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Documents shed light on Churchill Cabinet

Newly declassified British documents provide a glimpse into heated Cabinet discussions on Iraq, Israel-Arab relations, protecting the environment and a secret deal on when the prime minister would step aside for his ambitious No. 2.

Though many of the preoccupations are the same, these aren't Tony Blair's final months as prime minister. The Cabinet notes released yesterday instead provide a glimpse into the back rooms of Britain's post-World War II government as the sun was setting on both the British empire and the era of prime minister Winston Churchill.

Cabinet secretary Sir Norman Brook's notebooks, covering the years 1954 to 1955, document discussions on what became known as the Baghdad Pact, a short-lived British-backed alliance comprising Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan aimed at keeping the Soviet Union out of the Middle East.

The pact collapsed three years later when a coup overthrew Iraq's British-installed monarchy -- heralding the end of British influence in the Middle East.

During those discussions, Churchill dropped an apparent bombshell: His friend, British politician James de Rothschild, told him Israel was considering joining the British Commonwealth.

Israel

"James de Rothschild has told me [that] Israel is likely to abandon dreams of independence [and] adhere instead to [the] British Commonwealth," Churchill said. "[Israel's] ambassador in [London] has confirmed this.

"[It would] be [a] remarkable initiative from them: It [should] not be disregarded, when the time comes," he said.

But the idea never materialized.

Often the issues mirror contemporary concerns -- while showing how much has changed.

Environmental concerns were raised repeatedly. The Cabinet proposed to create "smokeless zones" by banning the use of coal in towns and cities. Churchill cast aside some ministers' concerns that the government would appear to be copying a bill on the same issue proposed by a junior lawmaker -- foreshadowing how future prime ministers would seize the popular policies of others.

Fears of new media corrupting the young were also raised. The Cabinet discussed whether horror comic books were too violent and whether to allow television to be broadcast on Sunday afternoons -- despite fears Sunday-school attendance could plummet. They agreed to the broadcasts, but on the condition that only programs "unpopular with children" be aired.

A secret agreement between Churchill and foreign secretary Anthony Eden that the prime minister would step down in April 1955 surfaced in mid-March.

Churchill, who had suffered a stroke in 1953, wanted to crown his career by representing Britain at a "Four-Powers" summit with the leaders of the US, France and Russia.

eden upset

Eden became upset when Churchill suggested delaying the summit until June to accommodate US president Dwight Eisenhower.

Asked by Eden if, in that situation, Churchill would change his plans, the prime minister said: "I [should] have to consider my public duty."

"If I am not competent to meet [Eisenhower] then, that [would] rule for all time," Eden said, suggesting that Churchill would never think him ready to lead the country.

It is not in the official notes, but housing minister Harold Macmillan wrote in his diary that at that point he asked that the whole Cabinet be told what the pair were talking about. Churchill refused to explain.

Churchill's private secretary John Colville, wrote in his diary that the next few days were painful. Churchill "began to form a cold hatred of Eden," Colville wrote, according to Churchill biographer Sir Martin Gilbert.

However, three weeks later, on April 5, 1955, Churchill kept his word -- and resigned without waiting for the summit.

Eden, who had worked alongside Churchill for 16 years, paid tribute to the prime minister on behalf of the Cabinet, thanking him for the example he set.

"If we do less well, [it is] because we have failed to learn," he said.

"This alas, was the end of the Churchill Era,'' Brook wrote.
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