Transcripts

ABBOTT-WATT, Thorhilda (Thorda), OBE (b. 1955)

Abbott-Watt joined the Diplomatic Service in 1974, and her career included: Third Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1974–79; temporary duty tours in Latin America, Middle and Far East, 1979–80; Vice Consul, Paris, 1981–84; Third Secretary (Chancery), UK Rep to EU, 1984–86; Second Secretary: FCO, 1986–88; Bonn, 1988–91; First Secretary, EU Department and Western Europe Department, FCO, 1991–95; Head, Commercial Section, Kiev, 1995–98; First Secretary (Political), Belgrade, 1998–99; Head, Visa Policy Section, Joint Entry Clearance Unit, FCO, 1999–2001; Chargé d’Affaires, Tajikistan, 2001–02; Ambassador to Armenia, 2003–06; Conflict Issues Group, FCO, 2006; Head, Political/Military Group, Kabul, 2006; Afghanistan Group, FCO, 2006–07; Migration Directorate, FCO, 2007–08; Head of Strategy and Performance, UKTI, 2008; Ambassador to Mongolia, 2008–09 and 2011–12; Finance Directorate, FCO, 2009–10; International Liaison Section, Ministry of Defence, 2010; Deputy Head, 2012, Acting Head, 2012–15, Project Task Force, FCO; Ambassador to Turkmenistan, 2016–19; High Commissioner to Tonga, 2019–20; FCO COVID-19 Repatriation Cell.
Interviewed 2022.

ACLAND, Sir Antony Arthur, KG, GCMG, GCVO (1930-2021)

Diplomat. Joined Diplomatic Service, 1953; Middle Eastern Centre for Arab Studies, 1954; Dubai, 1955; Kuwait, 1956; Foreign Office, 1958–62; Assistant Private Secretary to Secretary of State, 1959–62; UK Mission to UN, 1962–66; Head of Chancery, UK Mission, Geneva, 1966–68; FCO, 1968, Head of Arabian Department, 1970–72; Principal Private Secretary to Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, 1972–75; Ambassador to Luxembourg, 1975–77, to Spain, 1977–79; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1980–82, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, and Head of Diplomatic Service, 1982–86; Ambassador to Washington, 1986–91.

Interviewed 2001.

ADAMS, Sir Geoffrey, KCMG (b. 1957)

Diplomat.  Joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1979; Third, later Second, Secretary, Jedda, 1982–85; Ecole Nationale d’Administration, Paris, 1985–87; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1987–91; First Secretary, Pretoria and Cape Town, 1991–94; European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 1995–98; Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, Cairo, 1998–2001; Consul-General, Jerusalem, 2001–03; Principal Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 2003–05; Ambassador to Iran, 2006–09; Director General (Political), FCO, 2009–12; Ambassador to the Netherlands, 2013–17; Ambassador to Egypt, 2018–21.
Interviewed 2023.

Sir Geoffrey Adams

ALEXANDER, Sir Michael, GCMG (1936-2002)

Home and James Callaghan) 1972-74; Counsellor (Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe) and later Head of Chancery, UK Mission, Geneva, 1974-77; Deputy Head, 1977-78, Head, 1978-79, Personnel Operations Department, FCO; Private Secretary (Overseas Affairs) to the Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher), 1979-81; Ambassador, Vienna, 1982-86; concurrently Head of UK Delegation to the Negotiations on Mutual and Balanced Reduction of Forces and Armaments in Central Europe, 1985-86; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative on North Atlantic Council, Brussels, 1986-92 (Dean of Council, 1991-92).
Interviewed 1998.

ALLINSON, Sir Walter Leonard, KCVO CMG (1926-2022)

Diplomat. Assistant Principal, Ministry of Fuel and Power (Petroleum Division), 1947–48; Assistant Principal, later Principal, Ministry of Education, 1948–58 (Assistant Private Secretary to Minister, 1953–54); transferred to Commonwealth Relations Office, 1958; First Secretary in Lahore and Karachi, 1960–62, Madras and New Delhi, 1963–66; Counsellor and Head of Political Affairs Department, March 1968; Deputy Head, later Head, of Permanent Under Secretary’s Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968–70; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, subsequently Deputy High Commissioner, Nairobi, 1970–73; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1974; Diplomatic Service Inspectorate, 1975; Deputy High Commissioner and Minister, New Delhi, 1975–77; High Commissioner, Lusaka, 1978–80; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Africa), 1980–82; High Commissioner in Kenya and Ambassador to UN Environment Programme, 1982–86.
Interviewed 1996.

AMY, Dennis Oldrieve, CMG OBE (1932-2016)

Diplomat. Entered HM Foreign, later HM Diplomatic Service, 1949; FO, 1949-51 and 1953-58; Athens, 1958-61; Second Secretary and Vice Consul, Moscow, 1961-63; FO, 1963-65; DSAO, 1965; Second Secretary and Passport Officer, Canberra, 1966-70; First Secretary, Ibadan, 1971-74; seconded to Department of Trade, 1974-75; FCO, 1976-78; First Secretary (Commercial), Santiago, 1978-83 (Chargé d’Affaires, 1979); FCO, 1983-86 (Counsellor, 1985-86); Consul General, Bordeaux, 1986-89; Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Madagascar, 1990-92, and Ambassador (non-resident) to Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, 1991-92.
Interviewed 1998

ARTHUR, Sir Michael Anthony, KCMG (b. 1950)

Arthur entered the Diplomatic Service in 1972, and his diplomatic career included: UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1972; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-74; 3rd, later 2nd Secretary, UK Permanent Representation to EU, 1974–76; 2nd Secretary, Kinshasa, 1976–78; European Community Department (Internal), FCO, 1978–81; Private Secretary to Lord Privy Seal, 1981; Private Secretary to Minister of State, FCO, 1982; 1st Secretary, Bonn, 1984–88; Head, EC Department (Internal), FCO, 1988–93; Senior Associate Member, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, 1993; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Paris, 1993–97; Director (Resources) and Chief Inspector, FCO, 1997–99; Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Washington, 1999–2000; Economic Director, then Director-General, EU and Economic, FCO, 2001–03; High Commissioner, India, 2003–07; Ambassador to Germany, 2007–10.
Interviewed 2023.

Sir Michael Arthur

AUDLAND, Sir (John) Christopher, KCMG (1926-2019)

RA, 1944-48 (Temporary Captain). Entered Foreign (subsequently Diplomatic) Service, 1948; served in: Berlin and Bonn (British Negotiator, Allied/FRG Bonn Conventions, 1950-52); British Representation to Council of Europe, Strasbourg; Washington; UK Delegation to negotiations for British Membership of European Communities, Brussels, 1961-63; Co-ordinator and Editor-in-Chief, Foreign and Commonwealth Office report on negotiations for UK entry into EC, 1963; Buenos Aires, 1963-67; Head of Science and Technology Department, FCO, 1968-70 (Head, UK Delegation to 1st UN Conference on Seabed and Ocean Floor, 1968); Counsellor (Head of Chancery), Bonn, 1970-73 (Deputy Head, UK Delegation to Four-Power Negotiations on Berlin, 1970-72); seconded to Commission of European Communities, 1973: Deputy Secretary-General, 1973-81; Director-General for Energy, 1981-86.
Interviewed 2012 by Thomas Raineau (Université de Paris-Sorbonne).

BACHE, Andrew Philip Foley, CMG (b. 1939)

Diplomat. Joined Commonwealth Relations Office, 1963; 3rd Secretary, Nicosia, 1964-66; Treasury Centre for Administrative Studies, 1966; 2nd Secretary, Sofia, 1966-68; FCO, 1968-71; 1st Secretary, Lagos, 1971-74; FCO, 1974-78; 1st Secretary (Commercial), Vienna, 1978-81; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Tokyo, 1981-85; Counsellor, Ankara, 1985-87; Head of Personnel Services Department, FCO, 1988-90; on secondment as Diplomatic Service Chairman to CSSB, 1990-91; Ambassador to Romania, 1992-96; Ambassador to Copenhagen, 1996-99.
Interviewed 2000.

BAILEY, Ronald William, CMG (1917-2010)

Diplomat. Vice-Consul, Beirut, 1939, Alexandria, 1941; First Secretary, Cairo, 1945, Beirut, 1949, Washington, 1952; Counsellor, Khartoum, 1957; Chargé d’Affaires, Taiz, 1960-62; Consul-General, Gothenburg, 1963; Minister, Baghdad, 1965; Ambassador, La Paz, 1967, Rabat, 1971-5.
Interviewed 1996.

BAKER-BATES, Merrick Stuart, CMG (1939-2023)

Journalist, Brussels, 1962–63; entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1963; 3rd, later 2nd Secretary, Tokyo, 1963–68; 1st Secretary: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968–73; (Information), Washington, 1973–76; (Commercial), Tokyo, 1976–79; Counsellor (Commercial), Tokyo, 1979–82. Director, Cornes and Co., Tokyo, 1982–85; Representative Director, Gestetner Ltd (Japan), 1982–85; Deputy High Commissioner and Counsellor (Commercial/Economic), Kuala Lumpur, 1986–89; Head of South Atlantic and Antarctic Department, FCO, and Commissioner, British Antarctic Territory, 1989–92; Consul-General, Los Angeles, 1992–97.
Interviewed 2019.

BARDER, Sir Brian Leon, KCMG (1934-2017)

Diplomat. West African Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968; First Secretary, Moscow, 1971; Counsellor, Canberra, 1973; Head of Southern African Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1978; Ambassador, Addis Ababa, 1982; Ambassador, Warsaw, 1986; High Commissioner, Lagos and Ambassador to Benin, 1988; High Commissioner, Canberra, 1991.
Interviewed 1997.

DOHP 22 also includes recordings of the BBC Radio 4 programme “The Reunion” (2009), and of the longer discussion from which the programme was taken, where Sir Brian Barder, International Red Cross nurse Claire Bertschinger, the BBC reporter Michael Buerk, Dawit Wolde Giorgis, former head of the Ethiopian Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, and Hugh Goyder, former head of Oxfam’s Ethiopia programme were reunited to discuss their memories of the Ethiopian famine relief effort.

BARRIE, (Charles) David Ogilvy, CBE (b. 1953)

HM Diplomatic Service, 1975; Central and Southern Africa Department, FCO, 1975–76; Dublin, 1976–80; seconded to Cabinet Office Assessments Staff, 1980–81; North America Department, FCO, 1982–83; Republic of Ireland Department, FCO, 1983-87; transferred to Cabinet Office, 1988; seconded to Japan Festival 1991, as Executive Director, 1989–92; resigned from Cabinet Office, 1992.

BAYNE, Sir Nicholas Peter, KCMG (b. 1937)

Entered Diplomatic Service, 1961; served at British Embassies in Manila, 1963-66, and Bonn, 1969-72; seconded to Treasury, 1974-75; Financial Counsellor, Paris, 1975-79; Head of Financial, later Economic Relations, Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979-82; attached to Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1982-83; Ambassador to Zaire, 1983-84, also accredited to the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, 1984; seconded to Civil Service Selection Board, 1985; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, 1985-88; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1988-92; High Commissioner to Canada, 1992-96; Chairman, Liberalisation of Trade in Services Committee, British Invisibles, 1996-2000.
Interviewed 2016.

BEAMISH, Sir Adrian John, KCMG (1939-2024)

Joined the Diplomatic Service in 1962: Third, later Second Secretary, Tehran, 1963–66; Foreign Office, 1966–69; First Secretary, UK Delegation, OECD, Paris, 1970–73; New Delhi, 1973–76; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1976–78; Counsellor, Personnel Operations Department, FCO, 1978–80; Counsellor (Economic), Bonn, 1981–85; Head, Falkland Islands Department, FCO, 1985–87; Ambassador to Peru, 1987–89; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Americas), FCO, 1989–94; Ambassador to Mexico, 1994–99.
Interviewed 2019.

