Why nicotine access was not an admiral's problem

Which admiral might have performed better if given access to nicotine?

Few admirals lacked access to nicotine: cigarettes were issued in wartime rations, while the account of special flights for Churchill's cigars is presented as an anecdote.

Cigarettes were included in wartime rations, and smoking was common enough that finding a nonsmoking area could require effort. Admirals generally had access to tobacco, so its absence is a poor explanation for their performance in the comparison being proposed. Accounts recalled during the discussion describe three or four emergency transatlantic flights to resupply Churchill's preferred cigars. That final example remains an anecdote from sources recalled by the participant.