The Grand Alliance (157 page)

8. For the above purposes “Jaguar” must immediately be resumed and expanded. Victorious is now at
liberty. The movement of all troops and transport from
Abyssinia northward must be pressed to the utmost,
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observing that the 50th Division from England less one
brigade is also already approaching, together with other
reinforcements.

9. To sum up, the orders should be: (a) Evacuate
Crete. (b) Destroy the German force in Cyrenaica, thus
disengaging Tobruk and securing the airfields to the
westward. (c) Endeavour to peg out claims in Syria for
reinforcement after a Cyrenaican victory as in (b).

All these operations should be capable of completion before the middle of June.

Prime Minister to Prime

29.V.41.

Minister of Australia (Mr.

Menzies)

Sincere congratulations on the powerful, moving
addresses you have delivered in Canada, the United
States, and above all on your return home. These have
been fully reported in England, and have confirmed all
the good-will you gathered from our people. I thank you
also for your very kindly references to me. Reading the
Australian dispatches, I often think of Chatham’s
famous invocation: “Be one people!” Best of luck.

Prime Minister to Minister of

30.V.41.

Agriculture andSecretary of

State for Scotland

I have been considering the minutes you sent me
early in April concerning the production of sugar-beet in
Scotland. It seems to me agreed that it is desirable that
in order to save shipping space the production of sugar-beet should be maintained. I am also informed that the
starch equivalent of beet products per acre is two-thirds
greater than that of potatoes. But I infer from what you
say that for financial reasons farmers prefer to produce
potatoes, of which there is no shortage.

It seems clear therefore that measures should be
taken to ensure that sufficient beet is produced, if
necessary at the expense of potatoes. It ought to be
possible to settle between the Ministries concerned
whether the increase is to be made in Scotland or in
Northern England, but it certainly appears that it would
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be most convenient to produce the additional quantity
for the Cupar factory in Scotland.

If it is too late to obtain this extra output this year,
steps should be taken to make sure that the shortage is
not repeated in 1942. Indeed, since beet is apparently
a very valuable crop in present circumstances, it should
be considered whether a much larger acreage should
not in future be devoted to it. Please report to me
further on this at a later date.

J
UNE

Prime Minister to General

1.VI.41.

Ismay, for C.O.S. Committee

Although I hold most strongly that we should not
fritter away our forces in defence of Cyprus [at this
moment], I do not wish to exclude the possibility of air
defence, even before we are masters of the Syrian
airfields. If as a result of a successful outcome of “Tiger
Cubs” it should be found possible to spare two or three
fighter squadrons, these should be sent; and anyhow
meanwhile preparations should be made to receive
them at short notice in Cyprus. I do not know what is
the position and state of the existing aerodromes.

I should be glad if the whole subject could be
reviewed by the Staffs.

(Action this day.) Prime

1.VI.41.

Minister to General Ismay, for
Chiefs of Staff Committee

Adverting to my wish that the West African Brigade
should be returned from East Africa to Freetown
forthwith, and that the captured Italian arms should be
used to equip the Shadow Brigade now forming at
Freetown or thereabouts, I have had a talk with
General Giffard. He says that the West African battalions require an average of eighty British officer and non-commissioned officer personnel, and that these will be
lacking for the Shadow Brigade, and that even if
supplied they would be better employed on handling
any modern equipment we can find. It has been sug-The Grand Alliance

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gested to me that the great plethora of Polish officers in
Polish divisions, amounting to several thousands, might
be married up to this West African Shadow Brigade. I
am sure that General Sikorski could easily be persuaded to find two or three hundred, and they would be very
good.

Pray let this be examined and a plan made. General
Giffard should be consulted, and I should like to have a
report before he leaves the country, the object being
the transfer of the West African Brigade from east to
west, and the development of the Shadow Brigade on
Italian equipment and Polish white infusion.
14

Prime Minister to Minister of

1.VI.41.

Information

It is most dangerous to inform the enemy that
Parliament is sitting on any particular day while there is
time for an attack to be made. I do not admit the
assumption that the enemy knows all that is attributed
to him.

(Action this day.) Prime

2.VI.41.

Minister to C.A.S.

I am glad you are pressing on with this vital business

[of lengthening the range of fighters]. Anyone can see
you will have to pay in gunfire and manoeuvrability for
the advantage of range, but this may be well worth
while.

I do not regard your last sentence as exhaustive.

