Closing the Ring (102 page)
Authors: Winston S. Churchill
Tags: #Great Britain, #Western, #British, #Europe, #History, #Military, #Non-Fiction, #Political Science, #War, #World War II
Prime Minister to First Lord and First Sea Lord
28 May 44
Do not hesitate to be blunt with these Russians when they become unduly truculent. This is better done by manner and attitude than by actual words, which can be reported, and also by neglect of certain civilities to the superior people when they have been intolerably offensive. They should certainly be given a feeling that we are not afraid of them.
2. On the other hand, any ceremonial they may wish in regard to the handing over of the vessels [British warships in lieu of Italian] should be staged with the utmost formality and made a public success. I am certainly not going to communicate with Marshal Stalin about any of this. It is for the Russians to show gratitude rather than for us to show deference. All friendly relations between the junior officers should be cultivated. Not one word of thanks has ever been expressed to us for this transfer of ships. We have borne the brunt of meeting their requests for shipping. There are all sorts of ways of making people feel that you resent their insults.
3. If however their conduct improves, you should neglect nothing which will encourage this amendment.
Prime Minister to Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force
29 May 44
Thank you for your minute of May 11 about Mailly-le-Camp [German tank training depot]. There is no doubt that the attack on this compact target was a great success. It would seem right, as we urged, to continue to give a high priority to operations of this sort, which contribute directly towards the disorganisation of the German armies and involve no French casualties.
Have you exceeded the ten thousand limit [of French civilian casualties]?
Prime Minister to First Lord
29 May 44
The reason why this Communist newspaper has not been allowed to send war correspondents to operational theatres or to occasions where security has to be maintained is because Communists do not hesitate to betray any British or American secrets they may find to the Communist Party, no doubt for transmission to Russia. In this case any betrayal they may make to their masters will not do any harm. They should however be told that the Russian Government have stipulated that not a word is to get out about these ships until they have safely made their way to Russia. They will certainly obey this injunction once it is proved to them. Their treason and their loyalties only work on single tracks. In these circumstances I approve of their being invited, after having been made acquainted with the fact that the Russians have stipulated that the secret is to be kept till the ships are safely in Russian hands.
1
See minute of October 11 to Secretary of State for War, Appendix C, Book One.
2
See minutes of October 11 and November 1.
3
An organisation for supplying the Fleet with fuel, stores, etc.
4
Military exercises in Transjordan.
5
The United States representative in Dublin.
6
The British transport
Khedive Ismail
, proceeding in convoy from East Africa to Ceylon, was torpedoed by a Japanese U-boat near Addu Atoll on February 12 and sank in two minutes. She carried 1947 passengers including British, American, and African troops and members of the Women’s Services. The U-boat was sunk soon afterwards by British destroyers.
7
See minute of March 9 to Minister of Supply.
8
See minute of March 14.
9
See minutes of April 4.
10
See minute of April 9.
11
Liutenant-General Sir Giffard Martel.
12
See minute of April 30 to Lord Cherwell.
13
See minute of April 2 to Minister of Works.
14
Two thousand men were transferred in June 1944.
15
See minute of May 7 to Foreign Secretary.
16
See minute of May 21 to C.I.G.S.
17
See minutes of July 31 and October 6, 1943.
