#3-633
Memorandum for Mr. Harry Hopkins
April 30, 1943 [Washington, D.C.]
Secret
The following is a suggested reply to the Prime Minister's radio which we discussed today. I have read it to the U.S. Chiefs of Staff, to whom Admiral Leahy introduced the subject of the message. They are in agreement with me.
"Reference your radio number 291 regarding general meeting in Washington May 11th or in London:1
"Marshall and King are due to leave here for Pacific on May 5th or 6th in order to be back in Washington first week in June for final consideration of post-HUSKY matters. Their Pacific trip at this time is most important relative to final adjustments of matters pertaining to combined operations in the South and Southwest Pacific areas about to be initiated.
"I suggest that the reactions of the British Chiefs of Staff to your minute of April 5th reference post-HUSKY operations be made available to the U.S. Chiefs of Staff and vice versa,2 this procedure preliminary to more formal and final consideration early in June in the light of Tunisian and HUSKY developments.
"I would also suggest that Wavell, Peirse, and Somerville come here immediately in time to discuss with Marshall and King and others in company with General Stilwell and Chennault now here, matters relative to ANAKIM."3
Document Copy Text Source: George C. Marshall Papers, Pentagon Office Collection, Selected Materials, George C. Marshall Research Library, Lexington, Virginia.
Document Format: Typed memorandum.
1. "It seems to me most necessary that we should all settle together now first HUSKY and exploitation thereof and secondly the future of ANAKIM in light of Burma campaign experiences and shipping stringency," Prime Minister Churchill cabled to President Roosevelt on April 29. "There are also a number of other burning questions which you and I could with advantage bring up to date." (Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States: The Conferences at Washington and Quebec, 1943 [Washington: GPO, 1970], pp. 15–16.)
2. In his April 5, 1943, message to Roosevelt, Churchill included the minute which he had sent to the British Chiefs of Staff for study. Not yet having their reply, Churchill directed that his memorandum be shown only to Hopkins and General Marshall. (Ibid., pp. 12–14.)
3. Roosevelt did not send this message to Churchill. (Ibid., p. 16.) For information regarding the British-American conference held in Washington, D.C., May 12–25, 1943, see Papers of George Catlett Marshall, #3-669 [3: 705–8] and Marshall Draft Message to Stalin, May 26, 1943, Papers of George Catlett Marshall, #3-670 [3: 709–10].
Recommended Citation: ThePapers of George Catlett Marshall, ed.Larry I. Bland and Sharon Ritenour Stevens (Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall Foundation, 1981– ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 3, “The Right Man for the Job,” December 7, 1941-May 31, 1943 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991), pp. 671–672.