Letter from the Dias
Hello delegates!
My name is Minahil Nawaz and I’ll be serving as the chair for Winston Churchill’s War Cabinet committee at SCSY XL. I’m a first-year in Timothy Dwight College here at Yale, and I am originally from Lahore, Pakistan, so I don’t usually go home for the weekend. I’m a prospective Ethics, Politics & Economics major, with an interest in Film & Media Studies that might just develop into a major as well.
I have participated in, chaired at, and organized many Model UN conferences before, and so am really excited to see what this crisis simulation brings. I’m also an ASG of Administration for SCSY, so please do compliment us on how well organized the conference is.
Outside of SCSY, I’m an ASG for Yale’s annual high school Model UN conference, YMUN. And outside of Model UN itself, I’m a board member for the South Asian Society, Events Coordinator for the Yale Student Film Festival, and am involved with the Yale Refugee Project.
I’m very interested in history and international relations, and so am excited to see how delegates manoeuvre crises situations and utilize their ability to change history itself.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at minahil.nawaz@yale.edu . I look forward to meeting you all in October!
Topic History
Role of the Committee
After months of appeasement, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,Neville Chamberlain, resigned on May 9, 1940 as war with Germany became an imminent reality. Accepting the PM-ship the next day, Winston Churchill mobilized to come face to face with the enemy he had warned about for so long, the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler. Having invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Hitler set his sights on France and the British Isles. Facing the the Nazi threat alone would surely be a daunting task, and so, Churchill created a united cabinet that would last the war. Evolving from a first small coalition of Parliamentarians, the War Cabinet has become a high functioning multisectoral body , bringing together industry, military, political leaders.Now, it will be your task to guide the United Kingdom, the British Empire, and her allies through the thick of war. You will be responsible for offensive and defensive action, as well as the necessary domestic actions to ensure the survival of democracy and freedom through the hardships of total war.
Current Situation
The War At Sea:
At the outset of World War II, Britain's global commitments were reflected in the deployment of the Royal Navy during what is now known as the critical years (1939-43). Tasked with protecting trade, due to Britain’s heavy dependence on the importation of food and raw materials, the aging navy’s fleets were allocated between a variety of fleets and stations positioned strategically around the globe. Each fleet and station protected an area of responsibility (i.e. the Home Fleet protected home waters around the North Sea and English channel, the Mediterranean Fleet protected the Mediterranean sea, etc.). The Royal Navy, led by Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, was primarily utilized prior to Churchill’s election in 1945. However, Pound’s leadership legacy was largely contested. Despite working closely with Churchill (the civilian head of the Navy prior to becoming Prime Minister) to contrive successful naval strategies, Pound also presided over major naval failures such as the Norwegian Campaign of 1940, Japan’s sinking of the Repulse and Prince of Wales, and the loss of over 7,000 Royal Navy men in the evacuation of Dunkirk.
At the start of the Second World War the Royal Navy had 15 battleships and battlecruisers with five more battleships under construction, and 66 cruisers with another 23 under construction. At the end of the war, the Royal Navy had 16 battleships, 52 carriers—though most of these were small escort or merchant carriers—62 cruisers, 257 destroyers, 131 submarines and 9,000 other ships. During the war the Royal Navy lost 278 major warships and more than 1,000 small ones. There were 200,000 men (including reserves and marines) in the navy at the start of the war.
The War in the Air:
Undergoing rapid expansion after the outbreak of war against Germany in 1939, the Royal Air Force (RAF) implemented programs training British aircrews in British Commonwealth countries under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, and the secondment of many whole squadrons, and tens of thousands of individual personnel, from Commonwealth air forces. In order to expand, the Air Force employed civilians from across the empire, utilizing a significant portion of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Similarly, about nine percent of the personnel who served with the RAF in Europe and the Mediterranean were seconded from the Royal Australian Air Force. To these and other British Commonwealth personnel were later added thousands of men from other countries, including many who had fled from German-occupied Europe.
A defining period of the RAF's existence came during the Battle of Britain. In the summer of 1940 the RAF held off the Luftwaffe in perhaps the most prolonged and complicated air campaign in history. This arguably contributed immensely to the delay and cancellation of German plans for an invasion of the United Kingdom (Operation Sea Lion). Of these few hundred RAF fighter pilots, Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously said in the House of Commons on 20 August, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
Another significant RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.
