Scope and Contents

Notes by [Herbert] Brittain, Sir Frederick Phillips, and [Ralph] Hawtrey [of HM Treasury] discussing a reply to Sir Patrick Hastings' suggestion to Prime Minister [Neville Chamberlain] of raising finance by compulsory subscriptions to a National Loan. [typescript and manuscript].

Scope and Contents Memorandum and covering note from Sir Patrick Hastings to Prime Minister's [Neville Chamberlain] Private Secretary setting out his proposal for a scheme to "effect a form of compulsory investment in a National Loan without confiscation and . . . without the disadvantage of direct taxation", as devised at the request of [1st] Lord Reading [earlier Sir Rufus Isaacs] and presented to the Cabinet in 1916, but abandoned as a result of opposition by Arthur Henderson [later Lord Rowley, Labour...

Scope and Contents

Letter from Sir Patrick Hastings to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain recalling a scheme he proposed in 1916 for raising money; with notes and copies of correspondence from [Arthur] Rucker, [Principal] Private Secretary to Prime Minster, and [?Christopher] Hankey, [Herbert] Brittain, [Thomas] Padmore, and Sydney Turner of HM Treasury asking if anyone including [1st] Lord Hankey recalls details of the scheme and why it was rejected. [typescript with carbons and manuscript notes].

Scope and Contents

Letter from Sir Henry Fairfax-Lucy to WSC criticising the economic situation ("percentage increases for the cost of living") and agricultural policy (ploughing up of grazing land resulting in slaughter of Dairy cattle); encloses copy of letter to Captain Harry Crookshank MP [Financial Secretary to Treasury] and a newspaper article from the Warwick Advertiser.

Scope and Contents Notes by Clement Attlee [Lord Privy Seal] on his proposed visit to the United States to meet with Franklin Roosevelt, President of the United States, at the ILO [International Labour Organization]; draft speech based on the Atlantic Charter, calling for trade agreements "to further in every possible way the greatest possible exchange of goods and services throughout the world"; includes minute from WSC and covering letter from John Martin [Private Secretary to WSC] to A M R Topham [Lord...

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to the President of the National Union of Manufacturers explaining that the Lend-Lease Bill demands certain sacrifices from both the peoples of the United States and Britain and the reduction of British exports is inherent in this and in war.

Scope and Contents

Telegram from the President of the United States [Franklin Roosevelt] to WSC on proposals by the Japanese Ambassador [Kichisaburo Nomura]; for restoration of peace with China in return for petroleum from the United States and an end to sanctions; United States propose trade deal involving raw silk; suspects trouble will follow soon anyway; with reply from WSC expressing concern for China.

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Sir John Simon, Chancellor of the Exchequer, offering advice on cost-cutting in the forthcoming Budget.

Scope and Contents Letter from WSC (Chartwell) to Sir Horace Hamilton [Chairman, Board of Customs and Excise] querying figures: reduced revenue from McKenna duties; whether increased consumption and taxation have been accompanied by increased production and depletion of capital reserves; whether levels of saving have been reduced given the rise in unemployment. He concludes by asking Hamilton to forecast figures.Typescript signed with initials annotated by WSC "Sir Warren Fisher [Permanent Secretary, Treasury]...

Scope and Contents

Memorandum from Frederick Leith-Ross [British representative on Finance Board of the Reparation Commission] to WSC responding to his queries. He explains the delay between the collection of reparations and payment into the Exchequer and £6 million interest earned from investment of German funds; discusses reasons to avoid specific public mention of this and the basis for lower estimates this year.Typescript.

Scope and Contents

Minute from WSC to Sir Otto Niemeyer [Controller of Finance] marked "private and confidential" querying statements made by Niemeyer about the gap between Britain and the United States, bank rates and the 1.25 million unemployed, remarking "while that unemployment exists, no one is entitled to plume himself on the financial or credit policy which we have pursued".Carbon typescript.

Scope and Contents

Carbon copy of WSC's proposal for the betting tax.

Scope and Contents Memorandum from WSC to Sir Otto Niemeyer [Controller of Finance, Treasury] marked "Private & Personal To be returned" on subjects including: conversion; the addition of £37 million to the national debt; contrast to the freedom from debt in Germany and France; and WSC's view that the Treasury will be criticised for favouring a 'rentier' class over 'social, moral or manufacturing' interests. He ends by asking Niemeyer to prepare proposals for using forced loans and government bonds as part...

