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T H I S D O C U M E N T I S T H E P R O P E R T Y OP H I S B R I T A N N I C M A J E S T Y ' S G O V E R N M E N T
Printed for the War Cabinet.
December 1940.
SECRET.
Copy No.
W.M. (40)
309th Conclusions.
TO
BE
KEPT
UNDER
LOCK
AND
KEY.
I t is requested that special care may be taken to
ensure the secrecy of this document.
W A R C A B I N E T 309 (40).
CONCLUSIONS
of a Meeting of the War Cabinet held at 10 Downing
S.W.1, on Monday, December 23, 1940, at 12 N O O N .
The Right Hon.
WINSTON
Street,
Present:
S. C H U R C H I L L , M . P . , Prime Minister (in the Chair).
The Right Hon. C. R. A T T L E E , M . P . , : The Right Hon. Sir J O H N A N D E R S O N ,
Lord Privy Seal.
\ M . P . , Lord President of the Council.
The Right Hon. V I S C O U N T H A L I F A X , His 1 The Right Hon. A N T H O N Y E D E N , M . P . ,
Majesty's Ambassador (Designate) to j Secretary of State for Foreign
the United States of America.
!
Affairs.
The Right Hon. A. G R E E N W O O D , M . P . , i The Right Hon. L O R D B E A V E R B R O O K ,
Minister without Portfolio.
Minister of Aircraft Production.
The Right Hon. Sir K I N G S L E Y W O O D , I The Right Hon. E R N E S T B E V I N , M . P . ,
M . P . , Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Minister of Labour and Minister of
i
National Service.
The following were also present :
The Right Hon. H E R B E R T M O R R I S O N , The Right Hon. V I S C O U N T C R A N B O R N E ,
M.P., Secretary of State for the Home
M.P.,
Secretary
of
State
for
Department and Minister of Home
Dominion Affairs.
Security.
The Right Hon. A. V . A L E X A N D E R , Captain the Right Hon. H. D.
M A R G E S S O N , M.P., Secretary of State
M . P . , First Lord of the Admiralty.
for War.
The
Right
Sir
A L E X A N D E R CADOGAN,
Hon. Sir A R C H I B A L D The Hon.
Permanent Under-Secretary of State
Bt., M . P . , Secretary of
for Foreign Affairs.
State for Air.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir D U D L E Y General Sir J O H N D I L L , Chief of
the Imperial General Staff.
P O U N D , First Sea Lord and Chief of
Naval Staff.
Air Chief Marshal Sir C H A R L E S F. A.
P O R T A L , Chief of the Air Staff.
SINCLAIR,
Secretariat.
Sir
EDWARD
BRIDGES.
HASTINGS
W . D.
WILKINSON.
L. F . B U R G I S .
Major-General Sir
Mr.
Mr.
[22073-1]
ISMAY.
B
W A R C A B I N E T 309 (40),
CONTENTS .
Minute
No.
1
Subject.
Page
Naval, Military and Air Operations
201
Air O p e r a t i o n s —
E n e m y activity.
R.A.F. Operations.
Greece.
Coastal Command.
Naval Operations—
Shipping losses.
Military Operations—
Egypt.
E a s t Africa.
Greece.
2
Switzerland
....
....
....
....
....
....
....
e
202 .
V i o l a t i o n of S w i s s n e u t r a l i t y b y B r i t i s h a i r c r a f t .
3
Air Policy
202
Christmas E v e and C h r i s t m a s Day.
4
Eire
202
F u t u r e policy.
5
Lord Halifax
202
A p p o i n t m e n t as H i s M a j e s t y ' s A m b a s s a d o r in " W a s h i n g t o n .
6
Italy
203
Broadcast by the P r i m e Minister.
7
Prance
203
Relations with Germany.
G e n e r a l de G a u l l e ' s m o v e m e n t s .
8
Air Raids
203
Casualties and damage.
Eire Services.
