NAVAL CONVOYS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20273, 26 June 1931, Page 17

NAVAL CONVOYS.

WARTIME POLICY, ADMIRALS AT VARIANCE. (roox otm owa coiuas*oirt>Mrr.) LONDON', May 15. A few days ago the "Morning Post" published an interview with Admiral Sir Reginald Custance, who related how, '''at a meeting at which Mr Lloyd George was present, Lord Jellicoe and Sir Alexander Duff, as members of .the. Board of Admiralty, opposed convoy a? impracticable. He stated that Mr Lloyd. Gborgo expressed a wish to know if & i junior officer who was present shared ! these views, and, on learning that he did' not, and being convinced by hi# arguments, .Mr Lloyd George ordered the institution of convoy should be immediately proceeded with." Lord Jellicoe writes to the ."Morning Poet" a letter of denial. In the course of this he says: "I look., upon it usually as a waste of time to attempt to correct the numerous mis-statements that are made on the subject of the. conduct of the war, and I do not propose to deal with all the assertions made by Sir "Reginald. But he is reported to have said that at a meeting between Mr Lloyd George, Sir Alexander Duff, and myself Mr Lloyd George ordered that 'tho institution of convoy should be> immediately proceeded with.' Sir Reginald Custance should surely know that a Prime Minister does not issue orders on technical matters to the. Board of Admiralty, and, as the institution of convoy" was entirely dependent on the provision of an adequate escorting force of fast vessels as an anti-submarine protection, the matter was entirely technical. The statement is absolutely incorrect." When Lord Jellicoe's letter was shown to Admiral Custance by a "Morning Post" representative, he made the following observations: ''That Mr Lloyd George did not give the actual orders for the institution of convoy is, no doubt, technically correct. But this is not the point raised, and is really only a side-issue. ' . ' '*Does Lord Jellicoe deny that at the meeting both he and Sir Alexander Duff opposed convoys as • impractical? And further, does he deny that reference was made to a junior officer who was present, and who expressed views favourable to convoy; that those views were accepted by Mr Lloyd George; and that action wa* taken accordingly?"