Scope and Contents Copy of a letter from WSC to Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister, marked "secret and personal" on the need to "dominate events lest we be submerged by them", reflecting on achievements of the government but predicting bleak prospects for the next year as the government has not been successful, his own efforts to reduce expenditure have failed, the Factory and Poor Law Bills and Franchise will not support them, and advising that a constructive measure is needed. He seeks Baldwin's support for...

Scope and Contents Memorandum from WSC to Sir Otto Niemeyer [Controller of Finance, Treasury] on the economic position of Germany and Great Britain and the negative impact of the rigid policy of the Bank of England, high taxation, poor trade and high unemployment. WSC argues that the policy is unsatisfactory on social, industrial and political grounds; that Germany is in a healthier economic state and that the allies may need to reduce the reparations burden on Germany and that misleading conclusions will be...

Scope and Contents Copy of a memorandum from WSC to Sir Richard Hopkins [Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue] instructing him to present WSC's view to the President of the Board of Trade [Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, earlier Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame, later 1st Lord Swinton] on the impact of the attitude of [Sir Otto] Niemeyer [Controller of Finance, Treasury] "of letting everything smash into bankruptcy and unemployment in order that reconstruction can be built up upon the ruins" He discusses forest...

Scope and Contents Copy of a memorandum from WSC to Sir Warren Fisher [Permanent Secretary] "and others concerned" on: the possibility of shortening the occupation of Germany if Germany makes improvements in payment of reparations; the economic impact of the early return of troops; disarmament and the need for France to retain a strong army to uphold the Locarno treaty; repayment of United States debt and the need to pass on costs to Germany; the need for the Treasury to adopt am attitude of "extreme reserve...

Scope and Contents Copy of a letter from WSC to Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister, enclosing a paper on efforts to save £11 million expenditure and reporting that only a little over half the figure has been realised. He discusses the need for the "Boxer money" to meet the expense of keeping troops in China; naval estimates and the Admiralty's failure to find economies "They are so accustomed to carrying all before them by threats of resignation that they feel able to do themselves sumptuously in every branch and...

Scope and Contents Report on Total Nominal Dead Weight Debt, with a covering note from Sir Richard Hopkins [Controller of Finance and Supply Services] to James Grigg [Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer]. The introduction explains the fall of nominal dead weight debt by £107 millions since Mar 1925 and that the period has also seen the conversion of short term bonds into long term debt, and that the proportion of external debt and treasury bills and savings certificates have also...

Scope and Contents Memorandum from Frederick Leith-Ross [Deputy Controller of Finance] to Sir Richard Hopkins [Controller of Finance and Supply Services] and Donald Fergusson [Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer] on government expenditure, countering criticism by [David] Lloyd George by explaining government development and expenditure on housing, roads, telephones etc, and guarantees under the Trade Facilities Act and Colonial Development schemes equating to over £300 million expenditure,...

Scope and Contents

Minute [from ?F A Lindemann, later 1st Lord Cherwell, WSC's Personal Assistant] to WSC on the results of the German invasion of Scandinavia, with particular emphasis on British imports, with an analysis of findings by the Director of the Trade Division [Captain Maurice Mansergh].

Scope and Contents

Minute [from ?F A Lindemann, later 1st Lord Cherwell, WSC's Personal Assistant] to WSC on "The Economic Consequences of German aggression in Scandinavia".

Scope and Contents

Printed note by WSC for the War Cabinet on [1st] Lord Stamp's [Adviser on Economic Co-ordination to Ministerial Committee] paper regarding the war effort. [annotated by WSC: "where is it?"].

Scope and Contents

Notes on the sale of Defence Bonds in the Colonies detailing the sales procedure of Bond Books being sent to each colony, which in turn would issue the bonds to itself then sell them on to the local public, thereby avoiding the 1000 pounds limit. [Typescript carbon] [no indication of authorship].

Scope and Contents

Letter from Neville Chamberlain [Lord President of the Council] to WSC on a paper by Sir Kingsley Wood [Chancellor of the Exchequer] on gold and dollars, and the coming election in the United States. [Manuscript].