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Haig: Document Simulation (exercise 3)

Haig and Churchill

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Part 1

When he was writing his account of the war, "The World Crisis", Churchill asked Haig, then living in retirement in Kingston Upon Thames, if he would comment on the drafts of the chapter dealing with the events of 1917-18. Look at Churchill's account of Haig's response to his request (Document E), and compare it with Haig's actual letter (Document F).

Document E: Churchill's "Great Contemporaries"

Document F: Haig to Churchill 1st December 1926

How accurate is Churchill's version of Haig's response?

How important are the changes Churchill has made?

Part Two

Below is part of Churchill's account of the German 1918 Spring Offensive which he sent to Haig in proof form. Some of the words have been left blank. See if you can anticipate the words Churchill originally wrote, by looking at the multiple choice section, then go to the complete version of the document, to see if you were right.

Document G: Proof from Churchill's "The World Crisis", 1926.

Reference: Churchill Papers, CHAR 8/167/13

Reproduced with permission of Curtis Brown Ltd, London on behalf of Winston S Churchill. Copyright © Winston S. Churchill.

Document G: with gaps to be filled in from multiple choice section

If notwithstanding (1)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., the War Cabinet (the small group of senior Ministers and military chiefs responsible for overall strategy and policy in time of war) had reinforced him (Haig) as they (2)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . have done, the (3)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The responsibility for the causes which led to the British inadequacy of numbers is shared between (4)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In theory the greatest responsibility unquestionably rests upon the (5)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., who failed to make their Commander conform to their convictions on a question which far transcended the military or technical sphere, and who also failed to do full justice to the (6)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . because of their disagreement with the Commander-in-Chief. In practice, however, it is not impossible that had the Prime Minister (Lloyd George) and the majority of the War Cabinet (7)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sir Douglas Haig and (8)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the Passchendaele offensive at the end of September, and if the Commander-in-Chief and probably the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (General Robertson) had both resigned, the unavoidable (9)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of public opinion would have supported (10)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., the Prime Minister and the Cabinet would have (11)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., and would have been succeeded by a (12)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. While therefore, according to (13)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., the onus rests upon the Cabinet, in fact at least a very considerable burden must be borne by the (14)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Multiple Choice

    1. the Press
    2. public opinion
    3. Passchendaele
    4. their own reservations

    1. should
    2. could

    1. Germans could still have broken through on March 21
    2. front could still have been held on March 21
    3. battle would have been much closer on March 21

    1. the Prime Minister and the Commander-in-Chief
    2. the "easterners" and the "westerners"
    3. General Headquarters and the War Cabinet
    4. the popular press and the Prime Minister

    1. Prime Minister
    2. War Cabinet
    3. General Headquarters
    4. Commander-in-Chief

    1. the Army
    2. the British people
    3. the situation
    4. themselves

    1. given in to
    2. not supported
    3. enforced their will upon
    4. listened to

    1. suspended
    2. reinforced
    3. persisted with
    4. stopped

    1. pressure
    2. importance
    3. ignorance
    4. tyranny

    1. the soldiers against the politicians
    2. the politicians against the soldiers
    3. the ordinary soldiers against the generals
    4. neither side

    1. resigned
    2. given in
    3. fallen
    4. ignored the press

    1. a form of military dictatorship
    2. a stronger government
    3. a far less vigorous and instructed regime
    4. the Conservatives

    1. Constitutional Doctrine
    2. Field Marshal Haig
    3. Mr Lloyd George
    4. public opinion
    5. Army General Headquarters

    1. Press
    2. British Headquarters
    3. short-sightedness of the Prime Minister
    4. record of the Commander-in-Chief

    Document G: with gaps filled in from multiple choice section

    If notwithstanding (1) c. Passchendaele, the War Cabinet (the small group of senior Ministers and military chiefs responsible for overall strategy and policy in time of war) had reinforced him (Haig) as they (2) a. should have done, the (3) b. front could still have been held on March 21. The responsibility for the causes which led to the British inadequacy of numbers is shared between (4) c. General Headquarters and the War Cabinet. In theory the greatest responsibility unquestionably rests upon the (5) b. War Cabinet, who failed to make their Commander conform to their convictions on a question which far transcended the military or technical sphere, and who also failed to do full justice to the (6) a. Army because of their disagreement with the Commander-in-Chief. In practice, however, it is not impossible that had the Prime Minister (Lloyd George) and the majority of the War Cabinet (7) c. enforced their will upon Sir Douglas Haig and (8) d. stopped the Passchendaele offensive at the end of September, and if the Commander-in-Chief and probably the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (General Robertson) had both resigned, the unavoidable (9) c. ignorance of public opinion would have supported (10) a. the soldiers against the politicians, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet would have (11) c. fallen, and would have been succeeded by a (12) c. far less vigorous and instructed regime. While therefore, according to (13) a. Constitutional doctrine, the onus rests upon the Cabinet, in fact at least a very considerable burden must be borne by the (14) b. British Headquarters.

    Part 3

    Haig's comments on Churchill's draft are preserved in the Archives. Before you look at some of them (documents H and I), which of these do you think you would be most likely to find in them?: