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Cryptic comments about Company Chairmen after an IEE meeting on Design

I opened a IEE Discussion on “The Design of Electronic Equipment” at Manchester College of Technology, after which I was taken out to dinner.  One member of the party, after claiming he had a very close connection with the Marconi Co. introduced the topic of Chairmen of large companies and mentioned that the Chairman of AEI, Sir Charles Wheeler, had risen up suddenly from nowhere and that the instrument side of AEI was one of the most profitable in the whole Group.

Odd M.I. encounter at the IEE

I attended an IEE meeting on the Bosworth Report.  George Bosworth was still Group Personnel Director of English Electric.

Bill Brian, Company Secretary of M.I. was there, which was very odd because he was essentially an accountant and knew nothing about engineering.  It was probably the only IEE meeting he attended in his whole life.  I nodded in a friendly fashion to Bill Brian but did not attempt to speak to him.

By sending Bill Brian to the meeting, was Ray Burnett trying to signal something?  He had said he would wait two years for me but only one year was up.

Urgent invitation by M.I.'s John Brodrick

It seemed M.I. people were wanting to meet me for out of the blue, John Brodrick, Commercial Manager of M.I., telephoned and asked if we could meet.  He seemed annoyed that I couldn't lunch with him the following day but we fixed another date, which however he later cancelled.

Sudden interest by M.I. explained

It was some time later that I learned that the April 1965 appointment by Lord Nelson of Shull Arms as Technical Director had been for two years only.  Ray Burnett had strongly objected to the appointment and as it was coming up for renewal it is highly likely that he, in collaboration with George Bosworth, were sounding out the possibility of my displacing Shull Arms.  What Ray Burnett did not realise or recognise was that I had resolved to leave M.I. because of his own machinations, long before Shull Arms appeared on the scene.

Undermining of job applications continuing

At Redifon an 'interview' with Mr. Harris, a director, went like this:-

Have a cigar!  What alot you are missing at the Electronic Engineering Association.  They seem to have adopted your policies.  You wouldn't really want to move from Harpenden, surely?  I must get in touch with Sir Gordon Radley (smirk).  Best of luck.

The agreement made on my departure from M.I. was still being completely ignored.

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