CCL1
CAMBRIDGE CONSULTANTS LIMITED
This paper focuses on my encounters with Cambridge Consultants Limited. To provide necessary background brief references are made to contemporaneous 'happenings' unrelated to CCL or whose association with CCL only developed or emerged later. Names appearing in Spycatcher are shown in red.
1961-65 : THE CCL STORY SO FAR
My encounters with CCL while I was at the Cavendish Laboratory and then at Marconi Instruments and the background in which they took place have already been described in the Cambridge Gown and Marconi Instruments sections. The following is a summary of those earlier encounters with a commentary on their possible significance, together with notes on much else was taking place:-
1961
My first encounter with CCL was in mid-August 1961 when a Mr. Tim Eiloart came to see me at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. He wanted advice about a technical problem. He was an Assistant Research Officer (or some such title) in the Department of Experimental Psychology and had set up CCL as a sideline. He worked for Richard Gregory, who was a Lecturer in the Department and also initially a director of CCL. I gave Tim Eiloart an hour of my time. Later, another assistant in the same Department, named Saltmarsh, came and asked my advice on behalf of CCL.
On both occasions it never occurred to me to ask for reimbursement - many researchers within the University came to my Section to consult me about their electronics and related problems and I made no distinction between them and those who came on behalf of a tiny enterprising offshoot of the University. I was therefore surprised when, on 11th October 1961, about three weeks after I had accepted the post of Chief of Advanced Development at M.I., Tim Eiloart sent me a cheque for the time I had given him.
This prompted me to consult him about two weeks later on what to charge M.I. for a patent it wished to purchase from me. His advice was too vague to follow but the discussion with him of the basic issues was useful. When by early December 1961 agreement on the patent was reached with M.I. - they purchased it outright for £500 - I sent Tim Eiloart a cheque for £25 for his contribution to my thinking on the transaction.
In August 1961 I was over half‑way through the 18‑month period which M.I.'s Ray Burnett later said it had taken the company to "winkle" me out of the Cavendish. By this time I had noted, without knowing the reason why, that several approaches made to me were somewhat odd and puzzling. However, the CCL approaches were not among those which gave me pause for thought - I had regarded their visits as completely innocuous. Not only was I unaware at that time of the "winkling out" process but I had no idea whatsoever of techniques deriving from managerial psychology.
Events during a much later association with CCL gave me good reason to wonder if, in 1961, CCL had been commissioned by M.I. or another company in the English Electric empire to glean something of my thinking about M.I. The visit by Tim Eiloart to me at the Cavendish was either just before or just after my second visit to M.I. The visit by Saltmarsh came just before or just after Ray Burnett made his new offer. Had the 'spotter' technique been applied during my negotiations with M.I.?
1962
After I joined M.I. there was some remote contact with CCL in that in 1962 I recommended STAL (Scientific Teaching Apparatus Ltd.), with whom I was carrying out consulting work, to have some apparatus made by CCL. I also discussed CCL with J.B. Davis (a former colleague at Cambridge Instruments and a member of my Lodge) in connection with one of his projects. In addition, I heard adverse reports of CCL's publicity-seeking methods from a friend, Dr. Gabriel Horn, Lecturer in Anatomy and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge.
For future reference in connection with the CCL saga, it should be noted that the Frontispiece of the June 1962 issue of Marconi House Magazine refers to AIM (India):-
Many people in New Delhi are finding work in industry and, as a step in M.I.'s expansion programme, power meters, vacuum tube voltmeters, and pH meters are now being produced at the A.I.M.-Marconi, Service and Calibration Centre, New Delhi.* This development will make the wider use of M.I. products possible in India, which at present has severe restrictions on imports
*Associated Instruments Manufacturers (India) Private Limited.
1965
April 1965
I had forgotten the existence of CCL until, around 1st April 1965, T. Eiloart of CCL wrote to me asking if M.I. would be interested in purchasing the designs for a range of low-priced instruments. He had, a few days before, appeared on BBC Television criticising British instrument manufacturers for not taking up his company's brilliant designs. CCL, he said in the programme, would probably have to sell them to an American company.
Tim Eiloart was Managing Director of CCL and at the time of this renewed contact was 29 years old. His outward appearance was what one could describe as charmingly inconspicuous - yet in conversation it was clear that he was quick on the uptake, had a certain sense of humour and was rather calculating, thrusting and opportunistic.
When I reported CCL's approach to R.E. Burnett, he said "so you have heard from them?" and suggested we both pay them a visit. I advised against this on the grounds that CCL might use the visit or aspects of it in a manner detrimental to M.I. It was agreed that I should go to CCL to see what the instruments were like and forthwith I arranged with Tim Eiloart that I visit his Company on Friday 9th April 1965, arriving late-morning.
Then on Monday 5th April I had a meeting with R.E. Burnett in which he told me in an insulting manner that, subject to final approval by Lord Nelson, Dr. H.S. Arms was to be posted to M.I. as Technical Director. REB added that Dr. Arms would be visiting the company in the afternoon of 9th April and he had asked to see a number of people, including me.
On Friday 9th April 1965 I visited CCL at Cambridge at the time arranged, was entertained to lunch and examined their instruments. I was not impressed with their design. CCL had no idea of designing for production and their market knowledge was in effect limited to a few University Departments. However the performance figures claimed, both technical and economic, were interesting.
I cut my visit to CCL short and hurried back to M.I. at St. Albans to see Dr. Arms. During my meeting with him I told him I wished to leave M.I. for another job in the English Electric Group. Then, at a Product Policy Committee meeting on 15th April, Ray Burnett announced that Lord Nelson had appointed Shull Arms as Technical Director of M.I.
