`."System- "Systemgl,_ye-"System--@Times New Roman--- O2 q`-cBritish Cabinet Conference on Irish Situation             2 qc    2 `c  @Times New Roman--- 52 `cIntroduction from Chronology         2 Sc  @Times New Roman--- 2 ` cFirst full    2 c- s2 Ecscale conference between the British cabinet and the Irish Executive                   2 c   2 c   2 `Qcmany historians see this conference as the point at which the British decided to                        S2 `0cenforce a policy of coercion in Ireland rather t             ;2  chan one of entering discussions         @Times New Roman--------- 2 ` cwith Sinn F      2 c 2 cin ---  2 c  ---  2 `c  ------ 2 ` cMore Detail  ---  2 c  --- g2 9`=cAmong those present were Lloyd George (PM); Andrew Bonar Law               2 N`Mc(Conservative Leader and Lord Privy Seal); Austen Chamberlain (Chancellor of                       d2 d`;cthe Exchequer); Winston Churchill (Secretary of State for W                )2 d'car); Arthur Balfour      t2 y`Fc(Lord President of the Council); Hamar Greenwood (Chief Secretary for                    z2 `JcIreland); Walter Hume Long (First Lord of the Admiralty); Herbert Fisher                   2 `c( @2 f#cPresident of the Board of Education            I2 {)c); Field Marshall Viscount French (Lord             "2 `cLieutenant of I     d2 ;creland), Lord Birkenhead (Lord Chancellor); George Curzon                  z2 `Jc(Foreign Secretary); James Graig (in what capacity?), Nevil Macready (GOC                   t2 `FcBritish Army in Ireland); Major General Hugh Tudor (Police Adviser in                =2 `!cIreland); John Anderson (see May       2 pc- 2 vc22   2 c- #2 c20/1); James McM    2 " cahon (see May    2 c- 2 c22   2 c-  12 `c20/1); Andy Cope (see May       2 :c- 2 @c22   2 Tc- D2 Z&c20/1) and William Evelyn Wylie (Legal           2 %`McAdvisor to Dublin Castle). (Was Henry Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General                   ---  2 :`cStaff, there?)    ---  2 :c  --- 2 W`McWylie presented two papers with the options of coercion or negotiations with                       2 l`cSin   |2 lzKcn Fin. Coercion would entail Martial Law of the most stringent kind.                     2 `RcHis opinion was that this was not a solution because once lifted, the feeling of                      z2 `Jcbitterness and hatred among the Irish towards Britain would intensify and                       12 `cconditions would return t       b2 :co the present strife. He argues for negotiations with              |2 `KcSinn Fin. He said that they should drop the Government of Ireland Act in                      |2 `Kcfavour of Dominion Home Rule i.e. autonomy for Ireland within the Empire.                    S2 `0cHe is backed by Anderson and McMahon. Curzon po            )2  cints out that This       z2 `Jcprogramme of mingled coercion, plus the Government Bill, meant that there                    |2 `Kcwould be no real attempt to settle the Irish Question for six months. (As                   y2 -`IcFanning points out, Twelve months would have been a better estimate.)                   2 -c   2 I` cTudor acknowl    n2 IBcedges that as a police force the RIC could not last much longer                   2 _`Qcbut he said that they might have a great effect as a military body and goes on                      =2 t`!cto announce that he is recruiting        2 tSc  2 tVc500 ex    2 tc- 42 tcofficers and a number of ex         2 tbc- 2 th csoldiers to      52 `cmake up for the resignations        2 ;c  +2 @cfrom the RIC [See Jul        2 c- 2 c06   2 c- 2   c20/2 and Jul      2 kc- 2 qc27   2 c- 2 c20/2].    2 `PcHe argues for coercion and says that, with proper support, it would be possible                   --- O2 `-cto crush the present campaign of outrage.             ---  2 c  --- q2 `DcTwo camps emerging. On conciliation side were Macready, Greenwood,                 2 ` cMcMahon, Ande   J2 *crson, Cope, Wylie, Curzon and Chamberlain.           2 4c   2 9c  #2 >cOn the coercion       s2 `Ecside were Tudor, Long, Birkenhead, Churchill, Law, Balfour and Craig.                  2 c   2 c  2 cLloyd   "Arial--ccbbaa