Scope and Contents Recipients include: Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin (8); Harold MacMillan MP (2); 2nd Lord Revelstoke (3); Wilfrid Ashley [later 1st Lord Mount Temple, Minister of Transport]; Admiral Sir Roger Keyes; Sir Austen Chamberlain [Foreign Secretary] (3); Walter Guinness [later 1st Lord Moyne, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries] (3); Sir Richard Hopkins [Controller of Finance and Supply Services, Treasury]; Lord Eustace Percy [President of the Board of Education] (2); Ernest Pretyman; 2nd Lord...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: King Manuel II on the "future of Portugal"; General Sir William Robertson [General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the Forces in Great Britain] (3); 1st Lord Milner [Secretary of State for the Colonies] on appointing neither Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard or General Sir John Cowans as Governor of Nigeria (2); Andrew Bonar Law [Lord Privy Seal] passing on a copy of a letter from Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Lawson on a decline in his pay and position; Philip Kerr [later...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: General Sir Ian Hamilton refuting press allegations; Walter Roch on the Dardanelles [Turkey] Inquiry; Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig [Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Forces in France and Flanders] (2); General Sir Henry Wilson [Chief of Imperial General Staff] on matters discussed at the Paris [France] Peace Conference (7); 1st Lord Milner [Secretary of State for the Colonies]; Colonel James Blair [Chief, British Military Mission in Siberia]; 1st Lord Haldane...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: General Sir William Robertson, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the Forces in Great Britain (2); Sir Arthur Duckham; Brigadier-General William Alexander, Controller of Aircraft Supply and Production; Brigadier-General [John Steel], Director of Air Division, Admiralty; General Sir Henry Wilson, Chief of Imperial General Staff; Major-General Frederick Sykes, Chief of the Air Staff [until February 1919] (2); Major-General John Seely [later 1st Lord Mottistone,...

Scope and Contents Printed directives by the Prime Minister, WSC, on subjects including: the battle of the Atlantic; food imports; army scales; the naval programme; the Mediterranean; warning Stalin against Germany (including extracts of correspondence between WSC, the Foreign Secretary [Anthony Eden, later 1st Lord Avon] and Sir Stafford Cripps [British Ambassador to the Soviet Union]; policy in Syria; Egypt and the Middle East; security of cabinet papers; the maintenance of forces in the Middle East; the...

Scope and Contents Printed directives by the Prime Minister, WSC, on subjects including: the future conduct of the war; the Pacific and the Japanese fleet; the entry of the United States into the war; the Atlantic Front; the Indian Ocean; the function of the Minister of State in the Middle East [Richard Casey]; Vichy France's co-operation with Germany; the function of the Minister Resident in West Africa [1st Lord Swinton, earlier Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, earlier Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame]; Fleet Air Arm...

Scope and Contents Includes committee minutes of statements made by: General Jan Smuts [South African Representative on the Imperial War Cabinet]; [17th] Lord Derby [earlier Edward Stanley] Secretary of State for War; WSC, Minister of Munitions; [1st] Lord Rothermere [earlier Harold Harmsworth] Air Minister; and Sir Auckland Geddes, Minister of National Service and Reconstruction.Subjects discussed include: shipbuilding; labour for construction work; use of existing buildings for government departments; the...

Scope and Contents Correspondents on defence issues include: Sir Thomas Inskip [Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, later 1st Lord Caldecote]; Harry Sellar, Private Secretary to Inskip (2); Leslie Hore-Belisha, Secretary of State for War, on subjects including the arming of the Guards Battalions; Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air, on showing WSC [air construction graphs]; 1st Lord Swinton [former Secretary of State for Air, earlier Philip Cunliffe-Lister and Philip Lloyd-Greame] on the formation...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: Sir Philip Gibbs on the inefficiency of the RAF; Sir Eustace Tennyson d'Eyncourt [former Vice-President of the Tank Board] (2); Sir William Beveridge [Director of London School of Economics and Political Science]; Oswald Frewen on working with German and Italian sailors, German fanaticism, Italian aid to Franco and how the policies of Neville Chamberlain [Prime Minister] encourage Germany and Italy; Leo Amery; Basil Liddell Hart; Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: Basil Liddell Hart [Military Correspondent to the Times] on the troop system used in India; "Harold R" [1st Lord Rothermere, earlier Sir Harold Harmsworth] on subjects including 1st Lord Weir's position in defence [as Adviser to the Air Ministry], the likely stop to any battleship programme, pilot training, the likelihood of a quick German victory against Britain and France, German contempt for the British Government, and the Government's refusal to discuss the...

Scope and Contents Correspondents, mainly congratulating WSC on his appointment as First Lord of the Admiralty, and on his broadcasts (1 October ["The first month of war"] and 12 November ["Ten weeks of war"]) include: George Lambton; Sir Walter Layton on reactions to WSC's description of the Germans as Huns; Frederick Leathers; "Charley" [7th Lord Londonderry, earlier Lord Castlereagh] on subjects including his differences with [Neville Chamberlain], Prime Minister, on foreign policy, the results of WSC's...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: James Thomas [later 1st Lord Cilcennin, Vice-Chairman of Conservative and Unionist Party]; James Stuart [Chief Opposition Whip]; Vice-Admiral Brian Schofield; [George] Gordon Allen (2); Matthew Drysdale, Chairman of Lloyd's; Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fraser [of North Cape, 1st Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff]; 1st Lord Swinton [earlier Philip Lloyd Greame and Philip Cunliffe Lister]; Commander Harry Pursey; Admiral Sir Percy Noble (3); Admiral Sir Sydney...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: Denis Rickett [Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Clement Attlee] (3); David Hunt and Paul Osmond (2) [Private Secretaries to Attlee]; Michael Wilford [Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin]; John Campbell, President of the Scottish Polish Society (5); Arthur Moyle, Parliamentary Private Secretary [to Attlee]; Douglas Savory; Edward Keeling (5) and Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Stafford Cripps (3) on subjects including sending...