BEETHAM, Roger Campbell, CMG (1937-2009)

Diplomat. Beetham entered the Diplomatic Service in 1960, and his career included: Foreign Office, (1960-62); British Delegation to Disarmament Conference, Geneva [Switzerland], (1962-65); Washington [United States], (1965-68); News Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (1969-72); Head of Chancery, Helsinki [Finland], (1972-76); FCO, (1976); seconded to European Commission, Brussels [Belgium], as Spokesman of the President, Roy Jenkins, (1977-80); Counsellor (Economic and Commercial), New Delhi [India], (1981-85); Head of Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department, FCO, (1985-90); Ambassador to Senegal and (non-resident) to Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Mali, (1990-93); British Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe (with personal rank of Ambassador), 1993-1997.
Interviewed 2002.

BENNETT, Gillian, OBE MA FRHistS (b. 1951)

Joined the Foreign Office Historical Section in 1972: Research Assistant working on the official documentary history of British foreign policy, ‘Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939’; Assistant Editor (1983-85); Editor (1985-90). Foreign Office’s Strategic Planning Unit (1991-92); North America and Canada Desk’s Research and Analysis Department (1992-93); Performance Assessment Unit (1993-95); Chief Historian, Records and Historical Department (1995-2005). Visiting fellowship at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 2002-03, to work on her biography of Sir Desmond Morton, ‘Churchill’s Man of Mystery: Desmond Morton and the World of Intelligence’; Chief Historian for two more years, then part of the research team working on the official history of the Secret Intelligence Service; involved in a range of research projects for various Government departments from 2008 onwards; the 2006-07 distinguished visiting fellow lecturer at the Joint Services Command Staff College. Her book, ‘Six Moments of Crisis: Inside British Foreign Policy’, was published in 2013.
Interviewed 2019.

BERMAN, Sir Franklin Delow, KCMG QC (b. 1939)

Called to Bar, Middle Temple, 1966 (Hon. Bencher, 1997). HM Diplomatic Service, 1965–99: Assistant Legal Adviser, Foreign Office, 1965; Legal Adviser: British Military Government, Berlin, 1971; British Embassy, Bonn, 1972; Legal Counsellor, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1974; Counsellor and Legal Adviser, UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1982; FCO, 1985, Deputy Legal Adviser, 1988, Legal Adviser, 1991–99.
Interviewed 2018.

BEST, Sir Richard Radford, KCVO CBE (1933-2014)

Diplomat. Second Secretary, Lusaka, 1969-72; First Secretary (Economics), Stockholm, 1972-76; First Secretary (Commercial), New Delhi, 1979-82; Deputy High Commissioner, Kaduna, Nigeria, 1984-89; Ambassador, Reykjavik, 1989-92.
Interviewed 1996.

BIRCH, Sir John Allan, KCVO CMG (1935-2020)

Diplomat. Served with Middlesex Regiment, 1954-56. Joined Foreign Service, 1959; served: Paris, 1960-63; Singapore, 1963-64; Bucharest, 1965-68; Geneva, 1968-70; Kabul, 1973-76; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1977; Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Negotiations, Geneva, 1977-80; Counsellor, Budapest, 1980-83; Head of East European Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1983-86; Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to United Nations, New York, 1986-89; Ambassador to Hungary, 1989-95.
Interviewed 2004.

BONE, Sir Roger Bridgland, KCMG (b. 1944)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1966; UK Mission to UN, 1966; FCO, 1967; 3rd Secretary, Stockholm, 1968–70; 2nd Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970–73; 1st Secretary, Moscow, 1973–75; FCO, 1975–78; 1st Secretary, UK Permanent Representation to European Communities, Brussels, 1978–82; Assistant Private Secretary for Foreign Secretary, 1982–84; Visiting Fellow, Harvard University Center for International Affairs, 1984–85; Counsellor, 1985–89, and Head of Chancery, 1987–89, Washington; Counsellor, FCO, 1989–91; Assistant Under Secretary of State, FCO, 1991–95; Ambassador to Sweden, 1995–99; Ambassador to Brazil, 1999–2004.
Interviewed 2018.

BOWDEN, James Nicholas Geoffrey, CMG OBE MVO (b. 1960)

Served Army, 1979–86; entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1986; 2^nd Secretary, Republic of Ireland Department, FCO, 1986–88; Arabic language training, SOAS and Cairo, 1988-90; Deputy then Acting Consul General, Aden, 1990–91; 2nd Secretary, Khartoum, 1991–93; Head of Political Section, UN Department, FCO, 1993–96; 1^st Secretary, Washington, 1996–99; 1^st Secretary, Riyadh, 1999–2000; GCHQ, 2000-03, and Deputy Head, Afghanistan Emergency Unit, FCO and Deputy Head of Mission, Kabul, 2001-02; Deputy Head of Mission, Kuwait, 2003–04 and 2005–06; Deputy Head of Mission, Baghdad, 2004–05; Ambassador to Bahrain, 2006–11; Ambassador to Oman, 2011–14; Deputy Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, 2014–17; Ambassador to Chile, 2018–20.         

Interviewed 2022

BOYD, Sir John Dixon Iklé, KCMG (1936-2019)

Diplomat. Joined HM Foreign Service, 1962; Hong Kong, 1962-64; Peking, 1965-67; Foreign Office, 1967-69; Washington, 1969-73; 1st Secretary, Peking, 1973-75; secondment to HM Treasury, 1976; Counsellor: (Economic), Bonn, 1977-81; (Economic and Social Affairs), UK Mission to UN, 1981-84; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1984; Political Adviser, Hong Kong, 1985-87; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1987-89; Chief Clerk, FCO, 1989-92; Ambassador to Japan, 1992-96.
Interviewed 1999.

BRAITHWAITE, Sir Rodric Quentin, GCMG (b. 1932)

Diplomat. Third Secretary, Jakarta, Indonesia, 1957; Second Secretary, Warsaw, Poland, 1959; First Secretary (Commercial), Moscow, 1963, Rome, 1966; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Brussels, 1975; Head of Planning Staff, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979; Minister (Commercial) Washington, 1982; Ambassador, Moscow, 1988-92; Foreign Policy Adviser and Chairman of Joint Intelligence Committee, 1992-3.
Interviewed 1998.

BRENTON, Sir Anthony, KCMG (b. 1950)

Joined Diplomatic Service, 1975; Cairo, 1978-81; European Communities Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1981-85; with UK Permanent Representation to EC, 1985-86; Deputy Chef de Cabinet, EC, 1986-89; Counsellor, 1989; Head: UN Department, FCO, 1989-90; Environment, Science and Energy Department, FCO, 1990-92; Fellow, Centre for International Affairs, Harvard University, 1992-93; Counsellor, Moscow, 1994-98; Director for Global Issues, FCO, 1998-2001; Minister, Washington, 2001-04; Ambassador to Russia, 2004-08.
Interviewed 2010.

BRISTOW, Sir Laurence KCMG (b. 1963)

Entered Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1990; Second Secretary, Bucharest, 1992–95; First Secretary: FCO, 1995–99; Ankara, 1999–2002; NATO Defence College, Rome, 2002–03; FCO, 2003; Ambassador to Azerbaijan, 2004–07; Deputy Head of Mission, Moscow, 2007–10; Director, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, FCO, 2010–12; Director, National Security, FCO, 2012–15; Ambassador to Russia, 2016–20; UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties Regional Ambassador to Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and China, 2020; Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 2021.
Interviewed 2023

Sir Laurence Bristow in Afghanistan

BROWN, Sir Mervyn, KCMG OBE (b. 1923)

Diplomat. Entered HM Foreign Service, 1949; Third Secretary, Buenos Aires, 1950; Second Secretary, UK Mission to UN, New York, 1953; First Secretary, Foreign Office, 1956; Singapore, 1959; Vientiane, 1960; again in Foreign Office, 1963—67; Ambassador, Madagascar 1967-70; High Commissioner, Tanzania, 1975-8; Deputy Permanent Resident, UK Mission to United Nations, 1978; High Commissioner, Nigeria, 1979-83.
Interviewed 1996.

BROWN, Sir Stephen, KCVO (b. 1945)

Arms Control and Disarmament Department, FCO, 1976–77; 1st Secretary, Nicosia, 1977–80; 1st Secretary (Commercial), Paris, 1980–85; Mexico, Central America and Cuba Department, then Information Department, FCO, 1985–89; Department of Trade and Industry, 1989; Consul-General, Melbourne, 1989–94; Commercial Counsellor and Director of Trade Promotion, Beijing, 1994–97; Ambassador, Republic of Korea, 1997–2000; High Commissioner, Singapore, 2001–02; Chief Executive (Permanent Secretary), British Trade International, then UK Trade and Investment, 2002–05.

Interviewed 2023.

BROWNING, Rex Alan, CB (1930-2009)

HM Inspector of Taxes, 1952; Assistant Principal, Colonial Office, 1957; Private Secretary to Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Colonies, 1960; Principal, Department of Technical Co-operation, 1961; transferred to Ministry of Overseas Development (ODM), 1964; seconded to Diplomatic Service as First Secretary (Aid), British High Commission, Singapore, 1969; Assistant Secretary, 1971; Counsellor, Overseas Development, Washington, and Alternate UK Executive Director, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), 1973–76; Under-Secretary: ODM, 1976–78; Department of Trade, 1978–80; Overseas Development Administration (ODA), 1980–81; Deputy Secretary, ODA, 1981–86.
Interviewed 1996.

BRYAN, Margaret, CMG (b. 1929)

Internment in Shanghai during Second World War; News Information Department, BBC, c. 1952-53; Assistant in HM Consulate, Douala, c. 1953-55; Journalist, Windhoek Advertiser, c 1957-61; Second, later First, Secretary, Information Research Department, FCO, 1962–80; Head of Chancery and Consul, Kinshasa, 1980–83; Counsellor, Havana, 1983–86; Ambassador to Panama, 1986–89; Research Department, FCO, 1989-94; Sensitivity Review Team, FCO, 1994-2009.

Interviewed 2023.

BUDD, Sir Colin Richard, KCMG (b. 1945)

Diplomat. Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1967; Commonwealth Office, 1967–68; Assistant Private Secretary to Minister without Portfolio, 1968–69; Warsaw, 1969–72; Islamabad, 1972–75; FCO, 1976–80; The Hague, 1980–84; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1984–87; European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 1987–88; Counsellor (Political), Bonn, 1989–92; Chef de Cabinet to Sir Leon Brittan, Vice President of EC, 1993–96; Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Office (on secondment), 1996–97; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1997–2001; Ambassador to the Netherlands, 2001–05.
Interviewed 2016.

BUIST, John Latto Farquharson, (Ian), CB (1930-2012)

Diplomat. Assistant Principal, Colonial Office, 1952-54; seconded to Kenya Government, 1954-56; Principal, Colonial Office, 1956-61; Department of Technical Co-operation, 1961-62; British High Commission, Dar-es-Salaam, 1962-64; Consultant on Administration, East African Common Services Organisation/Community, 1964-69; Secretary, Commission on East African Co-operation and related bodies, 1966-69; Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Development, 1966-76; Under-Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Overseas Development Administration), 1976-90.
Interviewed 2008.

BURNS, David Allan (b. 1937)

Diplomat. Served HM Forces, 1956-58. Language student and Third Secretary, British Embassy, Belgrade, 1962-65; Second Secretary, Bangkok, 1966-68; First Secretary, Washington, 1969-72; Head of Chancery, Belgrade, 1973-76; Assistant Head of Arms Control Department, FCO, 1976-79; Counsellor, Bangkok, 1979-83; Consul General, Boston, 1983-87; Head of North America Department, FCO, 1988-91; Ambassador to Cambodia, 1991-94; Ambassador to Finland, 1995-97.
Interviewed 1999.

BURTON, Sir Michael, KCVO CMG (b. 1937)

Diplomat. 2nd Lieutenant, Rifle Brigade, 1955-57. Foreign Office, 1960; Assistant Political Agent, Dubai, Trucial States, 1962-64; Private Secretary to Minister of State, FO, 1964-67; Second (later First) Secretary (Information), Khartoum, 1967-69; First Secretary (Information), Paris, 1969-72; Assistant, Science and Technology Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1972-75; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, Amman, 1975-77; Counsellor, Kuwait, 1977-79; Head of Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department, FCO, 1979-81; Head of South Asian Department, FCO, 1981-84; on secondment to BP as Head of Policy Review Unit, 1984-85; Berlin: Minister, 1985-92 (Deputy Commandant, British Military Government, 1985-90; Head of Embassy Office, 1990-92); Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Middle East), FCO, 1993; Ambassador to the Czech Republic, 1994-97.
Interviewed 2008.

