CONFIDENCE OF MR. CHURCHILL

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 190, 9 May 1941, Page 7

CONFIDENCE OF MR. CHURCHILL

No Need To Fear Tempest COMMONS ACCLAIM PRIME Ml sISTER Overwhelming Vote On War Debate i British Official Wireless., (Received May 8, 7.30 p.m.) RUGBY, May 7. “When 1 look back upon the perils which have been overcome the great mountainous waves through which the gallant ship has driven and when I remember also all that has gone wrong I feel sure tha 1 we have no need to fear the tempest. Let it roar. Let it rage. V\ t shall come through.” With these words the Prime Minister. Mr. Churchill, amid loiKi cheering, concluded his speech in the debate on the wai situation in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister wound up the second day of the discussion, and the motion of confidence in the Government was carried bv 457 votes to three. Members'of the House subsequently expressed the opinion that Mr. Churchill had hade one of his most effective speeches and entrenched himself even more deeply in the confidence of rhe House.. After the announcement of the result of the voting members left tciei. seats and lined up along the chamber to the exit, loudly cheering tin Prime Minister as he walked from his seat. Mr. Churchill said he had never under-rated the gravity ot tin difficulties and problems facing Britain. He felt that she was fighting for her life from day to day and from hour to hour. He recalled that it was nearly a year ago that France collapsed, and spoke of Hitler's expectations then, adding that Hitler little knew that 10 month.--later he would be “appealing to the much-tried German people to prepare themselves for war in 1942. ’

Mr. Lloyd George had criticized the procedure of the vote of confidence, the Prime Minister said, but after reverses and disappointments in the field the British Government had a right to know where it stood with the House of Commons and where the House stood with the country. Still more was this knowledge important for rhe fate of foreign nations, specially those which were balancing their foreign policy at the present time.

■lt was very natural that the House should not be entirely satisfied with the recent turn of things in the Middle East and that some members should be acutely disappointed that we had not been able to defend Greece successfully against the Italian and German armies or that we should not have been able to keep or extend our conquests in Libya.

“It remains to be seen whether the Ilalian invader invading Greece or the German invader coming to Italy’s rescue and engaging Yugoslavia in blood v strife gained an advantage or suffered a loss when the full story of the war is told.” he said. Intelligence Service. Mr. Churchill referred to criticism bv Mr. Hore-Belisha and others of the country’s Intelligence Service "So far as the German invasion of Bulgaria was concerned." he said "we had long and ample warning. tr is three months since I stated in n broadcast that Bulgarian air fields were being occupied. Every week one watched the remorseless movement of vast German forces through Hungary, through Rumania, into Bulgaria and toward Croatia, toward Yugoslavia, till at last no fewer than 40 German divisions, live of them armoured, were massed "Hitler told us that it was a crime on our part in such circumstances to gc to the aid of Greece. I do not wish to enter into an argument with experts. but that is not (he kind of crime of which be is a good judge."

With the knowledge Britain possessed today, said Mr Churchill, he. for one, would do the same thina again. It remained to lie seen whether Germany and Italy had gained »u advantage or suffered a loss by trampling Greece and Yugoslavia into a bloody w’elter.

The German machine was now spread from the Arctic to the Aegean, from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. That was no source of strength, and nothing could more surely debar the Germans from establishing a new Europe than the fact that they were becoming more universally bated than any race in history. Some had compared Hitler’s conquests will) those of Napoleon, and maybe Spain and Russia would shortly furnish new chapters for .’bat theme, but Napoleon's empire ultimately passed away like snow at Eastertide.

Referring to Mr. Hore-Belisha 's criticism of the Government on Britain’s admitted shortage of heavy tanks. .Mr. Churchill said we were now making every month as many heavy tanks as there existed in the British army when Mr. Hore-Belisha left the War Office, and before the end of the year we would be producing nearly double that without taking into account the immense production of the United States.

Replying to Mr. Lloyd George's criticism on the composition of the War Cabinet, the Prime Minister said there was in fact a War Cabinet, of eight, of whom five had no regular departments and three represented the main general organisms of the State — Foreign Affairs, Finance and Labour. It gave its broad sanctions to the main policy and conduct of the war. Under their authority the Chiefs of Staff of the throe Services sat daily together and he. as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, presided, summoning when necessary the throe Service Ministers. Defence Committee. AU the larger issues of military policy were brought before the Defence Committee, which for several months past had consisted of the three Chiefs of Staff, the three Service Ministers, and four members of Cabinet —the Prime Minister, the Lord Privy Seal, Mr. Attlee; the Foreign Secretary. Mr. Eden; and the Minister of Slate. Lord Beaverbrook. "That is the body and that is the machine which works easily and flexibly at the present time and I do not propose to make any changes in it till further advised." "In tin's whole business <>t Libya and Greece I can assure the Mouse that no violence has been done to expert military opinion. All the decisions have been taken unitedly, freely, voluntarily and with goodwill under the hard pressure of events.”

