How to Read a Document: Examine the Letter

Conclusions

As we come to the end of the package, I want you to look back at Eden's letter and to consider the motivation behind it. It seems as if he just wants to thank Chamberlain for his support and to up-date him on developments. Was that his real purpose?

Now that you have worked through the package can you try to answer the question we posed at the beginning of the package - Why do you think Eden wrote this letter to Chamberlain?

This is a searching question for which there is no single correct answer. Try to develop your own. Remember that you may copy short sections from earlier documents and selected quotations from the letter. As there is no computer analysis of your answer to this question, you may wish to print your final answer for marking.

Question 12

Why do you think Eden wrote this letter to Chamberlain?

Start your answer in notepad 12 by saying

"At first I thought the main reason Eden wrote was to thank Chamberlain for his help. Now I think that he wrote the letter because…

In your discussions you might want to consider whether Eden is trying to put pressure on Chamberlain. Is he trying to alert Chamberlain to the fact that Britain is playing a weak hand and needs a strong ally. Is it a cry for rearmament to be taken more seriously? Does it indicate any fundamental tensions over foreign policy which were to flare up later.
Good luck!

Enter your answer in Notepad 12.