BS                                           London
This telegram must be 
closely paraphrased be-                           Dated Dece,ber 19, 1941
fore being communicated to 
anyone. (B)                                       Rec'd.  10:10 p.m.
 
 
Secretary of State,
      Washington.
 
     RUSH
 
     6148, December 19, 8 p.m. (SECTION THREE) 
 
     One. The Far East.
 
          The initial success which Japan has achieved at sea has altered the whole balance of power 
 
in the Pacific and has, for the time being, rendered any United Kingdom--United States naval 
 
combination adequate to deal with Japanese naval strength impossible.
 
          The question has to be faced of what our stategy  in the immediate future should be in the 
 
Far East.
 
     It would appear to be of a defensive character at sea, aimed at harassing the enemy, 
 
interrupting her communicaitons and denying her the benefit, so far as possible, of any new 
 
sources of supply she may obtain, e.g. rubber and rice from Thailand..
 
     The best method of achieving this would be by the largest possible concentration of 
 
submarines and aircraft based upon the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines and Singapore.
     
     With regard to submarines, the Dutch have a certain number available but their 
 
reinforcement would have to come