In this interpretation, the Air Ministry believed it understood aviation better than its naval customer and simplified the choices it presented. Its institutional preferences could therefore shape a requirement before the Admiralty had a chance to assess all the possibilities. That explanation allows for sincere intentions while identifying a problem with the information supplied. Admirals Backhouse and Henderson are singled out as unusual Third Sea Lords who undertook their own research. A teaching analogy makes the same point: carefully selected reading can lead people toward a predetermined conclusion, whereas a fuller presentation allows them to reach their own judgments.
Notable Point · 2:17:59-2:20:25
How filtered technical advice limited naval procurement choices
An intermediary's assumptions could restrict the technical information available to naval decision-makers.