He had noted a tendency in some quarters, specially abroad, to talk abfiut the Middle East as if wo could afford to lose our positions there and yet carry on the war to victory on the oceans and in rite air, but no one must under-rate the gravity of the issue being fought in the Nile Valley. "The loss of the Nile Valley, the Suez Canal nr the loss of our possessions in the Mediterranean of Malta would be among the heaviest blows we could sustain.” Mr. ClhurahiH

tinned. "We are determined to fight for them with all the resources of the British Empire and we have every reason to believe that wo shall be successful. . Mr. Churchill said that, as head of the Government, he was the one whose head would be cut off if Britain did not win the war. “and I am very ready that this should be so.” "lie added, “because most members of Parliament will probably experience a more unpleasant fate at the hands of the triumphant Hun. Equipment for Middle East. "General Wavell has under hi.- orders at present nearly 500,000 men. A continuous flow of equipment has been in progress from this country during the last 10 months, and now that Italian resistance in Abyssinia, East Africa and Somaliland is collapsing the steady concentration northward of all these forces is possible. Indeed, for many weeks it has been rapidly proceeding. General Smuts hits ordered the splendid South African army forward to the Mediterranean shores “But warfare in the desert can only be conducted by comparatively small numbers of highly-equipped troops. Here the fortunes of war are subject to violent oscillations and mere numbers do not count. On the contrary, the employment in the desert, of large numbers would, in the long run. lead inevitably to disaster. “That. Is what happened to the Italians. A force of 180,000 men lay along the North African shore from Benghazi to the Egyptian frontier, and once the head of this force was stopped and broken it was not possible for the array to retreat all at once. The single coast road could not carry it. The transport available could not feed it on the move. This victory of Sidi Bartini sealed the fate of all the Italian troops In Cyremriea. They did not possess the command of the sea and they were destroyed in detail at Barditt. Tobruk and Benghazi. “The same thing, with important modifications, might thus have happened to the British uheu (lie Gentian armoured forces defeated mid largely destroyed our single armoured brigade guarding the advance frontier of the province of Cyrenaica.’

' Germans at Bay

The Prime Minister said he had no exact account of what happened at Agadabia or Mechili, the generals having been taken prisoners through running undue risks in their personal movements. The remains of that brigade were now lighting at Tobruk. Ute German armoured force was not much larger than our own, but tactical mistakes had been committed and mischances had occurred, with the result that our armoured force had been disorganized, and this, by a rapid retieat. had reached Tobruk unmolested. “There it. stands at bay,” he said. "The Germans, as we know from an examination of prisoners, had no expectation of proceeding beyond Agadabta. They meant to engage our armoured troops so as to prevent the dispatch of reinforcements to Greece, while bringing up larger forces. But wheil they won their surprising success they exploited it with that organized audacity which ranks so high ui the military art and pressed on against Tobruk where they met u liard. heavy prop. “They came into contact also wttn the large force guarding Egypt. There, for the moment, they have stopped. As long as the Germans have superiority in armoured vehicles they will have an advantage in desert warfare even if as at present, the air forces are about equal. But this warfare must be conducted only by small forces. Discussing the problems of operations in the Western Desert. Mr. Churchill said that 30.060 or 40.000 troops were the most that could be fed and supplied. and if was very doubtful whether even that number could be maintained. For an invasion of Egypt in great force such as Italy contemplated, enormous preparations would have to be made by the Germans. Incidentally, the deserts of Egypt were the worst in the world for armoured vehicles. Here the enemy were confronted with a far harder problem than anything they hail so fatsolved in Africa.

Mr. Churchill again replied '.<• criti- I clsm of the Secret Service when he j referred to Iraq. So long ago as last May the Foreign Office began to ask for troops to guard *te lines of communication. We had not got flu* troops ami it was difficult to make headway against the pro-Axis intrigues <>!' Rascliid AU. who had staged a military | revolt against the lawful Regent and I the lawful Government. Obviously his ; object was to have all ready for the , Germans. However in tills ease the ' British Government had forestalled him ami three weeks ago strong British forces, which were being eontinnally reinforced from India, were landed at Basra and had assumed control. “Having assented to the first stage oi these events Rasehid Ali was led j into more violent courses." Mr. Churchill said. "For several days we were very anxious about the position at Habbani.'t. We have, however reinforced the air force front Eg.vp* j and Palestine, ami yesterday the I garrison sallied out ami completely routed tin- besiegers and put them to Hight. Sixteen Iraqi officer,- and 108 ■ mcii were taken prisoner and the total 1 enemy casualties were about 1600 so far as is known. Onr farces attacked I

