Nations at War: Conflict, Resolution and Commemoration -What do the documents tell us?

Andrew PayneHead of Education & OutreachThe National Archives of the United Kingdom

TNA Cat Ref: INF 3/322

How does this make you FEEL?

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How are you feeling?

With the people around you briefly discuss…• How London Can Take It makes you feel?• Why it makes you feel like this?• How might you use this film in your classroom? • Does it matter that it is propaganda?

How should we respond to propaganda?

• UK teachers overwhelmingly respond in 2 ways – frequently simultaneously!

• Emotional response = Pride that London responded with the Blitz spirit

• Intellectual response = Cynicism that propaganda distorts the reality of the past. Was there a Blitz spirit?

• Should our students respond Emotionally or Intellectually?• Or should they respond in a 3rd way? If so…how?

How should students respond to the subject of Nations in Conflict

in the History classroom?

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ἱστορ-ία

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ἱστορ-ία = enquiry

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What should be the Historical response to the subject of Nations at War?• Curiosity – Engage students preconceptions and confusion• Questions – Let them ask the questions• Enquiry – How can we find out? Develop a research plan• Investigation – The hard graft of historical research• Evaluation – How will this “stuff” help answer my question?• Interpretation – What do I think this “stuff” means?• Judgement – The final Historical response to the question

A simple mnemonic! C.Q.E.I.E.I.J

A simpler mnemonic! DOCUMENTS

London Can Take It:

What do the documents tell us?

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Made for the American audience

10 TNA Cat Ref: INF 6/328

‘This M.O.I. film “dispatch” showing how London is standing up to the aerial “blitzkrieg” was reported in picture and sound on the spot... under the direction of Harry Watt and Humphrey Jennings of the G.P.O. Film unit who made the film.Commentated by Quentin Reynolds, London War Correspondent of “Collier’s Weekly”, the picture is already in the United States and is to be distributed throughout U.S.A., Canada and Latin-America by Warner Bros. It is anticipated that the film will be shown in at least 15,000 American cinemas’

“London Can Take It” Production NotesMinistry of Information

October 14th 1940

Designed to engender respect and support

11 TNA Cat Ref: INF 1/867

‘The themes of our propaganda are:-I. What Britain is fighting for.

II. How Britain fights.III. The need for sacrifice if the fight

is to be won.…British character must be shown as capable of great sacrifices… [by] …all classes of workers… These sacrifices can be shown… as something to be accepted with courage and pride……film propaganda will be most effective when it is least recognisable as such.’

Programme for Film PropagandaMinistry of Information

Jan 1940

What do the documents tell us?Britain really needed America’s help and would use emotional blackmail to get it…

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What do the documents tell us?That propaganda, when contextualised, helps us to understand motive and perspective

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Nations at War: Commemoration

What do the documents tell us?

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When working with documents - Expect the Unexpected!

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16 TNA Cat Ref: ZPER 43/155

17 TNA Cat Ref: ZPER 43/155

A Surprising Commemoration?

18 TNA Cat Ref: ZPER 43/155

Is this a more appropriate commemoration?

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Sir Edwin Lutyens remembers…

20 TNA Cat Ref: WORK 20/226

‘“The glorious dead,” the words I put on my original sketch also survived unchanged… there were other proposals…All throbbed with the heart-ache of sincere desire to render every homage words could express, and were inspired by the true ideal of great intent.’

the heart-ache of sincere desire to render every homage …

21 TNA Cat Ref: WORK 20/226

…inspired by the true ideal of great intent.

22 TNA Cat Ref: WORK 20/226

What do the documents tell us? Commemoration has multiple perspectives

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One generation’s commemoration becomes another’s interpretation

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“I think what we’re remembering is our collective stupidity and reminding ourselves to avoid repeating the same mistakes or at the very least mistakes on the same scale as the two World Wars.”

Snowdon on Schools Bloghttps://snowdononschools.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/remembering

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Nations at War: Resolution

What do the documents tell us?

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What is more dangerous than being unprepared for

war?

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Being unprepared for peace…

27 TNA Cat Ref: CAB 1/25

‘A new peace move might then suddenly be sprung on us which would find us unprepared and open a chapter of very grave dangers for us.’

General J.C.SmutsSecret War Cabinet Memo

26 Dec 1917

What is more difficult than fighting your enemy?

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Planning a surprise attack on your ally…

29 TNA Cat Ref: CAB 120/691

‘If we are to embark on war with Russia, we must be prepared to be committed to a total war, which will be both long and costly.’

Operation “Unthinkable”Secret War Cabinet Memo

22 May 1945

What do the documents tell us? Resolution is as dangerous as conflict

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Nations at War: Conflict

What do the documents tell us?

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“Conflict makes ordinary people commit extraordinary acts” – Discuss!

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Acts of Valour

33 TNA Cat Ref: ZJ 1/973 & INF 3/0471

‘Under cover of a most intense mortar barrage the enemy counter-attacked, and 2nd Lt. Ngarimu ordered his men to stand up and engage the enemy man for man... He was twice wounded, once by rifle fire in the shoulder and later by shrapnel in the leg, and though urged…to go out, he refused to do so saying that he would stay a little while with his men. He stayed till he met his death the following morning.’

