Triumph and Tragedy (The Second World War) (131 page)

I am very glad to receive your report of the
deficiencies you mention. Could you let me know how
much is the cost of running this service, which, I see,
amounts to over 2000 officers, nurses, and attendants.

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Prime Minister to First Sea

10 July 44

Lord

At one time in the last war we had a great development of anti-U-boat nets of quite a light description
which enwrapped the U-boat and towed a buoy on the
surface. Can anything like this be adapted to the
human torpedo? Surely these light webs could be
spread about in the harbour, buoyed so as not to
impede the navigation, and yet always giving a tell tale
buoy or flare for counter-attack.

Prime Minister to First Sea

10 July 44

Lord

Please let me have a short report on the capacity of
Caen harbour.

I see figures stated much larger than any which
have previously been mentioned.

Prime Minister to Sir

10 July 44

Edward Bridges

In your report [about the War Cabinet meeting on
forming a Jewish fighting force] you say that it was
decided that a brigade group would be carefully
examined. I certainly understood and hold very strongly
the view that a brigade group should be made. When
the War Office say they will carefully examine a thing
they mean they will do it in. The matter must therefore
be set down for an early meeting of the War Cabinet
only this week, and the Secretary of State for War
should be warned of my objection. A copy of the further
letter from Dr. Weizmann may also be forwarded to the
War Office.

Prime Minister to General

11 July 44

Ismay, for C.O.S.

Committee

You must surely give the Turks that small outfit of
radar equipment and one or two night fighter squadrons
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to defend Constantinople. Pray let me know what can
be done. The matter is urgent.

Prime Minister to Foreign

11 July 44

Secretary

There is no doubt that this [persecution of Jews in
Hungary and their expulsion from enemy territory] is
probably the greatest and most horrible crime ever
committed in the whole history of the world, and it has
been done by scientific machinery by nominally civilised
men in the name of a great State and one of the
leading races of Europe. It is quite clear that all
concerned in this crime who may fall into our hands,
including the people who only obeyed orders by
carrying out the butcheries, should be put to death after
their association with the murders has been proved.

I cannot therefore feel that this is the kind of ordinary
case which is put through the Protecting Power, as, for
instance, the lack of feeding or sanitary conditions in
some particular prisoners’ camp. There should
therefore, in my opinion, be no negotiations of any kind
on this subject. Declarations should be made in public,
so that everyone connected with it will be hunted down
and put to death.

Prime Minister to Secretary

12 July 44

of State for War

I am anxious to reply promptly to Dr. Weizmann’s
request for the formation of a Jewish fighting force put
forward in his letter of July 4, of which you have been
given a copy. I understand that you wish to have the
views of Generals Wilson and Paget before submitting
to the Cabinet a scheme for the formation of a Jewish
brigade force. As this matter has now been under
consideration for some time I should be glad if you
would arrange for a report setting out your proposals to
be submitted to the Cabinet early next week.

Prime Minister to Secretary

13 July 44

of State for War

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I have had most disturbing news from my old
regiment, the Oxfordshire Hussars, of which I am now
Honorary Colonel. Apparently its rôle is to find drafts for
the Twenty-first Army Group and to be a holding unit for
wounded, trainees, etc. This means that it can never
serve as a fighting unit, and will in fact disappear in all
but name. It seems very wrong that a regiment with
such a fine history and record should be treated in this
shabby fashion. Surely they deserve their chance in the
field?

Pray go into this and let me know what can be done.

Prime Minister to Foreign

13 July 44

Secretary

We must not forget that both we and the French
have promised independence to the people of Syria
and the Lebanon. I have frequently interpreted this as
meaning that the French have the same primacy in
Syria and the Lebanon, and the same sort of relations,
as we have in Iraq — so much and no more. We cannot
go back on this.

Prime Minister to Secretary

13 July 44

of State for Air

These figures [comparing the weight of high
explosive delivered by German aircraft and flying
bombs] require your attention, and should be compared
with the figures of bombs dropped from British and
American aircraft over Germany.

It is a puzzle to me and to many others how, with
perhaps thirty or forty tons of bombs, including
containers, dropped over London by the robot, such
very noticeable damage occurs; whereas instead of fifty
tons of bombs there may well be two or three thousand
tons dropped over Berlin or Munich, and yet the
German people seem to get away with it all right. You
should yourself, with some of your experts, go and look
at some of the damage done here. Why is it that such a
small weight in German robot bombs creates results
which seem eight to ten times greater than their equal
quantity on German cities?

