NEWS OF THE WEEK.
WE must place first in our weekly record of events the virulent and organized attack which has been made upon Sir William Robertson and Sir Douglas Haig, and we are sorry and ashamed to have to do so. We have written at length on the subject in our second leading article, but two or three points may be mentioned here. Although we think it possible that the Government could with safety tell us more about the Cambrai affair, we must point out that the wisdom or unwisdom of their reticence has nothing whatever to do with the strategical abilities of Sir William Robertson and Sir Douglas Haig which are now being impugned. The Cambrai affair has been deliberately and very clumsily used as a pretext. The campaign of slander has been mainly a Press campaign, but, so far as we can judge, a very strong opinion exists in the Army that " the politicians " are behind the Press. In these circum- stances we think it essential that the War Cabinet should make some sign. The discipline and confidence of the Army and of the nation are likely to be undermined by this campaign unless the Government either stand loyally by the military chiefs and strongly repudiate the accusations which are being made against them, or, in the alternative, declare that the Press campaign (which we do not of course for a moment believe) is well justified.
