WAR MEMOIRS OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE 1917

120 WAR MEMOIRS OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE
planes with their fire before they reached London. Under
the new organisation developed from General Smuts' recommendations,
our air defences of London were rapidly transformed
in strength and effectiveness. Daylight raids became
too dangerous for the Germans to attempt, and night raids
grew steadily more difficult and costly.
The second matter referred to this Committee — the
question of air organisation generally and the higher direction
of aerial operations — took longer to examine. In consultation
with me, General Smuts set himself to consider the
questions:
1. Shall there be instituted a real Air Ministry responsible
for all air organisation and operations?
2. Shall there be constituted a unified Air Service embracing
both the present R.N.A.S. and R.F.C.?
3. If so, how shall the relations of the new Air Service to the
Navy and Army be determined so that the functions at present
discharged for them by the R.N.A.S. and R.F.C. respectively shall
continue to be efficiently performed by the new Air Service?
The second and final report, presented by General Smuts
on August 17th, 1917, contained an examination of these
questions and a series of recommendations for their solution.
The report noted briefly the controversies which had
raged round this issue in the former War Committee. It paid
tribute to the excellent work of the reconstituted Air Board,
but pointed out that this body was really a Conference rather
than a Board, being a consultative association of representatives
of the Fighting Services and Ministry of Munitions,
without a technical and advisory personnel of its own. Hence
it could never form an independent air policy, but only one
subordinated to military and naval strategy. The time was
now rapidly approaching when such subordination could no
longer be justified.