Closing the Ring (98 page)

3. I am preparing a telegram for President Roosevelt, bringing to his notice some of these dangers, which I think very grave; and I am asking also that it should be considered by the C.O.S. Committee.

Prime Minister to Foreign Secretary
    5 Feb. 44

Your minute about raising certain legations to the status of embassies.

I must say I think Cuba has as good a claim as some of the other places—“
la perla de las Antillas.
” Great offence will be given if all the others have it and this large, rich, beautiful island, the home of the cigar, is denied. Surely Cuba has much more claim than Venezuela. You will make a bitter enemy if you leave them out, and after a bit you will be forced to give them what you have given to the others.

Prime Minister to General Ismay
    7 Feb. 44

Where is the report on “Caliph”? You should also tell the Planners, if they have not finished their work, that the assembly area of Morocco should be used or at least three French divisions to follow up the inroad of the British armour “Caliph.”

Prime Minister to Sir Edward Bridges
    12 Feb. 44

I have no intention of moving from the Cabinet War Room until after we have had at least one blitz which is altogether out of relation to anything we have previously experienced. I do not think the new forms of bombardment make any difference to this. You should provide reasonable accommodation for the Lord Privy Seal. The other Ministers’ rooms can stay as at present.

Prime Minister to Sir Edward Bridges
    19 Feb. 44

The principle enunciated in Lord Selborne’s note about housing in the transitional period after the war seems to me unanswerable. To peg land prices at the 1939 level without relation to any alteration in the value of money would be a confiscatory act applied only to one class of property. Provision must be inserted in any legislation that the value shall be the same as it was in 1939—i.e., the same in real value.

Prime Minister to General Ismay, for C.O.S. Committee
    19 Feb. 44

The object of “Plough” Force was to operate in Norway during the snow period, and much depended in essence upon small tanks being carried by aircraft in which the men could fight and move and, to some extent, find shelter. Since then “Plough” has been taken for ordinary duties as Commandos. How far has the flying-tank principle been made effective? What are the numbers of the “Plough” Force? Whereabouts in Italy is it actually at the present moment? How has it acquitted itself?

2. I do not myself think it wise to rule out “Jupiter” finally from the operations of this war. We ought of course to have liberated Norway during the campaign of 1943, but our American Allies would probably not have consented to such strategy, and it would not have been possible to obtain the necessary support here. In the event of “Overlord” not being successful or Hitler accumulating forces there quite beyond our power to tackle, it would perhaps be necessary to adopt the flanking movements both in Norway and from Turkey and the Aegean in the winter of 1944–45. In view of such contingencies
I am reluctant to liquidate this force. It could surely meanwhile be employed in the Balkans or in exterminating the German garrisons in the islands off the Dalmatian coast.

3. Pray let me have your views upon the above.

Prime Minister to Home Secretary
    22 Feb. 44

It would be a great mistake to have a national day of prayer for “Overlord.” In my view there is no need for another day of prayer or thanksgiving at the present time.

Prime Minister to Foreign Secretary
    25 Feb. 44

We “invade” all countries with whom we are at war.

2. We “enter” all subjugated Allied lands we wish to “liberate.”

3. With regard to a country like Italy, with whose Government we have signed an armistice, we “invaded” in the first instance but, in view of the Italian co-operation, we must consider all further advances by us in Italy to be in the nature of “liberation.”

Prime Minister to Foreign Secretary
    27 Feb. 44

I entirely agree that we should pay out of hand all civil claims against members of the United States forces over the five-thousand-dollar limit which the Americans are apparently constitutionally unable to settle.

2. The remedy for the reckless driving which is causing so much trouble is a conversation between me and Eisenhower. I am sure that if the case is put to him, he will exercise a controlling and effective authority. At any rate, we ought to try this first.

3. Surely it is not necessary to make all this long statement in Parliament, which seems to me to be likely to cause a lot of ill-feeling in the United States; and I was not aware that you were subjected to much pressure in the House on this matter. I should greatly prefer to let Eisenhower put his screw on and see what happens, meanwhile confining your statement to the fact that we will pay the claims over five thousand dollars pending further discussion by His Majesty’s Government with that of the United States.

Prime Minister to General Ismay and General Pile
    28 Feb. 44

There is no doubt that the blast effect of the new German bombs has increased. In these circumstances, and indeed on general grounds, would it not be well to provide, so far as possible, slit trenches and blast or splinter cover for anti-aircraft personnel not on duty during the air raids? Each raid is likely to be short on account of the enemy’s reliance on “Window,” and the anti-aircraft personnel, a large proportion of whom are women, should be directed to use the slit trenches when not otherwise employed during the raids. In most cases the batteries should be able to do the bulk of the work themselves if materials are provided. Where outside assistance is required, priority should be given to the most exposed positions.

M
ARCH

Prime Minister to Minister of Aircraft Production
    1 Mar. 44

My congratulations upon the output of aircraft for February, and upon beating the programme. Pray convey to all those who have achieved or exceeded their programme my best thanks.

Prime Minister to President Roosevelt
    2 Mar. 44

Here is a suggested item for your draft of our monthly anti-U-boat war statement, provided later information about sinkings in February 1944 does not considerably increase the figure shown below: “February 1944 was the best month since the United States entered the war. The total sinkings of all Allied shipping in February by enemy action only were less than one-fifth of the sinkings in February 1943, and less than one-ninth of the sinkings in February 1942.” The figures in British notation are: February 1944, 70,000 tons; February 1943, 378,000; February 1942, 659,500. We have a very good haul of U-boats too.

