Wan Mearoms or Davi Luoyo Grosce Volume ILL. Ivor" Nicholson Watson, London. 21/-.
In this third volume of his War Memolrs Mr, Lloyd George is on a good wicket, He is dealing with those vital years when he was called to be Prime Minister and earned his undying name a9 the man who saw the country through, "Actually the volume carries the reader to the end Of 1017 before the actual military effort of America began to take effect. The value of this book is, of course, great. The former Prime Minister produces documentary evidence which has not hitherto been available to the public, and among these documents is the lassie memorandum of General Smutg in April, 1917, on the then existing gen ral strategic. and military situation, and particularly that on the Westera Front. This document had. an enor~ mous effect on the subsequent disposition of the Allies and may Lo Bald in itself to have been a contri tion. tothe ultimate victory. Its interest lies specially in the fact that it was submitted just after the Nivelle offensive, Mr, Lloyd George may be criticized allowing some of the post-war Ditterness of his position to colour his judgments of the men with whom he worked in his dave of power. In his "preface he frankly admits that his. strictures will undoubtedly give ain, and it is noticeable that his list Of generals who are exempt from eritielsm and earn his praise is exceedingly select, Tt includes Lord Lord Allenby. Sir Stanley Piquant pass: line "Mr, Lloyd George's struggles with the Admiralty and it may be generally stated. that he found his reatest ficulties in breaking down the conservatism of the bureaucratic mind, and that mind was apparently more strongly entrenched in the Admiralty than anywhere else. Ac~ cording to Mr. Lloyd George, Lord Jellicoe was of the opinion that the German submarine campaign could hardly be prevented {rom succeed~ ing and the convoy system which eventually refuted that view was 'Drought Into active operation only after' the exercise by the Prime Minister of the most drastic methods Of assault on the Admiralty. Mr. Loyd George maintains that earlier and fuller use of the armed trawlers in escort work for convoyed vessels would have saved a very considerable volume of tonnage. He Aenies that the convoy system could not have been introduced before the advent of America into the war, and it Is Interesting to road here' that the substitution of Sir Eric Geddes for Sir Edward Carson as First Lora of the Admirally was Mr. Lloyd George's. main. move to overcome the solid and stolid resistance of the Board of Admirals, He says tersely that he decided to put someone in charge who was accustomed to force his will on his subordinates. The result was that after Geddes had been at the Admiralty for a short time, Lord Jellicoe resigned and was fucciaded by Sir, Rossy, Wemyes jose work as Deputy First Sea Lord had had a stimulating effect on naval operations. Of Sir Eric Gedder's work Mr." Lloyd George says: formation I thus acquire leaves 2 Geeper and. more inerssable impres= ion on my mind than what is comfunleated to "me In any other Way. Much study' is a weariness to. the flesh, but conversations with a know= edgeable person stimulate and refresh and nourish one's mind. Had Gepended entirely on' departmental chiefs, I could. never have. cartied through' my schemes of Old Age Pension and Insurance. "I know the Importance of maintaining discipline inva Department. Our public services fre mained by some of the best and. most competent men in this or any country, wand it is" essential "to efficiency that their legitimate power Snd- prestige "in. their respective Spheres should be fully maintained. But freedom of access to independent Information is quite compatible with order and "due respect' for the Hierarchy, it that tberty is tactfully and" judiciously exercised by the Minister and wisely acquiesced in the service, There must be no" ab-Pearance of flouting the men at the: fop. On the other. hand." they" must hot make It Impossible to act without an open disregard of their attitude is earlier explained Department knowledge with him, 'Phe political ead a Department has not merely the ight, but the duty to send for anyone who' will help him. to, discharge his Yrust "to. the. public. That principle apply. to both the political and Permanent heads of a Department.
Lord Carson didn't sce his way to Adopt this point of view. The result "what although his natural shrewd-
perceive that things were not moving tation enabled him. to Fe"the right. direction, or as rapidly.
they ought, "he could "not. find exactly the point "where they" stuck, hhow to remove the obstruction or how to speed. uD.
"sending Lord Northeliffe to America Mr. Lloyd George employed another Kindred spirit in breaking down bureaucratic obstruction, and itis amusing to find that though Lord Northeliffe went with the full authority of the British Government he factually met with a curiously unfriendly reception from the Bri-{ish representatives on the spot. Lord Northeliffe was the last man in the world to sit down under such treatment and his memorandum on his arrival in Washington shows his Pugnacity:
My. reception at Washington from the. President "downwards "could not have been better, "My reception at the hands of the British Ambassador could not have been worse.
7 Rot received here the British Consul, Who excused himself by hat, although he knew coming. he had not been formally norited Cly the Embassy. The Embassy excused by saying that they. were told from London 10k the matter Te was not a secret, because 1 was met by the usual gang of coparters, photographers and cinematographers.
"That didn't matter, but 1 mecesstatfed my Teading to the members of the the "Commission my. agreement. with the Government to prove my authorl-
Fellection on himself He was rude Hardman Lever and tome. is an account of an amazing As First Lord of the Admiralty, Geddes" overriding vitality war soon felt in every branch of "activity. Dificultios and hesitancies disappeared every "direction. "There. was. a uickening inaction all round. "The: Convoy system at last. had. a. fate chance. Tt was extended, strengthen= fed, Improved in every direction. 'The aval officers who were wholesheartedly, for' it were encouraged. 'The attack on the submarine was de' fed. The Nash invention of the "fsh' hydrophone" was attached. without delay 10. patrolling, versals." Many other new and ingenious expedients Were resorted to for" breaking' down and. destroying. the submarine. "Best of all, there was real drive put into all these operations. In spite of their Increase in power and" speed, the enemy submarines began to suites laly growing Rose from the eect the C vigorous campaign against end of October, 1918, we were sinking German submarines an average rate of seven every mont "The methods "which the Prime Minister adopted" in" galvanizing Whitehall, may be gathered from this passage in explanation of his de= arturo from recognized routine by Consulting other than heads of de~ partments:
knowledge" and "experience "on any.
When I meet men possessing special
Subject, thas been my habit through Ife to" question them' onthe. theme, they know and like best. "The me ail'gay to a number of the Ministers sir Geel gave a dinner to me at the He was sitting at a table before his red boxes, and, suddenly looking up. produced. a culling from the pro-German. "Evening Post™ which had appeared prior to my arrival Which said, as far as T can remember, Yhat ie was odd that aman who had friticied the Ambassador in. scare~ heads and articles (a concoction) should be coming to this appointment.
He then suddenly rose, looked at me in a very queer vay, and pointing fils finger at me. said? "You are my enemy. Apart from these criticisms, You inserted four, years "ago Snonymous attack in the "Times" which nearly Killed me: end Lady Spring Rice declines to. receive you, on that recount" (There are, "fortunately, ther charming ladies in Washington'
Treplied that 1 had never criticized nim. He rejoined that he was eritle ized ina letter to the "Times" for his prolonged absence from the Embassy Ind for travelling on German ships: {hat his absence was due to his health, and "to diplomatic circumstances Which Ie could not publicly explain.
observed that at tis was his view of my visit 1 to leave the house, and T walked towards the door with the intention of so doing, when hie rushed after me, put out his hand, and said: "We have to work together whatever we may feel about each'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.