DES
This telegram must be 
close1y paraphrased be-                      LONDON
for being communicated 
to anyone. (SC)                              Dated April 3, 1941
 
                                             Rec'd 6:35 p.m.
 
Secretary of State,
 
     Washington.
 
     RUSH.                  
 
     1309, April 3, 9 p.m. (SECTION FOUR)
 
     I think few people realize the extent to which
 
modern warfare absorbs men in the supporting services.
 
I heard Churchill say that excluding the factory it took
 
70 men on the ground to support a plane in the air.  This
 
came out in a discussion between Churchill and Beaverbrook
 
in which the former was questioning the need of so high
 
a ratio.  Collateral services in air warfare are considerably
 
more than they used to be.  For example some 40,000 people
 
are employed in the ground-signalling, the radio direction-
 
finder services, and collateral observer corps.  The
 
British Air Force numbers approximately 500,000 men.
 
                                           WINANT
 
 
NPL