The War on Land
In the spring of 1939, the British War Cabinet agreed that a modern British force would have to fight on the continent. At this time, Britain’s land army (called the British Expeditionary Force), consisted of half a million men. But after seeing German forces march into Czechoslovakia, Britain decided to double the size of this Territorial Army and introduce conscription. Thus at the start of WW2, the British army was focused mostly on defense. It was unequipped to deal with war on land on multiple frontiers, and so suffered defeat in almost every theatre of war in which it was deployed in the early years of the War. This was also because in 1939, Britain was expecting that the war would be fought mostly on sea and in the air. With mass conscription, the expansion of the British Army was reflected in the formation of larger armies and army groups.
The British Army was deployed to fight around the world, starting with campaigns in Europe in 1940. After the evacuation from Dunkirk, the army fought on in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre, and in the Burma Campaign. After a series of setbacks, retreats and evacuations, the British Army eventually, with its Allies, gained the upper hand.
The Empire at War
At the time of Churchill’s election, The British Empire possessed direct or de facto economic and political control of 25% of the world’s population, and 30% of its land mass. The British Commonwealth, consisting of soldiers from the United Kingdom and many of its Dominions, namely Australia, South Africa, Australia, and most notably India, totalled close to 15 million serving men and women by mid 1940. At this time, Britain led the Allied efforts in nearly all theatres of war, and the large majority of soldiers on the ground came from the British Commonwealth. Yasmin Khan, an expert on Britain during World War II, remarked, “Britain didn’t fight the second world war, the British Empire did.” At the time of Churchill’s ascension to power, Canada had already contributed over 27 convoys totalling 542 ships, and had an entire division in Europe. Canada continued to provide troops to aid in the defense of France, but as the fall of France seemed more imminent, Canada began redirecting their troops to Caribbean possessions as to prevent against German U-boat attacks. India provided the largest proportion of volunteer soldiers, with well over 2 million Indians volunteering for service. Many Indians were sent to the Maghreb and other areas as to push back against the Italian and Nazis. Britain utilized its West African possessions as a station for refuelling and repairs for ships and planes fighting in Northern Africa and the Middle East, and as such, many Africans worked on ships and planes, and provided a great deal of exports in terms of food and other raw materials. Ultimately, the Commonwealth kept Britain afloat during the Second World War, as its colonial possessions were responsible for much of the food, materials, and men that were instrumental in the war up to 1940, while many Britain nationals were responsible for the planning and leadership roles during the war.
The Home Front:
From the outset, the Second World War was a total war; domestic production was essential to success, but wartime production was not the sole contribution of those who did not ship off to war. The morale, resilience, and willingness of the British people to accept such hardships as the ideas of rationing, air-raids, and an occupying power were equally important to the contributions of the young men on the battlefield. As such, the British Government established many morale-boosting projects both domestically and abroad.
Great Britain was extremely fearful of Nazi invasion across the English Channel, and saw paratroopers as the likely means to begin their invasion. As such, Anthony Eden made a broadcast to the United Kingdom warning citizens about the dangers of such soldiers and encouraging them to join Local Defense Volunteers. Within the first week of the broadcasts, over 25,000 British citizens volunteered and were armed with available weapons. Preparation for other forms of invasion began; The British government mined and placed barbed wire on beaches, built pillboxes along the coast, took down signposts in order to confuse the enemy, and installed new coastal gun batteries to deter German advances.
Additional preparation for the invasion took place, as the British Government began evacuating civilians in September 1939. The operation, known as Pied Piper, is hardly complete, as only 300,000 children have evacuated so far. In junction with the evacuations, the demands of war are already being felt domestically. The British Government began to install rations; gasoline was first rationed in September 1939. Official ration books began distribution in November 1939; food rationing began on January 8, 1940. When rationing was first implemented, every person was assigned four ounces of butter, two eggs, twelve ounces of sugar, four ounces of raw bacon or ham, and 3.5 ounces of cooked bacon or ham per week. Meat, butter, and sugar were further rationed in March 1940. Ultimately the British Home Front has begun preparations in the face of a Nazi invasion, but is by no means prepared for what such an invasion could do.
