 Mindful of his obligations to the New Zealand government and the right of appeal if he thought that the division was being imperilled, Freyberg then revived a suggestion that the division be sent to Syria, which was accepted on 13 December.After the outbreak of war in the Far East, with Japanese landings in Malaya on the night of the New Zealand Division was one of the divisions in the Middle East intended to return to Asia along with Australian divisions.The offer of an American division to the New Zealand government, persuaded it to consent to the New Zealand Division remaining in Syria.