mid largely destroyed convoy lorries on the'wuy to the besiegers, "and other operations are in progress. "We shall try to make headway against all’ our foes, wherever they present themselves. A combative spirit in all directions is essential. I shall not predict the result in Iraq. It may be that the Germans will arrive before we shall, in which case our difficulties will be greater. It may be that the revolt went off at half-cock in consequence of our forestalling action. We are not at war with the Iraqis. We are dealing with a military dictator. We intend to assist the Iraqis to get rid of him.” Spain, Russia, Vichy. Referling to Mr. Lloyd George’s criticisms, he agreed that in Mr. Eden’s speech much could have been said about Spain and about Russia, but he was not sure that there would have been any advantage by saying ir, nor would the House have profited by debating at length the sad and squalid tale of what was going on at Vichy. Correcting Mr. Lloyd George’s contusion of a- Turco-Iranian agreement with an alleged Turco-Iraqi agreement, Mr. Churchill said it was most unfortunate that both Persia and Mesopotamia had changed their names about the same time to two names so much alike as Iran and Iraq. It appears that the arrangement mentioned by Mr Lloyd George was between Turkey aud Persia, and concerned measures to strengthen the TurcoPersian border, which had been prepared some time ago and were now being enforced as from May 4. In regard to Turkey, he reminded Mr. Lloyd George that that country had no right, under the convention, to prevent ships passing through the Dardanelles while she was at peace. To do so would amount to n decision to quit her neutrality. In reference to the Balkans, Mr. Churchill said : "For myself, 1 watched the fate of Greece after her valiant repulse of the Italian invader with agony. The only relief I feel is that everything in human power was done by us, and that our honour as a nation is clear. If anything could add to the pang of these emotions, it would be the knowledge we had of the impending outrage. with so little power to avert from this heroic, famous people a fate so hideous and undeserved. “Looking back, I can only feel ,:is the Prime Minister of New Zealand has so nobly declared, that if we had to tread that: stony field, even with the knowledge we possess today, 1 for one would do the same thing again, and that is the view of all my colleagues in the War Cabinet aud on the Defence Committee, and I believe that view is generally agreed upon by this House. But military operations must be judged by the success which attends them, rather than by the sentiment which inspires them. "From a strictly military viewpoint, the addition of the Balkan peoples to the number of ancient and independent States and sovereignties under the Nazi yoke that must be held down by force and intrigue may by no means prove a source of strength to the German army, while in the political aspect nothing can more surely debar the Germans from shaping a new Europe—and one will certainly emerge —than the fact that the German name and the German race are becoming more universally and more intensely hated among all people in all lands than any race of which history bears ■ a /record. Battle of Atlantic.

Turning to the Battle of the Atlantic, Mr. Churchill said the test of success was the number of tons of imports to Britain in any given quarter in any given year. At present we were maintaining great traffic, though with heavy loss. ~ Great progress had been made in meeting the losses by new building, repairs, and accelerating the turnabout of ships, but there was still much to be done.

"With the continued flow of assistance which has already been promised us bv the United States, we can probably maintain our minimum essential traffic. during 19-11,’' he said. "As for 1942, we must look for an immense construction of merchant ships by the United States. This already is in full swing aud within the last month I have received tin assurance of the construction of merchant vessels by the United States which, added to our own programme of building and repair, should see us through the year. The year 19-13. if we have to endure it as a year of war. will present easier problems.’ The United States patrol had taken considerable part of the Atlantic Ocean off British hands, but a good deal more help was needed. It was not for a British Minister to forecast, and still less to prescribe, the policy of the United States. "When that mighty democracy ot 130,000,000 gets on the move, one can onlv await the full development of this vast psychological gravitation and its translation into the physical field,” he said. “Anyone can see Hitler’s fear of the United States in the fact that, he did not declare war upon them long ago. Will Power of Nation..

■■l derive confidence that the willpower of the British nation, expressing itself through this steadfast House, will once again perform its liberating functions and humbly exercise and, execute its high purpose among men. I say this with more confidence because we are no longer a small island lost in northern mists, but around us are gathered in proud array all the nations of the British Empire, and now, across the Atlantic, the United States proclaims herself by our side, or at any rate near our side.”

SMALL OPPOSITION

Three Noes To Vote 01

Confidence

i Received May 8, 8.30 p.ni.'i

LONDON, May 8.

The three nues to the motion of confidence in the Government were Dr. A. Salter (Labour). Mr. D. N. Pritt. K.C. (Labour), and Mr. W. Gallagher (Communist). Mr. J. Maxton (Independent Labour), and Mr. .1. McGovern (Independent Labour), who forced the division, were tellers, and as Mr. Campbell Stephen, the remaining member of the Independent Labour Party was absent, that party was tumble to register a single vote against the Government.