HAIG'S WAR DIARIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22202, 31 August 1935, Page 20

HAIG'S WAR DIARIES

By A. Duff Cooper—Copyright to the New Zealand Herald

DEEP DISTRUST OF POLITICIANS

CABINET MINISTER ARRESTED

DESPITE his natural suspicion of politicians, Haig had al- /( ready learned to respect Mr. Asquith a sentiment which was to bo increased by further knowledge. At the War Office, he had a soldier to deal with (Kitchener), and under a new arrangement, which coincided with Robertson's promotion, the importance of the position of Secretary of State for War had been diminished in favour of that of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. In that office Robertson was to prove an invaluable link "between the Commander-in-Chief and the Cabinet. Robertson soon realised the difficulties of his position. " There is dreadful need of superior control of the war," he wrote to Haig. " 1 am doing all right on the War Committee, but it is difficult to keep one's temper. At tho last meeting Balfour weighed in with a proposal that as the Western Front is so Bttforlg we should transfer all possible troops to with Russia on tho Eastern Front! Words failed me, and I lost my temper." Haig experienced the same difficulty as <Robertson, but the entries in his diary, prove beyond question that whenever he came face to face with one of the black-coated, suspected tribe of politicians, ho took the man on his merits and allowed no previous prejudice to influence his view. It was in this month, January, 1916, that Haig first made the acquaintance of Lloyd George, whom he had, of course, frequently met already. The inability of these 'two men to understand one another or to work harmoniously together is a melancholy fact which has to be recorded. Estimate o 1 Bonar Law ' That it was not due to any narrow prejudice on Haig's part against either politicians or men who were outside the public school tradition is proved by the entry in his diary after the first evening spent with Lloyd George and Bonar Law, who arrived at his headquarters together:— " Mr. Bonar Law strikes me ns being a straightforward, honourable man. . . . Lloyd George seems to be astute and cunning with much energy and push. But I should think shifty and unreliable. He was most anxious to be agreeable and pleasant, and was quite delighted at my having arranged for his two sons to stay and see him. They seem quite nice boys." Lloyd George's first impression of Haig, on the other hand, was favourable. He informed Lord Riddell after his visit to the new G.H.Q. that "things ar3 much more businesslike than in French's time. There is a new spirit. Haig seems very keen on his job and has a fine staff." ' He also wrote a letter of thanks. The terms of the letter breathe something more than mere civility, and it is equally to be regretted that Lloyd George's first opinion of Haig should have altered and that Haig's first opinion of Lloyd Georgo should have remained. \ An incident which occurred during this visit gave Haig a further opportunity of studying the ways of politicians. It is best recounted in his own words:

colleaguo's release so easily, while J was only too glad to be rid of the lot and be free to get on with my work." The position of the British Army when Haig took over the command of it was as follows. The Second Army, commanded by Plumer, was on the left and hold the line from north of Ypres to south of Armentieres. The First Army on the Second Army's right went down as far as Loos. Haig had recommended that Rawlinson should command it, but Kitchener had only consented to put liawlinson in temporary command pending tho return of Monro from tlie East. On the First Army's right was the French Tenth Army and on tho Tenth Army's right lay tho English Third Army commanded by Pulteney. Joffro's first request to Haig was that ho should relieve a portion of tho French Tenth Army by extending the right of the British First Army, which Haig readily consented to do. The Allies' plan of campaign was to stage a simultaneous offensive on all fronts in the summer. Joffre was anxious that in preparation for this decisive operation the British Army should "wear down" tho German resistance by a series of local but powerful attacks. Haig was ready to play his part in the general offensive, but feared that tho so-called " wearing down" operations (batailles d'usure> might do more harm than good. Tied to His French Allies It would be impossible to explain to the world what their real purpose was. and failing such explanation it would appeal- that they had accomplished nothing and the battles that took place would be reckoned as failures, if not as defeats. As usual, < however, there existed governing circumstances which prevented the British Commander-in-Chief from exercising a free choice. In the first place there was his obligation to co-operate so far as possible with the wishes of the French.

