Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943

Roosevelt Papers: Telegram

Prime Minister Churchill to President Roosevelt¹

secret

London, 6 November 1943.

No. 494. Former Naval Person to President Roosevelt personal and most secret.

My immediately preceding telegram. Following is report from Ismay referred to in paragraph 5.

• Para 1. Begins: “Best information from most experienced and reliable quarters shows that chances of interruption due to weather of communications between Cairo and Cairo 3 are exaggerated.
• Para 2. Last year during the period Mid-November to Mid-December BOAC flight between Cairo and Cairo 3 was only twice delayed and then for not more than 2 days.
• Para 3. Even if flights over the mountains were prevented by the weather journey from Baghdad to Cairo 3 should not be interrupted and should not exceed 3 days. This could be reduced to 2 days by a properly organized relay system of cars along the route.
• Para 4. A further and quicker alternative would be flight from Cairo to Basra and then by rail (26 hours) Bandashahpur [Bander Shahpur] to Cairo 3. Train travels regularly 5 days a week”.

1. Sent by the American Embassy, London, apparently via military channels.