DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
                                   OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
                                              WASHINGTON
 
                                                                                 March 20, 194l.
 
                                     Memorandum for the President.
 
Subject:       Tasks of United States' naval forces in the 
          Atlantic in case of a decision to escort 
          convoys.
 
     1.    The conference in the Navy Department has 
reached agreement that the protection of shipping in the 
Atlantic, bound to and from the United Kingdom, would be
most effectively accomplished as indicated herein.
 
     2.     The plan, in broad outline, consists of
placing in convoy as much as possible of the shipping in
question. North American shipping would be assembled in 
northern United States and Canadian ports, and pass thence 
via a route north of 60[degrees] North into the northwestern 
approaches to the United Kingdom. South American, African, and 
Indian Ocean shipping, would assemble at Freetown, move west of 
the Azores, and thence also into the Northwestern Approaches.
 
     3.     Protection would be afforded by escorting all 
convoys; and by tracking down surface raiders in the open sea 
by patrols and striking forces.
 
     4.     The United States, under this plan, vould do
the following:
 
(a)       Provide ocean escorts consisting of a battleship or a
          cruiser and two destroyers, from Halifax to a point in
          about Latitude 60[deg] North, Longitude 30[deg] West. As
          available United States' forces are insufficient, they
          would be assisted by a few British merchant cruisers.
 
(b)       Provide a force of destroyers and patrol planes for 
          assisting the British to escort convoys between the 
     point in Latitude 60[deg] North, Longitude 30[deg] West, 
     and United Kingdom ports. The United States' forces 
     involved initially would be three squadrons of destroyers 
     (27) and four squadrons of patrol planes (48); mine-
     sweepers, tenders, etc. This force would base in ports 
     in North Ireland.