Correct to explain that Sempill 'became' - and was not 'made' a Lord
and yes - true Sempill's involvement had been revealed earlier in
the Telegraph - but makes little differenc to the revelations that Sempill had been in the pay of Japan for some time - and he was as late as
Dec 15th 1941 discovered making phone calls to the Jap embassy (Japan attacked Singapore and Hawaii on Dec 7th - or 8th depending which side of the pedantic date line is chosen).
On the suggestion that Singapores demise was a deliberate sacrifice
by Whitehall - In this latest regurgitation of the numerous failings and events leading to the disaster can be added a further most serious event - the results of which would guarantee to strengthen Japans decision to attack.
In November 1940 the SS Automoden was sunk by the German raider
Atlanta some miles off the Java coast. Before the Automoden sunk the German boarding party recovered a top secret lead weighted bag
containing documents from Whitehall addressed to Air Marshal Brook Popham Singapore giving confidential and most secret details of Singapores and Malayas defences - including strategy weakness and Britains general policy and plans for defence in the Far East in the event of war with Japan - In effect the papers confirmed that Singapores defences were near enough myth and bluff - As history would prove.
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