AN ASTONISHING attack on American arrogance by angry British military chiefs has been revealed in a newspaper report based on leaked secret documents.
While British political leaders are generally groomed to obey orders from Washington and keep their mouths shut, outraged army commanders have let the cat out of the bag regarding the one-sided balance of the 'special relationship'.
The report in The Daily Telegraph, on Monday November 23 refers to "deep hostiltity" towards the Americans among top British soldiers.
It quotes the British chief of staff in Iraq, Colonel J.K.Tanner, who served as chief of staff to General Stewart and of the entire British division during Operation Telic 3, from November 2003 to May 2004 as saying: “The whole system was appalling. We experienced real difficulty in dealing with American military and civilian organisations who, partly through arrogance and partly through bureaucracy, dictate that there is only one way: the American way.
“I now realise that I am a European, not an American. We managed to get on better…with our European partners and at times with the Arabs than with the Americans. Europeans chat to each other, whereas dialogue is alien to the US military… dealing with them corporately is akin to dealing with a group of Martians."
Col Tanner’s boss, the top British commander in the country, Major General Andrew Stewart, told how he spent “a significant amount of my time” “evading” and “refusing” orders from his US superiors.
At least once, say the documents, General Stewart’s refusal to obey an order resulted in Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Sir David Manning, being summoned to the State Department for a diplomatic reprimand - of the kind more often delivered to “rogue states” such as Zimbabwe or the Sudan.
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