Production:
As expected during wartime, Britain greatly improved its production during mid-1940 as to compensate for the immense need for new aircrafts, ships, and weaponry. Churchill desperately wanted to improve the RAF to oppose the superiorly prepared German Luftwaffe. Churchill and his cabinet predicted Britain would produce 1111 aircraft, including 251 bombers, 222 fighters, and 80 general reconnaissance planes, in June 1940, and 1346 in September 1940,1 but by mid-1940, the British Government began to purchase mass aircrafts and arms from the United States and Canada, for in 1939 President Roosevelt amended the Neutrality Act so that Allied powers could purchase American weapons and equipment; the stipulation being that the Allies had to pay in cash. Although Churchill was angered by the catch, he nonetheless purchased American weapons, aircrafts, and other materials.
On September 3, 1939, then-First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, declared that Britain was installing its blockade against Germany, meaning they would stop and seize the cargo of any ship attempting to reach Germany. In doing so, Britain was able to gain quite a bit of food and metal scraps, which helped to offset the demands of total war. In mid 1940, the British Government was tasked with increasing production of both armaments and machinery, but was luckily able to purchase some of these good from outside partners.
Supplies:
During World War II, the mobilization of funds, people, natural resources and material for production and supply of military equipment and military forces had to be coordinated well. Beyond the battlefield, the Allies were also competing with the Axis powers in categories pertaining to supply, as strong industries were needed to sustain the military production required to win the war. In the 1930s, before the outbreak of the Second World War, the British population was around 47 million. Britain imported 70% of its food; this required 20 million tons of shipping a year. 50% of meat was imported, 70% of cheese and sugar, 80% of fruits, 70% of cereals and fats, 91% of butter. Of this, 1/6th of meat imports, 1/4 of butter imports and 1/2 of cheese imports came from New Zealand alone, a long way away by shipping lanes. Other supplies needed for the war effort were raw materials, such as timber, zinc, tin, and other minerals, and wool. Many of these goods were also coming from overseas: for instance, Britain imported aluminium from Canada and wool from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. This incentivized the Axis powers to try to starve the British population into submission, by cutting off those food supply and raw material lines. Rationing was thus a real possibility for the British government in 1936. Should war occur again, this time they hoped to be better prepared based on their experiences the last time around.
The Economy
When mobilising for the Second World War, Britain was transformed from a primarily free market economy to a planned economy. Increasing state control of the economy was believed to be needed to further the war effort. State control of the economy ensured that increases in production demand were met efficiently. It was also necessary to control the inflationary pressures that accompanied the war to maintain a stable society. Government intervention was evident in the planning, direct control of industry, allocation of resources, subsidy and rationing. Despite being able to draw upon the resources of the British Empire and the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom’s economy’s survival necessitated increasing reliance on financial and other aid from the United States in 1940-41. The War economy thus depended to a great extent on external support. Moreover, though supplemented by the efforts of the Dominions, the relatively small size of the British population (47 million) exposed limits to the size of both the war economy and the armed forces by 1943-44. Civilian consumption was regulated through rationing, and virtually all labour progressively mobilised, women included (though as elsewhere in the West traditional assumptions concerning gender roles set limits to participation). However, only so much could be done. In 1944, for example, with the British army at its maximum strength of over 2,700,000, British industry produced only 5,000 tanks, and through much concentration of effort slightly increased aircraft production to reach the maximum annual figure of 26,461.
Espionage and Counterintelligence
During World War II, the Security Service played a key role in combating enemy espionage, intercepting German communications and feeding misinformation back to Germany. The Service achieved great success in uncovering enemy agents in Britain, some of whom were "turned" by the Service and became double agents who fed false information to the Germans concerning military strategy throughout the war. This was the famous "Double Cross" system, a highly effective deception that contributed to the success of the Allied Forces landing in Normandy on D-Day in June 1944. When captured German intelligence records were studied after 1945, it was found that almost all of the further 115 or so agents targeted against Britain during the course of the war had been successfully identified and caught. The only exception was an agent who committed suicide before capture. For the first time, the Service also confronted the issue of loyalty of British Communists in sensitive government positions, in the certain knowledge that Party members were under instructions to "share" their information with Communist Party HQ. This was to have important repercussions following the war.
