British naval and army intelligence judged the Dutch-airfield story very unlikely. Royal Air Force intelligence nevertheless used the threat to argue that more money was needed for fighters. That stance contradicted the RAF's earlier insistence that the bomber would always get through, which had favored bombers over fighter investment. Canaris's disinformation gained force because it entered an existing interservice dispute over doctrine, funding, and responsibility for earlier underinvestment.
Notable Point · 21:56-22:54
The Dutch scare and British interservice budget politics
Naval and army intelligence doubted the scare, while RAF intelligence used it to seek more fighter funding, exposing how deception could exploit a service budget dispute.