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Catalogue Reference:CAB/65/1/48
Image Reference:0001
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I t to F G f m o B t o i
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WAR
CONCLUSIONS
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CABINET
(DCMD
0
maj/ fees totaa to
18 ( 8 9 ) .
of a Meeting of the War Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street,
S.W.1, on Sunday, October 15, 1939, at 12 noon.
Present:
The Right Hon. N E V I L L E
CHAMBERLAIN,
The Right Hon. V I S C O U N T
Secretary of State for
AJffairs.
HALIFAX,
Foreign
M.P., Prime Minister (in the Chair).
Admiral of the Fleet the Right Hon.
LORD
CHATFIELD,
Minister for
Co-Ordination of Defence.
The following were also present:
Lieutenant-General Sir RONALD F.
ADAM,
Bt., Deputy Chief of the
Imperial General Staff.
Air Vice-Marshal R. E . C. P E I R S E ,
Deputy Chief of the A i r Staff.
Rear-Admiral T. S. V . P H I L L I P S ,
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
Secretariat.
Sir E D W A R D
BRIDGES.
Colonel A ; C.
Mr.
F.
;
HQLLIS,:R.M.
HEMMING.
Lieiitenant-ColonelV.
Wing Commander'. W .
DYKES, R . E .
ELLIOT.
WAR
C A B I N E T 48
CONTENTS.
Subject.
Page.
A i r Operations
395
Naval Operations
395
Eire
. . . . . .
. ...
The Military Situation
395
...
...
395
German report of British supply of Gas to Poland
396
Reports of Broadcasts
396
Turkey
396
Germany
Germany
...
...
39T
...
...
...
Reported purchase of Mexican Oil.
...
397
Vdfj^
Prime lkp^stet'£! -Btetemeht,,; but it;, was
i t UTu i a ^ f i i i t o ^ c & a k l fee ciuaied onl; as, ia.ta ia candiiiaao'
;
Tap V7afr C a f e l e i ia.dk note of the afiove ccmSsmemt.
2.
rite
Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff gave certain further
T k & e had, toean a continuance of kh&iikj mbmxdme
activity.,
T a k e i a a i l p a l l i h l f i h a d teen attacked, jwat Ifgei? A e d l l g g r s l l
of an incoming convoy. The Karantea had been shelled, but w a s
believed Id have escaped; tiie BmMgmp
a French ship, had b s M
sunk; the third, the Loch Avon * had been torpedoed and abandoned,
:bmt ;lad.; :hdt:siaimk. - A n , a t t a e l t o h ^
BeferenceI:
W i l t (89) 47th
:
Minute 2.)
:
;
ijfiey
lad;^plolfebiy ' -cadsed;;:,these;.
tesss^^ahd:;^^
:
attacked o f -the- MiSi;Oafibwi^i
The W a r Cabinet.' took note of
BUS.
3. I n connection with the preceding Minute the Chief of the
Naval Staff said that, now that enemy submarines were operating
far oui oh the Western Approaches, the lack of Berehaven as a
base fur bur anti-submarine forces, w a s a serious hindrance. Even
i f it w a s not possible to use the base for air reconnaissance a n d
anti-submarine craft, it would be a great help if the Government
o f E i r e would permit o u r salvage tugs to be stationed at Berehaven.
T h i s might prove to be the thin end of the wedge.
fp^evioiis
ileference:
MM. (89) 28th
Conclusions^
Minute 4.)" -'.
r
The W a r G a b i n e i ^ ­
- I n v i i e d t h e F i r s t Lord:of the. Admiralty to consult on this
Bmmtm^-6f'Bti,i2
fear Dominical Affairs.
matter wiih:ihB
:
4. The Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff said that
f eg^li '::;
;y.^$pi^
viSest&py;3frdht.
iMIeglefe
£mm ^sssldplpf. towards the Mocclle. The pressncs of thirteen near bridges between T i l e r and
S&oatfam.
:
1
(Previous
Conclusions,
:
Moselle in the direction 6f Metz. \ The latest messages from General
Gar 5a r s, toll a l c o n l d e a c G . The £Lea eh dcloncas in Cado cic?
-Were - - Z'J
Even II Che Gu a a n s a r a o to suas-ajl
fa
mott^;.
r ( l i l i i Sli if!
to
I/to-., II r , I 1 atoalZo to S to / wotooi
penf ii La cay v "" h, p i ­ fe,v aaaJd- junto 11 ito r: ) a -.. ry
neav
i .'
