Triumph and Tragedy (The Second World War) (134 page)

2. The question of leave is also pressed seriously. If
only a small portion could have leave it would be much
appreciated. Try to work out a thousand a month plan.

Could these men come back across France? I am
aware that Marseilles is greatly congested, but are
there not other routes which could be used? In this
case also priority should be given to the troops who
have been engaged in the fighting.

Prime Minister to Minister of

28 Oct. 44

War Transport

During the winter it is most important that increased
travel facilities should be given to the public, especially
the London public, while suffering from the black-out.

Could you let me have a report on bus queues, which,
as far as I can see, seem to be getting longer, and
make me your proposals for alleviating conditions.
6

Prime Minister to First Sea

31 Oct. 44

Lord

I asked Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd for a short report on the
progress of “Pluto,”
7
and he informs me that a cross-Channel pumping capacity of 1,000,000 gallons of
petrol a day is aimed at. A figure of this magnitude must
effect a large saving of tankers and man-power, and I
hope that you will make every effort to ensure the
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prompt laying of the necessary pipe lines. Pray keep
me informed of your progress in this vital matter.

NOVEMBER

Prime Minister to Secretary

3 Nov. 44

of State for War and C.I.G.S.

It is certain that we shall have to replace Field-Marshal Dill in Washington.
8
I can see no other officer
of sufficient status to fill this gap except General
Maitland Wilson. He would head our delegation, and
would, I believe, by his personality and record obtain
access to the President and intimacy with General
Marshall.

2. At the same time the Mediterranean Command,
which was formed at the beginning of this year, has
been greatly affected in scope and scale. The Levant is
quiet; Greece is in rapid process of liberation; the
Germans in the islands will fall in like rotten plums. The
Riviera front is taken over by the Americans, and
General Devers’s army has become a part of General
Eisenhower’s command. The French are in full charge
of Tunis and Algeria. There remains only the great
campaign in Italy, which is in General Alexander’s
province, and any movement we may make across the
Adriatic, which again is an offshoot of the Italian
campaign.

3. Therefore I consider the time is approaching and
will soon come when General Maitland Wilson should
be appointed to fill Field-Marshal Dill’s place in
Washington and when General Alexander should
become the Supreme Commander in the Mediterranean, or what is left of it. General Alexander’s
assumption of the Supreme Command would
undoubtedly lead to telescoping in quantities in the two
Staffs at present in Italy. There will of course be
subsidiary reactions, on which we can discourse later.

Pray let me have your views.

Prime Minister to General

5 Nov. 44

Ismay, for C.O.S. Committee

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840

Just look at the vast numbers of staff units —

ancillary and tail — which have been poured into
Greece and the very small proportion of fighting troops.

Can we not send a few battalions of infantry? There
seem to be only two there, and 1500 ordinary British
infantry out of 22,600 all told.

Prime Minister to General

16 Nov. 44

Ismay, for C.O.S.

Committee

General Eisenhower mentioned to me the possibility
that should we reach the Rhine opposite the Ruhr in
the course of the present operations the American long-range artillery would be able to dominate and destroy at
least half of that area. Cannot some of our heavy
batteries erected in the Dover area be of use for this,
especially those on railway mountings? A range of
30,000 yards is achieved by the medium American
guns up to 240 mm., but might not the intervention of
our 12-inch and 13.5-inch, and even 15-inch, be
accepted? What are the ranges of the principal guns
that can be mounted on railway mountings? I am afraid
our 18-inch howitzers would be judged too short-range.

2. Anyhow, let the whole matter be examined with
care, and a plan made out that can be offered to
General Eisenhower for transporting, probably through
the port of Antwerp when it is open, about twenty of
these long-range, very heavy guns. Every dog has his
day, and I have kept these for a quarter of a century in
the hope that they would have their chance.

CANNED MEAT FOR THE U.S.S.R.

Prime Minister to Minister

16 Nov. 44

of Production and Minister

of Food

I do not understand why the Minister of Food did not
mention the fact that this would involve us in the
payment of twenty million dollars, nor how it was he
had authority to authorise his representative in
Washington to agree to our providing the 45,000 tons.

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841

The Cabinet and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
should certainly have been consulted on this matter.

Were they? If not, the subject must be brought before
them now.

2. What I said was of course based upon the
Minister of Food’s message. But it was said in relation
to a jocular remark of M. Stalin’s about the advance
made since the Stone Age by the discontinuance of
cannibalism, and followed by another from him in an
equally non-serious vein. I cannot consider that this
mere statement of our intentions involved an obligation
or bargain, and this can be seen if read in its context in
the secret records.

