c. 'In order to avoid delay, communications from the Supreme
Commander.should be telegraphed to London and Washington
simultaneously-thetelegram for Washington being for action, and that to
London to furnish a basis for immediate comment to Washington.
 
                  'In 'view of the above considerations, it was felt
that while some of the'suggestions .in the redraft forwarded by Mr.
'Hopkins could be accepted, the main principles contained in their
original Memorandum should be retained. The Committee accordingly
prepared a revised 'version of their Memorandum, in two parts. (See
Annex 2).
 
                  The United States and British Chiefs of Staff agreed
that the re'vised Memorandum on the 'Higher Direction of War in the
ABDA Area should be
submitted to the President for his approval under a covering Memorandum
set-ting out the reasons for the machinery proposed.
 
          ~2.       DRAPT DIRECTIVE TO THE SUPREME COMMANDER IN TI{E
ABDA AREA. -
 
                  The Committee had before them a Report by the Joint
Planning Commit tee (U.S. ARC-4/5, British ~' (J.p.c.)5).
 
                    Discussion took place on the extent of the ABDA
Area.
 
                  ADMIRAL STARK reminded the Committee that a telegram
'had been sent to Generalissimo Chiang Kai'Shek, in which it 'had been
Suggested that 'IndoChina and Thailand should be included in the
Chinese theatre, and 'his comments on this arrangement 'had been
requested. 'He felt, therefore, that, for political reasons, it would
be necessary to exclude Indo-China and Thailand from the ABDA Area.
 
                 ADMIRAL POUND and MARSHAL DILL agreed with this view,
and explained that they felt that Burma should be included in the ABDA
Area as an essential supply route to China. Burma 'had recently been
transferred from the Far
Eastern Command to the Indian Command, as being an important outpost of
the 'Indian defense, but the British Chiefs of Staff now agreed that it
should be
included in the ABDA Area.
 
                 THE BRITISH CHIEFS OF STAFF agreed to a proposal p~ut
forward by the United'States'Chiefs of Staff that a paragraph should be
included' to the effect that the Deputy 'Supreme Commander and, if
required, a Commander of the combined :Naval forces, should be Jointly
designated by the ABDA Governments.
 
                 THE UNITED STATES AND BRITISH CHIEFS OF STAP. F
accepted the Draft Directlye to the 'Supreme Commander .in the ABDA
Area, as amended by the Committee, and including the Memorandum on
the'Higher Direction of.War .in the ABDA Area (Annex"2 to the Report):,
as an agreed report, for submission to the President and the Prime
Minister. (See Annex 3, U.S. ARC-4/5, British WM 3,-December 30, 1941)
.
 
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