Item 44 - Letter from Venetia Stanley to Edwin Montagu

2 sheets

18 Mansfield Street, Portland Place, W.—Sympathises with his concern that he has misled the House, and encourages him to discuss important issues with her.

(Dated Tuesday. This is a reply to B1/32.)

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Transcript

18 Mansfield Street, Portland Place, W.
Tuesday

Thank you for your letter. I was afraid before you spoke to me about it that something was worrying you. I dont quite realise from what you said whether, apart from the fact that circumstances have forced you to misrepresent things to the House of Commons, you regard the step the Office intends to take as bad in itself, and worthy of attack and opposition from more reasonable people than Byles. But of course apart from any intrinsic merits or demerits, I quite see that you must be worried at having, even so unintentionally, misled the House, which you more or less represent, and played the game of the Office which, I gather from you, it is your desire to curb and restrain. But what you say about having lied in spirit is sim[p]ly not the case. In spirit you have been loyal throughout to the H of C, and if in the end you are beaten, you must know that it is only force of circumstances that has obliged you to go back on given pledges and assurances.

About the more personal part of your letter on which I can write with considerably more assurance and certainty, you must know that I always like you to talk to me about those more important and vital issues of your life, rather than permanently to stick to such questions as whether Cynthia is nicer than Katharine, and Cys cleverer than Raymond! And if, as you say, it made a difference to you to talk about it to anyone, I am glad that I should have been of some use.

I hope that today everything is going much better.

Yrs
Venetia Stanley

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Black-edged paper.