ABSTRACT
The powers conferred on Sir William Robertson, on which he had insisted when he accepted the post of Chief of the Imperial General Staff, although desirable at the time of his appointment, were very great. To some extent they had weakened the authority of the Secretary of State for War. Robertson objections to the setting up of the Supreme War Council, for example, and his hostile attitude towards the subsequent developments at Versailles, did much to widen the rift. The Supreme War Council, on the initiative of Lloyd George, then decided that the arrangement between Haig and Petain for mutual support should be communicated formally to the Permanent Military Representatives at Versailles. They were to prepare a plan in concert with them for supporting the Italian Army in the event of an enemy attack on their front. Altogether the Executive War Board had already become rather 'fly-blown'.
