember that, as I understand it, the 'defence' in which we are concerned is what one might call minor local defence. In the event of a major war the situation will be quite different and clearly the Americans in collaboration with the Australians would take over in the Pacific. I don't think we need concern ourselves with that situation.
Nevertheless I quite agree that we must keep a careful eye on this. When Mr. Fairclough gets back later in the week you may care to consider with him laying on some rather closer liaison arrangements with Mr. Reed in accordance with Mr. Moreton's helpful suggestion. Mr. Moreton of course maintains contact with Mr. Hall and myself and I am bound to confess that I have in fact seen the operative paragraphs of these papers before: but unfortunately other pre- occupations at the time had prevented the facts from sinking in very deeply!
quickly.
You will see that Mr. Moreton wants these papers back
B
(Trafford Smith) 4th May, 1967.
Mr Staepoole
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