Text Version


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
 
 
View Original View Previous Page View Next Page Return to Folder IndexReturn to Box Index