Harper Letter to Frewen, 23 December, 1944

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Extract from a holograph letter from Harper to Oswald Frewen, timed 11am on 23 December, 1944 and written at Hawkhurst, Kent. Copy in [Rosk 3/11], reproduced in the Beatty Papers. II. pp. 478-479.

Letter

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It is amusing to think of you working under A. C. Dewar; an opportunist he was. There is nothing he can tell me, but a deal I could tell him about his so-called 'History of Jutland'. I will tell you briefly, for your own informrtion. This 'History' was officially styled a 'Staff Appreciation'. The Staff (!) was A. C. and K. Dewar who wrote what Beatty told them to do. At first, 12 numbered copies were issued to Board of Admiralty etc, and [479] immediately it was issued, the Board suppressed it, because it was flagrantly inaccurate. This was long before Madden went to Admiralty. All copies were then recalled and all were returned, except that issued to Beatty, who up to 1932 had refused, in spite of 3 applications to return his. He left Admiralty in 1927.

I have documentary evidence (reported by me to DNI) that in August 1932 Beatty invited Langhorne Gibson (USA), who was collaborating with me in writing 'The Riddle of Jutland', to stay a week-end. He told him to believe nothing I said, etc. etc. He then lent him this Secret Book to read. Luckily he did not realise that it was a Secret Book, and he asked me to 'buy him a copy from Admiralty Library'!! I explained why this could not be done. Gibson then said, if I had only known, I would have sat up all night; copied the whole thing and published it in a New York paper.' At the time I hesitated to believe that Gibson had actually seen CB.0938, and Jellicoe refused to believe it either; but subsequent events proved it to be absolutely true, and Jellicoe proved this after I had provided evidence for DNI.

In regard to 'Battle Orders', Dewar has not had a chance to study Jellicoes papers. The Battle Orders', said by Bros Dewar to cancel Jellicoe's useless ones, were drawn up by Jellicoe's staff on [— —] marginal notes made by J. and then sent for printing. The 'issue' was not actually made until B. took command, B. took all credit, J, actually produced them.

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