MINUTE SHEET.
Reference et &
The p o s i t i o n a p p e a r s t o be b r i e f l y a s
follows:-
2 . I n i t s o r i g i n a l f o r m t h e agreement w h i c h
s u b s e q u e n t l y became the d e s t r o y e r s - b a s e s d e a l p r o v i d e d
f o r the l e a s e to P.A.A.- o f f a c i l i t i e s i n v a r i o u s B r i t i s h
t e r r i t o r i e s i n t h e C a r i b b e a n and e l s e w h e r e .
I t was t h e n
n e c e s s a r y t o r e s e r v e , on b e h a l f o f B r i t i s h a v i a t i o n the
r i c h t t o u s e on ofejf'terias any f a c i l i t i e s thus g r a n t e d t o
P.A.A.
The p r o p o s a l to «*felease to P . A . A . was i n due c o a r s e
dropped i n f a v o u r o f the p r e s e n t a g r e e m e n t , and H..M.G. now
w i s h to e x c l u d e P . A . A . from the u s e o f the f a c i l i t i e s which
we have g r a n t e d t o the U . S . n a v a l and m i l i t a r y a u t h o r i t i e s .
6
2 . iiieanwhile, however, we had on two o c c a s i o n s ,
August 8 t h ana September 2 6 t h , i n w r i t i n g t o t h e S.D.
f o r m a l l y r e s e r v e d the r i g h t o f any B r i t i s h a i r t r a n s p o r t
u n d e r t a k i n g t o u t i l i z e f a c i l i t i e s e s t a b l i s h e d by American
i n t e r e s t s on B r i t i s h s o i l .
T h i s , a s the P . O . p o i n t o u t , a t
l e a s t i m p l i e s t h a t we c o n s i d e r t h a t P . A . A . have the r i g h t
t o use the f a c i l i t i e s t o o .
I n r e p l y i n g t o our n o t e o f
September 2 6 t h , the S.D. comment on t h i s a s p e c t o f t h e
question as f o l l o w s : " I n r e p l y you a r e a d v i s e d i n v i e w o f the p r e s e n t
p r o j e c t s t o e s t a b l i s h Army and Navy b a s e s on a r e a s
to be l e a s e d from t h e B r i t i s h Government, t h a t the
o r i g i n a l p l a n s t o have Pan American A i r w a y s c o n s t r u c t
c e r t a i n f a c i l i t i e s on B r i t i s h s o i l have been abandoned
w i t h the e x c e p t i o n o f s e a p l a n e f a c i l i t i e s a t P o r t o f
Spain, Trinidad.
Pan A m e r i c a n A i r w a y s p l a n s t o expand
i t s seaplane f a c i l i t i e s at Port of Spain, T r i n i d a d ,
on b e h a l f o f the V/ar D e p a r t m e n t , but such f a c i l i t i e s
w i l l be c o m m e r c i a l i n c h a r a c t e r and not under the
c o n t r o l o f t h e United S t a t e s Government.
I t i s not
c o n t e m p l a t e d t h a t commercial a i r c r a f t w i l l be a u t h o r i z e d
t o o p e r a t e from any o f the Army and Navy b a s e s t o be
c o n s t r u c t e d i n the l e a s e d a r e a s , e x c e p t i n c a s e o f
e m e r g e n c i e s or f o r s t r i c t l y m i l i t a r y p u r p o s e s , unde:
s u p e r v i s i o n o f the War and Navy D e p a r t m e n t s .
Shoiiid
a r r a n g e m e n t s be made a t some f u t u r e t i m e , however, t o
p e r m i t America., couuaercial a i r c r a f t t o o p e r a t e from
t h e s e b a s e s , s y m p a t h e t i c . c o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l t h e n be
ftiven to the ^ r a n t i n g o f . s i i a i l u r f a c i l i t i e s to B r i t i s h
a i r t r a n s p o r t u n d e r t a k i n g s a t r e a s o n a b l e commercial
charges".
& . T h u s , the U . S . G . , w h i l e s a y i n g t h a t t h e y do not
i n t e n d t o a l l o w coaimercial^ a^ ^ ^ raf t^t^r £ige the n a v a l and
m i l i t a r y b a se s a t pre se nt^ e n v m a g c i_a p o s s i b i l i t y o f d o i n g
so i n th e f u t u r e , and p r o m i s e t h a t i n t h a t cas e
similar
f a c i l i t i e s w i l l be g r a n t e d to B r i t i s h a v i a t i o n . e
W are
t h u s i n th e awkward p o s i t i o n o f h a v i n c t o a s k th e S.D. t o
re f u se t o t h e i r own a v i a t i o n what we have be e n p r e s s i n g the m
t o g r a n t to o u r s .
I t h i n k t h a t a l l we can do i s to r e p l y to
the S.D. t a k i n g n o t e o f t h i s passag e i n t h e i r communication^
and s a y i n g t h a t i n v i e w o f subs e qu e nt d e v e l o p m e n t s we assume
t h a t U . S . G . w i l l c o n s u l t w i t h H..M.G. b e f o r e making any u s e
o t h e r t h a n m i l i t a r y o f the b a s e s .
Th
e S.D. n o t e *w*e £a ne w
f a c t o r which was not p r e s e n t whe n P . O . d e s p a t c h No. 84
( s e e 3 0 4 4 / 1 / 4 0 ) was w r i t t e n , a n d pe rhaps our propose d re p l y
t o the S.D. s h o u l d be r e f e r r e d t o the P . O . f o r t he i r
c o n c u r re n ce b e f o r e d e s p a t c h . (/^. ^t^^-^^^\
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& There rem ains
m
s a l l p o i n t oa* the a e r o p l a n e
f a c i l i t i e s f o r P . A . A - a t Port o f Spain, to which r e f e r e n c e
i s m ade i n the S . D . ' s n o t e .
I have not been a b l e t o l a y
m y hand on the p a p e r s i n r e g a r d t o t h i s ,
I t h i n k we.
can assum e t h a t the c o n t r a c t w i t h P . A . A . wouia pro 1v i d e
for reciprocity.
P e r h a p s the A . A . c o u l d e l u c i d a t e t h i s ,
point.
21st January,
1^41.
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