Item ALANBROOKE 5/1/5 - Diary as C-in-C Home Forces and CIGS, 1941-1942

Brooke's personal diary as Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, Oct-Nov 1941, and Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Dec 1941-Jun 1942, notably covering organisation of defence and training exercises and inspection of defences in Home Forces Command, Oct-Nov 1941; entry of Japan and USA into the war, Dec 1941; Japanese offensives in South East Asia and Burma, Dec 1941-May 1942; German offensive in North Africa, Jan-Jun 1942; plans for landings in French North Africa, Madagascar and Northern France; inter-Allied conference, Washington, Jun 1942. Contains details of Chiefs of Staff, War Cabinet and Defence Committee meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with members of British and US High Command, notably Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, US President, and Gen George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of US Army. Also includes entries on Brooke's concern at lack of cooperation between Army and Air Force; his dislike of Far East American-British Dutch-Australian (ABDA) command organisation; his opposition to the supply of tanks and other equipment to Russia.