The tone, and indeed the substance, of the relations was governed by many factors: the personalities of the national leaders, geographic location, national power, and the previously perceived roles of the countries, developed from their past experience, that is, their history. To these influences must be added a further determinant of allied strategy, performance on the battlefield, and the problems of co-operation at the military level. And the attitudes of the military men in Malaya and Java directly influenced those of the politicians in Australia and England. Hence to understand the shaping of allied strategy in early 1942 it is important to appreciate the problems of battlefield co-operation at that time. Meanwhile Menzies, who although out of the government was still a member of the Advisory War Council, had suggested to the British High Commissioner that Blamey should be given command of all British troops in the area.