The President.                       
 
                                                            
 
 
                   15th September, 1942.                    
 
                                                            
 
 
failure to keep the war debate going was resented in every 
      quarter. No party feels called upon to support him and he has 
      few friends. Moreover, his prestige as the Man from Moscow is 
      a rapidly wasting asset. His friends say he wishes to leave the 
                           Government.                      
 
                                                            
 
 
He shares with Churchill the hostility of another opposition 
      group, which is now becoming quite strong in its criticisms of 
      the Prime Minister. These are influential Tories of extreme views. 
      I should think the group is made up mostly of admirals and generals 
     out of employment. They abuse Churchill and Cripps alik
 
                                                            
 
 
When I was in the Government the Socialists asked Churchill 
      to give a pledge that there would be no election for six months 
      after the war. Churchill was on the point of agreeing but the 
      pledge was strongly resisted by myself and Kingsley Wood. We 
      held that a General Election might be necessary at some earlier 
      period during the war to test the opinion of the electorate on 
                        some vital issue.                   
 
                                                            
 
 
Now I think a General Election may be Churchill's best weapon. 
      If it comes it will be brought about by a clash of policy between 
      the Tories and the Socialists, which will make it