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Setting the Scene: 1945–79

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Managing Britain’s Defence

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Abstract

This chapter covers the period 1945 to 1979 and sets the scene for the later case studies taken from the period 1979 to 1986. The predominant themes in this introductory chapter are:

  1. (i)

    reforms to the central defence organisation;

  2. (ii)

    matching declining resources to defence commitments;

  3. (iii)

    Britain’s partial withdrawal from the world and her involvement in Europe;

  4. (iv)

    the development of Britain’s nuclear weapons;

  5. (v)

    the role of the United States in British defence decision-making.

Related to these themes is the role of Parliament in overseeing defence decision-making.

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Notes and References

  1. Winston Churchill, ‘A Time of Triumph’, 1949, in The Speeches of Winston Churchill (London: Heinemann, 1949) p. 7802.

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  3. Ibid.

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  4. Ibid.

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  6. Peter Hennessy, ‘The Attlee Government, 1945–51’, in P. Hennessy and A. Seldon (eds), Ruling Performance.

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  13. Personal communication.

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  45. Most particularly Herbert Morrison, who became Foreign Secretary in 1946, wrote in his autobiography on Truman and Attlee ‘saving the world’ — quoted in Harris, Attlee, p. 466.

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  51. This case is discussed later in Chapter 3 under Michael Heseltine but in essence the modernisation programme was denied by both Heseltine and his deputy Stanley in Parliament when it had been publicly announced in the US.

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  57. Ibid., p. 141.

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  58. Daily Express, ‘Bomb Express’, edited by Chapman Pincher, 3 October 1952.

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  66. Quoted in G. K. Fry, The Administrative Revolution in Whitehall (London: Croom Helm, 1981) p. 121.

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  80. Ibid.

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  82. Jacob-Ismay report on the central organisation of defence started work late in 1962 and finished in time for the Minister of Defence, Peter Thorneycroft, to announce the major reforms on 4 March 1963. Both Lord Ismay, who had written a similar report in 1956 advocating integration, and Sir Ian Jacob, were chosen by Mountbatten (Johnson, Defence by Ministry, Introduction by Mountbatten).

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  83. Central Organisation for Defence, July 1963 (London: HMSO) Cmnd 2097, p. 1.

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  85. Ibid.

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  89. Ibid.

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  90. Ibid.

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  94. Ibid. See also Crossman re diary entry, pp. 190/2.

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  98. Labour Manifesto, 1963.

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  100. Ibid., p. 95.

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  101. Ibid., p. 94.

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  102. Personal conversation.

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  103. Christopher Mayhew, Britain’s Role Tomorrow (London: Heinemann, 1967) Ch. 12.

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  104. Quoted often including in Hastie-Smith, ‘The Tin Wedding’, p. 33 and in personal conversation October 1985.

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  105. Professor Alain Enthoven interviewed for ‘MOD’, BBC TV 11/87.

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  106. Personal communication.

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  108. Admiral Lord Terrence Lewin interview by Taylor.

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  109. Ibid.

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  110. Campbell, The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier, pp. 316/317.

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  111. Duncan Campbell, ‘Last time a PM said no he got his wrist slapped’, New Statesman, 25 April 1986.

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  112. Ibid.

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  113. Malcolm McIntosh, ‘Defence Decision-Making in Australia’, 1988. Unpublished.

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  114. Labour Party Manifesto, 1974.

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  115. Castle Diaries, 20.11.74.

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  116. Ibid.

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  117. Ibid.

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  118. Castle Diaries, 27.6 74.

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  120. Used by many in the defence community for Michael Quinlan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bath, England

    Malcolm McIntosh

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  1. Malcolm McIntosh
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© 1990 Malcolm McIntosh

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McIntosh, M. (1990). Setting the Scene: 1945–79. In: Managing Britain’s Defence. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-10535-9_1

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