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9.
General Garmolin's reply to the letter from the Chief of the Imperial General Staff has apparently altered the relations between General Georges and Lord Gort and there is good reason to believe that it does not accord with the position as at prosent understood by either of them.
10.
11.
We have given careful consideration to the situation which has crison. In our opinion, in view of terms in which the Government decision to place the British Expeditionary Force under French Command were communicated to the French, there scoms no doubt that it must be loft to General Gamolin himself to decide whether the British Expeditionary Force should be directly under his command or under General Georges.
From the practical point of view the latter would scom operationally preferable whilst the British Expeditionary Force remains a small force operating on a part of the front for which General Georges is responsible and forming in fact an enclave in the front allotted to one of his Groups of Armics. If in those circumstances it receives its orders direct from General Gamolin it may be very difficult to oo-ordinate its operations with those of the French Armies on its flanks who receive their orders not even direct from General Georges but from one of his subordinate commanders.
12.
On the other hand when the British Expeditionary Force increases to a size at all comparable to the force at the disposal of General Georges and when its commander is in consequence in a position to take over from General Georges responsibility for an appreciable sector of the front, there would be every advantago in its Commander being directly under General Gamelin and co-cqual with Goncral Georgos.
13.
Wo are unaware of the reasons for this apparent change It is however vital of policy on the part of General Gamelin. that the Commander-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force should not find himself the subject of a disagreement between two French Commanders, and we should not appear to query General Gamolin's decision unless the safety of the British Expeditionary Force is in doubt.
14.
In conclusion wo point out that
The position of the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, British Air Forces in France vis-a-vis the French High Command, has always been quite clear and is in no way changed
Air Marshal by General Gamolin's letter of 17th February. Barratt's instructions contain the following passage -
15.
"His position vis-a-vis his own Government will be
similar to that of the Commander-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force, but he will not be under the orders of any French General".
The
Ø
reply to General Gemolin is annexed.
Richmond Terrace, S.W. 10,
23rd February, 1940,
Ø Annex.
-4-
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(Signed) C. L. N. NEWALL.
DUDLEY POUND.
EDMUND IRONSIDE.
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