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ANNEX I.
CYPHER TELEGRAM.
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA,
177
From the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Dated 24th September, 1940.
IMMEDIATE.
No. 500. MOST SECRET.
Received 17.50 hrs. 24th September.
Addressed to S. of S. for Dominion Affairs No. 500 repeated to Prime Minister of New Zealand No. 16. Most Secret.
With further reference to your telegram No. 346 H.M. Government in the Commonwealth of Australia has considered your conclusion that, after balancing the risks between the Middle East and Far East, the needs of the situation would be best met if the 7th Australian Division were sent direct to the Middle East to complete its training and agree with your proposal.
The Commonwealth Government assume that as this division will be equipped on a modified scale, H.M. Government in the U.K. is fully satisfied as to the military situation in the region in which this force will be located, and that there is no reasonable risk of the division being called upon to fight until it has completed its training and received its full equipment,
The Commonwealth Government would stress its previous representations regarding the importance which it attaches to early equipping its forces overseas with modern equipment. In this connection, it will be recalled that the High Commissioner was instructed to make representations in accordance with cabled directions of the 26th January and it is also desired to invite attention to paragraph b of telegram No. 208 of the 8th May. It has been noted from Circular telegram Z No. 229 of the 1st September that the U.K. Government has decided to allocate a considerably larger portion of equipment produced in the U.K. for the use of force in overseas theatres.
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