The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-20

preparing 70 lace commons next
week for a full-dress two-day war
debate, probably In secret session,
Churchill reduced his war cabinet
from nine TO seven members, instead
OF the five as had been demanded.
He had named Lord Beaverbrook,
who for few weeks had held the
new post of production minister, as
a special envoy to the United States
to work on problems arising from
pooling United Nations resources and
to attend to such other special
duties as may be entrusted to him
from time to time by the war cab
met"
Beaverbrook declined to retain his
post In the war cabinet on the
ground Of III health. Sir Kingsley
Wood, chancellor Of the exchequer
and Arthur Greenwood, minister
without portfolio, also we're dropped
from the inner council but re-
tanned their portfolios as members of
the cabinet at large.
Sir Stafford Grips Named
Sir Stafford Grips, PARTICLES
labor leader who recently returned
home after serving successfully as
ambassador to Russia, was added to
the war cabinet as Lord Privy Seal
and leader of the House OF Com
mons. Oliver Lyttleton, a protege
OF Churchill who is regarded as one
of the coming men," retained his
post as minister of state in the war
cabinet, to Exercise general super
vision of production"
Thus the brief attempt to main
tain a production Car, holding ap-
proximately the powers of Donald
Nelson in the United States, was
given up.
Churchill retained his portfolios
OF First Lord of the Treasury and
Minister OF Defense, rejecting strong
demands for a separate defense
minister.
Major Clement Attlee, leader of
the labor party, who Grips had
replaced as Lord Privy Seal, took
over the post of Dominions Secre-
tary which had been held by Viscount
Cranborne and he will also act
as Deputy Prime Minister. A new
post Is to be found for Cranborne.
A.tlee remains in the war cabi-
net, as do Ernest Revin, Labor and
National Service Minister; Anthony
Eden, Foreign Secretary, and Sir
John Anderson, Lord President of
the Council.
No Routine Duty
-Four men in the new cabinet be-
sides Churchill are without routine
duties - Grips, Lyttleton. Attlee
and Anderson, and to this extent
Churchill had met the demand for
an inner war cabinet made up of
men able to free their minds from
administrative routine, for the big
problems of war.
Lvttleton. as a member OF the War
cabinet, had been resident Minister
OF State at Cairo, supervising Mid
die Eastern matters.
1t was expected that ,Cripps would
larg Fly take over Churchills job as
government spokesman in the House
Of Commons, giving the Prime Min
lister more time for other duties.
1t Is the first time that man
without party had been leader of
the House. Grips was expelled
from the labor party in 1889 for is
suing a manifesto in support of the
left wing popular front"
Churchill had resisted to the last
the insistent demand for a cabinet
reorganization, and yielded only
after the disaster OF Singapore and
the humiliating passage of Ger
man war fleet past the shore guns
Of the Dover coast.
Critics still wanted a radical re-
organization, including the elimina-
ton OF members regarded as weak,
and the appointment Of separate
defense minister.