The expedition publicly was perceived to have been a failure even though the British Everest establishment had been successful in covering up the debacle concerning the planning of the expeditions of 1935 and 1936. George Finch, forever a villain of that establishment was in a position to speak out because he had been excluded from all expeditions except 1922. He wrote "we are beginning to look ridiculous", that future expeditions should be planned and led by climbers, there should be a permitted age range of 25–35, the leadership should not be military, and that the inherent risks of mountaineering need to be accepted. He added "no personal attack is intended".