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Air Chief Marshal Harris should also be asked to
express an opinion. Big claims are made about the
destruction wrought in Germany, and we wonder why
the effect is so severe here, or whether, per contra,
very much less hitting and useful effect is done in
Germany.

SCAPE OF JEWS FROM GREECE

Prime Minister to Foreign

14 July 44

Secretary

This requires careful handling. It is quite possible
that rich Jews will pay large sums of money to escape
being murdered by the Huns. It is tiresome that this
money should get into the hands of E.L.A.S., but why
on earth we should go and argue with the United States
about it I cannot conceive. We should take a great
responsibility if we prevented the escape of Jews, even
if they should be rich Jews. I know it is the modem view
that all rich people should be put to death wherever
found, but it is a pity that we should take up that
attitude at the present time. After all, they have no
doubt paid for their liberation so high that in future they
will only be poor Jews, and therefore have the ordinary
rights of human beings.

Prime Minister to Secretary

14 July 44

of State for War

I hope that now that the initial needs of “Overlord”

have been met and security considerations no longer
apply the armies in Italy will receive a reasonable
proportion of the latest types of equipment, such as 17-pounder Shermans, Heavy Churchills, flame-throwers,
special assault vehicles, and sabot ammunition.

Pray let me know what arrangements have been
made and what are your present intentions.

Prime Minister to General

16 July 44

Ismay and Mr. Peck

I wish the British casualties, dating from the outset,
of the operations [in Normandy], to be issued, subject
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to military considerations, at regular monthly intervals,
covering the same period as the fortnightly Allied
casualties. I am particularly anxious that the Canadian
casualties, although stated separately, should be
included in the British publication of casualties;
otherwise they will be very readily assumed to be part
of the American casualties. The point is of Imperial
consequence. The matter should be put to the
Dominions Office.

It is a great mistake to whittle away the British share
in these battles by a form of presentation and to have
the Canadians incorporated directly or by implication
with the Americans. It is of course understood that
military considerations may at any time override the
publication of any casualties.

I am sure demands will be made in America for the
publication of the American casualties, which are at
present greatly in excess of our own If General
Eisenhower’s broadminded plan of publishing only

“Allied casualties” could survive I should be content
with it at any rate for a good many months; but I do not
think there is any chance of this.

However, I should like to see the case more
carefully studied. There will be time enough for this, I
think, and perhaps I will have a talk with General
Eisenhower myself.

Prime Minister to First Lord

17 July 44

and First Sea Lord

There seems to be a sort of idea that the Navy will
retain much of its present strength and man-power after
the defeat of Hitler. I thought I had better let you have a
few general ideas on the subject which seem worthy of
your consideration. The Japanese are already
outnumbered two to one by the Americans. We shall of
course send a powerful fleet, consisting of our most
modern ships, with the necessary train and attendant
vessels. I should imagine however that Vote A will not
exceed 400,000 men as long as the Japanese war
lasts, after which you will have to return to at least pre-war strength.

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Prime Minister to Secretary

25 July 44

to the Cabinet and General

Ismay

Pray issue to all three Service departments and to
the Postmaster-General a request from me to furnish a
weekly report of the average time taken for letters to
reach the Navy, Army, and Air Force in Normandy, and
for their similar correspondence to reach destinations
here.

Prime Minister to First Lord

26 July 44

I have heard from various quarters that the delays in
letters reaching the Navy on the other side, or vice
versa, are serious. The Army is now getting far better
service. With all the facilities of boats going to and fro, it
should be the easiest thing in the world to solve. Pray
make me a report on the past and present position, and
what you are going to do about it.

I am sending a copy of this minute to the Postmaster-General.

Prime Minister to Home

26 July 44

Secretary

I agree with this report [of a meeting on the
institution of a system of imminent danger warnings in
connection with flying bombs], subject to the following
comments:

1. There should be some indication that this system
cannot be made universal, but will be expanded
steadily as circumstances and resources allow.

2. “Particular classes,” like bus-drivers and others,
must be given perfectly clear directions. The responsibility in the case of bus-drivers lies with the Minister of
War Transport. You cannot leave every bus-driver to
solve this difficult problem for himself, especially as his
passengers may disagree with his solution. It ought to
be quite easy to put on a single sheet of paper what he
is to do in various circumstances. I should have thought
that, in principle, wherever there was any possibility of
cover the bus should stop and people be allowed to get
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