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

21 — The Governor-General of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs

21
The Governor-General of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs

9 October 1940

With reference to Circular telegram of 8 October addressed to the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in New Zealand, His Majesty's Government in New Zealand wish to make it quite clear that, in the event of the United States finding themselves at war with Japan as the result of a concerted action with the British Commonwealth in the Pacific, they entirely and unanimously agree with His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom that the British Commonwealth should immediately declare war on Japan in alliance with the United States, and they undertake for their part to take the necessary action in such circumstances immediately.1

This telegram has been repeated to Ottawa, Canberra and Pretoria.

1 For several months after the reopening of the Burma Road in October 1940, intergovernmental messages about Japan were mainly descriptive of overseas trends and in themselves required little executive action. They are therefore not reproduced in this volume. A generally deteriorating situation was nevertheless indicated, resulting in decisions for preparedness by the New Zealand Government which are recorded, inter alia, in the sections Defence of New Zealand, Defence of the South Pacific and Fanning Island.