Burning Bridges – 1941
Friday 7th of February 1941
There was still half an hour before the Cabinet was due to meet, but only one last thing left to discuss “I believe the Minister’s will not have changed their positions Prime Minister...” and Sir Edward Bridges only hoped it was enough time. The only surprises Prime Ministers like in Cabinet meetings are those they initiate, and for obvious reasons Lord Halifax was more sensitive than most on that score. Among his other duties, it was Sir Edward’s task to insure, so far as it was possible, that the PM was not taken unawares by anything his Ministers had to say. In short he was the official conduit for Cabinet’s unofficial consensus, in both directions. Making known to the Minister’s through their Secretaries his master’s true desires, as opposed to whatever he might say in public or Cabinet Room, while keeping the PM abreast of both the Minister’s and the Civil Service’s positions. It was a position of immense power, for he who carried the message shaped its contents and ‘guided’ the compromises that resulted, but it was a power that called for great restraint too and Bridges feared that today restraint would not be an option. “...or not by any great degree sir.”
“And neither have I, neither have I” returned Lord Halifax firmly. “The country is best served by the quickest return to normality that we might arrange. Britain was built on free trade, and if the Dominions chose to part company from us and surrender Imperial Preference, then to free trade we shall return...”
“Hear hear” murmured Bridges approvingly.
“... Now we again have unencumbered access to trade, it would be utter stupidity to delay our return to the world’s markets...”
“Very true sir, very true” nodded Bridges.
“ ..and the first clear step is to phase out rationing – it is dreadfully unpopular and now totally superfluous.”
“...” Bridges said nothing and his silence spoke volumes.
“Oh come on man, we may import as we like, our currency reserves in South America are ample, and can only improve with renewed trade – The war is over, there is no cause to subject the British people to unnecessary rationing, and its elimination is the clearest possible message we as the Government might send that...”
“That we have lost our senses Prime Minister?” asked Bridges with a smile.
“Rubbish! It is a risk,” admitted Halifax reasonably “one can’t hope to pretend otherwise, but unless you are suggesting the Dominions will try to interfere with our shipping or the United States is likely to declare war upon us...”
“No Prime Minister, I find Berlin to rather more of a concern...”
“And I have Herr Hitler’s assurance that he has no further ambitions with respect to this country, and if he does, then as we both agree there is every chance open hostilities will rally Imperial support and we should be no worse off than we were last year.”
“Give or take India sir” added Bridges softly.
“Yes, yes” agreed Halifax briskly “but we hardly depend upon India for food or much else in the way of imports at present. I realise things may well be a little awkward with the Dominions, but I have every confidence they shall come around eventually, and if we were once again under attack I’m sure the Crown should see reason, and then they shall be compelled to assist us.”
Bridges signed deeply and ventured a diplomatic little lie “Sir I may not have mentioned this in the past, or if so I might not have been so clear as I aught. But with the Dominions, one finds compulsion by far the least effective means of gaining their compliance. Policy and long practice hold that where we ask they oblige, where we suggest they agree, and when we must step on their toes we beg pardon. But sadly when we give direct orders they tell us to go boil our heads. Since the American Colonies flew the coup we have been an Empire of consent, today we no longer enjoy that consent, nor do we hold any great authority sir. As a young subaltern sir, my very first lesson was to the effect that one never issues an order unless one is certain it will be obeyed. If you wish to count upon Imperial support, then I strongly urge you allow the Colonial and Dominion Offices to reopen communications and that we consult with them.”
“And we shall, just as soon as they reply to my outstanding communiqués” returned Halifax with a bored sigh. “How many times must we return to this Eddy? The ground I stand upon is shaky enough without showing further weakness, and as general principal the established methods have serve us well with the Dominions, but one can only spare the rod so far. You may call it consent, but it is as much their own self interest, they hide behind our skirts while profiting from Imperial Preference.”
“Indeed Prime Minister” agreed Bridges. Self interest, mutual self interest was the whole point, and the glue that held the ‘white’ Dominions to the Empire, just as it had done for Britain. But he rather doubted Lord Halifax saw both sides of the coin. “However, extending a hand to the Empire is hardly expressing weakness sir. We need not do so publically, the Lord knows we have more than enough outstanding business on a purely administrative level to justify speaking with them. A conciliatory tone need not imply any irresolution on our part, only a desire to resolve what amounts to a very inconvenient situation for everyone. You have used the rod sir, and their response has been to turn their backs...
