"The Naval Intelligence Department and its predecessor, the Foreign Intelligence Committee, introduced staff work to the admiralty. It remained the navy's closest approximation to a general staff until 1912, yet failed to achieve representation on the Board or employ officers with appropriate training. The stunted development is frequently explained by the circumstances of its birth at which, it is only argued, only the pressure of public opinion aroused by farsighted commentators forced its establishment on a reluctant Admiralty."