Chatfield's 14-inch-gun bargain with Henderson

What important decision did Chatfield get right despite being wrong about the 14-inch gun?

He empowered Henderson over other ship designs, but that authority was part of the price paid to preserve Chatfield's preferred battleship gun.

The choice cannot be judged only by shell caliber or Chatfield's preference for rate of fire. To secure 14-inch guns for the King George V class, he conceded authority over other ship-design decisions to Third Sea Lord Reginald Henderson. That bargain effectively transferred the keys to much of Royal Navy procurement at a critical moment. The public narrative was later easier to reshape after Henderson's death, making the institutional trade less visible than the gun debate.