BUTLER, Sir Michael Dacres, GCMG (1927-2013)

Diplomat. UK Mission to United Nations, 1952-6; First Secretary, Baghdad, 1956-8; South East Asia Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1958-61; First Secretary, Paris, 1961-5; Counsellor, UK Mission to United Nations, 1968-70, Washington, 1971-2; Head of European Integration, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1972-4, Assistant Under-Secretary in charge of European Community Affairs, 1974-6, Deputy Under-Secretary of State, Economic and European Economic Affairs, 1976-9; UK Representative, EC, Brussels, 1979-85.
Interviewed 1997.

BYATT, Ronald Archer Campbell (1930-2019)

RNVR, 1949-50; Colonial Service, Nyasaland, 1955-58; Foreign Service, 1959; Havana, 1961-63; FO, 1963-66; UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1966; Kampala, 1970; Head of Rhodesia Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1972-75; Visiting Fellow, Glasgow University, 1975-76; Rhodesia Conference, Geneva, 1976; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1977-79; Assistant Under Secretary of State, FCO, 1979-80; High Commissioner in Zimbabwe, 1980-83; Member of Directing Staff, Royal College of Defence Studies, 1983-84; Ambassador to Morocco, 1985-87; High Commissioner in New Zealand and concurrently to Western Samoa, and Governor (non-resident), Pitcairn Islands, 1987-90.
Interviewed 2016.

CAMPBELL, Juliet Jeanne d’Auvergne, CMG (b. 1935)

Diplomat. Joined Foreign Office 1957; Common Market Delegation, Brussels, 1961-63; FO, 1963-64; Second, later First Secretary, Bangkok, 1964-66; News Department, FO, 1967-70; Head of Chancery, The Hague, 1970-74; European Integration Department, FCO, 1974-77; Counsellor (Information), Paris, 1977-80; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1981; Counsellor, Jakarta, 1982-83; Head of Training Department, FCO, 1984-87; Ambassador to Luxembourg, 1988-91. Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge, since 1992; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Cambridge University, since 1993.
Interviewed 2003.

Juliet Campbell

See also Juliet Campbell’s memoir Playing Britannia.

CAMPBELL, Sir Alan Hugh, GCMG (1919-2007)

Diplomat. Head of Chancery, Rome, 1952-5, Peking, 1955-7, United Nations, 1961-5; Head of Western Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1965-7; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Paris, 1967-9; Ambassador, Ethiopia, 1969-72, Rome, 1976-9.
Interviewed 1996.

Also includes a later paper (hard copy only) by Sir Alan Campbell, “Embassy to France – an account of Anglo-French relations, 1968-72” (1982).

CAPE, Donald Paul Montagu Stewart, CMG CBE (1923-2014)

Diplomat. Entered Foreign Service, 1946. Served: Belgrade, 1946-49; FO, 1949-51; Lisbon, 1951-55; Singapore, 1955-57; FO, 1957-60; Bogota, 1960-61; Holy See, 1962-67; Head of Information Administration Department, FCO, 1968-70; Counsellor, Washington, 1970-73; Counsellor, Brasilia, 1973-75; Ambassador to Laos, 1976-78; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 1978-83.
Interviewed 2001.

CARLESS, Hugh Michael, CMG (1925-2011)

Diplomat. Entered Foreign (subsequently Diplomatic) Service, 1950; 3rd Secretary, Kabul, 1951; 2nd Secretary, Rio de Janeiro, 1953; Tehran, 1956; 1st Secretary, 1957; Foreign Office, 1958; Private Secretary to Minister of State, 1961; Budapest, 1963; Civil Service Fellow, Department of Politics, Glasgow University, 1966; Counsellor and Consul-General, Luanda, 1967-70; Counsellor, Bonn, 1970-73; Head of Latin American Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-77; Minister and Chargé d’Affaires, Buenos Aires, 1977-80; on secondment to Northern Engineering Industries International Ltd, 1980-82; Ambassador to Venezuela, 1982-85.
Interviewed 2002.

CARRICK, Sir Roger John, KCMG LVO (b. 1937)

Diplomat. Served in Royal Navy, 1956-58. Joined Foreign (subsequently Diplomatic) Service, 1956; School of Slavonic and East European Studies, 1961; Sofia, 1962; Foreign Office, 1965; Paris, 1967; Singapore, 1971; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973; Counsellor and Deputy Head, Personnel Operations Department, FCO, 1976; Visiting Fellow, Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 1977-78; Counsellor, Washington, 1978; Head, Overseas Estate Department, FCO, 1982; Consul-General, Chicago, 1985-88; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Economic), FCO, 1988-90; Ambassador, Republic of Indonesia, 1990-94; High Commissioner to Australia, 1994-97.
Interviewed 2004.

CARTER, Andrew, CMG (b. 1943)

Diplomat. Assistant Master, Marlborough College, 1965-70. Joined Diplomatic Service, 1971; Warsaw, 1972; the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, Geneva, 1975; Bonn, 1975; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1978; Brussels, 1986; Deputy Governor, Gibraltar, 1990-95; Minister, Moscow, 1995-97; UK Permanent Representative to Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 1997-2003.
Interviewed 2006.

CARTLEDGE, Sir Bryan, KCMG (b. 1931)

Diplomat. Queen’s Royal Regiment, 1950-51. Commonwealth Fund Fellow, Stanford University, 1956-57; Research Fellow, St Antony’s College, Oxford, 1958-59 (Hon. Fellow, 1987). Entered Diplomatic Service, 1960; served in Foreign Office, 1960-61; Stockholm, 1961-63; Moscow, 1963-66; Diplomatic Service Administration Office, 1966-68; Tehran, 1968-70; Harvard University, 1971-72; Counsellor, Moscow, 1972-75; Head of East European and Soviet Department, FCO, 1975-77; Private Secretary (Overseas Affairs) to Prime Minister, 1977-79; Ambassador to Hungary, 1980-83; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1983-84; Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet, 1984-85; Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1985-88.
Interviewed 2007.

Please note that the full version of this interview is closed. An edited version is open to readers.

CHAPLIN, Edward Graham Mellish, CMG OBE (b. 1951)

Entered Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973; Muscat, 1975–77; Brussels, 1977–78; Ecole Nationale d’Administration, Paris, 1978–79; on secondment to Civil Service Department as Private Secretary to Lord President of the Council and Leader of House of Lords, 1980–81; FCO, 1981–84; Head of Chancery, Tehran, 1985–87; FCO, 1987–89; on secondment to Price Waterhouse Management Consultants, 1990–92; Deputy Permanent Representative, UKMIS Geneva, 1992–96; Head, Middle East Department, FCO, 1997–99; Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 2000–02; Director, Middle East and North Africa, FCO, 2002–04; Ambassador to Iraq, 2004–05; Ambassador to Italy, 2006–11.
Interviewed 2021.

CHARLTON, Alan, CMG CVO (b. 1952)

After a brief spell as a teacher at Gesamtschule, Gelsenkirchen, Germany, 1975–77, Charlton joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1978, and his diplomatic career included: West Africa Department, FCO, 1978–79; Amman, 1981–84; Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 1984–86; British Military Government, Berlin, 1986–90; Deputy Chief, Assessments Staff, Cabinet Office, 1991–93; Head, Eastern Adriatic Unit, FCO, 1993–95; Bosnia Contact Group Representative, 1995–96; Political Counsellor, 1996–98, Deputy Head of Mission, 1998–99, Bonn; Deputy Head of Mission, Berlin, 1999–2000; Director, SE Europe, FCO, 2001; Director, Personnel, then HR Director, FCO, 2002–04; Deputy Head of Mission, Washington, 2004–07, and Ambassador to Organisation of American States, 2006–07; Ambassador to Brazil, 2008–13.
Interviewed 2021.

Alan Charlton

CHRISTOPHER, Sir (Duncan) Robin, KBE CMG (b. 1944)

Christopher joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1970 and his diplomatic career included: Second, then First, Secretary, New Delhi, 1972; First Secretary, FCO, 1976; Deputy Head of Mission, Lusaka, 1980; FCO, 1983; on secondment to Cabinet Office, 1985; Counsellor: Madrid, 1987; FCO, 1991; Ambassador to Ethiopia, 1994–97; Ambassador to Indonesia, 1997–2000; Ambassador to Argentina, 2000–04.

Interviewed 2021

CLARK, Sir Terence Joseph, KBE CMG (b. 1934)

Diplomat. While on his National Service with the RAF (1953-55), Clark was attached to the School of Slavonic Studies, Cambridge, and joined the Foreign Service in 1955. His postings included: Middle Eastern Centre for Arab Studies, (1956-57); Bahrain, (1957-58); Amman [Jordan], (1958-60); Casablanca [Morocco], (1961-62); Foreign Office, (1962-65); Assistant Political Agent, Dubai, (1965-68); Belgrade [Yugoslavia], (1969-71); Head of Chancery, Muscat [Masqat, Oman], (1972-73); Assistant Head of Middle East Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (1974-76); Counsellor (Press and Information), Bonn [Germany], (1976-79); Chargé d’Affaires, Tripoli [Libya], (February-March 1981); Counsellor, Belgrade, (1979-82); Deputy Leader of the UK Delegation to the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, Madrid [Spain], (1982-83); Head of Information Department, FCO, (1983-85); Ambassador to Iraq, (1985-89); Ambassador to Oman, (1990-94).
Interviewed 2002.

CLAY, Sir Edward, KCMG (b. 1945)

Joined Foreign Office, later Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968; Nairobi, 1970; Second, later First, Secretary, Sofia, 1973; FCO, 1975; First Secretary: Budapest, 1979; FCO, 1982; Counsellor: Nicosia, 1985; FCO, 1989; Ambassador (non-resident) to Rwanda, 1994–95, to Burundi, 1994–96; High Commissioner to Uganda, 1993–97; Director, Public Diplomacy and Public Services, FCO, 1997–99; High Commissioner to Cyprus, 1999–2001; High Commissioner, Kenya, 2001–05.
Interviewed 2020.

Sir Edward Clay

CLOAKE, John Cecil, CMG (1924-2014)

Served in Army, 1943-46 (Lieutenant Royal Engineers). Foreign Office, 1948; 3rd Secretary, Baghdad, 1949, and Saigon, 1951; 2nd Secretary, 1952; FO, 1954; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary, 1956, and to Parliamentary Under-Secretary, 1957; 1st Secretary, 1957; Consul (Commercial), New York, 1958; 1st Secretary, Moscow, 1962; FO, 1963; Diplomatic Service Administration Office, 1965; Counsellor, 1966; Head of Accommodation Department, 1967; Counsellor (Commercial), Tehran, 1968-72; Fellow, Centre for International Studies, LSE, 1972-73; Head of Trade Relations and Exports Department, FCO, 1973-76; Ambassador to Bulgaria, 1976-80.
Interviewed 2013.

COCKING, Brigadier Nicholas (b. 1936)

Soldier. Joined the Army in 1954 and saw service in the Persian Gulf, Aden, Malaysia, Germany, and Northern Ireland, ending his career with seven years as Commander of the British Mission attached to the Saudi National Guard.
Interviewed 2004.

COLES, Sir (Arthur) John, GCMG (b. 1937)

Diplomat. Served HM Forces, 1955-57. Joined Diplomatic Service, 1960; Middle Eastern Centre for Arabic Studies, Lebanon, 1960-62; Third Secretary, Khartoum, 1962-64; FO (later FCO), 1964-68; Assistant Political Agent, Trucial States (Dubai), 1968-71; FCO, 1971-75; Head of Chancery, Cairo, 1975-77; Counsellor (Developing Countries), UK Permanent Mission to EEC, 1977-80; Head of South Asian Department, FCO, 1980-81; Private Secretary to Prime Minister, 1981-84; Ambassador to Jordan, 1984-88; High Commissioner to Australia, 1988-91; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1991-94; Permanent Under-Secretary of State and Head of the Diplomatic Service, 1994-97.
Interviewed 2000.

