Post by Diarist on Jul 29, 2015 18:53:55 GMT 1
Despite my trip to Lisbon only being for one night Sally insisted on going with me. I shall be away for most of July so even a one-day weekend is better than no weekend. At RAF Duxford we were told that we are flying in a 24th Squadron VIP aircraft and on board were Secretary Churchill, Deputy Secretary Simon and a few of their aids. I introduced Sally and explained her "role". Winston Churchill informed me that ADM Keyes and LG "Smith" would be in Lisbon. I was surprised that he knew who would be there because nobody at TRADOC knew. Apparently the Foreign Office had telephoned our HQ in Gibraltar and asked those two to be in Lisbon this weekend. I said nothing at the time but I was furious because of the blatant breach of security rules. We had agreed upon communication by courier only. I said that we need to talk when we arrive in Lisbon.
We spent the rest of the flight talking about the visit to Vickers-Armstrong on Wednesday. He said that I had been overheard saying the A10 wasn't "sexy" enough. What did I mean by that? I explained our objections and recommendations. I even had a hard copy with me in my briefcase and showed it to him. If we do build something as a stop gap, let's at least build something that won't be obsolete in a few years. We can concentrate on developing the "sexy" tank with a Christie suspension, 6-pdr tank gun and a 400hp engine. It should be capable of more than 30 mph cross-country.
In Lisbon, Sally and I went to our hotel while the others went to the ambassador's residence. ADM Keyes and George Patton were already at the hotel and when we were alone I expressed my concern about the breach of security. In the telephone call there had been no mention of the Italian/Abyssinian operation, only about the meeting with the Portuguese and Spaniards but I could tell that they were also annoyed.
In the evening we all went to an informal reception at the Embassy and ADM Keyes took Winston Churchill and John Simon to one side to voice his displeasure. What he didn't tell them was that they will be working on a Plan B in case our Turin operation is comprised. The good news is that George Patton and I don't have to meet the Portuguese tomorrow so we have most of the day to ourselves.