Document G

Lindemann clashes with the Air Defence Research Committee

Professor Sir Henry Tizard to Professor Lindemann.

Reference: Churchill Papers, CHAR 25/10/82

“Dear Lindemann,

No doubt you already know that as a result of your personal criticisms to Winston Churchill he made a written attack on the Research Committee without taking the trouble to ascertain my views first. I was obliged to answer this categorically, whereupon he followed up in Committee with other wild criticisms presumably based on information from you. Needless to say I have no objection to your discussing with him the work out our Committee – on the contrary everyone concerned would welcome this if the object were to produce fresh ideas and constructive suggestions. But if the only result is to produce ill-founded criticisms then I am bound to say that however good your ultimate motives are, the only effect of your actions is to retard progress. I should really enjoy working with you if you were ready to work as a member of a team, but if you are playing another game I don’t think it is possible for us to go on collaborating without continual friction. I have told Swinton this – so you ought to know.

I wish we could have settled such differences of opinion that exist in a friendly manner in our own Committee, but you have made this very difficult, if not impossible.

I am writing a general statement about the policy underlying the priority attached to different items of our work. I will let you have this next week. If agreed by members it will be circulated to the G.I.D.Committee.

Yours sincerely,

(signed) H.T.Tizard. “