Letter to Winston Churchill (1941)

During 1941, codebreaking at Bletchley Park was hindered by shortages of typists and unskilled staff. These shortages could have been easily rectified, but the codebreakers’ urgent requests were ignored by offcials in Whitehall. Going over the heads of those in command at GC & CS, Turing and his co-signatories wrote directly to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. On receiving the letter Churchill minuted his Chief of Staff, General Ismay: ‘action this day Make sure they have all they want on extreme priority and report to me that this had been done.’ It fell to Stuart Milner-Barry of Hut 6 to deliver the letter by hand to 10 Downing Street. In 1986, Milner-Barry recalled his trip to Whitehall: Why I was deputed to carry the letter to No. 10 I do not remember—at a guess, because I was the most readily expendable from the scene of action. What I do recall is arriving at Euston Station, hailing a taxi, and with a sense of total incredulity (can this really be happening?) inviting the driver to take me to 10 Downing Street. The taxi-driver never blinked an eyelid: without comment he directed himself to Whitehall. Arrived at the entrance to Downing Street, I was again surprised at the lack of formality: there was just a wooden barrier across the road, and one uniformed policeman who waved my driver on. At the door to No. 10 I paid off the taxi, rang the bell, was courteously ushered in, explained that I had an urgent letter which I was anxious to deliver to the Prime Minister personally, and was invited to wait. Of course I did not see the Prime Minister himself; but very shortly there appeared a dapper dark-suited figure of shortish stature whom I subsequently identified as Brigadier Harvie-Watt, Mr. Churchill’s PPS from 1941 to 1945. To him I again explained my errand; and while obviously and understandably puzzled as to who I might be and what this was all about, he took me sufficiently seriously to promise that he would without fail deliver the letter to the Prime Minister and stress its urgency.

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• The Churchill Syndrome

  Open Access•Richard Toye•The British Journal of Politics…•2008

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