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Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume III

266 — The Prime Minister of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs2 — [Extract]

266
The Prime Minister of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs2
[Extract]

19 February 1942

Your telegram of 3 February [No. 264].

His Majesty's Government in New Zealand concur in the recommendations which are under consideration by the Combined Chiefs of Staff in Washington, and for their part they will be glad to afford all possible supplies to such United States forces as might be assigned to assist in the defence of Fiji.

2. His Majesty's Government in New Zealand would point out that the Anzac area, for the defence of which they are committed to employ all the resources they can command, does not include inter alia the Mandated Territory of Western Samoa or Fanning Island. In view of the proximity of Western Samoa to American Samoa, His Majesty's Government in New Zealand would be glad to learn whether it is the intention of the Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee in Washington to recommend and arrange for the United States to provide such additional measures of defence there as will ensure that its present weakness does not constitute an undue menace to American Samoa. The garrison comprises 1 Warrant Officer, 150 natives with rifles, 6 medium machine guns, 2 light machine guns, 11 sub-machine guns with 18,000 rounds, 197,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition and 1000 grenades….3

5. His Majesty's Government in New Zealand assume, but would be glad to receive confirmation or otherwise of this assumption, that the defence dispositions of the United States in French Oceania will not be limited to Bora Bora but will extend generally to the whole group.

2 Repeated to the Prime Minister of Australia, the Governor of Fiji and the New Zealand Minister in Washington.

3 See Fanning Island, No. 330, for text omitted.