Appendix C, Book Two
MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENTS
June
1943–
June
1944
(Members of the War Cabinet are shown in italics)
| Prime Minister and First Lord of th Treasury, Minister of Defence |  | Mr. Winston S. Churchill |
| Admiralty, First Lord of the | Mr. A. V. Alexander | |
| Agriculture and Fisheries, Minister of | Mr. R. S. Hudson | |
| Air, Secretary of State for | Sir Archibald Sinclair | |
| Aircraft Production, Minister of | Sir Stafford Cripps | |
| Burma, Secretary of State for | Mr. L. S. Amery | |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | ( a ) Mr. A. Duff Cooper | |
| | ( b ) Mr. Ernest Brown (appointed November 17, 1943) | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasury) | ( a ) Sir Kingsley Wood | |
| | ( b ) Sir John Anderson (appointed September 28, 1943) | |
| Colonies, Secretary of State for the | Colonel Oliver Stanley | |
| Dominion Affairs, Secretary of State for | ( a ) Mr. Clement Attlee | |
| | ( b ) Viscount Cranborne (appointed September 28, 1943) | |
| Economic Warfare, Minister of | The Earl of Selborne | |
| Education, President of the Board of | Mr. R. A. Butler (By the Education Act, 1944, the title of the office was changed to “Minister of Education”) | |
| Food, Minister of | ( a ) Lord Woolton | |
| | ( b ) Colonel J. J. Llewellin (appointed November 12, 1943) | |
| Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State for | Mr. Anthony Eden | |
| Fuel and Power, Minister of | Major G. Lloyd George | |
| Health, Minister of | ( a ) Mr. Ernest Brown | |
| | ( b ) Mr. H. U. Willink (appointed November 17, 1943) | |
| Home Department, Secretary of State for the | Mr. Herbert Morrison | |
| India, Secretary of State for | Mr. L. S. Amery | |
| Information, Minister of | Mr. Brendan Bracken | |
| Labour and National Service, Minister of | Mr. Ernest Bevin | |
| Law Officers: | ||
| Attorney-General | Sir Donald Somervell | |
| Lord Advocate | Mr. J. S. C. Reid | |
| Solicitor-General | Sir David Maxwell Fyfe | |
| Solicitor-General for Scotland | Sir David King Murray | |
| Lord Chancellor | Viscount Simon | |
| Lord President of the Council | ( a ) Sir John Anderson | |
| | ( b ) Mr. Clement Attlee (appointed September 28, 1943) | |
| Lord Privy Seal | ( a ) Viscount Cranborne | |
| | ( b ) Lord Beaverbrook (appointed September 28, 1943) | |
| Minister of State | Mr. R. K. Law (appointed September 25, 1943) | |
| Minister without Portfolio | Sir William Jowitt | |
| Paymaster-General | Lord Cherwell | |
| Pensions, Minister of | Sir Walter Womersley | |
| Postmaster-General | Captain H. F. C. Crookshank | |
| Production, Minister of | Mr. Oliver Lyttelton | |
| Reconstruction, Minister of | Lord Woolton (appointed November 12, 1943) | |
| Scotland, Secretary of State for | Mr. Thomas Johnston | |
| Supply, Minister of | Sir Andrew Duncan | |
| Town and Country Planning, Minister of | Mr. W. S. Morrison (appointed February 5, 1943) | |
| Trade, President of the Board of | Mr. Hugh Dalton | |
| War, Secretary of State for | Sir James Grigg | |
| War Transport, Minister of | Lord Leathers | |
| Works, Minister of | Lord Portal | |
| Ministers Overseas: | ||
| Middle East, Minister of State Resident in the | ( a ) Mr. R. G. Casey (until December 23, 1943) | |
| | ( b ) Lord Moyne (appointed January 29, 1944) | |
| | ( c ) Sir Edward Grigg (appointed November 22, 1944) | |
| Washington, Minister Resident for Supply in | ( a ) Colonel J. J. Llewellin | |
| | ( b ) Mr. Ben Smith (appointed November 12, 1943) | |
| Allied Force Headquarters, Mediterranean Command, Minister Resident at | Mr. Harold Macmillan | |
| West Africa, Minister Resident in | Viscount Swinton | |
| Middle East, Deputy | Lord Moyne | |
| Minister of State Resident in the | (until January 29, 1944. when office lapsed) | |
| House of Lords, Leader of the | Viscount Cranborne | |
| House of Commons, Leader of the | Mr. Anthony Eden |
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Abbreviations, List of
, 641
“Accolade,” code-name for the planned capture of Rhodes
.
See also
Rhodes
Acquarone, Duke of
Admiral Q, code-name for President Roosevelt
Admiralty Islands
Adolf Hitler Line, Italy
Aegean Islands.
See
Rhodes, Cos, Leros, Samos; map, “The South Aegean Sea,”
Aircraft carriers, British, proposed assignment of, as help to U.S. in Pacific
,
Aircraft carriers, merchant (M.A.C.)
Aircraft, jet-propelled
,
Air Force establishments
;
in Egypt
Air Staff, Sir Charles Portal, Chief of
,
Aitape
Akyab
Albania
Alexander, Rt. Hon. A. V., First Lord of the Admiralty, minutes to
,
Alexander, General Sir Harold
;
messages to Churchill: on Allied successes in Sicily
, ;
on “Avalanche,”
, ;
on Italian Armistice
;
on crossing Straits of Messina
;
“Zip” message
;
on general situation in Italian campaign
, ;
headquarters established at Bari
;
reports on Italian campaign at Commanders’
Conference in Tunis
, ;
on L.S.T.s
;
invested with North Africa ribbon
;
to command the whole campaign in Italy
;
to Churchill on L.S.T.s for Anzio operation
, ;
comment on Anzio landing
;
visits battle-front and reports to Churchill
;
answers Churchill’s inquiries about ration strength in Anzio bridgehead
;