Bloc Positions
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
As prime minister, Churchill will and must be the head of all critical decisions, as well as inspire morale of the citizenry. He must ensure that the United Kingdom act effectively on the information it has directly, as well as convince the United Kingdom’s allies to join the fight against fascism.
Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour and National Service
Minister Bevin will have to ensure that the Empire’s sources of production, her factories, mills, mines, farms, are all adequately manned in order to keep the economy and the war effort running at home. He must consider what the best use of those who are not abroad is.
Sir Kingsley Wood, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Sir Kingsley Wood must work to create an economic plan that will survive the fragility brought on by war, as well as the funding for the war effort through taxation or other methods.
Neville Chamberlain, Lord President of the Council
Serving as the Lord President of the Council, Chamberlain must rally counsel Churchill on domestic issues primarily. His main role will be to assess threats to the homeland from domestic threats and abroad. He should also keep his ear close to the ground concerning espionage and counterintelligence measures within the Empire.
Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production
As Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook must ensure maximum efficiency of aircraft production and distribution of new aircraft with different divisions of the RAF.
Arthur Greenwood, Minister without Portfolio
Serving in an advisory role, Mr. Greenwood is concerned with integrating the war economic and social policies in an efficient manner, as well as long-term economic goals that stretch beyond the war.
Clement Attlee, Lord Privy Seal
Atlee also served an advisory role in the War Cabinet, helping coordinate wartime reforms between the Ministry of Labor and Agriculture.
A. Duff Cooper, Minister of Information
As his title suggests, Mr. Cooper has the job of deciding the information most pertinent and appropriate for the public.
Herbert Morrison, Minister of Supply
Minister Morrison will have to manage the influx of resources into the British Isles, as well as its distribution among the citizenry and the military. He must also coordinate, with the Minister of Labour, the appropriate methods to keep factories running smoothly.
Sir John Anderson, Secretary of State for the Home Department
Sir John Anderson will be responsible for the defense of the home front, including counterintelligence. The Secretary of State for the Home Department must take care of the integration of refugees fleeing fascism as well as incorporating the citizenry in the war efforts.
Anthony Eden, Secretary of War
Mr. Eden’s responsibility as War Secretary are to guide the combined armed forces to total victory through comprehensive and effective strategy and actionable intelligence gathering. He must also work with the commanders present to put Churchill’s strategy into action.
Viscount Halifax, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
As Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax will not only work to convince the powers of the new world to join the war on the side of the allies, while also monitoring and controlling communication with the Axis powers. He must also ensure the Empire’s image is not tarnished in neutral nations. In other words, Lord Halifax controls all foreign relations of the British Empire.
Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air
As Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair must determine, with the counsel of military and civilian leaders how best to deploy British air power, as well as consider the needs for aircraft and air defense on the home front.
Hugh Dalton, Minister of Economic Warfare
As Minister of Economic Warfare, Mr. Dalton will be focused on ensuring that the enemy be cut off from its supplies and resources, using the might of the British Empire. He must also monitor the economic harm caused by maritime warfare on the economy in an effort to stabilize the entrance of supplies to the British Isles.
Malcolm MacDonald, Minister of Health
As Minister of Health, MacDonald will have threefold responsibilities. First, he must be able to organize and coordinate the best treatment for the young men wounded in the war to get them in fighting shape again. Secondly, he must formulate the best way to treat citizens affected by the war on the isles, designating citizen hospitals. Finally, Malcolm MacDonald will have the responsibility of directing British research and scientific endeavours during the war.
Important Guests
Below, are brief descriptions of guests who will advise and play an integral role in the proper execution of the plans created by the War Cabinet.
British High Command
Hastings Lionel “Pug” Ismay
Ismay is Churchill’s closest military adviser and is the Secretary of the Committee of Imperial Defence, which contains the Chiefs of Staff. He is Churchill’s personal representative to the Chiefs of Staff and Churchill’s Chief of Staff in his position as Defence Minister.
British Expeditionary Force
Field Marshal Sir John Dill
Chief of the Imperial General Staffs (CIGS) of the United Kingdom; the professional head of the British military forces. The CIGS was the head of the three armed services - the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, and the British Expeditionary Force; he will advise the cabinet on military recommendations and, if they approved, these plans are to be implemented.
