2110-7-9-18

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7, AUDLEY SQUARE. W.1.

9th April 1936.

Dear John

Your letter of April 1st. reached me today, via New York. This sounds pretty swift, and I contrast the promptitude of your news with correspondence from Australasia. And yet you say that you begin to feel as detached as the Northern Laird of 1793. Here the reverse is so intensively true that we are actually beginning to feel detached from important and even critical issues, taking place at our very doors. It is only known, for instance, to the readers of the "Daily Mail" that a huge Cabinet reconstruction is in progress, and I only learned about it because a friend of mine, arriving from Paris, saw the French Edition of the newspaper, and asked anxiously, on reaching Town, for the truth. None of his immediate friends could tell him that they even knew the matter was being discussed. So too with our Foreign Affairs. Not only does each European country produce its weekly crisis, but that crisis is varied according to the luck or the whim of the correspondent overseas.

All the same, we are conscious of great and dangerous impulses with which Europe is throbbing, - for the moment Mussolini being a greater source of danger than Hitler. The latter at least pauses to take breath from time to time, whereas the Duce is in more desperate a hurry every day, and his military successes of last month have naturally whetted his appetite for a complete and final envelopment of Ethiopia. I think a good deal will depend upon the Geneva meeting now just

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beginning. Public opinion is longing for quietude, and almost prepared to make sacrifices of principle in order to secure it. The fatigue of the recurring crisis is almost overwhelming, as we feel that we are not responsible for the bellicose situation of the world. We know very little about the internal condition of Italy and Germany. In each case the standard of living is probably falling more rapidly than we believe: the Italians, for instance, have just abrogated all laws for the protection of wild birds - a sole exception being made of Munthe's Island of Capri - so for the sake of a few tons a day of "caccia", the whole movement for the protection of wild bird life, about which the Italians have been so boastful, is dispelled. The real danger with Mussolini is that he will allow some of his firebrands to run amok - easy, without a word of warning, to smash-up Malta, or to torpedo one of our battleships. There is evidence that these outrages have not been absent from his mind, or from that of his military staff.

What a tour you outline - Ontario - Quebec - Maritimes - the West. Does this mean you are going to be away from Ottawa until October? I admire, though I scarcely envy, the courage with which you face an expedition of this kind, - while your ultimate ideas of getting to the Artic, to Hudson's Bay, and to Yukon just leave me bewildered. But I shall want to hear your impressions of the extreme North-Western territories.

Now let me tell you about our Home affairs and the situation

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at Court, - which, of course, intrigues us, and indeed concerns us very much as well. At Grillions Club last night, Cromer was telling one or two of us about himself. He is just home from the West Indies, whither he went a couple of months ago, after a regulation submission of his resignation. He has been seedy, and having removed his moustache, reminds one alternately of Sam Hoare and Fritz Ponsonby. But he has had a good rest. However, to his surprise, he has been asked to continue in his post - at any rate until the Coronation. He has agreed, though rather reluctantly, because the work will be severe, - and he is not very certain who his colleagues may be. Wigram we know will retire before long - probably in July - and a 60 year rule is being talked about at the Palace. Cromer, however, knows the situation well. He has had 15 years experience as Lord Chamberlain (incidentally as Theatre Censor as well), he spent 5 months in India with H.M., as Chief of the Staff, and his influence will be all to the good in making this complicated machine run smoothly. How careful people have to be. Harwood, the Treasury Clerk, who does so much to keep the Palace finance in order, unluckily poked his nose into some Duchy of Cornwall business. But while people are talking about retrenchments and change of personnel, the King is suddenly finding that his own circle is very limited, and that it is far from easy to replace old officials without dislocating a very delicate organism. All the same, he seems to want to demonstrate a measure of independence. It is like the politique de prestige of the French

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Foreign Office, - and so he breaks precedents without rhyme or reason. For instance, the other day the so-called "Privileged" Bodies, in presenting their Addresses to the Throne, were received en bloc instead of separately, thus giving an opportunity to interpolate into the sacred ranks units which had not previously enjoyed the right. So the Lord Mayor was vexed at finding himself cheek by jowl with Convocation, Cambridge did not appreciate sharing the gracious favour with Bankers from the City of London, and there was in fact a crowd of 500 people, to whom he made a decidedly good reply. But then, at the last moment, he refused to stand upon the dais, as carefully arranged by the Court Officials, insisted upon stepping down from the high step, with the result that he was invisible during the less formal and more intimate part of the ceremony. Little was gained but much was lost by this proof of independence. I really feel that he must be made to realise the risks of extemporisation, Whether in speech, in company, in protocol, or in patronage. During the early part of a reign "safety first" is the right motto for the Monarch: and I almost hope he may make some blunder which will bring home to him the importance of Ministerial counsel. But he insists upon his initiative, even in matters where he ought to be already fully informed, e.g. - Court mourning: there have been two or three communiqués, half official, which have caused a good deal of confusion, just as the ukase about frock-coats, which thoroughly annoyed the Embassies, bamboozled everybody else who, like myself, cherish an ancient

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specimen of that robe. This indecision offends everybody. It even transpires that he did not know that the huge machine of Court and Palace has to be run in highly organised departments. It is all very discouraging, this lack of intuition about people who have served the Throne so long. And yet his heart in full of good impulses and generous sentiment - perhaps a little atrophied during recent years, but none the less there, although less vivid and spontaneous than hitherto.

For the moment there are signs of an economy stunt, and the new Civil List will be submitted to the House of Commons soon after Easter. It is possible that some of the advanced Socialists may use the occasion to attack their colleagues in Parliament, and air their views upon certain personal aspects. Hitherto the ultra-Socialistic press has been very friendly and discreet.

On all sides I see a marked disinclination on the part of Ministers and Court Officials to warn the King of the dangers of extemporisation. I am not in the entourage, and do not know what I should do were that my position, but I do wish somebody would have the courage to talk plainly about these matters - unpunctuality, for instance, and other things too. I tackled the Lord Chancellor, I tried the Lord Chief Justice (on the King Henry IV precedent); I asked Cromer himself, I scolded somebody else. What is wanted is a man who will ask leave to tell the dangers of these haphazard and unconstitutional methods. Cromer told us that, when asking him to continue in service, the King stated