CHAMBERLAIN, NEVILLE

Fascinating and little known correspondence between Neville Chamberlain and Sir John Anderson in which the Prime Minister writes that His Majesty’s Government is seeking to replacing General Sir Arthur Wauchope as High Commissioner of Palestine and offers the position to Anderson. Chamberlain acknowledges Anderson’s “strenuous and anxious time in Bengal” yet feels the appointment will have a “profound effect in establishing confidence in the future of Palestine.” He includes salary details and terms of appointment. This was in the midst of the Arab Revolt in which nationalist Palestinian Arabs in Mandatory Palestine rose up against British colonial rule, concerning which Sir Arthur Wauchope was regarded as lax in his dealings. In Anderson’s negative response to the Prime Minister, entitled “Secret & Personal,” he explains in detail that he is quite fatigued from current government service as Governor of Bengal and will require a “prolonged period of recuperation… (and) adequate rest.” British civil servant and politician Sir John Anderson (1882-1958) is best known for his service in the Cabinet during the Second World War, for which he was nicknamed the “Home Front Prime Minister.” Britain’s ubiquitous air-raid defense facility known as “Anderson shelters” are named after him.