9
Factory and Storage Accommodation
....
....
....
204
P r o p o s a l s for c o n t r o l .
10
Civil Defence
R e c r u i t m e n t for Civil D e f e n c e S e r v i c e s .
204
Naval, Military
and Air
Operations.
1. The Chiefs of Staff reported as follows :—
Day-19th,
20th,
21st and 22nd
December.-Enemj
activity had been on a low level and a few enemy aircraft had
penetrated inland.
Night—19th/20th
to 22nd/23rd December.—The average
number of enemy machines over this country had been 280. On
the nights of the 20th/21st and 21st/22nd their attack had been
concentrated on Liverpool, and on the 22nd/23rd against
Manchester and Liverpool.
On the night the 22nd/23rd the enemy had lost three air­
craft for certain and two probable.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (40) 3 0 8 t h
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 4.)
Air O p e r a t i o n s .
E n e m y Activity.
R.A.F.
Operations.
Greece.
Coastal.
Command.
Naval
Operations.
Shipping Losses.
Military
Operations.
Egypt.
E a s t Africa.
Greece.
Night of 19th/20th December.—Seventy-eight
machines had
been sent to attack oil targets in the Ruhr and the Channel Ports.
Night of the 20th/21st December.—One hundred and thirty
machines had attacked Berlin and other German targets with
success.
Night of the 21st122nd December.—One hundred machines had
been sent out, Venice being included among the targets. One of our
machines had gone too far, and had dropped a few bombs in
Yugoslavia.
On the 21st December 9 Gladiators had engaged a formation of
six Italian bombers, escorted by 50 fighters. The result of the attack
on the bombers had been unobserved, but eight CR. 42 fighters had
been destroyed and probably three more. We had lost two machines.
The Coastal Command aircraft had bombed the Bergen-Oslo
railway, and it was thought that this railway had been rendered
unusable for the rest of the winter.
The destroyer Hyperion had been mined and sunk in the
Mediterranean on the 22nd December.
Swordfish aircraft had attacked Tripoli successfully.
No further news had been received of the enemy raider which
was somewhere west of Freetown.
During the raid on Liverpool on the night of the 20th December,
the Australia, in a partially-filled dry dock, had been missed by
six feet.
On the 21st December the destroyer Foresight had been slightly
damaged by a near miss.
During the previous four days two ships had been sunk by
U-boats; a British ship of 3,600 tons, and a Swedish ship of 1,246
tons. A British tanker of 8,000 tons and a British ship of 4,966
tons had been lost by mines.
During the previous few days there had been two cases of
enemy aircraft bombing ships in Irish territorial waters.
The Duquesa (British, 8,651 tons), which had reported being­
shelled by an enemy raider on the 18th December, had not arrived
at Freetown, and must be regarded as sunk.
On the 21st December an enemy company had made a local
advance of 800 yards at a point on the road Bardia-Fort Capuzzo.
Sollum had again been shelled. The total number of Italian
prisoners was now 37,000.
The Secretary of State for War undertook to issue a com­
munique announcing this figure.
The enemy dead counted after the raid on El-Wak on the
16th December amounted to three officers, one N.C.O. and 95
Africans. These figures were in addition to the prisoners taken.
In the northern sector there had been nothing to report. In
the Epirus sector, the Greeks had advanced some 4 kilometres.
Three Italian bombers had been brought down by Greek small arms
fire.
The War Cabinet took note of the above statements.
[22073-1; B
2
Switzerland.
V i o l a t i o n of
Swiss neutrality
by British
Aircraft.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (40) 3 0 8 t h
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 1.)
Air Policy.
Christmas Eve
and Christmas
Day.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (40) 3 0 5 t h
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 1.)
El)?e
-
2. The Chief of the Air Staff said he had now made detailed
enquiries. On the evidence available he was strongly of the opinion
that the bombing of Basle on the night of the 16th December had
not been done by our machines.
