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‘I continue very loquacious!’: Leading from the backbenches, April 1933 – June 1935
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 October 2009
Extract
During the spring of 1933 there was a sudden and dramatic improvement in Chamberlain's spirits as the clouds of gloom which had hung over him since having office began to disperse. At last, Garvin's efforts were beginning to bear fruit as the first two volumes of the long-awaited Life of Joseph Chamberlain appeared to a favourable reception from both the family and the general public. Chamberlain was also beginning to earn some money to at host alleviate his financial worries. The principal reason for this renaissance, however, was a growing confidence that his stock was rapidly rising both in the Commons and outside it. No longer physically and mentally exhausted by the constant demands of office, his speeches became the subject of ‘pleasant observations’ and genuine praise from lobby correspondents and fellow Members. Moreover, as new problems and threats emerged to confront the Empire, Chamberlain also became convinced that he still had a valuable contribution to make and a voice capable of carrying that message with authority. A significant barometer of this recovery in his morale is to be found in the greater length and detail of his diary Utters during this period.
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69 Baron Constantin von Neurath (1873–1956) Ambassador to Italy 1921 and to Britain 1930. German Foreign Minister 1932–8; Gauleiter for conquered Czech territory of Bohemia and Moravia 1939. Jailed at Nuremberg and released 1954.
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77 Richard Austen Butler (1902–82) Conservative MP for Saffron Walden 1929–65. Under Secretary for India 1932–7; Parliamentary Secretary, Labour 1937–8; Under Secretary Foreign Office 1938–41; President, Board of Education 1941–5; Minister of Labour 1945; Chancellor of Exchequer, 1951–5; Lord Privy Seal 1955–9; Home Secretary 1957–62; Deputy Prime Minister 1962–3; Foreign Secretary 1963–4; Conservative Party Chairman 1959–61; Chairman, Conservative Research Dept 1945–64; Master of Trinity College, Cambridge 1965–78. Created Baron Butler of Saffron Walden 1965; K.G. 1971.
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81 Germany had rejected the French proposal for a disarmament convention on the basis of a four year trial period during which there would be no new weapons building, all round reduction in armed strength and automatic, regular inspection. On 14 October Hitler announced Germany's withdrawal not only from the Disarmament Conference but also from the League of Nations.
82 Norman Davis (1878–1944) American banker and diplomat. Financial adviser to Wilson at Paris Peace Conference 1919; Assistant Secretary to Treasury 1919–20; Undersecretary of State 1920–1; US delegate to Geneva Economic Conference 1927; to Disarmament Conference 1932–3; to London Naval Conference 1935; to Nine Power Brussels Conference 1937. Vansittart described him as ‘the most wearisome’ of the ‘American Amateurs’.
83 Walter Elliot Elliot (1888–1958) Conservative MP for Lanark 1918–23. Glasgow Kelvingrove 1924–45, 1950–8, Scottish Universities 1946–50. Parliamentary Secretary of Health for Scotland 1923–4, 1924–6; Under Secretary for Scotland 1926–9; Financial Secretary to Treasury 1931–2; Minister of Agriculture 1932–6; Scottish Secretary 1936–8; Minister of Health 1938–40.
84 On 23 October 1933 the Cabinet endorsed Simon's view that as there was little point in continuing while Germany was absent, Britain should press for an adjournment in the hope of finding a compromise. CAB 54(33)1, CAB 23/77.
85 Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer Churchill (1911–68) Churchill's only son. After leaving Oxford without a degree 1932, he worked for many newspapers. Unsuccessful parliamentary candidate 1935 (twice), 1936, 1945, 1950, 1951. Conservative MP for Preston 1940–5.
86 (Richard) Stafford Cripps (1889–1952) Labour MP for Bristol East 1931–50; Bristol SE 1950. Expelled from Labour Party 1939–45. Solicitor-General 1930–1; Ambassador to Russia 1940–42; Lord Privy Seal and Leader of House 1942; Minister of Aircraft Production 1942–5; President Board of Trade 1945–7; Minister of Economic Affairs 1947; Chancellor of Exchequer 1947–50. Knighted 1930.
87 On 25 October 1933 Labour won East Fulham, sensationally transforming a Conservative majority of 14521 into a Labour majority of 4840. Although the result reflected electoral discontent with local housing and domestic issues, the fact that Labour fought on an explicitly disarmament platform was widely interpreted at the time as a vote against rearmament and it supposedly had a major impact on Baldwin's attitude.
