The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-15
A Direct Personal Appeal.


 \ Direct Personal Appeal
 But to come back to Lord French. I can only say for myself that, with all my other preoccupations, mani fold and distracting as they were. this matter of the supply of munitions was rarely out of my thoughts I used to sec Lord Kitchener daily, often two or three times day, and I believe hard ly a day passed but l did not press hin-not that he needed my pressure ito hurry on and increase product ito hurry on and increase production by every possible means
 So dissatisfied and apprehensive did I become at the relatively slow rate of progress, as compared with our ex- pectations and hopes, that I resolved to make a direct personal appeal both to masters and to men. Frat was the object and the motive of nay visit Go Newcastle. But, observe, 1t was a very delicate business. l had to think not only of our own people, but of our Allies. and still more of the enemy. Operations of great possible moment, as I kneS, although I could not dis close 1t. were then impending, and it was of the utmost importance not to expose our own weaknesses or to give encouragement to the Germans to think that we could not hold our own or hold more than our own.
 I determined, therefore, to make sure of my ground, and instructed Lord Kitchener to send for Sir John French, to have him over here, and to get from him a concise report and survey Of the then military situation, and to make his report to me before I spoke.
 Sir John French came over.
 He was seen by Lord Kitchener at matter. have here, it is an interest ing historical document-at least, it may become so-the letter in which Lord Kitchener's own handwriting which he wrote to me immediately after the interview with Sir John French. It is as follows:-
 My Dear Prime Minister,-I have had a talk with French. He told me I could let you know that, with the present supply of ammunition. he will have as much as his troops will be able to use in the next forward move ment." Cloud cheers.)
 That is dated April fl, just a few days before I went to Newcastle. had a talk with French. He told me could let you That is what wanted. I am blamed for relying on his word. l believed in making assur- ance doubly sure-'with the present supply of ammunition''-(tha is, the ammunition we had been accumula.t- ing)-''he will have as much as his troops will be able to use in the next forward movement" (Cheers.)
 What more is to be said about that? (Cheers.)
 I will say this-that Lord Kitchener in a subsequent conversation, before I went to Newcastle, confirmed what is to be found in that letter. I there fore felt, because here I had-got what wanted, that I should be able to speak without giving encourage ement to the enemy with regard to these delicate and dangerous operations which were about to be launched. I felt not only entitled. but bound, at Newcastle to say what l did on that point. I quote my exact words. Lord French says he read my speech; I wonder if he did. If he has read it with anything like decent care, he would not have given most mislead- ing travesty of what I said. I safd:-
 T saw Q statement the other day that the operations, not only of our own Army. but of our Allies, were being crippled, or at any rate ham pered, by our failure to provide the ammunition. There is no truth in that statement
 Was I not Justified in making that statement? Then I went on-I am s.:l quoting from my Newcastle speech; then I went on to my main theme of the extreme and perilous urgency of the situation as regarded the fu- ture. That Is the point l was on, and may point out In passing that the very next night. in his speech in the House of Commons, MT. Lloyd George said exactly the same thing that up to that moment, the moment at which he and were speak ing, the real point of danger and diff ficulty was the future. It was a long speech. I summed up the case in these worlds
 There is not a single naval or mil itary authority among us who, in view of the proximate and prospective re- (observe these words) docs not declare that a large and rapid increase in the output of muni- tions has become one of the first nee essities of the State. Lord Kitchener says so, Lord Fisher (who was then the first Sea IIord) I know would so, and Sir John French has said so. This, then, is what in the name of your King and Country we ask you to do to deliver the goods.
 The Governments Fall.
 That is the speech, reading which he says he did it-caused him to lose all hope of receiving help from the Government as then constituted 0aughter), and set him to work be- hind the back of his official chief to secure in concert with outsiders, the overthrow of the Governments
 There VT S q time in the decadent days of the Ror Empire when the Praetorians. as they were called, and sometimes the armies in distant parts of the Empire. used to change the Emperors. Laughter.) I confess ne- yer knew, until I read Lord French's article, that it was him, the Comman- der-in-Chief of our Armies in France, that we owed the blessing of a Coal ition Government Naughter) But he says so, and to bring about this beni- f!oent revolution in the conduct of our affairs he sent over for a versatile well known to many Of us Captain Guest baughter-)
 Providence works. as you know, in