“So we shall show them how foolish they are in this petulant silence, by prospering without them, leaving the blighters behind to rot on the open market as they freeze in the cold hard world. Japan, the blasted Americans and a healthy home economy will bring them back sooner than your kind words and soft kisses Eddy.“
“Perhaps so Prime Minister, perhaps so, but better one volunteer than two pressed men sir. If you will forgive a rather mixed metaphor and bird in the hand would insure our chickens came home to roost. If we were to reopen the channels I’m sure we might crack one or more free of the pack, New Zealand needs only a word...”
“And how many million pounds Eddy?”
“Not more than ten or twelve sir” said Bridges easily “along with resumption of normal trade.”
“Which was what, sixty - no fifty eight million a year. Handing seventy million pounds to group of incompetent sheep farmers...”
“Is a damn small price for an Empire sir, and the price can only increase with time” returned Bridges with a smile.
“And I will not do it!” grunted Halifax.
For Bridges the tone of his master’s voice was of far less import than his body language. He was coming to know his man by now, and when Lord Halifax crossed his arms, right hand over his withered left arm it was the end of all argument on the subject. Further pressure would only produce ever more stubborn resistance until anger bought proceedings to a halt. “As you will sir” he ceded gently. “But rationing...”
“Rationing limits home consumption, and the home market underpins exports” Halifax leaned forward against the Cabinet table opening his arms to expose the left in the process, a sign that he was back on more comfortable ground.
“Of course sir, but that is material rationing, and I do not believe there is any Ministerial objection to de-regulation on that line...”
“And what is the point in retaining the food ration out of some nebulous strategic pessimism, when our stocks of raw materials are at far lower levels?” argued Halifax.
“I rather think it comes down to eating being a more essential actively than manufacturing sir” replied Bridges levelly. “There is also the small matter of rationing and price controls directing more household spending into the purchase of goods sir. All the projections indicate that retaining the food ration while liberalising the wider ration schemes has a net...”
“A net drag upon government revenue Eddy, it will cost us money” Halifax sighed “I wouldn’t mind so much if you didn’t want to spend even more on buying food and building up the stockpiles to higher levels! One can appreciate taking a cautious approach, but this is just...”
“Common sense sir.”
“I was going to say lunacy, but if you insist it is sensible perhaps you might care to take up gardening” suggested Halifax ominously.
“Thank you sir, but I find my garden does quite well without undue attention, I have some quite fine marrows under glass at present and with any luck a decent crop of broad beans.”
“Good god man...” the Prime Minister was almost speechless “... a Victory garden?” It wasn’t so much that the Cabinet Secretary was growing vegetables, a man’s hobby was his own business, but that an acknowledged flower man was still cultivating broad beans so long after the Armistice. “You’re bloody serious aren’t you? This isn’t just a matter of caution, you really do fear a disaster.”
“Hardly sir” sniffed Bridges “They say a pessimist is never disappointed; but I far prefer to take my chances, the garden is just a sensible precaution” he smiled. “I actually have a great deal of faith in Herr Hitler’s assurances; after Austria, Czechoslovakia, Munich, Poland, the Baltics and his obvious respect for Dutch, Danish and Norwegian neutrality, I have every confidence his word is worth rather less one of my cabbages.”
“But this time he has everything he wants Eddy” reasoned Halifax “Hitler can lie and cheat all he likes, but provided we keep our guard up there is no possible reason-”
“Except Russia sir”
“And what is Russia to us man? If he goes after the Bolsheviks then bad joss to the both of them, Napoleon made the same mistake and look where that got him in the end.”
“It got him ‘A damn near run thing’ to quote one of your predecessors sir, I have no real idea if Hitler has a chance in Russia, given how well he has done so far one is inclined to grant him the benefit of the doubt – however I fear the Prussian experience in that conflict may be of more relevance to us than our own at this point” offered Sir Edward.
“The Prussians - Blucher at Waterloo?”
