§ 69. Mr. Callaghanasked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what date Mr. Arthur Bryant agreed to write the Admiralty History of the War; how many assistants he has had; how much has been paid to Mr. Bryant; the total cost of the project to date; and why nothing has yet been published.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasIn 1946, Dr. Arthur Bryant agreed to write a preliminary naval history, designed as a single volume for the general reading public and intended to be available well in advance of the detailed Official History of the War at Sea. The research and collation of material necessary for the shorter work proved much more formidable than was anticipated and progress was, therefore, slower than had been hoped. As the first volume of the Official History of the War at Sea is to be issued shortly, I have decided, though with much regret, that the shorter work should now be abandoned.
The research teams on the various histories have, of course, worked in close co-operation and the results of the labours of Dr. Bryant's team of five will be available for other purposes, so that the work is not wasted. The cost incurred to date on the necessary research and the drafts of the earlier part of the book is about £30,000, of which Dr. Bryant received £520 primarily to help him over the out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the part he was playing in the work.