. .
L3 L a i ,
r a . " 1 , o ijrnssi'
v
Minute 8.)
1
r
1
.
"
1
1
'
r
l l l f : ' y T % ' Z y " % r
:
t;a?a
v
A
.
i " - :
'to
It!ly::taa*
IBSA
: ,
v
:
to
e
v y "
- to '
.
.'
1
v, j
L
^ a
P . 5 L a a yi a
LaC^^!::'Svy't:^:'a^.'f ^
.-l';-a.,.
;
.
.'-'to4^a3
, ,,,,,,-rmmmf^m:-
'"'"-lffif
Deputy Chief
b^W^ial
b -s
5 : - - - -
G"
'
'
f.^
prob*^
-
*j*a*
3
-
Jfe**5&v
11/2,""7
J
-
b&
i ri ^
'
1
- .
-
-
­
. *l
, fgf
:a
. . . . . .
c
.^
:
-
bey doio so,
u
'
tion of the French Abahy.
Continuing, :ihe -Deputy Chief of: ike
said £hat German attacks bad been restricted so tor to the engage­
- '
"meat-of-outposts.--There was-a report that-Hitler,^naoib&mm
supreme- command on the"Western Front - with - Goring - as Ms­
v
* . Sec6hd-in-cbmmbmd.-b'b.
,
(Previous - - "
General Gamelin had reported that the whole of his forces
Reference- '
opposite the Saab had now-been.-equipped withgas-masks ,prooi,
W M (39) 46th against arsenical gas. The similar proofing of ;,our own- ^gas-masks
Conclusions,
would be completed within the next ten days.
Minute 10.)
The W a r Cabinet took notes of the ahove statement.
;
of British
supply of Gas
to Poland.
(Previous
Beference:
WM. (39) 45th
Conclusions,
Minute 4.)
:;
5. The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff drew the attention of
the W a r Cabinet to the constant and repeated allusions in German
broadcasts to the false reports that the Polish Army had used
gas, which had been supplied by the British. These suggested the
German technique of preparing the ground to justify their Own
use of gas in the forthcoming operations on the Western Front.
The denial, which had been issued to our Press, had received: little
publicity, and he suggested that stronger steps should be taken
to give the lie to these German reports, and that the, B.B.C. should
broadcast an emphatic denial.
The Prime Minister agreed.
He suggested that the denial
should bring out two points, first/that the German report was a lie;
second, that the dissemination of such a lie was the usual prelude
to the use by Germany of some prohibited weapon of war, t under
the guise of retaliation.
The W a r Cabinet a g r e e d : That the W a r Office, in consultation with the Ministry of
Information, should take immediate steps ^ to issue a
strongly worded denial- of the- German report that we had
supplied -Poland with gas, which should be. broadcast by
the B.B.C. and published in the Press.
MEFPSS off
JlBsofoasts.
' z One fact that the resumes of broadcasts, which were supplied to
the ;War; C a b i ^
;
.-a;suhfr^
.'./-.'
;.b-P^b^^
l l;p^
That ,the. daily i&zmm&zz drawn TO lay the WMh^v
of
Inforjination should in future cover British as weU as
foreign broadcasts
" T
.
;
1
-:.,s-.,:;,
Trr
.
Nrf
8. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs gave
Cabinet obtain o-n, lAortJ JtaJoAaafebJ f
j-dlug tds
development of German-policy received f i W fee source
464b
s t i e e t i n g of fee W a i Cabinet noted In the margin.
Conclusions,
Minute 6.)
a
m e
the War.
]Uv3sfllSS
rofew-ed
Befiails '
Blia*^
- Sebretaiy^^
:
Beported
Purchase of
Mexican Oil.
9. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs said that the
previous evening a rumour had been current that the German
Government had made an arrangement with the Mexican Govern­
meht for the sale to Germany of oil produced by the expropriated
British oilfields in Mexico. He (the Secretary of State) had
instructed the News Department of the Foreign Office to ascertain
the origin of this rumour, and, if possible, whether it had any
foundation in fact.
The W a r Cabinet took note of the above statement.
Richmond Terrace, S.W.1,
October 15, 1939.