COLLECOTT, Peter, CMG (b. 1950)

Royal Society Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics, Munich, 1976–77; joined Diplomatic Service, 1977: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1977–78; MECAS, Lebanon, later London, 1978–80; 1st Secretary: (Political), Khartoum, 1980–82; (Economic), Commercial, Agriculture), Canberra, 1982–86; Head, Iran/Iraq Section, Middle East Department, FCO, 1986–88; Assistant Head, EC Department (External), FCO, 1988–89; Counsellor, Head of Chancery and Consul General, later Deputy Head of Mission, Jakarta, 1989–93; Counsellor (EU and Economic), Bonn, 1994–98; Head, Administrative Restructuring Review Team, FCO, 1998–99; Director, Resources, FCO, 1999–2001; Deputy Under-Secretary of State and Chief Clerk, subsequently Director General, Corporate Affairs, FCO, 2001–03; Ambassador to Brazil, 2004–08.
Interviewed 2023.

Peter Collecott

COLVIN, David Hugh, CMG (b. 1941)

Assistant Principal, Board of Trade, 1966. Joined HM Foreign (later Diplomatic) Service, 1967; Central Department, Foreign Office, 1967; Second Secretary, Bangkok, 1968–71; European Integration Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1971–75; First Secretary, Paris, 1975–77; First Secretary (Press and Information), UK Permanent Representation to the European Community, 1977–82; Assistant Secretary, Cabinet Office, 1982–85; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Budapest, 1985–88; Head, South East Asian Department, FCO, 1988–91; Minister, Rome, 1992–96; Ambassador to Belgium, 1996–2001.
Interviewed 2017-18

CORTAZZI, Sir (Henry Arthur) Hugh, GCMG (1924-2018)

Joined Foreign Office, 1949; Third Secretary, Singapore, 1950–51; Third/Second Secretary, Tokyo, 1951–54; Foreign Office, 1954–58; First Secretary, Bonn, 1958–60; First Secretary, later Head of Chancery, Tokyo, 1961–65; Foreign Office, 1965–66; Counsellor (Commercial), Tokyo, 1966–70; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1971–72; Minister (Commercial), Washington, 1972–75; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975–80; Ambassador to Japan, 1980–84.
Interviewed 2014.

COWPER-COLES, Sir Sherard Louis, KCMG, LVO (b. 1955)

Joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1977: Third, later Second, Secretary, Cairo, 1980-83; First Secretary, Planning Staff, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1983-85; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary of State, 1985-87; First Secretary, Washington, 1987-91; Assistant Head, Security Policy Department, FCO, 1991-93; Resident Associate, IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies), 1993-94; Head, Hong Kong Department, FCO, 1994-97; Counsellor (Political) Paris, 1997-99; Principal Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 1999-2001; Ambassador to: Israel, 2001-03; Saudi Arabia, 2003-07; Afghanistan, 2007-09; Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2009-10.
Interviewed 2011.

COX, Ethel (1912-2016)

Ethel Cox, née Simes, was born in Smyrna [later Izmir, Turkey] in September 1912. When she was 17, in February 1940, she went to work for the British Embassy in Ankara as a shorthand typist, and served there until her husband was posted to Egypt in June 1943. While in Ankara, she was a witness to the investigations into the leakage of information from the Embassy to German intelligence, partly by Elyesa Bazna [‘Cicero’], the valet of Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, the British Ambassador to Turkey.
Interviewed 2016.

CRADOCK, Sir Percy, GCMG PC (1923-2010)

Diplomat. First Secretary, Kuala Lumpur, 1957, Hong Kong, 1961, Peking, 1962; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Peking 1966; Ambassador to East Germany, 1976; Leader of UK delegation to Comprehensive Test Ban Talks; Ambassador to China, 1978-83; Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister, 1984-92.
Interviewed 1997.

CRAIG, Sir James, GCMG (1924-2017)

Served in Army, 1943–44. Lecturer in Arabic, Durham University, 1948–55; seconded to Foreign Office, 1955 as Principal Instructor at Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, Lebanon; joined Foreign Service substantively, 1956; served: FO, 1958–61; HM Political Agent, Trucial States, 1961–64; 1st Secretary, Beirut, 1964–67; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Jedda, 1967–70; Supernumerary Fellow, St Antony’s College, Oxford, 1970–71; Head of Near East and North Africa Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1971–75; Deputy High Commissioner, Kuala Lumpur, 1975–76; Ambassador to Syria, 1976–79; Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 1979–84.
Interviewed 2013.

CRAWFORD, Charles Graham, CMG (b. 1954)

Diplomat. Entry to Diplomatic Service, 1979; FCO (South East Asia Department), 1979-80; 2nd, then 1st Secretary, Belgrade, 1981-84; FCO speechwriter, 1985-87; 1st Secretary, Pretoria and Cape Town, 1987-91; FCO (Soviet, then Eastern Department), 1991-93; Political Counsellor, Moscow, 1993-96; Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1996-98; Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard, 1998-99; Deputy Political Director, FCO, 1999-2000; Director (South East Europe), FCO, 2000; Ambassador to Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, subsequently Serbia and Montenegro, 2001-03; Ambassador to Poland, 2003-07.
Interviewed 2008.

See also Crawford’s website (as referred to in his interview), www.charlescrawford.biz.

CROSS, “Jasper” James Richard, CMG (1921-2021)

Diplomat. Transcript of taped memoir of his experiences as Senior Trade Commissioner and head of the British Government Office in Montreal, Canada, 1968-70, his kidnapping in 1970 by a terrorist group, the FLQ, and also on the work of the Trade Commission Service in general.
Taped memoir.

The transcript also contains a copy of a debriefing interview between James Cross and J M Davey, aide to Pierre Trudeau, following Cross’s release by the Front de Libération du Québec.
Correspondence: Debriefing of James Cross, December 1970
© Government of Canada. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (2009).
Source: Library and Archives Canada/Pierre Elliott Trudeau fonds/Volume 25, file 25.

CROWE, Sir Brian, KCMG (1938-2020)

Diplomat. Joined Foreign Office, 1961; served: Moscow, 1962-64; London, 1965-67; Aden, 1967; Washington, 1968-73; Bonn, 1973-76; Counsellor and Head of Policy Planning Staff, FCO, 1976-78; Head of Chancery, UK Permanent Representative to EEC, Brussels, 1979-81; Counsellor and Head of EEC Department (External), FCO, 1982-84; Minister, Commercial, Washington, 1985-89; Ambassador to Austria, 1989-92; Economic Director (Deputy Under-Secretary of State), FCO, 1992-94; Director General for External Relations, Council of the European Union, 1994-2002.
Interviewed 2003.

CULLIMORE, Charles Augustine Kaye, CMG (b. 1933)

Diplomat. Northern Ireland Short Service Commission, 1955-57; HMOCS, Tanganyika, 1958-61; ICI Ltd, 1961-71; joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1971; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1971-73; First Secretary, Bonn, 1973-77; FCO, 1977-79; Counsellor, New Delhi, 1979-82; Deputy High Commissioner, Canberra, 1982-86; FCO, Head of Central African Department, 1986-89; High Commissioner, Uganda, 1989-93.
Interviewed 2009.

CULSHAW, Robert, MVO (b. 1952)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1974–75; MECAS, Lebanon and Jordan, 1975–77; 3rd Secretary, Muscat, 1977–79; 2nd Secretary, Khartoum, 1979–80; 1st Secretary, Rome, 1980–84; FCO, 1984–88; Head of Chancery, 1988–90, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General, 1991–93, Athens; FCO Spokesman and Head of News Department, 1993–95; Minister-Counsellor, Washington, 1995–99; Consul-General, Chicago, 1999–2003; Director, Americas and Overseas Territories, FCO, 2003–05.  Deputy Director, British Antarctic Survey, 2006–12.
Interviewed 2023-24

Robert Culshaw

DAIN, Sir David John Michael, KCVO CMG (b. 1940)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1963; Third, later Second Secretary, Tehran and Kabul, 1964-68; seconded to Cabinet Office, 1969-72; First Secretary, Bonn, 1972-75; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975-78; Head of Chancery, Athens, 1978-81; Counsellor and Deputy High Commissioner, Nicosia, 1981-85; Head of Western European Department, FCO, 1985-89; on attachment to Civil Service Selection Board, 1989-90; High Commissioner, Cyprus, 1990-94; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, then Director, South Asian and South-East Asian Departments, FCO, 1994-97; High Commissioner to Pakistan, 1997-2000.
Interviewed 2003.

DALES, Sir Richard Nigel, KCVO CMG (b. 1942)

Diplomat. Dales entered the Foreign Office in 1964, and in his diplomatic career served in the following posts: 3rd Secretary, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 1965–67; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968–70; 2nd Secretary, later 1st Secretary, Copenhagen, 1970–73; FCO, 1973; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1974–77; 1st Secretary, Head of Chancery and Consul, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1977–81; FCO, 1981; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Copenhagen, 1982–86; Deputy High Commissioner, Harare, 1986–89; Head of Southern Africa, later Central and Southern Africa, Department, FCO, 1989–91; Resident Chairman (FCO), Civil Service Selection Board, 1991–92; High Commissioner, Zimbabwe, 1992–95; Assistant Under- Secretary of State, later Director, Africa and Commonwealth, FCO, 1995–98; Ambassador to Norway, 1998–2002.
Interviewed 2017.

DAY, Sir Derek Malcolm, KCMG (1927-2015)

Diplomat. Counsellor, Cyprus, 1972; Ambassador to Ethiopia, 1975-78; High Commissioner, Canada, 1984-87.
Interviewed 1996.

DEAN, Cecil Roy (1927-2019)

Diplomat, writer and broadcaster. After serving in the RAF (1945-48) in India and Pakistan, Dean joined the Central Office of Information, where he worked for ten years. In 1958 he joined the Diplomatic Service, and his subsequent diplomatic career included: Second, later First Secretary, Colombo [Sri Lanka], (1958-62); Vancouver [Canada], (1962-64); Lagos [Nigeria], (1964-68); Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (1968-71); Consul, Houston [United States], (1971), Acting Consul-General, (1972-73); FCO, (1973-76); Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Research Unit, (1976-83); Deputy High Commissioner, Accra [Ghana], (1983-86), Acting High Commissioner, (1986). Dean was also a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s expert group on disarmament institutions, (1980-81) and editor of Arms Control and Disarmament, (1979-83), as well as being a national crossword champion.
Series of articles by Dean, 2002-2003.

DENMAN, Sir Roy, KCB CMG (1924-2006)

Joined Board of Trade, 1948; Assistant Private Secretary to successive Presidents, 1950-52; 1st Secretary, British Embassy, Bonn, 1957-60; UK Delegation, Geneva, 1960-61; Counsellor, Geneva, 1965-67; Under-Secretary, 1967-70, Board of Trade; Deputy Secretary: Department of Trade and Industry, 1970-74; Department of Trade, 1974-75; Second Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, 1975-77; Director-General for External Affairs, EEC Commission, 1977-82; Head, Commission of European Communities Delegation in Washington, 1982-89; Business Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, 1989-90. Member negotiating delegation with European Communities, 1970-72. Member, British Overseas Trade Board, 1972-75.
Interviewed 1999.

DOBLE, Denis Henry (b. 1936)

Diplomat. Royal Air Force (1955-57); Colonial Office (1960-64), Assistant Private Secretary to Duncan Sandys, Commonwealth and Colonial Secretary, (1963-64); Diplomatic Service (1965); First Secretary in Brussels [Belgium] (1966-68) and Lagos [Nigeria] (1968-72); South Asian and Defence Departments, FCO (1972-75); First Secretary (Economic), Islamabad [Pakistan] (1975-78); Head of Chancery, Lima [Peru] (1978-82); East African Department, FCO (1982-84); Acting Deputy High Commissioner, Bombay [India] (1985); Deputy High Commissioner for Calcutta (1985-87), then Kingston [Jamaica] (1987-91); Consul-General, Amsterdam [Netherlands] (1991-96).
Interviewed 2004.

