1941 Committee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1941 Committee was a group of U.K. politicians, writers and other people of influence who got together in 1941. Its members were comprised of liberals and those further left but who were generally not involved with any political party, and its immediate purpose was to press for more efficient production in order to enhance the war effort. This swiftly developed into discussion of the methods and mores by which the United Kingdom would be governed after World War II. The members met at the home of Edward Hulton, the publisher of Picture Post.

Its members included:

• J. B. Priestley, chairman
• Richard Acland,
• David Astor,
• Thomas Balogh,
• Vernon Bartlett,
• Violet Bonham Carter,
• Ritchie Calder,
• Tom Driberg,
• Michael Foot,
• Victor Gollancz,
• Eva Hubback,
• Edward G. Hulton,
• Margaret Storm Jameson,
• Douglas Jay,
• David Low,
• Kingsley Martin,
• Christopher Mayhew,
• Peter Thorneycroft,
• Richard Titmuss,
• Tom Wintringham,
• Konni Zilliacus

In May 1942 the committee published a Nine Point Plan on which it had agreed. This plan was the basis for the successful election campaign of Tom Driberg as an independent in the Maldon byelection. Shortly after, Priestley and most of the moderate members left, and under the guidance of Richard Acland the committee merged with his organisation 'Forward March' to create the Common Wealth Party in July 1942.

Commitee members were responsible for the publication of two anonymous best-selling books: Guilty Men by Cato (Driberg, Foot and Wintringham) and Your M.P. by Graccus (Wintringham), both published by Gollancz, which exposed pro-fascist sympathies amongst Conservative politicians.