114th Meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence

The 114th Meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence took place on 23 August, 1911.

Minutes

Present:

• The Right Hon. H. H. Asquith, M.P., Prime Minister (in the chair).
• The Right Hon. D. Lloyd George, M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer.
• The Right Hon. Sir Edward Grey, Bart., M.P., Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
• The Right Hon. W. S. Churchill, M.P., Secretary of State for the Home Department.
• The Right Hon. Reginald McKenna, M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty.
• Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Wilson, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., V.C., First Sea Lord of the Admiralty.
• Rear-Admiral the Hon. A. E. Bethell, C.M.G., Director of Naval Intelligence.
• The Right Hon. Viscount Haldane, Secretary of State for War.
• Field-Marshal Sir William Nicholson, G.C.B., Chief of the Imperial General Staff.
• Brigadier-General H. H. Wilson, C.B., D.S.O., Director of Military Operations.
• General Sir John French, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., K.C.M.G., Inspector-General of the Forces.

• Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Ottley, K.C.M.G., C.B., M.V.O., Secretary.

• Major-General Sir A. J. Murray, K.C.B., M.V.O., D.S.O., Director of Military Training, also attended.

THE PRIME MINISTER said he had called the Committee together as the European situation was not altogether clear, and it was possible that it might become necessary for the question of giving armed support to the French to be considered.
The Sub-Committee which examined this question in 1908 came to the following conclusions:—		Report of Sub-Committee on "Military needs of the Empire (C.I.D. Paper 109-B).
"(a) The Committee, in the first place, desire to observe that, in the event of an attack on France by Germany, the expediency of sending a military forceabroad or of relying on naval means alone is a matter of policy which can only be determined when the occasion arises by the Government of the day.		The question of policy.