The Secretary of State for Air undertook to supply the Foreign
Secretary with details of the movements of our aircraft on the night
in question, in order that a reply might be sent to the Swiss
Government.
3. A short discussion ensued on Bombing Policy on Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day. The discussion and Conclusions are
recorded in the Secretary's Standard File of War Cabinet
Conclusions.
4. The Prime Minister said that in accordance with the
decision of the War Cabinet referred to in the margin, he had
despatched a telegram to President Roosevelt regarding our
proposal to put economic pressure on Ireland. No reply had been
received, but it was perhaps significant that he had taken no
exception to the course proposed. H e thought, however, that the
W a r Cabinet Committee, under the Chairmanship of the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, might now meet and discuss the action to be
taken in this matter.
The Secretary of State for the Dominions said that a telegram
received from Sir John Maffey showed that there had been a change
- of heart on the part of the Irish Government
Mr. Walsh had
suggested that he (the Dominions Secretary) should go to Dublin.
I t seemed that the German Minister in Dublin had offended the
Irish.
F u t u r e policy.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (40) 3 0 4 t h
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 5.)
The W a r C a b i n e t Invited the W a r Cabinet Committee, under the Chairman­
ship of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to meet and
discuss the position further, in the light of the latest
developments, and to consider what action should be taken,
with a view to putting economic pressure on the Eire
Government.
Lord H a l i f a x .
A p p o i n t m e n t as
His Majesty's
Ambassador in
Washington.
5. The Prime Minister said that he had received a message
from President Roosevelt expressing his great pleasure at the
appointment of Lord Halifax as His Majesty's Ambassador in
Washington, and his appreciation of the immense value of the work
which he would perform in that capacity.
The Prime Minister said he wished to take this opportunity
of saying how grateful the W a r Cabinet were to Lord Halifax for
undertaking this vitally important post, on which so much depended.
Lord Halifax would probably start about the end of January. The
W a r Cabinet would continue to have the benefit of his counsel as
one of their number while he was in this country.
Lord Halifax expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister and
the War Cabinet for their good wishes.
Broadcast by
the Prime
Minister.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (40) 1 2 7 t h
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 9.)
France.
Relations with
Germany.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (40) 3 0 6 t h
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 4.)
6. The Prime Minister said that he had been asked by the
Foreign Secretary and the Minister of Economic Warfare to make a
broadcast, directed to the people of Italy. This broadcast would
include the personal message which he had sent to Signor Mussolini
on the 16th May and Signor Mussolini's answer.
The text of these two messages was read to the War Cabinet.
The W a r Cabinet expressed approval of the proposal that the
two messages should be disclosed by the Prime Minister in his broad­
cast to be delivered that evening.
7. Lord Halifax said that there was little further information
as to the position in France. I t looked as though considerable
pressure was being put upon the Vichy Government by Germany,
but that this pressure was being successfully withstood.
!
General de
Gaulle's
movements.
(Previous
Ref e r e n c e :
W . M . (40) 2 9 2 n d
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 6.)
The suggestion was made that it would be of advantage if
General de Gaulle were to visit the French troops now fighting
against Italians in North Africa.
Air R a i d s .
-Casualties a n d
Damage.
(Previous
Reference:
g
The Secretary of State for the Home Department
and
Minister of Home Security gave particulars of the casualties in
air raids on the 21st and 22nd December.
The W a r Cabinet took note of this statement.
Saturday, 21st December—
W.M. (40) 308th
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 5.)
Daytime—negligible.
Night—
London ...
Merseyside
Liverpool)
Liverpool
Killed.
4
Injured.
155
(excluding
Elsewhere
51
150
(incomplete
estimate)
17
197
(figures not
yet available)
86
Sunday, 22nd December. Daytime—negligible. Killed.
Night—
London
Manchester
estimate).
Elsewhere
(incomplete
2
39
Seriously
Injured.'
3
238
Slightly
Injured.