DONALDSON, Brian (b. c 1945)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1965; Algiers, Management Officer, 1968; La Paz, Archivist, 1971; FCO, Communications Operations Department, 1974; Lagos [Nigeria], Entry Clearance Officer (Visas), 1975; Luxembourg, Vice-Consul, 1979; FCO, Trade Relations and Exports Department (COCOM desk), 1982; FCO, Assistant Private Secretary to Minister of State (Malcolm Rifkind), 1983; Mauritius, 2nd (later 1st) Secretary, Aid/Commercial, 1985; Yaoundé [Cameroon], Deputy Head of Mission, 1989; Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1st Secretary, Immigration/Consular, 1992; FCO, Personnel Operations Department, 1996; FCO, Deputy Head of Information Department, 1997; Namibia, High Commissioner, 1999; Madagascar, Ambassador, 2002; retired, 2005.
Interviewed 2007.

DONNELLY, Sir (Joseph) Brian, KBE CMG (b. 1945)

Diplomat. Administrative trainee, GCHQ, 1970; joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1973; 2nd Secretary, FCO, 1973; 1st Secretary, UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1975–79; Head of Chancery, Singapore, 1979–82; Assistant Head, Personnel Policy Dept, FCO, 1982–84; Deputy to Chief Scientific Adviser, Cabinet Office, 1984–87; Counsellor and Consul General, Athens, 1988–91; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1991; Head of Non-Proliferation Dept, FCO, 1992–95; Minister and Deputy Permanent Representative, UK Delegn to NATO and WEU, Brussels, 1995–97; Ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1997–99; Director and Special Representative for SE Europe, FCO, 1999–2000, on secondment to BP Amoco, 2000–01; Ambassador (formerly High Commissioner) to Zimbabwe, 2001–04. Special Adviser to Foreign Secretary, 2005–06.
Interviewed 2017.

DOWSE, Timothy Michael, CMG (b. 1955)

Joined Diplomatic Service, 1978; UN Department, Foreign Office, 1978–80; 3rd, later 2nd Secretary, Manila, 1980-82; Israeli language training, 1982-83; 1st Secretary and Press Officer, Tel Aviv, 1983-86; Economic Relations Department (ERD), Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1986-88; Southern Africa Department, FCO, and Resident Clerk, 1988-90; Deputy Head, Gulf War Political/Military Emergency Unit, FCO, 1991; Assistant Head, Non-Proliferation and Defence Department, FCO, 1991-92; Secondment to US State Department, Washington DC, 1992; 1st Secretary Chancery, British Embassy Washington DC, 1992-96; Higher Command and Staff Course, JSSC Camberley, 1997; Deputy Chief of the Assessments Staff, Cabinet Office 1997-98; Head of Defence, Diplomacy and Intelligence Spending team, HM Treasury, 1999-2000; Head of Non-Proliferation (latterly Counter-Proliferation) Department, FCO, 2001-03; Chief of the Assessments Staff (latterly Director, Central Intelligence Assessment), Cabinet Office, Member of the JIC, 2003-09; Director, Intelligence and National Security, FCO, 2009-11; Director, International Cyber Policy, FCO, 2011-12; Foreign Secretary’s Intelligence Adviser, FCO, 2012-18.
Interviewed 2020.

EAST, Kenneth Arthur, CMG (1921-2014)

After serving in the Armed Forces, 1942-46, East’s career included: India Office/Commonwealth Relations Office, 1946-50; Assistant Private Secretary to Secretary of State; First Secretary: Ottawa, 1950-53; Colombo, 1956-60; Head of East and General Africa Department, CRO, 1961-63; Head of Personnel Department, CRO, 1963-64; Counsellor, Diplomatic Service Administration, 1965; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Oslo, 1965-70; Minister, Lagos, 1970-74; Ambassador to Iceland, 1975-81.

Printed memoir, “A Part Of All That I Have Met”.

EASTWOOD, Basil, CMG (b. 1944)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1966; Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1967; Jedda, 1968; Colombo, 1969; Cairo, 1972; Cabinet Office, 1976; FCO, 1978; Bonn, 1980; Khartoum, 1984; Athens, 1987; Director of Research and Analysis, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1991-96; Ambassador to Syria, 1996-2000; Project Director, Middle East Institute, SOAS, 2000-01; Ambassador to Switzerland, 2001-04; Cecily’s Fund (Charity for Zambian orphans).
Interviewed 2005.

EDMONDS, John Christopher, CMG CVO (1921-2015)

Diplomat. Entered Royal Navy, 1939. Staff: of NATO Defence College, Paris, 1953-55; of C-in-C Home Fleet, 1956-57 (Commander, 1957); of Chief of Defence Staff, 1958-59. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1959; Foreign Office, 1959-60; 1st Secretary (Commercial), Tokyo, 1960-62; Foreign Office, 1963-67; 1st Secretary and Head of Chancery, Ankara, 1967-68; Counsellor: Ankara, 1968-71; Paris, 1972-74; Head of Arms Control and Disarmament Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1974-77; Leader, UK Delegation to Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Negotiations, Geneva, with personal rank of Ambassador, 1978-81. Chairman, Joint SDP-Liberal Alliance Commission on Defence and Disarmament, 1984-86.
Interviewed 2009.

EDWARDS, John, CMG (b. 1934)

Diplomat. Military Service, 1953-55; Ministry of Supply, 1958; Colonial Office, 1960; Private Secretary to Hugh Fraser, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, 1961; Principal: Nature Conservancy, 1962; Ministry of Overseas Development, 1965; First Secretary (Development), and UK Permanent Representative to ECAFE, Bangkok, Thailand, 1968; Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Development, 1971; Head of East Africa Development Division, Nairobi, Kenya, 1972; Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Development, 1976; Head of British Development Division in the Caribbean, Barbados, and UK Director, Caribbean Development Bank, 1978; Head, West Indian and Atlantic Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1981-84; Deputy High Commissioner, Kenya, 1984-88; High Commissioner, Lesotho, 1988-91; High Commissioner, Botswana, 1991-94; Head of UK Delegation, EC Monitoring Mission in former Yugoslavia, 1995-99.
Interviewed 2007.

ELDON, Sir Stewart, KCMG OBE (b. 1953)

Joined Diplomatic Service, 1976; UK Mission to UN, New York, 1976-77; United Nations Department, FCO 1977; 3rd, later 2nd Secretary, Bonn, 1978-82; 1st Secretary, Republic of Ireland Department, FCO, 1982-83; Private Secretary to Minister of State (Baroness Young), 1983-86; 1st Secretary, UK Mission to UN, New York, 1986-90; Assistant Head, Middle East Dept, FCO (also Deputy Crisis Manager, Gulf War), 1990-91; Counsellor, European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 1991-93; Fellow, Center for International Affairs, Harvard, 1993-94; Counsellor (Political) UK Delegation to NATO, Brussels, 1994-97; Director (Conferences), FCO, 1997-98; Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, UK Mission to UN, New York, 1998-2002; Sabbatical at Yale, 2002; Ambassador to Ireland, 2003-06; UK Permanent Representative, UK Delegation to NATO, 2006-10; NATO Subject Matter Expert on Building Integrity, 2010–.
Interviewed 2016.

ELLIOTT, Mark, CMG (b. 1939)

HM Forces (Intelligence Corps), 1957–59. Foreign Office, 1963; Tokyo, 1965; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary of State, 1973–74; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, Nicosia, 1975–77; Counsellor, 1977–81, Head of Chancery, 1978–81, Tokyo; Head of Far Eastern Department, FCO, 1981–85; Under-Secretary on secondment to Northern Ireland Office, 1985–88; Ambassador to Israel, 1988–92; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1992–94; Ambassador to Norway, 1994–98.
Memoir, 2021.

FAIRWEATHER, Sir Patrick Stanislaus, KCMG (b. 1936)

National Service in Royal Marines and Parachute Regiment, 1955-57. Entered Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1965; 2nd Secretary, Rome, 1966-69; FCO, 1969-70; 1st Secretary (Economic), Paris, 1970-73; FCO, 1973-75; 1st Secretary and Head of Chancery, Vientiane, 1975-76; 1st Secretary, UK Representation to EEC, Brussels, 1976-78; Counsellor (Economic and Commercial), Athens, 1978-83; Head of European Community Department (Internal), FCO, 1983-85; Ambassador to Angola, 1985-87; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1987-90; Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Middle East/Africa), FCO, 1990-92; Ambassador to Italy and (non-resident) to Albania, 1992-96.
Interviewed 2011.

FALL, Sir Brian, GCVO KCMG (b. 1937)

Joined Foreign (now Diplomatic) Service, 1962; served in Foreign Office United Nations Department, 1963; Moscow, 1965; Geneva, 1968; Civil Service College, 1970; FO Eastern European and Soviet Department and Western Organisations Department, 1971; New York, 1975; Harvard University Center for International Affairs, 1976; Counsellor, Moscow, 1977-79; Head of Energy, Science and Space Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979-80; Head of Eastern European and Soviet Department, FCO, 1980-81; Principal Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1981-84; Director, Cabinet, Secretary-General of NATO, 1984-86; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Defence), FCO, 1986-88; Minister, Washington, 1988-89; High Commissioner to Canada, 1989-92; Ambassador to Russian Federation, and to Republics of Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Turkmenistan, 1992-95, also to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, 1992-93; Principal, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, 1995-2002; British Government Special Representative for the South Caucasus, 2002-12.
Interviewed 2017.

FEAN, Sir (Thomas) Vincent, KCVO (b. 1952)

Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975: West Africa Department, FCO, 1975-76; Second Secretary, Baghdad, 1978; First Secretary, Damascus, 1979-82; Western European Department, FCO (Berlin and GDR issues), 1982-84; European Community Department (Internal), FCO, 1984-85; UK Rep to EU, Brussels, 1985-89; Personnel Operations/Management Department, FCO, 1989-92; Counsellor, Press and Public Affairs, Paris, 1992-96; Head, Counter-Terrorism Policy Department, FCO, 1996-99; Director, Asia Pacific, International Group, Trade Partners UK, 1999-2002; High Commissioner, Malta, 2002-06; Ambassador to Libya, 2006-10; Consul General, Jerusalem, 2010-14.
Interviewed 2019.

FEARN, Sir (Patrick) Robin, KCMG (1934-2006)

Diplomat. National Service, Intelligence Corps, 1952-54. Overseas marketing, Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd, 1957-61; entered Foreign Service, 1961; FO, 1961-62; Third, later Second Secretary, Caracas, 1962-64; Havana, 1965; First Secretary, Budapest, 1966-68; FCO, 1969-72; Head of Chancery, Vientiane, 1972-75; Assistant Head of Science and Technology Department, FCO, 1975-76; Counsellor, Head of Chancery and Consul General, Islamabad, 1977-79; Head of South America Department, FCO, 1979-82; Head of Falkland Islands Department, FCO, 1982; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1983; Ambassador to Cuba, 1984-86; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Americas), FCO, 1986-89; Ambassador to Spain, 1989-94.
Interviewed 2002.

Please note that the full version of this interview is closed, and will be reviewed by the FCO in 2024. An edited version is open to readers.

FENN, Sir Nicholas, GCMG (1936-2016)

Diplomat. Third Secretary, British Embassy, Rangoon, 1959-63; Assistant Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 1963-67; First Secretary, British Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, Algiers, 1967-69; First Secretary (Public Relations), UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1969-72; Deputy Head, Energy Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1972-75; Counsellor, Peking, 1975-77; Head of News Department and FCO Spokesman, 1979-82; Spokesman to last Governor of Rhodesia, 1979-80; Ambassador to Rangoon, 1982-86; Ambassador to Dublin, 1986-91; High Commissioner in New Delhi, 1991-1996.
Interviewed 2010.

