THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (VISCOUNT CRANBORNE) (Lord Cecil)My Lords, it has, as your Lordships know, been the custom during these war years that, when a statement is made in another place by the Prime Minister which touches on the conduct of the war, a similar statement is made by the Leader of your Lordships' House. In the normal course of events such an opportunity would have occurred to-day, for, as your Lordships well know, my right honourable friend has, in another place, given an account of his recent journey to the United States and to North Africa, and your Lordships might, I think, naturally have expected to have a similar statement here. However, it seemed to me—and I hope that your Lordships will agree—that such a course would be in- 888 appropriate on this occasion. The story which the Prime Minister has had to tell has been an extremely personal one. His purpose has been to describe the important conferences in which he has taken part in the. United States, so far as it is possible to say what transpired at them, and to draw deductions from them, so far as it is possible to do that in public, and also to tell of his personal experience in North Africa and of the conclusions he reached from what he saw there. For me merely to recapitulate that at second hand, and in far less majestic language, would be, I think, slightly absurd; and I therefore decided—and I hope that your Lordships will approve—not to follow the usual practice to-day. I hope, therefore, that we may agree to postpone a general statement on the war position until an appropriate though, I hope, an early moment.
There is, however, one thing which I feel certain that the House will wish me to do, and that is to express on your Lordships' behalf our great joy at seeing the Prime Minister back safely in this country, and also to express to him our heartfelt gratitude for his further strenuous and successful efforts on our behalf. In past times a Prime Minister used to be rather an austere, elderly person, who remained immovable in the seat of government and directed our affairs from the centre. Now he needs new and very different qualities. In addition to his ordinary strenuous duties, he is expected to fly over continents and oceans to negotiate with the rulers of our Allies in every part of the world. There really are no limits to the powers of endurance which are expected of a Prime Minister in these days, and I think it is our supreme good fortune that at this, the greatest crisis in our history, we should have found for this arduous task a man equipped with special qualities of courage, of drive and of initiative, and of an almost superhuman buoyancy of temperament which has surmounted all difficulties and all dangers, and has lifted the spirit of the British people up to his own lofty and heroic level. Our debt and the world's debt to the Prime Minister grows month by month and day by day, and I think that it is fitting that I should take this opportunity of expressing to him on your Lordships' behalf our undying gratitude. For all he has done and all he is doing, we thank him from the bottom of our hearts.
§ LORD ADDISONMy Lords, on behalf of my noble friends I should like to associate myself without reservation with the statement made by the noble Viscount opposite, and to concur in his conclusion that in the circumstances it would not be appropriate to recapitulate in this House the general statement, and that it would be better to postpone any discussion on it to a more convenient occasion. At the same time, I am sure that we all gladly associate ourselves with the noble Viscount in expressing our sincere relief at the safe return to this country of the Prime Minister. His ardent character must always be torn, I think, between the difficulties inherent in geography and his desire to be at the centre of the drive wherever it may be. I do not think the noble Viscount hinted a bit too strongly what we in this country have owed to the Prime Minister in the dark and dangerous days through which we have passed, and what the world owes to him for the example with which he Inspired us, for the ready adaptation of cur policy and methods to the changing circumstances of the war, and, I believe, for the enlistment, with such splendid friendliness and heartiness, of such glorious allies as we now have. We must in that regard owe a great deal to what the Prime Minister, by his, personal contacts and personal magnetism, has achieved for us. While he must, I think, be a source of anxiety to his friends—and he has many friends outside the Government—I am quite sure that in every habitation, even the smallest, in the land his journey aroused hope and expectation, and there was immense relief on his safe return.
§ VISCOUNT SAMUELMy Lords, in the absence of my noble friend Lord Crewe, and on behalf of noble Lords sitting on these Benches, I would say that I have no doubt the House would not for a moment demur to the course that has been taken by its Leader the noble Viscount, Lord Cranborne. At, the same time, of course, it will be understood that this is an exceptional case of a personal statement by the Prime Minister and that the House will not forgo its usual privilege of having simultaneous communication of anything in the nature of art official statement by the Government. It was only a few weeks ago that we expressed our rejoicing in this House at the great victory that had been achieved in 890 Tunisia, and also expressed to the Prime Minister our thanks for all that he had achieved by his own personal intervention and guidance in the direction of the war. Since then he has flown about the world, over continent after continent, an Ariel among statesmen. We hope that now he will sit still for a while, refrain from Australia, forgo Chungking, and relieve the anxieties of an admiring and grateful nation.