88 Horace Rumbold (1869–1941) Entered Diplomatic Service 1891. Chargé d'Affaires, Berlin July 1914; Minister in Berne 1916–9 and Warsaw 1919–20; High Commissioner Constantinople 1920–24; Ambassador to Madrid 1924–8; in Berlin 1928–33. Vice-Chairman Royal Commission on Palestine 1936–7. Succeeded as 9th Baronet 1913.
89 Franz von Papen (1879–1969) Military Attaché Washington 1914–6 but expelled for sabotage. Chancellor June–November 1932; member of Hitler's Cabinet 1933–4; Ambassador to Vienna 1934–8. Tried at Nuremberg and acquitted 1946.
90 Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) Appointed by Hitler Gauleiter of Berlin 1926; Founder of Berlin Nazi newspaper Der Angriff (The Attack) 1927; elected to Reichstag 1929; Propaganda Leader of Nazi Party 1929; Minister of Enlightenment & Propaganda 1933–45. Committed suicide Berlin May 1945.
91 Hermann Goering (1893–1946) Follower of Hitler from 1923. Elected to Reichstag 1928 and its President 1932–3; Prime Minister of Prussia 1933; C-in-C German Air Force 1933–45; Commissioner of Four Year Plan 1936; President, General Council for War Economy 1940. Committed suicide before death sentence carried out October 1946.
92 Eustace Sutherland Campbell Percy (1887–1958) Conservative MP for Hastings 1921–37. Parliamentary Secretary to Education 1923 and Health 1923–4; President, Board of Education 1924–9; member of Joint Select Committee on India 1933–4; Minister without Portfolio 1935–6. Known as Lord Eustace Percy from 1899. Created Baron Percy of Newcastle 1953.
93 Robert Hutchinson (1873–1950) Liberal MP for Kirkcaldy Burghs 1922–23, Montrose Burghs 1924–32 – from 1931 as Liberal National. Chief Whip 1926–30; Paymaster-General 1935–38; Chairman, National Liberal Organisation 1936–40. Kt 1919. Created Baron Hutchinson of Montrose 1932.
94 Patrick Joseph Henry Hannen (1874–1963) Conservative MP for Birmingham Moseley 1921–50; Vice-President, Tariff Reform League 1910–4; General Secretary, Navy League 1911–8; Director, British Commonwealth Union 1918–28; Secretary Empire Industries Association 1925–50; President, Industrial Transport Association 1927–37. Knighted 1936.
95 Joseph Avenol (1879–1952) Deputy Secretary-General, League of Nations and later Secretary-General 1933–40.
96 Among the many women to whom Asquith wrote was Mrs Hilda Harrison. These letters were edited by Desmond MacCarthy as H.H.A.: Letters of the Earl of Oxford and Asquith to a Friend (2 vols. 1933–1934)Google Scholar. Asquith's daughter lamented ‘The editing of these letters has been of course a great blow to us and I fear to many others’, Lady Violet Bonham Carter to A.G. Gardiner, 4 December 1933.
97 John Alfred Spender (1862–1942) Journalist and author. Editor, Westminster Gazette 1896–1922Google Scholar; Member, Royal Commission on Divorce and Matrimonial Causes and Private Manufacture of Armaments; Member, Special Mission to Egypt 1919–20. Published 18 books including a memoir, Life, Journalism and Politics (1927)Google Scholar, Fifty Tears of Europe (1933)Google Scholar. Staunch friend and ally of Asquith and co-author of The Life of Lord Oxford and Asquith (1932).Google Scholar
98 The British note on 29 January 1934 was less harsh than the MacDonald plan of the previous year, allowing Germany still only 200,000 troops but permitted tanks up to 6 tons and the right to build military aircraft to parity with her neighbours after ten years if no world agreement on their abolition was reached in two years.
99 Clive Wigram (1873–1960) Indian Army 1897–9; Aide-de-Camp to Curzon as Viceroy, 1899–1904; Assistant Private Secretary to King George V 1910–31; Private Secretary 1931–5. Knighted 1928. Created Baron 1935.
100 (Victor) Alexander John Hope (1887–1952) Civil Lord of Admiralty 1922–4; Deputy Chairman, Conservative Party 1924–6; Chairman, Indiajoint Select Committee 1933–4; Viceroy of India 1936–43. Known as Earl of Hopetoun 1887–1908 when succeeded as 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow. K.G. 1943.
101 In the Commons on 16 April 1934 Churchill raised an allegation of Breach of Privilege against Hoare and Derby for having improperly exerted pressure on the Manchester Chamber of Commerce to alter their evidence to the Joint Select Committee on India in the previous June. The inquiry unanimously dismissed the complaint and in the debate on 13 June Churchill was isolated and humiliated.
102 Edward Wood, Lord Irwin and the former Viceroy, had succeeded his father as 3rd Viscount Halifax in 1934.
103 Dame Kathleen D'Olier Courtney (1878–1974) Philanthropist. Hon. Sec. National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies 1911–4; a founder, Women's International League; Member, Executive Committee League of Nations Union after 1928 and Vice-Chairman 1939; Chairman United Nations Association 1949.
104 Edward Cadbury (1873–1948) Director, British Cocoa & Chocolate Company; Life Governor, Birmingham University; Owner, Daily News.
105 In May 1934 Chamberlain fell from a taxi and spent some time recuperating from injuries to his knee and ribs.
106 André Charles Corbin (1881–1970) French Attaché 1906; Chief of French Foreign Office Press Service 1920; French Ambassador to Madrid 1929–31; to Brussels 1931–3, to London 1933–40. Honorary knighthood 1938.
107 At the final session of the Disarmament Conference at Geneva on 30 May 1934 Barthou made it clear that further discussion was useless while his bitter attack upon Germany was combined with criticism of Simon. He then attempted to revitalise French alliances with visits to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia and to create an entente with Italy by evolving a grandiose eastern European pact known as the ‘Eastern Locarno’.
108 ‘The National Declaration on the League of Nations and Armaments’, otherwise known as the Peace Ballot. Results declared 27 June 1935.
109 Robert Arthur James Gasgoyne-Cecil (1893–1972) Conservative MP for Dorset South 1929–41. Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs 1935–8; Paymaster-General 1940; Dominion Secretary 1940–42, 1943–5; Lord Privy Seal 1942–3, 1951–2; Commonwealth Secretary 1952; Lord President 1952–7; Conservative Leader of Lords 1942–57. Styled Viscount Cranborne 1903–47 and summoned to the Lords as Baron Cecil of Essendon 1941. Succeeded as 5th Marquess of Salisbury 1947. K.G. 1946.
110 Prince Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg (1899–1956) Austrian Christian Socialist politician and head of its para-military Heimwehr. Aristocratic landowner. Right-wing and monarchist but abhorred Nazism and Hitler, playing major role in crushing the Nazi rising after the assassination of Dollfuss, Vice-Chancellor 1934–6.
111 Kurt von Schuschnigg (1897–1986) Elected Austrian Parliament 1927. Minister of Justice 1932–4. Austrian Chancellor 1934–8. Imprisoned at Dachau until 1945. Professor of Government at St Louis 1948.
112 On 9 October 1934, Barthou, the French Foreign Minister was assassinated at Marseilles along with King Alexander of Yugoslavia by a Croatian terrorist.
113 Sydney Charles Buxton (1853–1934) Liberal MP for Peterborough 1883–5, Tower Hamlets 1886–1914. Under Secretary, Colonial Office 1892–5; Postmaster-General 1905–10; President, Board of Trade 1910–4; Governor-General, Union of South Africa 1914–20. Created Viscount Buxton 1914 and Earl 1920.
114 Churchill, to Colvin, Ian, 3 11 1934Google Scholar, Gilbert, M., Winston S. Churchill V, 585.Google Scholar
115 Diary, Headlam, 4, 12 12 1934Google Scholar, Ball, S. (ed) Parliament and Politics, 316–17Google Scholar.
116 Chamberlain, A. to Hilda, , 22 12 1934Google Scholar, AC5/1/681.
117 Marquand, D., Ramsay MacDonald, (1977), 767–9Google Scholar.
118 Diary, Neville Chamberlain, 11 12 1934, 30 01 1935.Google Scholar
119 Roundell Cecil Palmer (1887–1971) Conservative MP for Newton 1910–18, Aldershot 1918–40. Parliamentary Secretary, Board of Trade 1922–4; Assistant Postmaster-General 1924–9; Minister of Economic Warfare 1942–5. Styled Viscount Wolmer 1895–1942 when summoned to the Lords as Baron Selborne 1941. Succeeded as 3rd Earl of Selborne 1942. Grandson to 3rd Marquess of Salisbury and married to Churchill's cousin.
120 Frederick Alexander Lindemann (1886–1957) Worked at Physical Laboratory RAF 1915–18; Professor of Experimental Philosophy (physics) Oxford 1919–56; Member, Expert Committee on Air Defence Research of C.I.D 1935–39. Unsuccessful by-election candidate, Oxford 1937. Personal assistant to Churchill 1940–41; Paymaster-General 1942–45, 1951–53. Created Baron Cherwell 1941 and Viscount 1956.