3. What other negotiations have there been on this
subject? Have the Russians in fact made any demand
for this food? What have we said to them officially up to
the present? The above does not mean that I am not
anxious to supply the Russians with this meat if it can
be done without loss to Britain. I certainly think however
that it should be made to play its part in some larger
negotiations, and I do not consider that any action is
called for at the present moment. We could quite well
await some demand from the Russians and then refer
this to the Americans. The matter should be considered
at the next Cabinet, when I hope to receive the Minister
of Food’s explanation and to have the matter cleared
up.

Prime Minister to Colonial

17 Nov. 44

Secretary

I have been thinking about this matter [my proposed
statement to the House of Commons on Palestine and
the assassination of Lord Moyne] all day, and the
following points have occurred to me. Will not
suspension of immigration or a threat of suspension
simply play into the hands of the extremists? At present
the Jews generally seem to have been shocked by Lord
Moyne’s death into a mood in which they are more
likely to listen to Dr. Weizmann’s counsels of moderation. The proposed announcement would come as a
shock of a different kind, and, so far from increasing
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842

their penitence, may well provide a not unwelcome
diversion and excite bitter outcry against the Government. Dr. Weizmann will no doubt join in the protests
(saying that the whole community are being punished
for the acts of a small minority), but the initiative in such
a situation will pass to the extremists. Thus those
responsible for the murder will be themselves the
gainers. It may well unite the whole forces of Zionism,
and even Jewry throughout the world, against us
instead of against the terrorist bands.

2. Certainly the situation calls for signal action; but
should it not be more clearly directed against that
section of the community with whom the responsibility
lies — e.g., by enforcing even more drastic penalties in
the case of those found in possession of firearms or
belonging to proscribed societies? In particular, might
not action be taken against the nominally respectable
leaders of the party, whose extremist wing are the
authors of these political crimes? If their national status
is non-Palestinian they might be deported; if Palestinian
they should be banished.

Prime Minister to Home

19 Nov. 44

Secretary

I do not feel I could agree to the setting up of a non-Ministerial chair man to the committee. The matter is
essentially Ministerial. I thought that we were all agreed
that the soldiers must have the best possible chance of
exercising their right to vote. For this the ballot for
candidates and a reasonable knowledge of the issues
in their constituencies at the election is unquestionably
superior to the vote by proxy, though this must be used
if nothing better serves in the most remote districts.

Since we are agreed on the principle there is no need
to have an umpire. I understood that your committee
was to look into details and clear difficulties out of the
way, and I am waiting to send my telegrams to the
Commanders-in-Chief asking them to look at the matter
from their standpoints. I consider myself specially
responsible for securing proper facilities to the soldiers
to cast an intelligent vote. If necessary the War Cabinet
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843

will have to go into details themselves, calling such
witnesses as they may think fit. General Alexander will
be here very soon, and I expect Field-Marshal
Montgomery could fly over almost any fine day. These
two Commanders-in-Chief cover four-fifths of the whole
military vote. Any outstanding issues must be decided
by the War Cabinet itself. I cannot see that since we
are agreed on the principle of the soldiers having the
best show possible there should be any serious
divergences between us.

Prime Minister to Secretary

19 Nov. 44

of State for War

We arranged with Montgomery that he was to
disband some battered war-time-raised units, rather
than drain white ancient regiments of modernised
British Yeomanry. The attached letter [from General
O’Connor, about the replacement of the 91st (Argyll
and Sutherland Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment, R.A.,
by the Oxfordshire Hussars] however shows that the
axe has fallen upon a very fine permanent territorial
unit. Surely some better arrangement than this can be
made to make a place for the Oxfordshire Hussars. I
will, if necessary, telegraph to Field-Marshal Montgomery on the subject. Meanwhile let me have a report
on the subject, as well as on the special points
mentioned in the attached letter.

2. With regard to the attached letter, it was brought
me by an officer, and I take full responsibility for his
bringing it to me, and also for its having been written by
General O’Connor. No kind of victimisation is to be
made in this case, as the communication must be
regarded as privileged, and I am responsible for the
use of it.

Prime Minister to Secretary

20 Nov. 44

of State for War

Good. Press on. Make sure that the beer — four
pints a week — goes to the troops under the fire of the
enemy before any of the parties in the rear get a drop.
9

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Prime Minister to Foreign

20 Nov. 44

Secretary

I cordially agree with this minute of the Paymaster-General’s about food relief in France and the Low
Countries. I believe that Western Europe has eaten
better meals than Britain in the last four years, and that
the real help should go to solving transportation
difficulties.