Machines must be modified so as to enable us to fight
at particular points in daylight, both by bombers and
fighters. This is particularly true of the Aegean
Archipelago, where we ought to be able to bomb the
Cretan and Dodecanese aerodromes by daylight under
fighter protection. We have got to adapt machines to
the distances which have to be traversed. Again, now
that so much of the German Air Force is moving East,
and France is largely weakened, we ought to attempt
daylight raids into Germany for bombing on a severe
scale. For this the range of our fighters must be extend-The Grand Alliance

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ed. If this is not done, you will be helpless in the West
and beaten in the East.

Prime Minister to Governor of

6.VI.41.

Malta

I am entirely in agreement with your general outlook.

The War Office will deal in detail with all your points. It
does not seem that an attack on Malta is likely within
the next two or three weeks. Meanwhile, other events
of importance will be decided, enabling or compelling a
new view to be taken. You may be sure we regard
Malta as one of the master-keys of the British Empire.

We are sure that you are the man to hold it, and we will
do everything in human power to give you the means.

(Action this day.) Prime

7.VI.41.

Minister to Professor

Lindemann

I have several times asked you to check up on
German and British air strengths as we left it at the end
of Mr. Justice Singleton’s investigations. Pray let me
have this return by Monday at latest.

I should imagine that the enemy have lost a great
many more aircraft than we have, but what is the new
rate of construction which he has achieved? How do
matters stand? It is over two months ago since I had a
thorough check made.

Prime Minister to Colonial

11.VI.41.

Secretary and General Ismay

Our policy is the strictest possible blockade of Jibuti.

The fairest terms have been offered to these people.

Nothing must be done to mitigate the severity of the
blockade. It might however be possible to arrange that
if a return were furnished of the number of newborn
babies and young children a very limited amount of
nourishment might be allowed to pass into the town
under the most strict restrictions and surveillance.

On no account must the Governor of Aden take any
action which will weaken the blockade, and no supplies
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of any kind are to move into the town without my
approving the arrangements first.

Prime Minister to Lord

14.VI.41.

President

I learn that under the scheme for reducing the basic
civilian ration of petrol by half once every three months
the reduction is to be made for the first time this August.

Could not this be avoided? We have to think of Bank
Holiday and of the fact that many people may be
getting leave this August for the first time since the war.

They are no doubt counting on having their cars full at
the end of July, and having also at their disposal the full
ration for August.

Could you not arrange to begin the experiment in
October? To make good the loss an extra half-ration
month could be intercalated during the winter.

(Action this day.) Prime

14.VI.41.

Minister to Lord Woolton and

Minister of Agriculture

I was very glad to hear from you that the twelve
hens scheme would be abandoned in favour of “No
official food for more than twelve hens unless you come
into the public pool.” “Public chicken-food for public
eggs.”

2. Have you done justice to rabbit production?

Although rabbits are not by themselves nourishing, they
are a pretty good mitigation of vegetarianism. They eat
mainly grass and greenstuffs, so what is the harm in
encouraging their multiplication in captivity?

3. I welcome your increase of the meat ration, but it
would be a pity to cut this down in the winter, just when
fresh vegetables will also drop. Can you not get in
additional supplies of American corned beef, pork. and
bacon to bridge the winter gap? The more bread you
force people to eat, the greater the demands on tonnage will be. Reliance on bread is an evil which exaggerates itself. It would seem that you should make
further efforts to open out your meat supplies.

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4. I view with great concern any massacre of sheep
and oxen. The reserve on the hoof is our main standby.

Prime Minister to Secretary

15.VI.41.

of State for Air and C.A.S.

I suggested to you some time ago that Sir Hugh
Dowding should be asked to write a dispatch about the
Battle of Britain, which was fought under his command
during July, August, and September last. I understood
from the C.A.S., and I think also from you, that there
was no objection to this.

Will you kindly have the necessary official action
taken?

Prime Minister to General

18.VI.41.

Ismay

Please have a glossary drawn up today of the
places in Syria and Libya which are most frequently
mentioned. Choose in each case the simplest spelling
and well-known form. This will then be telegraphed to
the Middle East and circulated with supplements to all
concerned.

Prime Minister to Secretary

18.VI.41.

of State for Air and C.A.S.

I saw a statement in the papers the other day that
the air force were calling for several thousand volunteers to defend their aerodromes. What is the meaning
of this? It was represented that this was a part of the
application of the lessons of Crete. But many people
have wondered why such a petty measure should have
been paraded. Perhaps however it is all nonsense.