108
3
10
It would be seen that the Merseyside and Manchester districts
had been the main objectives. In the Liverpool Docks a number
of berths had been hit. Nine vessels had been sunk, set on fire or
damaged. Some 4.000 persons had been admitted to rest centres
in the Merseyside district.
re S e r v i c e s .
At Manchester the three railway termini had been hit, and
also some industrial units a t Trafford Park,
He had set on foot a special inquiry into the adequacy of the
the fire brigade arrangements in the chief provincial centres. I t was
reported from Manchester that all the fires had been under control
by 5 or 6 A.M. I t was hoped that they would all be extinguished
before darkness fell that night.
The W a r Cabinet took note of the above statements.
Factory a n d
Storage
Accommodation.
9. The W a r Cabinet had before them a Memorandum by the
Lord President of the Council in regard to the control of factory
and storage space (W.P. (G.) (40) 326).
P r o p o s a l s for
control.
(Previous
Reference:
W . M . (40) 302nd
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 7.)
The Lord President explained the scheme in his Memorandum,
and drew attention to the fact that paragraph 2 (/) should be
amended to make it clear that the Ministries of Supply and of
Aircraft Production were on the same footing as requisitioning
authorities.
In discussion it was generally agreed that an end must be put
to the competitive scramble in which Government Departments and
private firms engaged for the limited amount of accommodation
available for manufacture and storage. I n particular, importance
was attached to the measure of control over private firms, referred
to in paragraph 2 (d) (ii).
The Minister of Aircraft Production said that his factories
were in the front line, and that when one of them was bombed there
must be immediate and speedy dispersal. Any delay would be fatal
to the maintenance of production. H e feared that the present
scheme would involve reference to a number of authorities, and
would result in delays. He did not see his way to accept the scheme
as it stood.
The Prime Minister referred to the importance of avoiding
delays in operating the control of accommodation. I t might be an
instruction that a report should be rendered to the Ministers con­
cerned in any case where there had been a delay exceeding 24 hours
in putting into effect a scheme for the dispersal of a factory engaged
in vital production. I t was also of the utmost importance that the
register of factory and storage premises should be kept constantly
up to date.
The W a r Cabinet:—
Invited the Lord President of the Council and the Minister
of Aircraft Production to meet that afternoon for the
purpose of further examining the proposals in W . P . (G.)
(40) 326, in order to arrive a t an agreed scheme which
could be p u t into operation forthwith.
Civil Defence.
R e c r u i t m e n t for
Civil D e f e n c e
Services.
10. The W a r Cabinet had before them Memoranda by the
Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister of Home
Security, the Secretary of State for W a r and the Minister of Labour
and National Service ( W . P . (G) (40) 324, 329 and 332) on recruit­
ment for the Civil Defence Services.
The main feature of the proposals made by the Home Secretary
and Minister of Home Security was that, as men liable for military
service presented themselves for registration, they should be given
a personal option to join certain civil defence services on a full-time
basis; and that those so electing should a t once be called up for
military service and passed to Class W, Army Reserve.
In discussion it was generally agreed that compulsion could be
exercised for the recruitment of the Civil Defence Services without
raising the issue of industrial conscription. There was some support
for the view that the most orderly course would be to take com­
pulsory powers forthwith for the recruitment of these Services.
This, however, involved legislation which would take time, and there
was an urgent need to fill the gaps in the ranks in several important
areas. I t was also suggested that there were a number of points
which would require detailed examination. Thus the First Lord of
the Admiralty and the Secretary of State for Air said that the
option to join the Civil Defence Services should not be extended to
persons in certain reserved occupations earmarked for Service
trades.
The W a r C a b i n e t Invited the Lord President of the Council to convene a
Meeting of the Ministers concerned, with a view to the
settlement of outstanding points and the early preparation
of a scheme which would make good the shortages in the
Civil Defence Services and maintain those Services at full
strength.
Richmond Terrace, S.W. 1. December 23. 1940.