WAR MEMOIRS OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE 1917

STOCKHOLM AND MR. ARTHUR HENDERSON 151
in this effort, but the fact that then and subsequently this
question seems to have been unresolved, and that there was
a strong wish on the part of a number of the national Socialist
groups proposing to attend Stockholm to make it the occasion
for authoritative pronouncements, shows how recklessly
Mr. Henderson was plunging in supporting the scheme.
He returned to England on August 1st, and had an interview
with me at which he recounted his proceedings. I
could not disguise the unpleasant character of the situation
which he had created by his action. At the same time I was
extremely unwilling to lose him from the Government. He
had been a loyal and courageous colleague. He had done
some very fine work for the country as a member of my
own Cabinet and of the preceding one, in helping us to
keep in touch with Labour and in getting the Trade Unions
to cooperate with us in necessary war measures. I also
had a warm personal esteem for him. So I decided to
talk the whole thing over with the rest of the War Cabinet
and seek their agreement with the course of retaining him
with us, if at all practicable. I asked him to come round to
the Cabinet that afternoon at half-past four, to discuss
matters with us.
It was of course inevitable that the other members of
the War Cabinet would wish to express their views in this
discussion with considerable frankness, and we decided to
get this part over before asking Mr. Henderson to join us.
As a result, he was asked on his arrival to wait a while in my
Secretary's rooms. This was the famous "doormat" incident.
Unfortunately the delay, which was designed solely to spare
him personal unpleasantness, lasted about an hour, and
when at the end of that time Mr. Barnes went out to speak
to him about what had been taking place, he found Mr.
Henderson in a highly resentful frame of mind. There was
no longer any question of his offering to resign, as he had