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DICTATED

7, Audley Square, W.1.

23rd June 1936

My dear John

We have had many tribulations in our world of politics, domestic
& foreign, - but you will well believe that nothing excited our
personal curiosity more than the collapse of J.H. Thomas. This event
caused great glee to the Opposition, but few of them do not feel that
Thomas was the victim of his own geniality & easy-going disposition,
of his fatal addiction to flattery & entertainment, & to exploitation
by astute adventurers. Nobody really believes that Thomas deliberately
gave away any Budget secret - notably Sir John Maffey, who says that
Thomas would have frankly told him had he done anything of the sort.
But Thomas was surrounded by shady friends. It was alleged that during
a golf match at Goodwood - on Good Friday, if you please! - one of
the foursome said, "Tell us about your beastly Budget, Jim". - to
which Thomas briefly replied, "I shan't talk about the Budget. Tee up!"

One can well imagine the kind of convesation between Thomas
and some astute hanger-on, who would use the jargon of the bookmaker &
assess all the probabilities of a Budget situation in the light of
Thomas's evasions, quips & drolleries. Bates, the real villain of the
piece - Kosher Bates - like others with equally hideous names in the
entourage, had evidently got bold enough to tempt Thomas with very attractive
offers, - the satisfaction of seeing his memoirs published, the
provision from advance royalties of a very fine house by the seaside
(much too grand for a man of Thomas's invested income) - all these para-