"As anyone can see—apart from the question pf whether you have adequate supplies or not—who met sures the distance from our airfields: in Egypt and compares them with the distances from enemy airfields in Greece and who acquaints himself with the radius of action of dive-Bombers and alreratt, T take the fullest personal responsibility for that decision, but the Chiefs of Staff, the Defence' Committee, and Gen." Sir Archibald" Wavell ' all'. not only thought Crete ought to be defended in. the circumstances which were fully before them, but that in. spite of the lack of air support we na good chance of winning the hatti "Nobody had illusions about, the scale of the enemy: air borne attack. We knew it would be gigantic and Intense," Reconnaissances over Greek aerodromes showed enormous masses of aircraft which were gathering there—many hundreds—and it turned out that the enemy was prepared to pay almost an unlimited price for this conquest and his resources when concentrated "upon any "particular point may often be overwhelming that point."
Referring to statements which have been ascribed to the spokesman of the War Office and Air Ministry, the Prime Minister declared that the officers who gave these broadcasts were mot acquainted with the control of affairs and with what is decided for thought or felt in the Chiets of Slat Committee or the Defence Committee.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.