The Beaver Takes the Stump

After weeks of British grousing about the Government's failure to open a second front and achieve more efficient wartime production, the Churchill Government last week began the job of reselling itself. To industrial Manchester's sooty, red-brick Albert Hall went bouncing Supply Minister Lord Beaverbrook to address an audience of 2,000, mostly leftist shop stewards. The Beaver snorted out a forty-minute speech directed against the suspicion that Government arch-Tories might be clogging aid to Russia.

Teary with asthma, frequently wiping his eyes, the Beaver declared: "Make no mistake about it. If I am any judge of mankind, if I have had any experience worth-while in my long life, I put my faith in [Stalin's] leadership. I believe in Russian resistance."

When the Beaver mentioned Russia, the applause was violent. When he mentioned the U.S., there was a mildly enthusiastic murmur.

The Beaver admitted that he had resisted Russia's demand for aluminum. "I was an aluminum hoarder and miser, and anybody who tried to take aluminum from me was furiously repelled and refused consideration. One morning I telephoned Mr. Churchill and said: '. . . it makes my heart sad because we cannot give quite so much. . . .' Mr. Churchill said: 'Give it and take what is left.' " In his interview with Stalin, the Beaver continued, "I felt it my duty to say: 'Mr. Churchill did it. He had the vision. That was his longsighted view.' And Mr. Stalin said: 'The old war horse!' "*

After the speech Lord Beaverbrook broke a Cabinet precedent by listening to workers' complaints. One questioner asked what the Beaver thought about the nationalization of industry. He replied diplomatically: "Not a bad idea. But we can't have any disturbance of that kind until after we get a store of munitions in hand big enough to give the Russians all the help they need."

Then the Beaver took notes while a dozen workers climbed on the platform and poured complaints into the microphone. Samples:

> "After five weeks I was given my card [fired] due to a shortage of supplies. Then I tried to go into a Government training center but was refused. ..."

> "What we really need are joint production committees of workers and managers..."

> "Hundreds of thousands of production hours are lost every month because transport facilities are not coordinated. . . ."

> "We recognize [Churchill] as our leader, but get rid of the dead wood around him."

*In a speech at Sheffield last week Prime Minister Churchill referred to "that great warrior, Stalin."

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