s immediate
superior, the War Minister, or yet with the members of the Government
included in the War Council and the Dardanelles Committee; and it was
cruel luck that, with so fine a record in almost all parts of the
world to look back upon, this most meritorious public servant should
towards the close of his career have found himself unwillingly thrust
into a position for which, as he foresaw himself when he assumed it,
he was not altogether well suited.

Subsequent to returning from Russia, and very shortly after the loss
of the _Hampshire_ with Lord Kitchener and his party, I came to be for
some weeks unemployed, afterwards taking up a fresh appointment--one
in connection with Russian supplies, which later developed into one
covering supplies for all the Allies and to which reference will be
made in a special chapter. But the result was that, as a retired
officer, I ceased for the time being to be on the active list and
became a gentleman at large. Thereby hangs a tale; because it was just
at this juncture that I was asked by the Army Council to go into the
question of papers which were to be presented to the House of Commons
in connection with the Dardanelles Campaign. Badgered by inquisitive
members of that assembly, Mr. Asquith had committed himself to the
production of papers; and Mr. Churchill had got together a dossier
dealing with his share in the affair, which was sent to me to
consider, together with all the telegrams, and so forth, that bore on
the operations and their prologue.

On examining all this stuff, it soon became manifest that the
publication of any papers at all during the war, in connection with
this controversial subject, was to be deprecated. Still, one
recognized that the Prime Minister's promise had to be fulfilled
somehow; so the great object to be kept in view seemed to be to keep
publication within the narrowest possible limits compatible with
satisfying the curiosity of the people in Parliament. As a matter of
fact, there were passages in some of the documents which Mr. Churchill
proposed for production that must obviously be expunged, in view of
Allies' susceptibilities and of their conveying information which
might still be of value to the enemy. There could be no question that,
no matter how drastic might be the cutting-down process, the
Admiralty, the War Office and the Government would come badly out of
the business. Furthermore, any publication of papers must make known
to the