CHURCHILL SLATED

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 288, 5 December 1929, Page 28

CHURCHILL SLATED

CLASHES WITH LORD FISHER. ADMIRAL BACON'S STORY. "A HEADSTRONG POLITICAL NOVICE." A fierce attack on Mr. Winston Churchill is a principal feature of Admiral Sir R. H. Bacon's official biography, '"Lord Fisher," writes Horace Thorgood, in the "Evening Standard."

The attack is chiefly directed to Mr, Churchill's part in bringing about Fisher's resignation. But it begins in the foreword, where Churchill is described in such terms as "a headstrong political novice," "a young self-confident politician," and so forth. Admiral Bacon's defence of Fisher for not resigning at the outset of Churchill's Dardanelles proposals, seeing that, as he frequently said, ho' was against them from the start, follows familiar lines. Some new details of the events immediately following his resignation, however, are given. Ono is a letter Fisher wrote to Captain Cruse, his Naval Assistant, on May 1(5, 1915, the day after his announced intention to take himself off to Scotland had been sharply forbidden by the receipt of this note from the Prime Minister:— "Lord Fisher, —In the King's name I order you to remain at your post," Fisher's letter to his Naval Assistant asked him to see that Churchill did not como to visit him. (Churchill desired a personal interview, at which Fishor feared ho might be charmed into withdrawing his resignation.) He went on: "I will send for all my gear out of my room to-morrow morning — pictures, boxes, etc. We shall take rooms at a hotel on Tuesday—the Ritz, I think, as the manager is my devoted friend—l got him the billet—£4ooo a year and all found for his family living at the hotel. "I was a d- ——d fool not to take it myself!!! Can't you see me in the restaurant in a white waistcoat and frock-coat!!!" "Improper Letter." When, soon after Jus resignation, but beforo its acceptance, he heard of the reconstruction of the Government, he destroyed his chance of being retained as First Lord by writing to the Prime Minister a letter which Admiral Bacon, admits was most improper.

The letter laid down six conditions with which, if accepted, he would guarantee the successful end of the war. They included this as the first of all:— . "(1) That Mr. Winston Churchill is not in the Cabinet to be always circumventing me. Nor will I serve under Mr. Balfour."

Ho also demanded that Sir A. K. Wilson left the Admiralty, the Committee of Imperial Defence, and the War Council. There were other clean sweeps of personnel demanded, with the object that— "(4) I should have complete profeeeional charge of the war at sea, with sole disposition of the Fleet and appointment of all officers of all ranks whatsoever." His resignation was immediately accepted in a curt message from the Premier. The story -of these unhappy events ended, Admiral Bacon devotes a "postscript" to Mr. Churchill's general services, to the Navy, which he describes as "largely diluted with failure." He continues:— "It is a matter of history that, in the last 100 years, and probably for longer still, no First Sea Lord had ever resigned through a difference of opinion with his First Lord. Mr. Churchill created a double record in this respect. Two of hie First Sea Lords—Wilson and Fisher — both relinquished their poets owing to differences of opinion with Mr. Churchill on naval matters ... all the more remarkable when it is considered that these two Admirals of the Fleet were probably the most experienced Sea Lords the country had seen for a century; whereas Mr. Churchill was the youngest and, politically, the most inexperienced of any First Lord who had held office during that time."

"Undying Fame." Admiral Bacon sums up his indictment of Churchill thus: — "From the first minute that he entered the Admiralty he entirely mistook the functions of his office. . . . His brilliant abilities were of themselves sufficient to. ensure his failure. . . . His courage, which led him to. make important and valuable decisions in civil matters .. . also reacted on liis profound belief in his own opinions and made him venturesome in the extreme in enforcing his views. "His keen brain and fertile imagination served to strengthen his belief in his own infallibility, His indomitable energy caused him to meddle in innumerable details that were infinitely better left to the technical officers who had the practical experience necessary to deal with them. His immense range of super* ficial knowledge beguiled him into believing that that knowledge was accurate and profound. "In executive command in the field he would, in all probability, have earned undying fame, but temperamentally he was unsuited to fill the poat of civilian head of a highly technical department in war time." It is queer to notice how fascinating Churchill's personality always was en Fisher, despite their differences. At the end of one half-sulky letter to Churchill Fisher makes this amusing proppeal :?—• "I think it would be quite lovely to call the four extra Dreadnoughts— "No. 1 Winston. "No. 2 Churchill. ■ "No. 3 Lloyd. "No. 4. George. . "How they would fight! Uncireumventable! Read this out"to the Cabinet!"