THE BURNT PAPER
SIR,—I would like to correct the assumption in Miss Maurice's letter (in your issue of November 16) that the War Office document containing supplementary figures was dis- covered before the Maurice Debate on May 9. 1918. In fact, the paper was only found some time afterwards. This, I think you will agree, materially alters the case.
The facts are plainly stated in Lord Beaverbrook's book. Your reviewer, Lord Templewood, preferred to ignore them and to give his own version, and it is upon his review that Miss Maurice appears to base her statements.
I am not seeking to exonerate the destroying of the paper, nor my own silence in the matter. But I feel that I should correct a false statement before it is in danger of becoming an accepted historical fact.—Yours faithfully,
[Lord Templewood writes: 'Of course I un' reservedly accept Lady Lloyd George's state- meat that the box was not opened and the paper burnt until after the Maurice debate of May 8. If there has been any confusion on the point it has arisen from her own words that the box was opened "a few days after the statement" (namely, the Prime Minister's state' ment of April 9). In any case, the date does not affect the three conclusions of my review. First. that it was a surprising lapse on the part of the Prime Minister's secretaries to leave. a War, Office box unopened at a critical moment of the war; secondly, that it was much worse than a lapse to burn the very important paper that the box contained; and, thirdly, that the sup' pression of the correct figures proved of great value to the Prime Minister and his plans for the Coupon Election.'—Editor, Spictator.]
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