Far from offsetting the failure of British shipbuilding, neglect of port and shipping management initially eroded Britain's logistical independence after France's defeat. Prime Minister Winston Churchill bears culpability for his Government's belated recognition that the long-term threat of a shipping shortage demanded immediate attention. Minister of Shipping Ronald Cross did foresee an escalating shipping crisis. But Churchill overlooked the decline in shipping capacity and delayed priority for seaborne communications. He was preoccupied with the Nazi invasion threat after Germany's conquest of France, and correctly surmised that the British people shared that fear. The Royal Navy concentrated on deterring invasion, largely ignoring escort duties until late autumn. Steel was diverted from merchant shipbuilding to naval and tank production. Obsession with invasion thus threatened to postpone retribution for aggression indefinitely and perhaps bring starvation. Insofar as Churchill focused elsewhere in the autumn of 1940, he prematurely sought success in the Middle East.