Appendix C
30 March 1942
Directive to the Supreme Commander in the Southwest Pacific Area (GCS 57/1)
By Agreement among the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States.
1. The SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA has been constituted as defined in Annex One. Definitions of other areas of the PACIFIC Theater are as shown therein.
2. You are designated as the Supreme Commander of the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC Area, and of all armed forces which the governments concerned have assigned, or may assign to this area.
3. As Supreme Commander you are not eligible to command directly any national force.
4. In consonance with the basic strategic policy of the governments concerned your operations will be designed to accomplish the following:
a. Hold the key military regions of Australia as bases for future offensive action against Japan, and in order to check the Japanese conquest of the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA.
b. Check the enemy advance toward Australia and its essential lines of communication by the destruction of enemy combatant, troop, and supply ships, aircraft, and bases in Eastern Malaysia and the New Guinea–Bismarck–Solomon Islands Region.
c. Exert economic pressure on the enemy by destroying vessels transporting raw materials from the recently conquered territories to Japan.
d. Maintain our position in the Philippine Islands.
e. Protect land, sea, and air communications within the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC Area, and its close approaches.
f. Route shipping in the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC Area.
g. Support the operations of friendly forces in the PACIFIC OCEAN Area and in the INDIAN Theater.
h. Prepare to take the offensive.
5. You will not be responsible for the internal administration of the respective forces under your command, but you are authorized to direct and coordinate the creation and development of administrative facilities and the broad allocation of war materials.
6. You are authorized to control the issue of all communiques concerning the forces under your command.
7. When task forces of your command operate outside the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC Area, coordination with forces assigned to the areas in which operating will be effected by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or the Combined Chiefs of Staff, as appropriate.
8. Commanders of all armed forces within your Area will be immediately informed by their respective governments that, from a date to be notified, all orders and instructions issued by you in conformity with this directive will be considered by such commanders as emanating from their respective governments.
g. Your staff will include officers assigned by the respecti’ve governments concerned, based upon requests made directly to the national commanders of the various forces in your Area.
to. The governments concerned will exercise direction of operations in the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC Area as follows:
a. The Combined Chiefs of Staff will exercise general jurisdiction over grand strategic policy and over such related factors as are necessary for proper implementation, including the allocation of forces and war materials.
b. The Joint U.S. Chiefs of Staff will exercise jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to operational strategy. The Chief of Staff, U.S. Army will act as the Executive Agency for the Joint U.S. Chiefs of Staff. All instructions to you will be issued by or through him.
Annex One: Dividing Line between Indian Theater and Pacific Theater
From CAPE KAMI in the LUICHOW PENINSULA around the coast of the TONKIN GULF, INDO-CHINA, THAILAND, and MALAYA to SINGAPORE: from SINGAPORE south to the north coast of SUMATRA, thence around the east coast of SUMATRA (leaving the SUNDA STRAIT to the eastward of the line) to a point on the coast of SUMATRA at Longitude 104° East, thence south to Latitude o8° South, thence southeasterly towards ONSLOW, AUSTRALIA, and on reaching Longitude i to° East, due south along that meridian. The PACIFIC THEATER extends eastward of this dividing line to the continents of NORTH and SOUTH AMERICA.
DEFINITION OF SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA
The westerly boundary of the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC Area is the westerly boundary of the PACIFIC Theater, the Area including necessary naval and air operational areas off the West Coast of AUSTRALIA. The north and east boundaries of the SOUTHWEST PACIFIC Area run as follows: From CAPE KAMI (LUICHOW PENINSULA) south to Latitude 20° North; thence east to Longitude 130° East; thence south to the Equator; thence east to Longitude 165° East; south to Latitude to° South; southwesterly to Latitude 17° South, Longitude 160° East; thence south.
DEFINITION OF SOUTHEAST PACIFIC AREA
From the MEXICAN–GUATEMALA western boundary southwesterly to Latitude 11° North, Longitude 110° West; thence south.
DEFINITION OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN AREA
The PACIFIC OCEAN Area includes all of the PACIFIC Theater not included in the SOUTHWEST and SOUTHEAST PACIFIC Areas, and is sub-divided into the:
NORTH PACIFIC AREA, North of Latitude 42° North;
CENTRAL PACIFIC AREA, between the Equator and Latitude 42° North;
SOUTH PACIFIC AREA, South of the Equator.