r as the
French may get more H.E. this is A.1. But if K. thinks the British will
_directly_ benefit--I fear he is out of his reckoning: it would be fatal
to my relations with Gouraud, now so happy, were he even to suspect that
I had any sort of lien on his guns. Unless I want to stir up jealous
feelings, now entirely quiescent, I cannot use this cable as a lever to
get French guns across into our area. Gouraud's plans for his big attack
are now quite complete. A million pities we cannot attack
simultaneously. That we should attack one week and the French another
week is rotten tactically; but, practically, we have no option. We
British want to go in side by side with the French--are burning to do
so--but we cannot think of it until we can borrow shell from Gouraud;
and, naturally, he wants every round he has for his own great push on
the 21st. Walked down in the evening to see what progress was being made
with the new pier. Colonel Skeen, Birdwood's Chief of Staff, dined and
seems clever, as well as a very pleasant fellow.

_20th June, 1915. Imbros._ Rose early. Did a lot of business. The King's
Messenger's bag closed at 8 a.m. Told K. about the arrival of fresh
Turkish troops and our fighting on the 18th. The trenches remain as
before, but the Turks, having failed, are worse off.

I have also written him about war correspondents. He had doubted whether
my experiences would encourage me to increase the number to two or
three. But, after trial, I prefer that the public should have a
multitude of councillors. "When a single individual," I say, "has the
whole of the London Press at his back he becomes an unduly important
personage. When, in addition to this, it so happens, that he is inclined
to see the black side of every proposition, then it becomes difficult to
prevent him from encouraging the enemy, and from discouraging all our
own people, as well as the Balkan States. If I have several others to
counterbalance, then I do not care so much."

Fired off a second barrel through Fitz from whom I have just heard that
my Despatch cannot be published as it stands but must be bowdlerized
first, all the names of battalions being cut out. Instead of saying,
"The landing at 'W' had been entrusted to the 1st Bn. Lancashire
Fusiliers (Major Bishop) and it was to the complete lack of the sense of
danger or of fear of this daring battalion that we owed our astonishing
success," I am to say, "The landing, etc., had been entrusted t