b. The maintenance of essential colmnunications.
 
       c. Closing and tightening the ring round Germany.
 
           d. Wearing down and undermining German resistance by air
bombardment, blockade~ subversive activities~ and propaganda.
 
e. The continuous development of offensive action against Germany.
 
           _f. Maintaining only such positions in the Eastern theatre
as will safeguard vital interests and deny to Japan access to raw
materials vital to her continuous war effort while we are concentrating
on the defeat of Germany.
 
III.. STEPS TO BE TAKEN IN 1942 TO PUT INTO EFFECT THE ABOVE
 
GLNEKAL POLICY
 
IIE SECURITY OF APfEAS OF WAR PRODUCTION.
 
       5. In so far as these are ].'~k:~].y~. r~.~
to be attacked~ the main areas of
ar industry are situated in'--
 
_a. The United. Kingdom.
 
b_. Continental United States~ particularly the West Coast.
 
c. Russia.
 
      6. TIlE UNITED KINGDOM. To safeguard the United Kingdom it will
be scessary to maintain at all times the mJ. nimtun forces required to
defeat avasIon.
 
      7.    T~LE UNITED STATES. The main. centres of production on or
near the ~st Coast of United. States must be protected from
Japanese~Sea-borne attack. ~is will be facilitated by holding Hawaii
and A].aska. We consider that a apanese invasion of the United States
on a large scale is highly improbable, aether Hawaii or Alaska :is held
or not.
 
      8.    The probable scale of attack and. the genera], nature of
the forces ~quired for the defense of the United States are matters for
the United bates Chiefs of Staff to assess.
 
      9.    RUSSIA. It will be essential to afford the Russians
matenial as[stance to enable them to inaintain their hold on Leningrad~
Moscow and the [lfields of the Caucasus~ and to continue their war
effort.
 
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