Scope and Contents Other correspondents include: Oliver Lyttelton [later 1st Lord Chandos]; Anthony Eden [later 1st Lord Avon] (2); A V Alexander [later Lord Alexander of Hillsborough] on Czechoslovak railways; Francis Graham-Harrison, Laurence Pumphrey (2), and Paul Osmond, Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister; Laurence Helsby [Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister]; Antony Head (2); 1st Lord Cherwell [earlier F A Lindemann]; Clement Davies [Leader of the Liberal Party]. Also includes notes...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: 1st Lord Lloyd [of Dolobran, President of the Navy League] on WSC speaking to the League (2); Sir John Thornycroft [President and Director, J I Thornycroft and Company Limited] on his firm's designs for an aircraft carrier and anti-submarine craft and cuts in the shipbuilding industry (with a description of the anti-submarine craft); Maitland Boucher [former member of the Naval Air Division] on meeting WSC about the Fleet Air Arm (3); Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald...

Scope and Contents Speech notes, typescript and galley proofs for WSC's speech (5 March, House of Commons) entitled "Defence" on subjects including: WSC's resignation as Minister of Defence; the Conservatives' voting on defence while in Opposition; the short-fall of defence spending; aid from the United States; the scarcity of home defence, and the training of new forces, including the registration of the Home Guard and forming of new battalions; the extension of National Service; armoured forces and new...

Scope and Contents Speech notes for WSC's speech (10 April 1951, House of Commons) entitled "Budget Proposals and Economic Survey" on the results of devaluation, the Government's use of high taxation to meet the cost of rearmament instead of curbing spending, and the general mismanagement of the economy. Source material includes notes by "Prof" [1st Lord Cherwell, earlier F A Lindemann] on subjects including the balance of trade, British war debts and the inadvisability of consulting the Empire over the...

Scope and Contents Hansard copies of WSC's statements (20 May) on victory in Abyssinia [Ethiopia], action at Sollum [Egypt], and the German attack on Crete [Greece]. Also includes cuttings from the Daily Telegraph and the Times reporting WSC's statements. Published: Complete Speeches VI, pp 6401-3.Hansard copy of WSC's statement (21 May) on the attack on Crete.Hansard copy of WSC's statement (22 May) on heavy fighting in the battle for Crete. Published: Complete Speeches VI, pp 6403-4.Hansard copy of WSC's...

Scope and Contents Hansard copy of a debate on visits to Ireland (21 October) including WSC's statement on Defence Regulation 18b [giving the Home Secretary powers to detain people without charge]. Part published: Complete Speeches VI, pp 6497-8.Notes for WSC's speech (12 November) on the parliamentary address, wartime speeches by Ministers, shipping losses, food and rations, food production, fuel and production of munitions. Also includes relevant extract from Hansard and cutting from the Times reporting...

Scope and Contents Notes for WSC's speech (27 February) on supplementary navy estimates, protecting merchant and fishing vessels from U-boats, the strength of the Fleet, and naval losses. Also includes cutting from the Daily Telegraph reporting WSC's speech and relevant extract from Hansard. Published: Complete Speeches VI pp 6194-8.Incomplete notes for WSC's speech (11 April) on the German invasion of Norway and Denmark and the naval battle off Norway. Also includes relevant extract from Hansard. Published:...

Scope and Contents Speech notes for WSC's speech (5 November) on the war situation including the air battles, the bombing of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, the threat posed by U Boats, the possibility of invasion by Germany, civil defence and the Home Guard, affairs in Egypt and the Middle East, and the Italian invasion of Greece. Source material includes correspondence from 1st Lord Beaverbrook [earlier Max Aitken, Minister for Aircraft Production], Henry Strutt [Assistant Under-Secretary of...

Scope and Contents Speech notes for statement by WSC (30 April) on the evacuation of Empire forces from Greece, giving details of casualties. Published: Complete Speeches VI, p 6385.Speech notes for WSC's speech (7 May) on the war situation including: a Vote of Confidence in parliament; events and operations in Greece, the Balkans, and Libya including the defence of Tobruk against forces under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel; a comparison of Hitler with Napoleon; production of tanks; the Battle of the Atlantic and...

Scope and Contents Speech notes for WSC's speech (29 January) winding up a debate on the war situation and responding to parliamentary questions on subjects including: the vote of confidence in the government; general policy in the Far East; the defence of Singapore and Malaya [later Malaysia]; the scorched earth policy at Penang; the conduct of the war; and troops and supplies in India. Also includes correspondence from Oliver Locker-Lampson; Percy Harris; Sir Arnold Gridley; Colin Thornley [Principal Private...

Scope and Contents Speech notes for WSC's speech (23 April) in secret session on the war situation including: Japan's entry into the war; setbacks including battleship losses; defence of the Admiralty over the escape of the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau; events and operations in the Far East, the Middle East and the Soviet Union; air battles including the bombing of Germany; and aircraft and ship production. Also includes correspondence from: Maurice Dean [Assistant Under Secretary of State,...

Scope and Contents Speech notes for WSC's speech (9 January, Pilgrim's Society Luncheon, Savoy Hotel, London) entitled "United States co-operation" proposing a toast to Lord Halifax [earlier Edward Wood and Lord Irwin] on his appointment as British Ambassador to the United States and on the death of [11th] Lord Lothian [earlier Philip Kerr]. Published: Complete Speeches VI, pp 6327-9.BBC broadcast by WSC (9 February) entitled "Give us the tools" on the war situation including: the repulsion of the threat of...