Draft note from His Majesty's Ambassador
          to Mr. Cordell Hull.
 
 
Sir,
 
     I have the honour under instructions
 
From His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State
 
for Foreign Affairs to refer to the speech made by
 
the Prime Minister in the House of Commons on
 
August 20th. In that speech Mr. Churchill stated
 
that His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom
 
had decided some months ago that the interests of
 
both the United States and the British Commonwealth
 
of Nations required that the United States should
 
have facilities for the naval and air defence of the
 
western hemisphere against the attack of a hostile
 
power which might have acquired temporary but
 
lengthy control of a large part of western Europe
 
and its resources.
 
     I have now been instructed to inform you
 
that His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom,
 
in agreement with His Majesty's Government in Canada,
 
are happy to give the assurance that in the hope of
 
furthering and making still more cordial and enduring
 
the existing good relations between Great Britain
 
and the United States, and as a free contribution on
 
their part towards the defence of the Americas, and
 
the inhabitants thereof, they are ready to make
 
available immediately to the United States Government
 
naval and air facilities in certain areas in
 
Newfoundland/