Item 61 - Letter from Lord Olivier to F. W. Pethick-Lawrence

Old Hall, Ramsden, Charlbury.—Wishes to discuss with him the War Office's reaction to his efforts to introduce proper accounting.

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Transcript

Old Hall, Ramsden, Charlbury
7th Nov 1925

My dear Lawrence

I hope you are back and refreshed. During your absence I have been agitating against this reactionary move of the W.O. against proper accounting: and have so far succeeded in getting the P.A.C. to hear Sr C. Harris and Sr H. Lawrence on the other side, which I understand they will do tomorrow. I hope you will be there. I should much like to have a word with you on the matter at issue if you can spare me half an hour tomorrow, Tuesday, morning, after the Party meeting, at which I shall be. You might look at what I said, and Haldane, in the H. L. on Wednesday the 25th Nov. I am afraid Graham is completely hypnotised by Ramsay (the Aud Genl) whose view is limited, and who is a perfectly orthodox Treasury Principal Clerk. He thinks the aim of Accounts is to help him in his Audit, and that the whole W.O. new System is valueless (as it may be from that point of view) because the Military Director at the W.O. in reply to his queries, alleges “policy” in general terms as a sufficient defence of anything.

But the purpose of these proper accounts is not to render possible what is impossible, viz the enforcement of economy through queries of the Aud Genl—but to bring home to administrative officers (what they dont always want to know) what what they are doing is actually costing.

Hoping to see you

Yours sincerely
Olivier