Scope and Contents Letter from WSC to [Franklin Roosevelt] President of the United States, detailing secret military plans, reorganisation of command, and projected course of the war: Major-General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] to attack Cyrenaica [Libya], then advance on Tripoli; invasion of Norway has been planned as a cover; reports of German preparation for invasion of Britain over North Sea; seeks introduction of American troops to Northern Ireland; command. structure between the...

Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, September 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: various naval directors; the Sea Lords, particularly 1st [Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound] and [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser]; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; Prime Minister [Neville Chamberlain]; other senior officers and...

Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, November 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; the Sea Lords, particularly [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser] and 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound]; various naval directors; Professor [F A] Lindemann [later 1st Lord Cherwell] and Major...

Scope and Contents Letter from Walter Runciman [later Lord Runciman] (West Denton Hall, Scotswood-on-Tyne, [Northumberland]) to WSC on: disruption by suffragettes of speeches by cabinet ministers; the Tories' split over Tariff Reform; the industrious campaigning of Richard Haldane [later Lord Haldane]; reaction to Haldane's army estimates and 2nd Lord Tweedmouth's naval estimates; the introduction of old age pensions and Labour Party criticism of them; the prospect of the miners' group adhering to the Labour...

Scope and Contents Letter from James Caird (Dundee, [Angus, Scotland]) to WSC thanking him for his assurance that the Government is moving towards a plan granting a limited measure of Home Rule to Ireland and offering to send £10000 towards this cause straightaway. Thinks Britain should build as many warships as are necessary to maintain naval superiority over Germany and notes that if it was true that the appeal to the patriotism of the railway directors during the recent rail strike arose from the perceived...

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Letter from J L Garvin (Pall Mall Gazette, Newton Street, Holborn, [London]) to WSC suggesting WSC might be the man to lessen party antagonism and therefore expressing regret about certain passages in his speech [?at the Guildhall on naval defence in November 1911]. Thinks the Conservatives may legitimately attack WSC as a supporter of Home Rule but that they will be fair to him as First Lord of the Admiralty.

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Letter from Herbert Asquith [later 1st Lord Oxford and Asquith] (Ewelme Down, Wallingford, [Berkshire]) to WSC on their forthcoming discussion of war plans. Hopes WSC will speak on the second reading of the Home Rule Bill.

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Letter from J L Garvin (9 Greville Place, [London]) to WSC on: the need for Britain to maintain its naval strength; the support of most Unionists of Andrew Bonar Law's position on Home Rule for Ireland; the vital importance of recognising that Ulster can never be dealt with by force.

Scope and Contents Letter from "Alick" [Alexander Murray, the Master of Elibank, later Lord Murray of Elibank] (12 Downing Street) to WSC enclosing Canadian newspaper cuttings on WSC's speech on the resignation of three Sea Lords [see CHAR 2/53/71-75] and reporting that the speech has also been sent to other parts of the Empire. Offers to publicise WSC's forthcoming speech in Belfast [Ulster, Ireland] in the same manner and asks him to accept James Caird's offer [of a donation towards the work of the Home Rule...

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Letter from Thomas Macnamara [Financial Secretary to the Admiralty] to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] with a report on his visit to the naval base on Haulbowline Island [County Cork, Ireland].

Scope and Contents Letter from WSC [(Admiralty)], to J L Garvin [Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette and the Observer], on Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, regretting that it had not been possible to promote him to Admiral of the Fleet, as he had "injured his profession and disgraced himself too much". WSC also comments on Garvin's treatment of WSC's policy in the Pall Mall Gazette, gives details of the naval building programme and superiority over Germany and comments on the Conservative threat of using force in...

Scope and Contents Letter from WSC to President [Franklin Roosevelt] outlining various plans and proposals concerning: attacking the German and Italian armies in Libya; French North Africa; Norway; British contributions to the Soviet war effort; defending Great Britain from a possible German invasion; placing United States forces in Northern Ireland [Ulster]; the command structure in the Middle East and the roles of the Air Force and Navy; the effect of victory in Libya on Italy and Turkey; landing tanks; the...