As regards control of the Air, Mr. Baldwin said that
the Government had unanimously decided in favour of the principle of single control. He outlined the recommenda- tions of the Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence, but added that the final Report would be presented in the autumn. The Sub-Committee had come to the conclusion that naval men should have a part in the counsels of the Air Ministry and airmen a part in the counsels of the Admiralty. Co-operation between the Departments was the idea, not absorption. The Sub-Committee recommended that at sea the naval captain should have supreme authority over the airmen. This principle perhaps, further developed, ought in the end to satisfy the reasonable claims of the Admiralty. Finally, Mr. Baldwin emphasized the Government's decision against creating a Ministry of Defence. The existing system of co-ordinating, however, required to be defined and strengthened. It was suggested that the three Chiefs of Staff might be responsible for advising on defence policy and together constitute, as it were, " the Super-chief of a War Staff in commission.".
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