FERGUSSON, George (b. 1955)

Joined Northern Ireland Office, 1978; seconded to Northern Ireland Department of Commerce, 1979–80; Private Secretary to Minister of State for Northern Ireland, 1982–83; First Secretary, Dublin, 1988–91; joined Diplomatic Service, 1990; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1991–93; First Secretary, Seoul, 1994–96; FCO, 1996–99; Head: Republic of Ireland Department, 1997–99; Devolved Administrations Department, 1999; Consul General, Boston, 1999–2003; Counsellor, Cabinet Office, 2003–06; High Commissioner, New Zealand, Governor (non-resident) of Pitcairn, and High Commissioner (non-resident), Samoa, 2006–10; FCO, 2010–12; Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda, 2012–16.
Interviewed 2024

George Fergusson

FERGUSSON, Sir Ewen, GCMG GCVO (1932-2017)

Joined Foreign (later Diplomatic) Service, 1956; Assistant Private Secretary to Minister of Defence, 1957-59; British Embassy, Addis Ababa, 1960; FO, 1963; British Trade Development Office, New York, 1967; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Office of UK Permanent Representative to European Communities, 1972-75; Private Secretary to Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, 1975-78; Assistant Under Secretary of State, FCO, 1978-82; Ambassador to South Africa, 1982-84; Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Middle East and Africa), FCO, 1984-87; Ambassador to France, 1987-92.
Interviewed 1998.

FIELDING, Sir Leslie, KCMG (1932-2021)

Served with Royal Regiment of Artillery, 1951-53; Territorial Army, 1953-56. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1956; served in: Tehran, 1957-60; Foreign Office, 1960-64; Singapore, 1964; Phnom Penh (Chargé d’Affaires), 1964-66; Paris, 1967-70; Deputy Head of Planning Staff, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970-73; seconded for service with European Commission in Brussels, 1973; Director (External Relations Directorate General), 1973-77; permanent transfer to European Commission, 1979; Head of Delegation of Commission in Tokyo, 1978-82; Director-General for External Relations, Brussels, 1982-87.
Interviewed 2012 by Thomas Raineau (Université de Paris-Sorbonne).

FRASER, Sir Simon James, GCMG (b. 1958)

Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979; Second Secretary, Baghdad, 1982–84; Second Secretary, Damascus, 1984–86; First Secretary, FCO, 1986–88; Private Secretary to Minister of State, FCO, 1989–90; Policy Planning Staff, FCO, 1991–92; Assistant Head, Non-Proliferation and Defence Department, FCO, 1992-93; First Secretary, Financial and Economic Affairs, Paris, 1994-96; Deputy Chef de Cabinet of Vice-President of EC, 1996-99; Political Counsellor, Paris, 1999-2002; Director for Strategy and Innovation, FCO, 2002-04; Chief of Staff to Peter Mandelson, EC, 2004-08; Director General for Europe and Globalisation, FCO, 2008-09; Permanent Secretary, BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, later Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), 2009-10; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, and Head of Diplomatic Service, 2010-15.
Interviewed 2018.

FRETWELL, Sir John Emsley, GCMG (1930-2017)

Diplomat. Diplomatic Service, 1953; 3rd Secretary, Hong Kong, 1954-55; 2nd Secretary, Peking, 1955-57; Foreign Office, 1957-59; 1st Secretary, Moscow, 1959-62; FO, 1962-67; 1st Secretary (Commercial), Washington, 1967-70; Commercial Counsellor, Warsaw, 1971-73; Head of European Integration Department (Internal), Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-76; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1976-79; Minister, Washington, 1980-81; Ambassador to France, 1982-87. Political Director and Deputy to the Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1987-90; Specialist Adviser, House of Lords, 1992-93.
Interviewed 1996.

FRY, Sir Graham Holbrook, KCMG (b. 1949)

Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1972; Third, later Second, Secretary, Tokyo, 1974-78; seconded to Invest in Britain Bureau, Department of Industry, 1979-80; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1981-83; First Secretary, Paris, 1983-87; FCO, 1987-88; Political Counsellor, Tokyo, 1989-93; Head, Far Eastern Department, later Far Eastern and Pacific Department, FCO, 1993-95; Director, Northern Asia and Pacific, FCO, 1995-98; High Commissioner, Malaysia, 1998-2001; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 2001-03; Director General, Economic, FCO, 2003-04; Ambassador to Japan, 2004-08.
Interviewed 2016.

FULLERTON, William Hugh, CMG (b. 1939)

Shell International Petroleum Company in Uganda, 1963-65; joined Foreign Office, 1965; MECAS, Shemlan, Lebanon, 1965-66; Information Officer, Jeddah, 1966-67; UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1967; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968-70; Head of Chancery, Kingston, Jamaica (also accredited to Haiti), 1970-73; Ankara, 1973-77; FCO, 1977-80; Counsellor (Economic and Commercial), 1980-83 and Consul-General, 1981-83, Islamabad; Ambassador to Somalia, 1983-87; on loan to MoD, 1987-88; Governor of the Falkland Islands, and Commissioner for South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, 1988-92; High Commissioner, British Antarctic Territory, 1988-89; Ambassador to Kuwait, 1992-96; Ambassador to Morocco and Mauritania, 1996-99.
Interviewed 2016.

FYJIS-WALKER, Richard, CMG CVO (1927-2013)

Army (KRRC), 1945–48. Joined Foreign (subsequently Diplomatic) Service, 1955; served: Amman, 1956; Foreign Office, 1957–61; Paris, 1961–63; Cairo, 1963–65; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1966–71; Counsellor, 1970; Ankara, 1971–74; Counsellor (Information), Washington, 1974–78; Counsellor, UK Mission to UN, New York, 1978–79; Ambassador to the Sudan, 1979–84; Ambassador to Pakistan, 1984–87.
Interviewed 2013 (and interview completed by Gabrielle Fyjis-Walker, 2019).

GILLMORE, David Howe, Baron, GCMG (1934-1998)

Diplomat. HM Diplomatic Service, 1970; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970-72; First Secretary, Moscow, 1972-75; Counsellor, UK Delegation, Vienna, 1975-78; Head of Defence Department, FCO, 1979-81; Assistant Under Secretary of State, FCO, 1981-83; High Commissioner in Malaysia, 1983-86; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1986-90; Visiting Fellow: Harvard University, 1990-91; WEU Institute, Paris, 1990-91; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, and Head of Diplomatic Service, 1991-94.
Interviewed 1996.

GLADSTONE, David, CMG (b. 1935)

National Service, 1954-56; Oxford University, 1956-59; Annan, Dexter and Company (Chartered Accountants), 1959-60; Foreign Office, 1960; MECAS, Lebanon, 1960-62; Bahrain, 1962-63; Foreign Office (working on atomic energy), 1963-65; Bonn, 1965-69; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1969-72; Cairo, 1972-75; British Military Government, Berlin, 1976-79; Head of Western European Department, FCO, 1979-82; Consul-General, Marseilles, 1983-87; High Commissioner, Colombo, 1987-91; Chargé d’Affaires, Kiev, 1992.
Interviewed 2015.

GLOVER, Dame Audrey Frances, DBE CMG (b. c 1942)

Called to the Bar, Gray’s Inn, 1961; Lord Chancellor’s Department, 1965–67; HM Diplomatic Service, 1967–97: joined Foreign Office, as Assistant Legal Adviser, 1967; Assistant (Temporary), Attorney General’s Department, Australia, 1972–73; Adviser on British Law, Library of Congress, Washington, 1974–77; Legal Adviser (Assistant), Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1978–85; Legal Adviser, British Military Government, Berlin, 1985–89; Legal Counsellor, FCO, and UK Agent to European Court of Human Rights, 1990–94; Director (with rank of Ambassador), OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Warsaw, 1994–97. Senior Adviser to Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq and to Iraqi Minister of Human Rights, 2004–06. Head, OSCE Election Observation Missions, 2004 on.
Interviewed 2021.

Dame Audrey Glover

GLOVER, Edward, CMG MVO (b. 1943)

Joined Foreign Office from Board of Trade, 1967: Private Secretary to High Commissioner, Australia, 1971–73; Washington, 1973–77; Secretary to UK Delegation to UN Law of Sea Conference, 1978–80; on secondment to Guinness Peat Group, 1981–83; Section Head, Arms Control and Disarmament Department, FCO, 1983–85; Senate Liaison Officer, British Military Government, Berlin, 1985–89; Deputy Head, Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 1989–91; Head, Management Review Staff, FCO, 1991–94; Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General, Brussels, 1994–98; High Commissioner to Guyana and Ambassador to Suriname, 1998–2002; Quality and Efficiency Unit, FCO, 2002–03. Short term expert on Macedonia, Public Admin International, 2003–05; Adviser: on Foreign Affairs to Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq, 2004; to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iraq, 2004–05; on consular and visa matters to Foreign Minister, Bahamas, 2006; Associate Consultant, DFID Support: to Office of Prime Minister, Kosovo, 2006–07; to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sierra Leone, 2008. Chairman, Board of Trustees, Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, 2005–12.
Interviewed 2021.

Edward Glover

GOMERSALL, Sir Stephen John, KCMG (b. 1948)

Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1970; Tokyo, 1972–77; Rhodesia Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1977–79; Private Secretary to Lord Privy Seal, 1979–82; Washington, 1982–85; Economic Counsellor, Tokyo, 1986–90; Head of Security Policy Department, FCO, 1990–94; Deputy Permanent Representative, UK Mission to UN, 1994–98; Director, International Security, FCO, 1998–99; Ambassador to Japan, 1999–2004.

Interviewed 2023.

GOODENOUGH, Sir Anthony, KCMG (b. 1941)

Voluntary Service Overseas, Sarawak, 1963–64; Foreign Office, S E Asia Department, 1964-65; Foreign Office, Permanent Under-Secretary’s Department, 1965-67; Second Secretary, Athens, 1967-71; Private Secretary to Parliamentary Under Secretary, 1971, and Minister of State, FCO, 1972; First Secretary (Economic), Paris, 1974-77; Assistant, FCO Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department, 1977-78; Assistant, FCO European Integration Department (Internal) 1978-80; Counsellor on secondment to Cabinet Office, 1980-82; Head of Chancery, Islamabad, 1982-86; Head, Personnel Policy Department, FCO, 1986–89; High Commissioner, Ghana and Ambassador (non-resident), Togo, 1989–92; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Africa and Commonwealth), FCO, 1992–95 High Commissioner to Canada, 1996–2000.
Interviewed 2016, 2019.

The transcript also contains Sir Anthony’s “Horizons, Memoirs of a British Diplomat” and a further memoir about his service in Africa and the Commonwealth, 1971-95.

GORDON, Pamela (b. 1951)

Pamela Gordon (née Taylor) joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1973, and initially her career included: Rhodesia Department, FCO, 1973-75; 3^rd Secretary, Political and Press, Havana, 1975-77; 3^rd Secretary, UKRep, Brussels, 1977-78.  Upon her marriage to her fellow diplomat Robert Gordon in 1978, she took special unpaid leave while her husband was stationed in Chile, 1978-83 and then resigned from the FCO in 1983.  She carried out voluntary work for the Diplomatic Spouses Families’ Association in 1986 and was a diplomatic spouse in Paris, Warsaw and Burma,1987-99.  Once she was able to, she returned to her diplomatic career in 2000 and served as Deputy Desk Officer for Nigeria and Benin, FCO, 2000-03 before taking special unpaid leave again during Robert Gordon’s term as Ambassador to Vietnam, 2003-07.  Pamela then served on the UK Delegation to the Council of Europe, 2007-10 and was Desk Officer for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, 2011-12, before becoming Chair of the Diplomatic Families’ and Spouses’ Association, 2012-17.

Pamela Gordon

GORDON, Robert Anthony Eagleson, CMG OBE (b. 1952)

Gordon’s diplomatic career included: Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1973; Second Secretary, Warsaw, 1975–77; First Secretary, Santiago, 1978–83; FCO, 1983–87; First Secretary, UK Delegation to OECD, Paris, 1987–92; Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, Warsaw, 1992–95; Ambassador to Burma (Union of Myanmar), 1995–99; Head, South East Asia Department, FCO, 1999–2003; Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 2003–07.
Interviewed 2021-22.

