The Prime Minister had received an ilmnediate reply, asking for information as to the nature of this joint body. tte had been asked to defer giving his views to London on this point until the Chiefs of Staff had had an opportunity of putting forward their views. One of tile main objects in setting up a Supreme Commander was to achieve rapidity of decision on important matters. It would be difficult to attain this object if a cumbersome machine were erected to deal with important matters arising from the Southwestern Pacific Theater. The right course would be to utilize existing machinery, and the British Chiefs of Staff had formulated certain proposals which they hoped would prove acceptable to the United States Chiefs of Staff. ADMIRAL POUND then read his proposals to the Conference. (See Annex 2). ADMIRAL KING said that he had been asked to consider this matter, and advise the President at very short notice. He had set down on paper an outlille of a solution which he thought would achieve the object in view, namely, rapid decision through the use of existing machinery. His proposal was that the Prime Minister should appoint a deputy in Washingtoll, who would act with tile President on recommendations to be made by a Southwestern Pacific Council, which would be a military body composed of one representative from each of the following:- U.S. Joint Board, the British Joint Staff Mission, the Dutch military representatives in Washingtoll, together with one Anzac representative. The members of this Council would be instructed as necessary by the military bodies which they represented. GENERAL MARSI{ALL suggested that it might be better not to introduce at this stage the complicated question of machinery into the business of setting up unity of command. He thought that an amendment might be made to the documents establishing the unified command, which would include a phrase to tile effect that "matters would be dealt with by such joint machinery as the Associated Powers may hereafter set up". ADMIRAL KING thought that the establishment of machinery was an indispensable part of the establishment of unity of command, if the latter were to start operating at once. GENERAL MARSHALL said that if such were the case, he was prepared to accept the proposals put forward by the British Chiefs of Staff. ADMIRAL KING and ADMIRAL STARK signified their agreement to these proposals ADMIRAL HORNE suggested that in order to achieve unity of command without delay, it should be agreed upon and established by the - 3 - |