Viscount Field Marshal Gort
Gort is the head of the British Expeditionary Force. It was Gort who decided to evacuate BEF troops from Dunkirk.
Field Marshal Alan Brooke
The head of the British Expeditionary Force in France in May 1940. Brooke was instrumental in the execution of the Dunkirk evacuation and is sceptical about continued British involvement in France.
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
Montgomery is in charge of the Eighth Army (BEF); his headquarters are in Egypt and he is responsible for designing and carrying out campaigns in that area.
Field Marshal Harold Alexander
Alexander was also instrumental in the Dunkirk evacuation. He is now in charge of the BEF in the Mediterranean - in North Africa and Italy.
Field Marshal Archibald Wavell
The commander of the BEF in the Middle East - in nations such as Syria, Lebanon, Burma, Iraq - and in East Africa.
Royal Air Force
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding
The head of Fighter Command of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. His insistence on developing and producing advanced fighter planes and reserving RAF pilots and planes to guard the homeland have already been discussed.
Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris
Harris is the diplomatic head of the RAF and is in charge of RAF strategic bombing in Germany.
Air Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill
The head of the Coastal Command of the RAF.
Royal Navy
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Mountbatten
The commander of the South East Asia Command (SEAC) of the Royal Navy.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Alfred Pound
The commander of the Royal Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic: in charge of ships on the English Channel and on the Atlantic Ocean.
Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Cunningham
The commander of the British fleet in the Mediterranean.
Other Important Figures
Ambassador Joseph Kennedy
The United States ambassador in Britain. As previously discussed, Kennedy’s views were pacifist before the war and became defeatist when the war began. Nevertheless, he is a crucial bridge between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ribbentrop is Hitler’s foreign minister. He negotiated the Anglo-German Naval Agreement for Germany in June 1935, which regulated the size of the Kriegsmarine (the German navy) in proportion to the British Royal Navy, and became Germany’s ambassador to Great Britain in 1936. In 1938, he became foreign minister, and was Germany’s signatory on the Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the USSR.
Charles de Gaulle
The Général de Brigade of France and the commander of an armoured division in the French army. General de Gaulle has previously expressed a steady commitment to the ideals expressed by Great Britain, and he has the potential to rise in French government.
Questions to consider
What is the most effective way of incorporating the values of the Allied Powers into the War effort? What is the best way to disseminate them?
What steps can the War Cabinet take to maximize citizen participation and cooperation in the war effort? In other words, how do we mobilize the citizens on the homefront to help in the war effort?
Does Britain currently have the supplies and material to face Germany in the war? If not, how can she expand her resources?
In what ways can the British military distribute military resources to cause the greatest damage to the enemy?
How can the British government maintain a domestic balance of power?
In what ways can communication among military personnel, intelligence agencies, and government officials remain most transparent and efficient?
How can Britain collaborate most effectively with her European partners?
Structure of the Committee
This committee will simulate, as realistically as possible, the multitude of issues, resources, and sectors that the War Cabinet had to consider in the first phases of the war. In order to recreate this situation, our committee will be constantly reevaluating its agenda of priorities for the war effort. As members of the cabinet, you will consider everything from propaganda campaigns to Spitfire production to international diplomatic efforts and you will decide how best to allocate British funds and resources to each area of the war effort.
There will be periodic crises throughout the committee that will require you to address specific situations of the war. These will range in scope and focus. As an individual member of the cabinet, you will be expected to carry out actions that fall within your jurisdiction, as outlined in Bloc Positions section and additional information to follow. In addition to these personal responsibilities, you will also be expected to participate in debate with your fellow ministers to come to decisions on issues that affect multiple sectors of British society. Such decisions will require more consensus from the cabinet as a whole. It is also important to note that, while this committee will most likely not be identical to the course of history, there are certain limits to what you can do. You must act with the power of the British government, but you must also respect that it is limited to coping with the demands of the war and the best interests of the British Empire. Your decision-making process will be driven by the course of what unfolds in committee and by your specific jurisdiction.
It is important to note that, although certain men joined this cabinet before others, and some were technically Frequent Attendees, rather than cabinet members, for the sake of this committee, every member is an equally qualified and influential member as any of his colleagues: there is no official hierarchy of this committee, and everyone will receive an equal say in voting and in debate.
