you raise those selfsame spirits sky high in the meantime. To climb up
and up is a funny way to prepare for a fall! If you know that your
balloon must burst in five minutes you use that time in letting out gas,
not in throwing away ballast. If you want to spoil a man's legacy of
L500 tell him the previous evening he has been left L50,000!

"As I began by saying, do please forgive me, my dear Callwell, for
taking up your most precious time. But you are more in touch with this
particular business than anyone else at the War Office and, from your
large mindedness, I feel sure you will be able to spare me some
sympathy, and perhaps even get some recognition for the general
principle I herewith put forward:--

* * * * *

"(1). Do not too curiously censor false alarmist reports put about by
the enemy. Let the papers publish them with a query and then smash them
as soon as this can be done with positive certainty.

"(2). Mercilessly censor any report which you think is, even in the
smallest degree, overstating your own case.

"The system needs courage but, with the British Public, it would pay!

"Yours sincerely,
(_Sd._), "IAN HAMILTON."

As suspense had, by now, become unbearable, cabled home asking S. of S.
to "let me know, as soon as you can safely do so," when the new
divisions may be expected. I tell him I have "informal" news from the
French but dare not take action on that.

_14th September, 1915. Imbros._ Mails in with Ward as King's Messenger.
Captain Vitali (Italian liaison officer) and Captain Williams dined.
Vitali is worried about his status. He was told in the first instance he
was to be liaison officer between General Cadorna and myself. On this
understanding we agreed to his coming to our Headquarters. Once he was
here the Italian Government (not Cadorna he is careful to explain) said
he must be permanently attached to us. Vitali feels himself in a false
position as he thinks that,--had we known, we might not have let him
come. Personally, I am quite glad to have him; but we did not have much
talk as, immediately after dinner, Braithwaite brought me the decipher
of Lord K.'s answer to my reminder to him. This has greatly saddened me
and takes up the whole of my thoughts.

"(No. 7843, cipher). From Earl Kitchener to General Sir Ian Hamilton.
Reference your No. M.F. 630. I have just returned from France where I
went