2nd Lt. Moana-Nui-a Kiwa Ngarimu Posthumous Award of Victoria Cross

4 June 1943

Acts of Gallantry

34 TNA Cat Ref: HO 250/4 & INF 3/0477

‘On the evening of Sept 7th a high explosive bomb fell on the kitchens of Ward Block1 at the hospital… Albert Ernest Dolphin, one of the porters of the hospital, rushed to the site and found Nurse Sole pinioned by a block of masonry across her legs. While they were working the wall…was heard to crack and subsequently collapsed…There is no doubt that Dolphin, although aware that the wall was about to collapse, deliberately remained where he was and threw himself across Nurse Sole’s body in an endeavour to protect her which he succeeded in doing at the cost of his own life.’

Albert Ernest DolphinPosthumous Award of George Cross

7 Sep 1943

Acts of Inducement

35 TNA Cat Ref: HW 3/177 & HW 3/178

‘I was young and excited… and I ran all the way to his room, found Seracold (his P/A) alone and Blinker free. I burst out breathlessly “Do you want America in the war Sir?” “Yes why?” said Blinker “I’ve got a telegram that will bring them in if you give it to them’ As may be seen I had all the confidence of my years.

Nigel de GreyZimmerman Telegram

1945

Acts of Deception

36 TNA Cat Ref: WO 106/5921

Patricia DaviesOperation Mincemeat

April1943

Acts of Espionage

37 TNA Cat Ref: KV 2/33 & HS 9/836/5

Karel RichterExecuted London

10 Dec 1941

Noor Inayat Khan G.C.Executed Dachau

13 Sep 1943

Acts of Terror?

38IWM Cat Ref: HU3321 & HU44927

‘It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of bombing German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror, though under other pretexts, should be reviewed.’

Winston ChurchillDraft Communication to Chiefs of Staff

28 Mar 1945

TNA Cat Ref: CAB 120/303

‘It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of so called “area bombing” of German cities should be reviewed from the point of view of our own interests.’

Winston ChurchillFinal Communication to Chiefs of Staff

1 Apr 1945

Acts of War Crime

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‘Q. What was the airman doing just before you fired?

A. When I stopped the car the airman continued to march and I marched behind him. Then I fired the shots.

Q. You fired the shots into his back?R. Yes.Q. He was just walking along in front

of you, was he?R. Yes.Q. About how far away?A. 4 to 5 metres.’

Kurt Walter Wilhelm Muller Evidence to War Crimes Investigation Team

31 July 1945

TNA Cat Ref: WO 309/1963

What do the documents tell us?Does conflict make ordinary people commit extraordinary acts?

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Nations at War: Conflict

What do the documents tell us?

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TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

You were never meant to see this document

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

13/15 OLQ de OMQ 1005 83 234 250State secret! To the commander of the Security Police, for the attention of SS Obersturmbahnfuhrer HEIM, CRACOW. Re: 14-day report operation REINHARD. Reference: radio telegram from there. Recorded arrivals until 31.12.42, L 12761, B 0, S 515, T 10335, totalling 23611. Situation… 31.12.42, L 24733, B 434508, S 101370, T 71355, totalling 1274166. SS and police leader of Lublin, HOFLE, Sturmbannfuhrer

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

The Hoefle Telegram – Significance

Witte, Peter, and Tyas, Stephen, “A New Document on the Deportation and Murder of Jews during ‘Einsatz Reinhardt 1942’”, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vol. 15, No. 3, Winter 2001, ISBN 0-19-922506-0

13/15 OLQ de OMQ 1005 83 234 250State secret! To the commander of the Security Police, for the attention of SS Obersturmbahnfuhrer HEIM, CRACOW. Re: 14-day report operation REINHARD Reference: radio telegram from there. Recorded arrivals until 31.12.42, L 12761, B 0, S 515, T 10335, totalling 23611. Situation… 31.12.42, L 24733, B 434508, S 101370, T 71355, totalling 1274166. SS and police leader of Lublin, HOFLE, Sturmbannfuhrer

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

The Hoefle Telegram – Authenticity?

“MY CONCLUSION is therefore that the intercepted Hermann Höfle signal is an authentic document, and that its content has not been reverse-engineered from the Korherr report; and that it is a pivotal document in the history of where the real Holocaust operations were taking place;” David Irving “A Radicals Diary” Blog http://www.fpp.co.uk/Auschwitz/docs/Hoefle_No2/Hoefle_doc_No2.html

“Maybe the numbers are from a shopping list. This is starting to look like a fake - maybe not but time will tell;” Wikipedia Talk: Hoefle Telegram http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:H%C3%B6fle_Telegram

TNA Cat Ref: HW 16/23

Nations at War: What do the Documents Tell Us? • History is an enquiry process• Documents are the life-blood of what historians do• They reveal the complexity of the past• They help challenge the preconceptions that we hold• They allow us to develop a deep historical understanding• They allow us to “test” the past• They ensure we continually renew our interpretation• They underpin our historical judgements and allow us to

challenge those who would deny the past

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Andrew PayneHead of EducationThe National Archives

andrew.payne@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk020 8392 5319www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education

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