In the second place it was generally stated at this time, and not denied by the French, that their man power was almost exhausted and that they would

" Lloyd George and Bonar Law went off about 9.30 to visit the workshops at Hazebrouck, etc., etc. "Winston Churchill (who commands a battalion in the 9th Division) seems to ha,to met them,

and .reported an incident which happened last night. Sir F. E. Smith, now Attorney-General and a member of the Cabinet (later the Earl of Birkenhead), appears to have come from Boulogne yesterday without any pass, and proceeded to stay with Winston. " His having gone through the sentry posts without a pass was duly reported / to the Adjutant-General's office, and orders were given to arrest him and br;ng him to G.H.Q. Smith (who was in a Lieutenant-Colonel's uniform) was duly brought back to St. Omer after dinner, and arrived about 2 a.m., and lodged in the Hotel du Commerce under arrest. He, of course, was much upset, and saw the Adjutant-General this morning, who regretted the ma"nner in which the arrest had been made, but explained that it was his own fault for having come into the area of operations without a pass. Smith then went off to bed. Winston told the story as far as he knew it up to the time of the arrest, with the result that Bonar Law and Lloyd George at once abandoned their visit to Look and came back here in time for luncn, expecting to find their fellow Cabinet Minister in jail. Bonar Law said that Smith would have to leave the Cabinet if the report were made public, and no explanations or apology given by the military authorities, and he, Bonar Law, would have to resign also, etc Attorney-General Apologises " I said that I had no official knowle'dgo yet of the facts, but that it was by my orders that the pass system was being now strictly enforced, and that Smith had apparently committed a serious mistake in forcing the sentries. But I gathered that th<* Adjutant-General had settled the matter. Law was .quite pleased at this news, and hoped I would ask Smith to tea, or see him. I at once sent and aslced him to lunch. Ho came and sat on my left. After lunch he, Bonar Law and Lloyd George came to my room by Smith's request. " He started a long story, to which I/ listened patiently for three or four minutes, and then asked him what he really wanted! He apologised for having bothered inc, and they all agreed it was b'est to leave the matter as it stood. The wholo storv is to be kept as quiet as possible and not to be allowed to appear in the press. F. E. Smith seemed most afraid of the ridiculo of his friends. Tho «ffthers seemed happy at getting their

be able to take part in only one more offensive on a grand scale. In the third place there was the already threatening collapse of Russia. Daily the Allies dreaded to learn that the Germans were transferring large bodies of troops to tho east with a view to destroying one of their three greatest adversaries and forcing her to a separate peace. Should this intelligence at any moment reach them, the Allies had to be prepared to strike at once.v On January 14, Major Cavendish, from the British Mission at French Headquarters, came to report, "He stated that the French view at present seemed to be: " (1) Russians won't be ready to attack till end of July. " (2) French, owing to lack of men, can only make one more big offensive, so they are anxious to wait till the Russians can attack. " (3) The French are now looking to England and Italy to carry on a wear-ing-out attack until they and the Russians are ready." On the following day Jotfre's visit and conversation confirmed Haig's opinion. The interview was extremely friendly, and was followed by the investiture of Haig and other generals with tho Legion of Honour " Then we went to Chateau Philomel. General Joffre, after inspecting tho troops, presented decorations. I received the 'Grand Cordon' and Sir H. Rawlinson and H. Wilson 'Grand Officer' of the Legion of Honour. The general shouted out: 'Au nom du President do la Republique,' etc., etc., and then placed the ribbon of the Order round my neck, fixed the plaque to my left bresfc and then, before I quite realised what was going to happen, kissed mo on both cheeks I I could hardly refrain from laughing. " Then Rawlinson's turn came, but he only got the plaque as a Grand Officer, and it was put on his right side. He was duly kissed, and the long Henry Wilson had to bend down for the little fat 'Generalissimo' to perform this part of tho ceremony 1" Haig Makes His Points The question of the 1916 offensive was finally settled at a conference which took place at Chantilly on February 14- Hero Haig was completely successful, Joffre finally agreeing that the attacks to prepare tho way for the great offensive should take place only ten or fifteen days before the main battle. At the same conference Joffre suggested that the British should take over the whole of the front then held by the French Tenth Army. Haig stoutly resisted the proposal, and after a long but amicable discussion ho once more gained his point. The following is his own commentary on the day's work. "To-day's was a most important conference. By straightforward dealing 1 gained both my points. But I had an anxious; and difficult struggle. Robertson was also most complimentary on my conduct of tho dicussion. I felt at tho conference that I had been given some power not always in me." But while tho Allies wero making plans and reaching agreements, tho enemy were not idle. A few days later General Castelnau dined at G.H.Q. and Haig was surprised to find him anxious and preoccupied. He raised again the question of the relief of the French Tenth Army and ho gave as his excuse for doing so tho probability of the Germans launching an attack against Verdun. When Haig reminded him how only three days beforo Joffre had been confident that tho next German offensive would be against Russia, he did not argue but merely muttered: "C'est tres logiquo," And ho was right. Tho German blow fell on Vordun a day or two later. How the German offensive influenced the Allies' plans in 1916 and led on to the first Battle of the Somme will be related on Monday.