Prime Minister to Minister of Home Security
    2 Mar. 44

Thank you for the analysis of the returns of the civilian respirator inspections which you sent to me. I see that about nine out of every ten people have a serviceable mask. This seems an adequate insurance against the risk of the enemy’s starting gas warfare at a period when we are dropping more than thirty times the tonnage of bombs on Germany that she is dropping on us.

Prime Minister to Sir Alan Lascelles
    4 Mar. 44

You should see the Home Secretary’s minute about a national day of prayer for “Overlord.” I think there are serious dangers in drawing attention to the coming shock in this way, especially as no one can know when it is going to be. We have to be very much on our guard against unduly depressing the troops.

Prime Minister to Minister of Aircraft Production
    5 Mar. 44

I am informed that American aircraft are now being produced without paint, and that, apart from economies in time and material, as much as twenty miles an hour may thus be added to the speed of certain types. Pray let me know whether it is intended to adopt a similar policy with regard to British aircraft.

Prime Minister to Minister of Supply
    7 Mar. 44

Just off the main road between Amersham and Uxbridge, at a place called Chalfont St. Giles, there is a rubbish heap or salvage dump where for the last three years work has been going on. I pass it every time I go to Chequers. Are tins and metal objects being recovered from what was a dump in past years, or are they being thrown down there together with other rubbish? Is
it being sifted or extended? It is impossible to see as one passes. The one thing that is evident is that the work is endless, and apparently makes no progress.

Prime Minister to Lord Portal
    7 Mar. 44

Just below the Foreign Office, on the grass opposite St. James’s Park lake, there is a very untidy sack with holes in it and sand leaking out, a sandbag structure, and some kind of obstacle formerly used as a practice ground by the local Home Guard. It does not seem to have been used for a very long time. Such a conspicuous place ought not to look untidy, unless there is some real need which can be satisfied in no other way.

Prime Minister to Chancellor of the Exchequer, First Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Air
    7 Mar. 44

I understand that you are considering the best means of making minor improvements in the allowances of the Forces. I am quite firm about changes in basic pay. But the war has now been going on a long time, and this, together with the arrival of large numbers of better-paid American Service personnel, does justify some concession to our own forces. Without having gone into the matter deeply, I consider that it would not be unreasonable if the concessions made involved an additional expenditure at the rate of £20,000,000 per annum. Furthermore, I think that special consideration should be given to married personnel, and in this category especially to the lowest-paid classes.

I should be glad if you would take the above into account in framing your proposals, which you will no doubt submit to me.

Prime Minister to Secretary of State for War (Minister of War Transport to see)
    8 Mar. 44

Except for combat landings we cannot afford to ship vehicles on wheels.

I understand there were about two hundred thousand Army vehicles of all types in the Mediterranean area on December 31, and some one thousand have been shipped from the United Kingdom and North America in January. Is not this shipment equivalent to about four months’ wastage at the September-December rate?

With this large stock in hand, would it not be possible to stop shipment of vehicles going in the next three or four months, when shipping space will be so urgently needed for other purposes?

Prime Minister to President Roosevelt
    9 Mar. 44

Gold and dollar holdings in the United States.

You will remember that we discussed the dollar balances in Cairo on December 8, and that I gave a memorandum to Harry. I certainly understood that you felt we ought not to be treated worse than France or Russia in these
matters. France has at least two billions, and no overseas liabilities against them. So has Russia. These dollar balances are not, as your telegram might suggest, a particular part of our assets which is available in the United States, but our total reserves. Against these reserves we have incurred for the common cause liabilities of at least ten billions on the other side of the account.

2. Since our talk Lord Halifax met Mr. Hull and Mr. Morgenthau as recently as January 8, when the matters mentioned in the first paragraph of your telegram under reply were discussed. Lord Halifax reported to us that Mr. Morgenthau stated to him that it was not at present intended to reduce our dollar balances in any other way, and in reliance on this personal assurance to Lord Halifax we agreed to the exclusion of the politically difficult items from Lend-Lease.

3. Will you allow me to say that the suggestion of reducing our dollar balances, which constitute our sole liquid reserve, to one billion dollars would really not be consistent either with equal treatment of Allies or with any conception of equal sacrifice or pooling of resources? We have not shirked our duty or indulged in an easy way of living. We have already spent practically all our convertible foreign investments in the struggle. We alone of the Allies will emerge from the war with great overseas war debts. I do not know what would happen if we were now asked to disperse our last liquid reserves required to meet pressing needs, or how I could put my case to Parliament without it affecting public sentiment in the most painful manner, and that at a time when British and American blood will be flowing in broad and equal streams and when the shortening of the war even by a month would far exceed the sums under consideration.

4. I venture to put these arguments before you in order that you may be fully armed with our case, for my confidence in your sense of justice, and, I may add, in that of the American people, is unshakable.

5. But see also my immediately following.

Prime Minister to President Roosevelt
    9 Mar. 44

Further to my telegram, I have laid before you our case about dollar balances in its full strength, but I have wondered whether you might be meaning only that we should search for some arrangement to enable us to put a portion of our balance less conspicuously in the limelight. If this is so, and if you desire it, we will go into this very carefully with Stettinius when he visits us.

2. Since we received your telegram we now learn that Mr. Crowley on March 8 promised to give Congress the amount of our dollar balances now and at the outbreak of war. This raises serious dangers. I am confident in the justice of our case if it could be stated as a whole, and of course if the matter becomes public property we shall have to justify ourselves in public. The disclosure of the vast debit balance which is growing up against us outside the United States would certainly have most injurious effects upon our sterling position, and consequently upon the whole strength of the Allies at this period
We therefore ask that there shall be no disclosure; if this is not possible, that the disclosure shall be in strict confidence, and also that the substance of our case should be stated to the body to whom the disclosure is made.