| Show PREMIER CUTS BRITISH INNER I I CABINET TO 7 1 C Cripps ripps Emerges New Figure In Importance LONDON Feb 20 UP Prime P-Prime Prime Minister inister Winston Churchill under under under un un- der attack for recent British military reverses answered his critics Friday by pruning his war cabinet from nine to seven members in a swift up shake-up from which Sir Stafford Cripps former ambassador to Moscow emerged as the outstanding new figure in the government Churchill was expected to call calla a t meeting of his new war cabinet within 24 21 hours Cripps a dynamic personality whose hose advanced Ideas once gave him pim a a. reputation as a radical was tamed rimed lord privy seal and house of cr commons leader leader leader-a a dual post which many political observers believed would make him second Jn In importance only to Churchill himself Minister linister of State At the same time Oliver Lyttelton Lyttel- Lyttel ton lon known as one of Winston's Vinston's bright young men was appointed appoint appoint- ed Id minister of bf state in charge of production supplanting Lord Bea- Bea who will go to the Unit- Unit id cd d States shortly to carry carryon on the task usk of ot pooling the resources of the united nations An official announcement said Lord Beaverbrook had declined an invitation to to I join the new war cabinet on grounds of health Two other veterans veterans Sir Sir Kingsley Wood chancellor of the exchequer chequer and Arthur Greenwood laborite minister without portfolio portfolio simul simul simultaneously relinquished their places in the inner cabinet The only other change in the war var cabinet involved Clement Att- Att I Att-I lee Ice He surrendered the post of I lord privy seal to make way for Cripps and waa was named secretary of state for dominion affairs a affairs a move dictated by dominion demands demands demands de de- de- de mands for representation and and re retained retained retained re- re the title of deputy prime minister Viscount Cranborne former dominions secretary was not a 8 war cabinet member Retains Portfolios Prime Minister Churchill himself himself him- him self retained the portfolios of defense defense de de- de- de tense minister and first lord of the treasury The other holdovers in the war cabinet are Labor Minister Ernest Ernestin B in Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and Lord President of the Council Sir John Anderson Lyttelton Lyttelton Lyt- Lyt telton was a member of the old inner group as minister of state for the middle east i The changes were generally applauded applauded ap ap- ap- ap by the press but the consensus consensus consensus con con- appeared to be that additional additional addi addi- revision re would be necessary t I to still the clamor of a nation f concerned over o severe military and naval Laval setbacks Political circles believed public f opinion might force Churchill to flame lam a new air all minister in place I of t Sir Archibald Sinclair who has wen been roundly criticised since the German battleships ps Scharn Scharnhorst horst and Gneisenau successfully ran the English channel f Air Change Studied In this connection there was tome some me speculation over the announcement an an- Thursday night that Air Ar Ir Marshal A A. A T T. Harris head Of the R ft RAF A F delegation now in Washington had been named comIn commander com com- In mander pander in chief of the bomber command replacing Air Marshal Sir lr Richard E. E C C. who has been given a special appoint appoint- went Authoritative quarters however how- how ever er denied this move had anything any- any wig thing to do with the channel epi- epi Continued on Page Six Column Five PREMIER TRIMS BRITISH CABINET Continued from Page One Otic sode and there was some talk that might be given supreme supreme supreme su su- su- su preme command of the united nations nations nations na na- na- na air forces in the southwest Pacific Regardless of Sinclair's status some minor changes outside the war cabinet itself appeared to be bein bein bein in prospect Informed quarters said that Lord Moyne probably would retire as head of the colonial office and that his place would be betaken betaken betaken taken by Viscount Cranborne Further Release These quarters also said it was likely that Sir Kingsley Wood would be relieved as chancellor of the exchequer when Churchill and the conservative party of which he is leader had agreed on a successor The departure of Lord Beaverbrook Beaverbrook Beaverbrook Beaver- Beaver brook from the war cabinet was received calmly by the press some sections of which noted that he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not always been able to get along with others in the cabinet notably notably notably nota nota- bly Bevin Lyttelton's position as minister in charge of production still re remained remained remained re- re somewhat obscure but it was believed it would be clarified during next weeks week's war debate in commons Informed sources indicated indicated indicated indi indi- the ministries of supply and aircraft ft production as well as admiralty admiralty admiralty ad ad- shipbuilding enterprises would be placed under his pis control Major Concession By naming Cripps as house of commons leader Churchill made madea a major concession to those who have demanded that he lighten his own tasks by detailing to another another another an an- other the task of answering for forthe forthe forthe the government on the floor of commons He stood firm on another major point however by refusing to g give ve up the portfolio of minister of defense holding to the thesis that it is inextricably bound together with the post of prime minister In the absence of specific details details de de- de- de tails about Cripps' Cripps powers the comment from some sources was that Churchill as heretofore had no favored No 2 man but had spread war tasks evenly Evening newspapers felt the prime minister had emerged with increased popularity because he had bowed to the demands of commons |