Robert Gordon

GORE-BOOTH, Hon Sir David Alwyn, KCMG KCVO (1943-2004)

Diplomat. Entered Foreign Office, 1964; Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1964; Third Secretary, Baghdad, 1966; Third, later Second Secretary, Lusaka, 1967; FCO, 1969; Second Secretary, Tripoli, 1969; FCO, 1971; First Secretary, UK Permanent Representation to European Communities, Brussels, 1974; Assistant Head of Financial Relations Department, FCO, 1978; Counsellor, Jedda, 1980; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, UK Mission to UN, New York, 1983; Head of Policy Planning Staff, FCO, 1987; Assistant Under Secretary of State (ME), FCO, 1989. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 1993; High Commissioner, New Delhi, 1996-98.
Interviewed 1999.

GOULDEN, Sir (Peter) John, GCMG (b. 1941)

HM Diplomatic Service, 1962–2001: Ankara, 1963–67; Manila, 1969–70; Dublin, 1976–79; Head of Personnel Services Department, 1980–82; Head of News Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1982–84; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Office of the UK Permanent Representative to EEC, Brussels, 1984–87; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1988–92; Ambassador to Turkey, 1992–95; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to North Atlantic Council and to Permanent Council of WEU, 1995–2001.
Interviewed 2019.

GRAHAM, Sir John Alexander Noble, 4th bt, GCMG (1926-2019)

Foreign Service, 1950; MECAS, 1951; Third Secretary, Bahrain 1951, Kuwait 1952 and Amman, 1953; Assistant Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 1954-57; First Secretary, Belgrade, 1957-60, Benghazi, 1960-61; Foreign Office (Personnel Department and Permanent Under-Secretary’s Department), 1961-66; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Kuwait, 1966-69; Principal Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1969-72; Counsellor (later Minister) and Head of Chancery, Washington, 1972-74; Ambassador to Iraq, 1974-77; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1977-79; Ambassador to Iran, 1979-80; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1980-82; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to NATO, Brussels [Belgium], 1982-86. Director of the Ditchley Foundation, 1987-92.
Interviewed 2016.

GRANT, Ann (b. 1948)

Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1971; Calcutta, 1973–75; Department of Energy, 1976–79; News Department, 1979; Head of Chancery and Consul, Maputo, 1981–84; First Secretary (Energy), Office of UK Permanent Representative to EU, Brussels, 1987–89, resigned; Communications Director, Oxfam, 1989–91; rejoined FCO, 1991; Head of Recruitment [? 1991-92]; Counsellor (Economic and Social Affairs), UK Mission to UN, New York, 1992–96; Counsellor, Head of Equatorial Africa Department, FCO, 1996–98; Director, African Department, FCO, 1998–2000; High Commissioner, South Africa, 2000–05.
Interviewed 2021.

Ann Grant

GRANT, Sir John Douglas Kelso, KCMG (b. 1954)

Grant joined the Diplomatic Service in 1976, and his diplomatic career included: West African Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1976; Stockholm, 1977–80; Russian language training, 1980–81; Moscow, 1982–84; Morgan Grenfell and Company Limited, 1985–86; Press Office, FCO, 1986–89; UK Permanent Representation to EU, 1989–93 (Press Spokesman, later External Relations) and 1994–97 (Counsellor, External Relations); European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 1993–94; Principal Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary [Robin Cook], 1997–99; Ambassador to Sweden, 1999–2003; UK Permanent Representative to EU, Brussels, 2003–07.
Interviewed 2021.

Sir John Grant

GRAY, Sir John Walton David, KBE CMG (1936-2003)

Diplomat. National Service, 1954-56. Joined Foreign Service, 1962; served: Mecas, 1962; Bahrain Agency, 1964; FO, 1967; Geneva, 1970; Sofia, 1974; Counsellor (Commercial), 1978, Counsellor and Head of Chancery, 1980, Jedda; Head of Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department, FCO, 1982-85; Ambassador to Lebanon, 1985-88; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), Paris, 1988-92; Ambassador to Belgium, 1992-96. Chairman, OECD Information Policy Working Group, 1980-82; Rapporteur, Study Team on Performance of OECD’s Centre for Co-operation with European Economies in Transition, 1994.
Interviewed 2001.

Please note that the full version of this interview is closed, and will be reviewed by the FCO in 2024. An edited version is open to readers.

GREENHILL OF HARROW, Denis Arthur, Baron, GCMG OBE (1913-2000)

Diplomat. First Secretary, Bulgaria, 1947-9, Washington, 1949-51; Counsellor, UK Delegation to NATO, 1955-6, Singapore, 1956-9, Washington 1959-64; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1969-73.
Interviewed 1996.

GREENSTOCK, Sir Jeremy Quentin, GCMG (b. 1943)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service (Nigeria desk), 1969; Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1970; Dubai, 1972; Private Secretary to the Ambassador, Washington, 1974; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Planning Staff, 1978; Personnel Operations Department, 1979; North East and North African Department, 1981; Counsellor (Commercial), Jedda, then Riyadh, 1983; Head of Chancery, Paris, 1987; FCO, Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Western and Southern Europe, including Bosnia), 1990; Minister, Washington, 1994; FCO, Deputy Under Secretary of State, 1995; Political Director, 1996; British Permanent Representative to the UN, 1998; Special Representative, Baghdad (retirement postponed) 2003-4.
Interviewed 2004.

HALL, Sir Peter Edward, KBE CMG (1938-2024)

Diplomat. Foreign Office, 1961-63; 3rd Secretary, Warsaw, 1963-66; 2nd Secretary, New Delhi, 1966-69; Foreign and Commonwealth Office (European Integration Department), 1969-72; 1st Secretary, UK Permanent Representation to EEC, 1972-76; Assistant Head, Financial Relations Department, FCO, 1976-77; Counsellor, Caracas, 1977-78; Head of British Information Services, New York, 1978-83 and Counsellor, British Embassy, Washington, 1981-83; Director of Research, FCO, 1983-86; Under Secretary, Cabinet Office, 1986-88; Visiting Scholar, Stanford University, 1988-89; Ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1989-92; Adviser to Lord Carrington, 1992, Lord Owen, 1992-93, Peace Conference on Yugoslavia; Ambassador to Argentina, 1993-97.
Interviewed 2002.

HANNAY, Lord Hannay of Chiswick, GCMG CH (b. 1935)

Diplomat. Foreign Office, 1959-60; Tehran, 1960-61; 3rd Secretary, Kabul, 1961-63; 2nd Secretary, FO, 1963-65; 2nd, later 1st Secretary, UK Delegation to European Communities, Brussels, 1965-70; 1st Secretary, UK Negotiating Team with European Communities, 1970-72; Chef de Cabinet to Sir Christopher Soames, Vice President of EEC, 1973-77; Head of Energy, Science and Space Department, FCO, 1977-79; Head of Middle East Department, FCO, 1979; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (European Community), FCO, 1979-84; Minister, Washington, 1984-85; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to European Communities, Brussels, 1985-90.
Interviewed 1999.

HARDING, Sir (George) William, KCMG CVO (1927-2016)

Royal Marines, 1945–48. Entered HM Foreign Service, 1950; Singapore, 1951–52; Burma, 1952–55; Paris, 1956–59; Permanent Under-Secretary’s Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1959-60; Santo Domingo, 1960–63; Latin America Department, FCO, 1963-67; Mexico City, 1967–70; Paris, 1970–74; Head of Republic of Ireland Department, FCO, 1974-77; Ambassador to Peru, 1977–79; Assistant Under-Secretary of State for the Americas, FCO, 1979–81; Ambassador to Brazil, 1981–84; Deputy Under-Secretary of State for the Americas and Asia, 1984–86.
Interviewed 2014.

HAWLEY, Sir Donald, KCMG MBE (1921-2008)

Diplomat. Served in HM Forces, 1941. Sudan Political Service, 1944; joined Sudan Judiciary, 1947. Called to Bar, Inner Temple, 1951. Chief Registrar, Sudan Judiciary, and Registrar-General of Marriages, 1951; resigned from Sudan Service, 1955; joined Foreign Service, 1955; Foreign Office, 1956: Political Agent, Trucial States, in Dubai, 1958; Head of Chancery, British Embassy, Cairo, 1962; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, British High Commission, Lagos, 1965; Visiting Fellow, Department of Geography, Durham University, 1967; Counsellor (Commercial), Baghdad, 1968; Consul-General, Muscat, 1971; Ambassador to Oman, 1971-75; Assistant Under Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975-77; British High Commissioner in Malaysia, 1977-81.
Interviewed 2007.

HAY-CAMPBELL, (Thomas) Ian, LVO (b. 1945)

After a spell as a radio journalist at NZBC, Wellington, 1969–72, Hay-Campbell moved to Britain and worked as a radio producer, then subsequently an Editor, at the BBC World Service, 1972–84. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1984, and his diplomatic career then included: First Secretary, FCO, 1984–87; Deputy Head of Mission, Kinshasa,1987–90; FCO, 1990–94; Head of Press and Public Affairs Section, Moscow, 1994–97; Deputy High Commissioner, Harare, 1998–2001; Deputy Head of Mission, Oslo, 2001–05.

Interviewed 2022.

HENDERSON, Sir Nicholas, GCMG KCVO (1919-2009)

Diplomat. Ministry of War Transport 1940; Office of the Minister Resident at Cairo 1942; Assistant Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 1944; Second Secretary Washington 1947; Athens 1949; Foreign Office 1950; First Secretary (Information) Vienna 1953; First Secretary and Consul Santiago 1956; Foreign Office 1959: Counsellor 1962; Head of Northern Department 1963; Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 1963; Minister Madrid 1965; Ambassador to Warsaw 1969; Ambassador to Bonn 1972; Ambassador to Paris 1975; Ambassador to Washington 1979-82.
Interviewed 1998.

HENNESSY, Sir James, KBE CMG (1923-2024)

Appointed to Overseas Service, Basutoland, District Officer, 1948; Judicial Commissioner, 1953; District Commissioner, 1954–56; Joint Secretary, Constitutional Commission, 1957–59; Supervisor of Elections, 1959; Secretary to Executive Council, 1960; seconded to Office of High Commissioner, Cape Town/Pretoria, 1961–63; Permanent Secretary for local government, 1964; MLC, 1965; Secretary for External Affairs, Defence and Internal Security, 1967; Prime Minister’s Office, 1968. Retired, later appointed to Diplomatic Service: Foreign Office, 1968–70; Chargé d’Affaires, Montevideo, 1971–72; High Commissioner to Uganda and Ambassador (non-resident), Rwanda, 1973–76; Consul-General, Cape Town, 1977–80; Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Belize, 1980–81.
Interviewed 2018

HEWITT, Gavin Wallace, CMG (b. 1944)

Ministry of Transport, 1967–70; on secondment from MoT as Third, later Second, Secretary to UK Delegation, EEC, Brussels, 1970–72; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1972–73; First Secretary, British High Commission, Canberra, 1973–78; FCO, 1978–81; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, HM Embassy, Belgrade, 1981–84; Member, Joint FCO/BBC Review Group, BBC External Services, 1984; Counsellor on loan to Home Civil Service, 1984–87; Counsellor, Head of Chancery and Deputy Permanent Representative, UK Mission to UN, Geneva, 1987–91; Head, South East Asia Department, FCO, 1992–94; Ambassador to Croatia, 1994–97; Ambassador to Finland, 1997–2000; Ambassador to Belgium, 2001–03.
Interviewed 2023.

Gavin Hewitt

HIBBERT, Sir Reginald Alfred, GCMG (1922-2002)

Diplomat. Served with SOE and 4th Hussars in Albania and Italy, 1943-45. Entered Foreign Service, 1946; served in Bucharest, Vienna, Guatemala, Ankara, Brussels; Chargé d’Affaires, Ulan Bator, 1964-66; Research Fellow, Leeds University, 1966-67; Political Adviser’s Office, Singapore, 1967-69; Political Adviser to C-in-C Far East, 1970-71; Minister, Bonn, 1972-75; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1975-76; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1976-79; Ambassador to France, 1979-82.
Interviewed 1997.

