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Nov 12 12 11:06 AM
McKinstry, Leo (2010-10-14). Spitfire Hachette Littlehampton. Kindle Edition.
As Alex Henshaw put it, ‘Beaverbrook was an unpleasant bastard. But he was the right man in the right place at the right time.’ Within three days of taking up his post, he had apprised himself of the disastrous position at Castle Bromwich and was resolved to act. Miles Thomas happened to be in Nuffield’s office at Cowley in Oxfordon 17 May when a call came through from Beaverbrook at the Ministry:
They were both better in monologues than dialogues and from the Cowley end of the line it quickly became apparent that Lord Nuffield was vociferously defending his Castle Bromwich organization and making it abundantly clear that in his opinion the Minister of Aircraft Production could either have Spitfires or modifications but he could not have both. The moment of truth had arrived. Sarcastically, certain that he was putting the ace of trumps on the table, Nuffield shouted, ‘Maybe you would like me to give up control of the Spitfire factory.’ In a flash came the reply: ‘Nuffield, that’s very generous of you. I accept!’ There was a click in the earpiece – the line went dead. Inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief. Nuffield’s face was ashen. For a long time he did not say anything.
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