The Prime Minister

by Harold Spender

(Sd.) H. H. Asquith.

In the meantime, I feel sure that you will see the obvious necessity, in the public interest, of not publishing, at this moment, any part of our correspondence.

War Office, S.W.

December 5th, 1916.

My dear Prime Minister,

I cannot announce my resignation without assigning the reason. Your request that I should not publish the correspondence that led up to and necessitated it places me therefore in an embarrassing and unfair position. I must give reasons for the grave step I have taken. If you forbid publication of the correspondence, do you object to my stating in another form my version of the causes that led to my resigning?

Yours sincerely,

(Sd.) D. Lloyd George.

As to the first part of your letter, the publication of the letter would cover the whole ground.

10 Downing Street, S.W.