Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-06
Hore -BeIisha Hits
Crete Operations as
Military Disaster
Former War Secretary Also
Urges Common Citizenship
For u. S. and Brituin

By the Associated Press.
EDINBURGH. Scotland, June g.
Former War Secretary Leslie Hore-
Belisha today proposed recognition
Of common citizenship by Great
Britain, the British Empire and the
United States as the most hopeful
assurance of the determination of
the democracieS to establish a new
order"
Mr.. HOre-BeliSha also suggested
that the industrial effort of the
British Empire and the United
States. in order to reach its most
intensive pitch and fullest scope,
should be directed as the military
effort of France and Britain was
directed in the last War-by a single
allied council fortified by expert
knowledge"
The proposals were made in a
speech before the Scottish National
Association.
Criticizes Crete Operations.
The former cabinet minister
sharply criticized the governments
handling of the defense of Crete,
which he characterized as a mill
tary disaster
I'VE suffer defeat after defeat"
he said, land always for the same
leaSonS-lack of appreciation, lack
IA preparation and imperfect eXecu-
ION OF the project. Each reverse is
CLOSED over by the same series of
incompatible explanations. and the
narcotic of false confidence in the
future is invariably applied 49,.
The bare description of what our
imperial forces have undergone in
Crete arOuseS not only the deepest
emotion, but the most serious fore
bOding."
Mr.. Hore-BeliSha spoke without
waiting for resumption of Parlia-
ment, when public debate on Crete
will be the first order of business.
Churchill Will Answer.
Prime Minister Churchill and Sir
Archibald Sinclair. secretary of state
for air, or War Minister Capt. HID.
r. MargeSSon. will answer critics
out no motion for a test vote of
confidence is expected
Continuing his criticism of the
defense of Crete, Mr.. Hore-Belisha
said:
Among all the confusing reasons
given Tor this tragic experience the
most revealing and convincing is the
hland confession by the spokesman
OF the Air Ministry that the idea of
successful invasion of the island bv
all borne troops was secuted.
Naturally, you do not prepare
against that which has never en-
tered your mind although it must
have been obvious from the first
IRON what happened at Narvik. Rot
terdam and elsewhere that this was
the first contingency against which
safeguards should have been taken.
Now that We have lost Crete do
not let us tolerate that kind of
sopOrlflc propaganda which has told
us that whatever the outcome of
the battle of Crete it has undoubted-
ly justified itself"
Productivity Falling.
Turning to the home front. he said
productivity in factories and docks
Is falling at an alarming rate -"
When shall we be using to the
full advantage our man power to i'm
prove production and make available
the constant flow of fully-trained
recruits to industry?' he asked.
If the shortcomings on the home
front are put into relation with mis-
judgments of strategy, it is plain
that further stimulus is needed.
We must win this war and We
Will back any government that will
so all out to win it Let us realize.
however, that you cannot win a l94l
war at 1914 pace"