a total of 420,500 tons. Our estimation 
      of the annual tonnage which ought to be imported in order to 
      maintain our war effort at full strength 43,000,000 tons; the 
      tonnage entering in September was only at the rate of 57,000,000 
      tons and in October at 38,000,000 tons. Were the diminution to 
      continue to continue at this rate would be fatal, unless indeed 
      immensely greater replenishment than anything at present in sight 
      could be achieved in time. Although we are doing all we can to 
      meet this situation by methods, the difficulty of limiting the 
      losses is obviously much greater than in the last war. We lack 
      the assistance of the French Navy, the Italian and the Japanese 
      Navy, and above all the United States Navy, which was of such 
      vital help to us during the culminating years. The enemy commands 
      the ports all around the northern and western coast of France. 
      He is increasingly basing his submarines, flying boats and combat 
      planes on these ports and on the islands off the French coast. 
      We lack the use of ports or territory in Eire in which to organize 
      our coastal patrols by air and sea. In fact, we have now 
 
      Note: Left side of document unreadable. See original document.