Evening star., 1942-06-27
Churchill Flies Back
To England After
ParIeys in u. 5.
Prime Minister Is Due
To Reply to Critics
In Fighting Mood
BY the Associated Press.

DS l!lc hSSOSldlCO ElcSs
LONDON. June 27.-Prime
Minister Winston Churchill came
back to England today from his
historic conferences with Presi-
dent Roosevelt and stepped from
a transatlantic plane into the
most serious political crisis of his
career.
He returned to a nation troubled
by the serious setback to British
forces in North Africa and the i'm
minent Axis smash at Egypt. The
long held British stronghold at
Tobruk fell while the Prime Minister
was discussing war strategy with
President Roosevelt and the capture
of some $4,000 British troops there
brought strong criticism of his con-
duct of the war.
Facing him in the House of Com
mons is an inSurgent motion for
vote of mo confidence in his direc-
ton of the war
Political observers believe the
Prime Minister will win a vote of
confidence-as he has before-with
some 20 votes cast against him and
a number abstaining from the vote
In Fighting Mood.
All observers agreed that Mr.
Churchill, with the strategy mapped
in Washington fresh in his mind,
would respond to his critics in a
| fighting mood, but they also agreed
that his opposition has never been
more outspoken.
The conservative London Times
attacked Britain's war direction to-
day and called for a combined
general staff in an editorial declar-
ing there had been too many
symptoms of reluctance to
subordinate personal predictions or
established interests to the urgent
need of bringing fresh blood and
fresh ideas into the conduct Of the
war"
Things are seriously wrong" the
| Times said. The House of Com
mons accurately reflects public opin-
| ion both in demanding radical
changes and in placing on the
shoulders of the government .
the responsibility of deciding what
those changes should be-
Although the Prime Minister S
early return had been expected, his
temperance so soon after the Off
| cial announcement of his meeting
with congressional leaders and the
Pacific War Council in Washington
Thursday was surprising.
Accompanied by Hartman.
Replying Thursday to question
in Commons as to whether Mr..
Churchill would return in time to
deal with the mo confidence" mo-
tion introduced by Sir John Ward
law-Milne and 18 other members.
Sir Stafford Cripps, House leader,
said merely that he hoped that
would be possible.
The debate is scheduled for the
second and third days of the next
series of sittings. The criticism
which followed the Libyan setback
has overshadowed speculation on
European second front offensive
which was aroused when Mr..
Churchill's flight to the United
States was announced here June 10.
w. Averell Hartman, United
States lend-lease administrator in
London, accompanied the Prime
Minister on the flight to England.
Other members of the party were
not mentioned in the brief Gov
ernment announcement Of Mr..
Churchill's arrival.
It was the second time Mr..
Churchill had flown back from the
United States. Last January he
came back by plane after his con-
ferences in Washington and Ottawa.
Mr.. Churchill. it was learned,
travelled in a flying boat of the
British Overseas Airways both to
and from the United States on his
most recent trip. The commander
of the ship was Capt. j. C. Kelly
Rogers, who commanded the plane
which brought Mr. Churchill home
on his previous visit.