MONTGOMERY OF ALAMEIN, Bernard Law Montgomery, Viscount.

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Memorandum on the Economics of Western Defence. Copy number 2 of an unknown but inevitably small distribution, signed by Montgomery on the final sheet and classified "private and top secret", together with a covering note, dated 17 March 1955, in Montgomery's hand: "My dear Jock: I send you this paper for your private information. Harold Macmillan has copy No. 1. Yrs ever, M of A".Sir John "Jock" Colville (1915-1987) was the wartime private secretary to Winston Churchill and rejoined him when he became prime minister in 1951, receiving this paper from Montgomery one month before Churchill resigned from office. A powerful mandarin, Colville formed (with Christopher Soames) the duumvirate that effectively ran the country for several months following Churchill's stroke in June 1953. He was personally, as well as professionally, close to Montgomery, their correspondence including, for example, a playful bet on the outcome of the 1956 US election.Montgomery's memo presented some stark warnings about NATO's capabilities. "It is in no position today, March 1955, to fight a war and succeed... We would lose Western Europe if attacked" (p. 1). He argues that, in light of the reality that defence spending will not be increased, money should be used more wisely. NATO members should pool resources and avoid overlap ("joint defence"). The three branches of the armed forces should be integrated and harmonized - rather than "squabble about who should do the task" and "get in each other's way

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