121 William Douglas Weir (1877–1959) Shipping contractor and pioneer motor car manufacturer. Scottish Director of Munitions 1915–7; Member of Air Board 1917; Director-General of Aircraft Production 1917–9; Secretary for Air 1918; Air Ministry Advisor 1935–9; Director-General of Explosives 1939; Chairman, Tank Board 1942. Knighted 1917, created Baron Weir 1918, Viscount 1938.
122 Gilbert, M., Winston S. Churchill, V, 623Google Scholar, claims Lindemann had drafted a letter signed by Chamberlain and Churchill urging a full C.I.D. inquiry into defence against air attack. MacDonald agreed but subsequently found there was already such a committee under Henry Tizard. On 14 February 1935 Chamberlain and Lmdemann visited MacDonald and again pressed the need for a special sub-committee which he finally conceded on 19 March 1935.
123 At Bangor on 17 January 1935 (his seventy-second birthday) Lloyd George launched his ‘New Deal’ policy to end unemployment.
124 (Howard) Kingsley Wood (1881–1943) Conservative MP for Woolwich West 1918–43. Parliamentary Secretary for Health 1924–9 and for Education 1931 Postmaster-General 1931–5; Minister of Health 1935–8; Secretary for Air 1938–40; Lord Privy Seal 1940; Chancellor of the Exchequer 1940–3. Knighted 1918.
125 (Isaac) Leslie Hore-Belisha (1893–1957) Liberal MP for Plymouth Devonport 1923–45 – Liberal until 1931 then Liberal-National 1931–42 then National Independent 1942–5. Parliamentary Secretary Board of Trade 1931–2; Financial Secretary to Treasury 1932–4; Minister of Transport 1934–7; War Secretary 1937–40; Minister of National Insurance 1945. Created Baron Hore-Belisha 1954.
126 On 6 February 1935 Labour won Liverpool Wavertree after the intervention of Churchill's son, as an Independent Conservative. The result rallied support for the National Government among those critics who were more afraid of a socialist victory at the next general election.
127 In London from 1–3 February 1935 MacDonald, Simon and Eden met Flandin and Laval. Although wide-ranging, the talks proved abortive because the French refused to accept German rearmament without a British guarantee of military aid in the event of German attack.
128 On 5 December 1934 Eden informed the League that Britain would contribute troops to an international force to supervise during the Saar plebiscite scheduled for 13 January 1935. Simon had opposed Eden's plan which was only accepted after Baldwin's intervention.
129 (Henry) David Reginald Margesson (1890–1965) Conservative MP for Upton 1922–3, Rugby 1924–42. Assistant Whip 1924–6; Whip 1926–9, 1931; Chief Whip 1931–40; Secretary for War 1940–2. Created Viscount Margesson 1942.
130 On 4 March 1935 Cmd.4827 Statement Relating to Defence was published. Although only nine pages long, it was of major significance by drawing attention to the threat posed by German rearmament and announcing that additional British expenditure on defence can ‘no longer be safely postponed’.
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135 Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners (1896–1986) Daughter of 8th Duke of Rutland, wife of Sir (Alfred) Duff Cooper. Famous beauty and socialite.
136 On 16 March Hitler decreed conscription of a 500,000 man army in violation of Versailles. Italy and France wanted Simon's planned visit to Berlin cancelled but without consulting them Simon merely issued a formal protest.
137 Robert Gilbert Vansittart (1881–1957) Entered Diplomatie Service 1902. Assistant Clerk at Foreign Office 1914; First Secretary 1918; Counsellor 1920; Secretary to Curzon 1920–4; Assistant Under-Secretary and Principal Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary 1928–30; Permanent Under-Secretary at Foreign Office 1930–8; Chief Diplomatic Adviser to Foreign Secretary 1938–41. Knighted 1929; P.C. 1940. Created Baron Vansittart 1941.
138 A three-power Conference was convened at Stresa, 11–14 April 1935 for Italy, Britain and France to present a united ‘front’ to Germany and to show that it could not do to Locarno what it had done to Versailles.
139 On 21 May 1935 Hitler assured the world that Germany's rearmament was not a threat to peace and denied any intention of breaking its foreign obligations. He also declared Germany's willingness to accept parity in the air and a fleet of 35 per cent the strength of Britain's.
140 Elizabeth Charlotte Lucy Asquith (1897–1945) Seventh and youngest child of H.H. Asquith. In 1919 married Prince Antoine Bibesco, a Rumanian diplomat.
141 Geoffrey Lloyd. He remained PPS to Baldwin until 28 November 1935 when appointed Under Secretary at the Home Office.
142 John Sankey (1886–1948) Lawyer. Lord Chancellor, 1929–1935. Knighted 1914. Created Baron Sankey 1929 and Viscount 1932.