If it was not a coincidence that Shull Arms visited M.I. on the day arranged for my visit to CCL two of the possible explanations that come to mind are that Ray Burnett may have chosen the date to prevent my meeting Shull Arms and the other is that the 2nd Lord Nelson was indicating that I should get out and join CCL. This would be be consistent with the 'back to Cambridge' theme.
So far as my visit to CCL was concerned, back at M.I. I suggested we should help them prove their claims. CCL was short of basic electronic equipment such as oscilloscopes so that the instruments could not be demonstrated whereas M.I. had plenty and indeed produced and marketed that kind of equipment. Accordingly, later in April 1965 some M.I. engineers visited CCL with an oscilloscope to measure the performance of some of the instruments. They reported adversely. That was the end of this particular contact with CCL.
June 1965
At the end of June 1965 I was approached by a Mr. Hawley of English Electric, Stafford, who asked my opinion of CCL. They had apparently heard of them and were thinking of placing an order with them for a £20,000 mobile measurement facility. I addressed my reply to Hawley but a Mr. A.P. Baines and one or two others were also in the picture so I sent copies of my reply to them.
I advised something to the effect that CCL were a bunch of bright chaps who unfortunately had little experience of production or marketing. Their resources might be inadequate to meet a £20,000 order. At the bottom of Hawley's copy I added by hand what to me was no more than a helpful afterthought, namely that it might be worthwhile E.E. investing discreetly in CCL and injecting production and marketing know‑how.
I thought the approach by English Electric Stafford rather odd at the time but it was among many other odd things that were happening. It may well have been that my minor helpful comment to Mr. Hawley had a shattering effect on my career.
It was around this time that R.E. Burnett told me he had known from just after I sent it of my strictly confidential letter to Sir Gordon Radley asking for a transfer to Marconi, Chelmsford. Eric Eastwood was the only other person authorised to see it.
July 1965
In July 1965 there occurred another contact with CCL. Tim Eiloart phoned me and asked if he and Gordon Edge, CCL's Technical Director, could visit M.I. to see what sort of activities were involved in producing a commercial instrument and to sell their consulting services. I agreed to their visit, particularly from the point of view of helping them to change from a University to a Manufacturing culture which had been the nub of my comments about CCL after our earlier contacts. So on 20th July 1965 Tim Eiloart, accompanied by Adrian Horne, the Commercial Director, instead of Gordon Edge was shown over M.I. and went away with much food for thought. I don't think at that time I thought this M.I.-CCL interaction might be part of a hidden agenda.
October 1965
Around 14th October a Mr. Chisholm of English Electric, Kidsgrove, telephoned and asked me what I knew about CCL. He said he was thinking of getting them to make up some apparatus for an exhibition and somebody had told him I knew them. The outcome of this conversation was that it was arranged that Chisholm would visit CCL and that I would meet him there to effect an introduction. I telephoned Tim Eiloart and fixed the joint visit for 1130 on Thursday 21st October.
When our visit took place, I was surprised that Mr. Chisholm seemed to have forgotten about his original requirement of exhibition apparatus and devoted most of his time to asking questions about the financial aspects of the CCL.
I treated this approach along the same lines as the one from English Electric Stafford back in July. Sir Gordon Radley was closely associated with Kidsgrove, as Chairman of EELM Computers and of course Lord Nelson was closely linked to Stafford. Were these attempts to influence by association? If so, they were wasted on me for I was wise to the possibility that these had originated from Ray Burnett, who had pals who would do him a favour in many parts of English Electric, rather than from Sir Gordon or Lord Nelson. I therefore disregarded the possible hidden meanings of the CCL contacts and treated them all at face value.
December 1965
I had received a request from CCL for one of their senior engineers, a Mr. Jeremy Prosser, to come to M.I. on 3rd December 1965 to demonstrate a sampling converter, a technique in electronic instrumentation of great personal interest. I agreed to the request.
Shortly afterwards I received a 'gob-smacking' invitation - it was to Opening of a new Wing of the University of Cambridge Engineering Laboratory by Lord Nelson of Stafford! The invitation was in the name of Sir John Baker and staff and the event was to take place on Friday 3rd December.
There was an associated invitation to an evening Conversazione in the Engineering Department to celebrate the completion of the Engineering Laboratory and I had accepted both.
On Friday 3rd December I did not try to fit in both the CCL visit to M.I. at St. Albans and the event associated with English Electric at Cambridge - I introduced J. Prosser to a few engineers at M.I. before departing for Cambridge.
The Opening took place in a Common Room at the Engineering Laboratory and we stood around for the brief ceremony. Arthur Armitage, Vice Chancellor of the University (and a member of Alma Mater Lodge), introduced Lord Nelson, who said a few words and declared the Wing open. It was at this point that someone I had never met before or since, who had come over to stand by my side, made pointed derogatory remarks to me about Lord Nelson's performance; it would be in keeping with other experiences if this communication turned out to have been pre-arranged.
Of the 200,000 or so employees of English Electric, Eric Eastwood was the only other member of the Group present at the Opening but he did not stay for the ensuing tea. I discovered that the invitation to me had been at the behest of David Marples. He had also had an invitation sent to Jim Wickens, who had accepted but cancelled at the last minute.
I wondered if the coincidence of the CCL visit to M.I. at St. Albans with my presence at the Opening by Lord Nelson in Cambridge was yet another attempt at associative influence - which I disregarded.
When I was next in M.I., St. Albans, I heard that Jeremy Prosser's visit had been a disaster - the sampling converter proved to be faulty and could not be demonstrated. That was my last contact with CCL while I was still at M.I.
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