“I was thinking more of their march on Moscow Prime Minister, but now you mention Waterloo I think Gneisenau may be an example there. I do agree the best of all outcomes for us should come if Hitler chances his arm against the Russians, breaking yet another treaty I note – but only if he wins sir. Give him his precious Lebensraum and we need not worry about the Germans for perhaps a generation, and we would have the time we need to bail out our ship. But should he fall short...”
“He’ll still be far too busy to bother us Eddy. I do appreciate your point old man, but win lose or draw I have no intention of being pulled into a conflict with Russia as a German ally so I fail to see how we can do poorly if he is silly enough to go for Red Joe.”
“So we agree that he might ask our assistance sir? And that you should refuse... and we expect Berlin to take that in good heart?”
“Of course not, but at the very worst we should be back in the war where we started, an best sitting on the sidelines, and I fail to see what this has to do with rationing.”
Bridges didn’t believe that for a second, no more than he had any of the Prime Minister’s other rationalisations. The simple fact was that Lord Halifax wanted to lift the most annoying impost on the British public, food rationing, to bolster his flagging popular support. Peace was popular yes, but presently they had a ‘Phony Peace’ that retained all the petty tribulations of war for the public, and that not only aggravated people, worse it confused them when the Government was already on uncertain ground. “Sir, if we may anticipate a German appeal for assistance along with our own refusal. Just as we may predict a thug like Hitler will not take being thwarted well, and so most probably try his hand at compulsion. Why is it unreasonable to also anticipate the effect of his most likely tool – submarines? Furthermore to predict a sudden shift in our Imperial relations given the present long impasse and in the absence of any prior precautionary measures such as actually talking to the damn colonials, can only be seen as an expression of hopeless blind optimism, if not utter incompetence. This is planning for the best as we hope for the worst sir.” Sir Edward had delivered this little speech in as dispassionate a voice as he could muster, but some heat started to leak out as with one eye on the clock he concluded. “This is the safety, the security, the very survival of our Island sir. For there shall not be a second armistice with Hitler if we break the first defying him, and we may not count on any resources but our own. To forfeit prudence for a whim of political support... that is just blissful delight stupid sir.”
Halifax exploded “You are dismissed Sir Edward! I will not be spoken to in that fashion-”
Bridges had done all he could to avoid this, yet his best had not been good enough and time had come to play the last card. He was acuity aware of danger, this was no mere professional peril, but Sir Edward Bridges had been somewhere Edward Lord Halifax had not. While both men loved peace and loathed war, Bridges had learned that there was something more precious than peace – life, and the life on an individual was nothing to risk compared to the lives of many. So with one last sigh for what might have been, Sir Edward Bridges calmly thrust himself over the top once again, curtly interrupting his Prime Minister. “You are leaving me with very little choice sir. I will not be dismissed, not by you my Lord, and this Government shall not rescind food rationing.”
“Who the devil do you think you are sir?” spluttered Halifax “You ARE dismissed now and from your po...!”
“I am the man you sent to Westminster Abby at three o’clock in the morning sir” said Bridges flatly.
Puce as he was with anger Halifax blanched as if hit in the face with a bucket of ice. “Are you -”
Bridges cut off the whispered question abruptly “There are something best never spoken aloud Prime Minister” and as much as he had been expecting it, like a whiff of chlorine, the wicked glint that flickered behind Halifax’s eyes set a cramp of cold fear around Sir Edward’s gut. In a softer tone he continued “We are prudent men sir. I seem to recall at the time we discussed the balance of knowledge and risk, I believe assassination was mentioned too... a messy business sir, at its messiest when the victim anticipates it, or detects the stroke before it strikes. For my part I like my insurance set in stone, rock solid one might say - but please Prime Minister, I beg, let it not come to this. There is no desire on my part to usurp your authority, none at all, but I cannot allow the nation to be imperilled in this way. If we might find a more reasonable means of achieving the same result I should support it whole heartedly just as you sir retain my support and loyalty. This is about the ends sir, not the means nor the methods. I only regre...”
“Shut up Eddy – just shut up for gods sake man.” The Prime Minister sat as if carved of stone “We shall never speak of this again, now go.”
“Yes Prime Minister.”