The Grand Alliance (170 page)

If you agree generally with my view I will instruct our
delegation accordingly.

Prime Minister to Secretary of
8.X.41.

State for War andSecretary of

State for Air (Copy to

Secretary of State for

Dominion Affairs.)

I think now the time is ripe to form an Irish Brigade,
also an Irish Wing or Squadron of the R.A.F. If these
were taken in hand they would have to be made a great
success of. The pilot Finucane might be a great figure.

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1021

Pray let me have proposals. The movement might
have important political reactions later on.

(Action this day.) Prime

9.X.41.

Minister to Secretary of State
for War and C.I.G.S.

Pray let me have your views, and if possible your
plans, for the forming of an Irish Brigade.

Prime Minister to Secretary of
10.X.41.

State for War

I see some odd court-martial cases mentioned in the
papers. First, a sergeant who told a Home Guard
lieutenant, “So what?” and “Put a sock in it,” in the
presence of troops, but who was merely reprimanded.

He should surely have been reduced to the ranks.

Second, some soldiers who were heard calling the
sergeants “Bastards with three stripes,” but who apparently were honourably acquitted on the grounds that
this was a word of common use in the Army. The major
giving evidence said he had often turned a deaf ear to it
when used about himself.

In sharp contrast, two Canadians who deserted in
Canada, and made their way over here after great
adventure in order to fight, received sixty days.

All this seems to require very clear guidance from
you and the Army authorities.

(Action this day.) Prime

11.X.41.

Minister to Secretary of State
for Air, Ministerof Supply, and
M.A.P.

I have re-read the report of the Select Committee on
the Albemarles, and I think it requires a far more
definite and categorical reply than those which have
hitherto been presented to me. I should be glad to
know what is the evidence which the two Supply
Ministers will give, especially on the financial side; and
from the Secretary of State for Air I desire to learn (a)
what real use this machine will be when the first five
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1022

hundred are completed. Can he tell me that it will be a
bona-fide useful machine in the summer of next year?

What parts of Germany could it bomb, or is it only of
use on the French invasion ports? (b) What are the
reasons, shortly, for refusing to publish the report?

What information in particular is contained in it which
would be of value to the enemy?

As this matter will be debated on Wednesday and I
shall have to watch over it myself in all probability, I
want to be sure of my ground. The matter is urgent.

Prime Minister to Minister of

12.X.41.

Supply

During your absence I have considered the questions you raised with me about the U.P.
30
weapon and
its subsidiary variants of the proximity fuze, namely, P.

E. and radio. The great need is the manufacture of A.D.

ammunition for the fifty batteries which are already
deployed. P.E. and radio are in the sphere of research
and experiment, but these researches should Be
pressed to the utmost because of the immense
strategic advantages to the Navy which would flow from
their effective solution.

Up to the present time I take full responsibility for all
that has been done. You wish as Minister of Supply to
have full control of both the manufacture and research,
and I shall be very glad if you will assume it as from the
date of this minute. As the three Services are concerned, you will no doubt arrange for the necessary
consultations.

Prime Minister to Secretary of
15.X.41.

State for India

Kindly let me know how many words His Majesty’s
representative at Kabul has telegraphed since the day
when the question of turning the Germans out of
Afghanistan was first mentioned to him.

Prime Minister to Sir Edward

16.X.41.

Bridges

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1023

An inquiry should be held into the question of who
was responsible for the various messages sent over the
radio to the Germans about the exchange of prisoners.

These messages contained expressions of thanks and
were couched in the form of direct communications with
the enemy. The inquiry is to be formal and a report is to
be made to me as Minister of Defence.

Pray suggest the composition of the inquiry.

(Action this day.) Prime

17.X.41.

Minister to Lord President of

the Council

The Shelter Programme has had a pretty good run
since March, and although it may not be completed
according to the target plan it must be tar better than
last year. Having regard to the air-raid and air-raid
defence situation, they must expect to have to make a
definite contribution to the man-power stringency,
including particularly the Army. De-reservation should
play over this area. Before I send any minute to the
Home Secretary and others on the subject, I should like
you to take this into the scope of your general scheme
and report to me.

Prime Minister to Secretary of
17.X.41.

State for War

I do not approve of this system of encouraging
political discussion in the Army among soldiers as such.

The material provided for the guidance of the officers in
the short notes is hopelessly below the level of that
available in the daily press. Discussions in which no
controversy is desired are a farce. There cannot be
controversy without prejudice to discipline. The only
sound principle is “No politics in the Army.”

I hope you will wind up this business as quickly and
as decently as possible and set the persons concerned
in it to useful work.

(Action this day.) Prime

18.X.41.

Minister to Secretary of State
for War

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1024

During my visit to the Richmond Anti-Aircraft Mixed
Battery I learned, with much surprise, that the present
policy of the [Women’s] Auxiliary Territorial Service is
that A.T.S. personnel in mixed batteries should not
consider themselves part of the battery, and that no

“battery esprit de corps” was to be allowed. This is very
wounding to the A.T.S. personnel, who have been
deprived of badges, lanyards, etc., of which they were
proud. Considering that they share the risks and the
work of the battery in fact, there can be no justification
for denying them incorporation in form.

2. In present circumstances it is possible also that
the whole efficiency of a battery could be upset by an
order from the War Office, A.T.S. Headquarters, moving
one of a predictor team to another unit. The A.A.

Command has no say in such matters. Obviously this
cannot continue when we are relying upon these mixed
batteries as an integral part of our defence.

3. I found a universal desire among all ranks that the
women who serve their country by manning guns
should be called “Gunners” and “Members of the Royal
Regiment of Artillery.” There would be no objection to
the letters “A.T.S.” being retained.

Prime Minister to Chief Whip

18.X.41.

If the House wishes to divide in secret session it
must itself organise the division, and provide not only
the ordinary tellers, but also Members who would act as
clerks, and mark the lists accordingly. These division
lists would remain privileged documents in the custody
of Mr. Speaker.

2. Should however the House by a majority, whether
on the motion of the Government or otherwise, decide
that it was in the public interest, or necessary because
of constitutional reaction following the division, that the
division list and the questions put should be published,
the House would also have to decide by conference
among the party leaders upon such version of what had
taken place in secret session as might be in accord with
the public interest being made public at the same time.

The consultations between the party leaders or Mem-The Grand Alliance

1025

bers chosen by the House would follow the lines of the
consultations which take place when it is necessary to
express differences with the House of Lords, or
perhaps of the conferences contemplated under the
Parliament Act. In this case however it would be
necessary that the version of the debate in secret which
was to be published should be debated and approved
by the House word by word as if it were a Bill, and with
full right of amendment.

3. Thus the House, which is the only authority,
would in every stage be master of its own proceedings
and express its will by majority. I am of opinion that
they would endorse this procedure.

Prime Minister to President of
19.X.41.

the Board of Trade

I am very much obliged to you for the clear and full
account you have given me of the forecast for 1942 in
accordance with my minute of September 13. You
seem to me to be sufficiently insured in wheat and
steel, and we have also a very good account of oil from
the Petroleum Executive. I approve the principle of a
33,000,000-ton import, which we should by all means in
our power try to achieve. I should be very glad if the
meat ration could be improved. I am assuming that the
impact of the Russian liabilities will be met outside the
33,000,000 limit, which limit we should regard as our
minimum in all our discussions with the United States.

You should now prepare a statement for the War
Cabinet, which, after examination by the Lord President’s Committee, can be discussed during November.

Prime Minister to His

19.X.41.

Majesty’s Representative at

Kabul

I have been much pleased with the way in which you
have handled the question of turning out the Germans
and Italians, but I think you ought to know that from
September 11, when this task was entrusted to you, to
October 17, you have sent 6639 cipher groups. The
labour and cost of this profuse telegraphing and the
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1026

choking effect of such lengthy messages upon the
higher administration ought never to be forgotten.

Clarity and cogency can, I am sure, be reconciled with
a greater brevity.

(Action this day.) Prime

20.X.41.

Minister to Minister of Labour
In my Army Strength paper, which you have seen,
the total [intake] for the Army was given as 278,000,
including 50,000 casualties. This covers the nine
months from now till the end of June, 1942. How do
these figures square with your 355,000 for the twelve
months so ending?

2. The Royal Air Force demands cannot be
accepted as they stand. They are queueing up more
and more air-groundmen behind the pilot. Have you
subjected them to any cutting or analysis, or do you
have to face the figures as they put them? I should
think 50,000 could be got off here.