HICKMAN, John Kyrle, CMG (1927-2001)

Diplomat. First Secretary, Wellington, New Zealand, 1959-62, Spain, 1966-7; Consul-General, Bilbao, 1967-9; Deputy High Commissioner, Singapore, 1969-71; Counsellor (later Chargé) Ireland, 1974-7; Ambassador to Ecuador, 1977-80, Chile, 1982-7.
Interviewed 1995.

HIGGINS, Desmond (b. 1930)

Diplomat. Ministry of Supply, Liverpool, 1947; National Service, 1947-49; joined Commonwealth Relations Office, 1956; 3rd Secretary (Information), New Delhi, 1957-59; Commonwealth Relations Office, 1960; British High Commission, Lagos, 1960-61; 2nd Secretary, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, 1962-65; Commonwealth Relations Office, 1965; British High Commission, Bathurst, The Gambia, 1966-68; Commonwealth Relations Office (Cultural Relations Department); British High Commission, Ottawa, 1972-76.
Interviewed 2010.

HOGGER, Henry, CMG (b. 1948)

Joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1969: MECAS, Lebanon, 1971-72; served Aden, 1972; Caracas, 1972-75; Kuwait, 1975-78; FCO, 1978-82; Head of Chancery, Abu Dhabi, 1982-86; FCO, 1986-89; Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, Amman, 1989-92; High Commissioner, Namibia, 1992-96; Head, Latin America, later Latin America and Caribbean Department, FCO, 1996-2000; Ambassador to Syria, 2000-03; Governorate Co-ordinator for Basra, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq, 2003-04 (on secondment).
Interviewed 2016

HOLMES, Sir John, GCVO KBE CMG (b. 1951)

Joined Diplomatic Service, 1973–2007: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-76; 3rd Secretary, then 2nd Secretary, Moscow, 1976-78; Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 1978-82; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1982-84; 1st Secretary (Economic), Paris, 1984-87; Assistant Head of Soviet Department, FCO, 1987-89; seconded to Thomas de la Rue and Company, 1989-91; Counsellor, Economic and Commercial, New Delhi, 1991-95; Head of European Union Department (External), FCO, 1995; on secondment as Private Secretary (Foreign Affairs), 1996-99 and Principal Private Secretary, 1997-99, to the Prime Minister [John Major and Tony Blair]; Ambassador to Portugal, 1999-2001; Ambassador to France, 2001-07; Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, 2007-10.
Interviewed 2018

HOLT, Dame Denise Mary, DCMG (b. 1949)

Research Analyst, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970–84; First Secretary, Dublin, 1984–87; Head of Section, FCO, 1988–90; First Secretary, Brasilia, 1991–93; Deputy Head, Eastern Department, FCO, 1993–94; Assistant Director, Personnel, 1996–98; Deputy Head of Mission, Dublin, 1998–99; Director, Personnel, FCO, 1999–2002; Ambassador to Mexico, 2002–05; Director for Migration and Overseas Territories, FCO, 2005–07; Ambassador to Spain, 2007–09.
Interviewed 2020.

HUEBENER, Rosamund (née Benson)  

Diplomat. Entered Foreign Office, 1949; Western Department, FO, 1949-52; UKDEL, NATO, 1952-4; Bonn, 1954-c1957 (specialising on military issues); China Political Desk, FO, c1957-59; Consul and 1st Secretary (Commercial) Prague, c1959-61.
Interviewed 2000.

HUGH-JONES, Sir Wynn, LVO (1923-2019)

Diplomat. Served in RAF, 1943-46. Entered Foreign Service (now Diplomatic Service), 1947; Foreign Office, 1947-49; Jedda, 1949-52; Paris, 1952-56; FO, 1956-59; Chargé d’Affaires, Conakry, 1959-60; Head of Chancery, Rome, 1960-64; FO, 1964-66, Counsellor, 1964; Consul, Elizabethville (later Lubumbashi), 1966-68; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Ottawa, 1968-70; FCO, 1971, attached Lord President’s Office; Cabinet Office, 1972-73; Director-General, English-Speaking Union, 1973-77; Secretary-General, Liberal Party, 1977-83; Joint Honorary Treasurer, Liberal Party, 1984-87.
Interviewed 2005.

HUM, Sir Christopher, KCMG (b. 1946)

Hum joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1967, and his diplomatic career included: Hong Kong, 1968–70; Peking, 1971–73; Office of the UK Permanent Representative to the EEC, Brussels, 1973–75; FCO, 1975–79; Peking, 1979–81; Paris, 1981–83; Assistant Head, Hong Kong Department, FCO, 1983–85; Counsellor, 1985; Deputy Head, Falkland Islands Department, FCO, 1985–86; Head, Hong Kong Department, FCO, 1986–89; Counsellor (Political) and Head of Chancery, UK Mission to UN, New York, 1989–92; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Northern Asia), 1993–94, (Northern Asia and Pacific), 1994–95; Ambassador to Poland, 1996–98; Deputy Under-Secretary of State and Chief Clerk, FCO, 1998–2001; Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, 2002–05.
Interviewed 2023-24

Sir Christopher Hum

HUMFREY, Charles, CMG (b. 1947)

Humfrey joined the Diplomatic Service in 1969, and his career included: Tokyo, 1971–76; South East Asian Department, FCO, 1976–79; Private Secretary to Minister of State, 1979–81; UK Mission, New York, 1981–85; Southern African Department, FCO, 1985–87; Counsellor, Ankara, 1988–90; Counsellor (Economic), Tokyo, 1990–94; Head of African Department (Southern), FCO, 1994–95; Minister, Tokyo, 1995–99; Ambassador, Republic of Korea, 2000–03; Ambassador, Republic of Indonesia, 2004–08.
Interviewed 2024.

Charles Humfrey

HURD, Rt Hon Lord Hurd of Westwell, CH CBE (b. 1930)

Diplomat. HM Diplomatic Service, 1952-66; served in: Peking, 1954-56; UK Mission to United Nations, 1956-60; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Foreign Office, 1960-63; Rome, 1963-66. Joined Conservative Research Department, 1966; Head of Foreign Affairs Section, 1968; Private Secretary to Leader of the Opposition, 1968-70; Political Secretary to Prime Minister, 1970-74; Opposition Spokesman on European Affairs, 1976-79; Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979-83; Minister of State, Home Office, 1983-84; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 1984-85, for Home Department, 1985-89; Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 1989-95.
Interviewed 2005.

HUTSON, John Whiteford, OBE (b. 1927)

Diplomat. Consul (Commercial), San Francisco, 1963-67; Head of Chancery, Bulgaria, 1967-69; Counsellor (Commercial), Baghdad, 1971-72, Moscow, 1976-79; Consul-General, Frankfurt, 1979-83, Casablanca, 1984-87.
Interviewed 1996.

IMRAY, Sir Colin Henry, KBE CMG (1933-2020)

Diplomat. CRO, 1957; Canberra, 1958-61; CRO, 1961-63; Nairobi, 1963-66; FCO, 1966-70; British Trade Commissioner, Montreal, 1970-73; Counsellor, Head of Chancery and Consul-General, Islamabad, 1973-77; RCDS, 1977; Commercial Counsellor, Tel Aviv, 1977-80; Rayner Project Officer, 1980; Deputy High Commissioner, Bombay, 1980-84; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Deputy Chief Clerk and Chief Inspector), FCO, 1984-85; High Commissioner: Tanzania, 1986-89; Bangladesh, 1989-93.
Interviewed 2002.

JAY, Lord Jay of Ewelme, GCMG (b. 1946)

Diplomat. Ministry of Overseas Development, 1969-73; UK Delegation, International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Washington, 1973-75; Ministry of Overseas Development, 1976-78; First Secretary (Aid), New Delhi, 1978-81; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1981-85 (Planning staff, 1981-82, Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary, 1982-85); Counsellor: Cabinet Office, 1985-87; Counsellor: (Financial and Commercial), Paris, 1987-90; Assistant Under-Secretary of State for EC Affairs, FCO, 1990-93; Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Director for EC and Economic Affairs), FCO, 1994-96; Ambassador to France, 1996-2001; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO and Head of the Diplomatic Service, 2002-06; Prime Minister’s Personal Representative for G8 Summits, 2005-06.
Interviewed 2007.

Lord Jay gave a second interview in 2016 relating to his time as Ambassador to Paris, including the aftermath of the death of the Princess of Wales. See also his evidence before the Chilcot Inquiry on the Iraq War, June 2010.

JAY, The Hon Peter (1937-2024)

Writer, broadcaster and diplomat. Assistant Principal and Principal, Treasury, 1964-67; Economics Editor, the Times, 1967-77; Ambassador to United States, 1977-79; Director, Economist Intelligence Unit, 1979-83; President, TV-am, 1983-; Presenter, A Week in Politics, Channel 4, 1983-86; and Economics Editor, BBC, 1990-2001.
Interviewed 2006.

JUCHAU, Beryl (née Eastop) (c 1921-2018)

Beryl Juchau, née Eastop, joined the Foreign Office in 1939. After a brief spell in the Foreign Office Library, she moved to the Cypher Room, 1940-44, then worked as a Cypher Officer at the British Embassy in Washington, June 1944-March 1946. After a month at Geneva working at the British Consulate on behalf of the UNRRA Conference, June-July 1946, she returned to the Foreign Office Cypher Room, 1946-48, but had to resign on her marriage to Ronald Juchau, in August 1948 . She then accompanied Juchau on his subsequent postings, including: Oslo, 1948-51; Budapest, 1951-53; Lisbon, 1953-56; Benghazi, 1956-58; home posting, 1958-62; Milan,1962-66; Detroit, 1966-69; Barcelona, 1969-73; home posting, 1973-77; Alicante, 1977-79.
Interviewed 2017.

KEEBLE, Sir (Herbert Ben) Curtis, GCMG (1922-2008)

Diplomat. Served HM Forces, 1942-47. Entered HM Foreign (subsequently Diplomatic) Service, 1947; served in Jakarta, 1947-49; Foreign Office, 1949-51; Berlin, 1951-54; Washington, 1954-58; Foreign Office, 1958-63; Counsellor and Head of European Economic Organisations Department, 1963-65; Counsellor (Commercial), Berne, 1965-68; Minister, Canberra, 1968-71; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1971-73; HM Ambassador, German Democratic Republic, 1974-76; Deputy Under Secretary of State (Chief Clerk), FCO, 1976-78; Ambassador at Moscow, 1978-82; Special Adviser, House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, 1985-86.
Interviewed 2001.

KEEFE, Denis, CBE (b. 1958)

Joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1982; FCO, 1982–84; Second Secretary, Prague, 1984–88; First Secretary: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1988–92; Nairobi, 1992–95; Deputy Head, South Asian Department, FCO, 1996–97; Head, Asia-Europe Meeting Unit, 1997–98; Deputy Head of Mission, Prague, 1998–2002; on secondment as Counter Terrorism Strategy Team Leader, Cabinet Office, 2002–03; Head, China Hong Kong Department, 2003–04, Far Eastern Group, 2004–06, FCO; Ambassador to Georgia, 2007–10; Deputy Head of Mission, Moscow, 2010–14; Ambassador to Serbia, 2014–19; Director, Faculty for National Security, Royal College of Defence Studies, 2019-22.

Interviewed 2023.

KERR, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, GCMG (b. 1942)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1966; served Foreign Office, Moscow, Rawalpindi, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Private Secretary to Permanent Under Secretary, FCO, 1974-79; Head of DM1 Division, HM Treasury, 1979-81; Principal Private Secretary to Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1981-84; Head of Chancery, Washington, 1984-87; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1987-90; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to the EU, Brussels, 1990-95; Ambassador to the USA, 1995-97; Permanent Under Secretary of State, FCO, and Head of the Diplomatic Service, 1997-2002; Secretary-General, European Convention, 2002-03.
Interviewed 2004.

KILLICK, Sir John Edward, GCMG (1919-2004)

Diplomat. Served with HM Forces, 1939-46: Suffolk Regiment, W Africa Force and Airborne Forces. Foreign Office, 1946-48; Control Commission and High Commission for Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt and Bonn), 1948-51; Private Secretary to Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Foreign Office, 1951-54; British Embassy, Addis Ababa, 1954-57; Canadian National Defence College, 1957-58; Western Department, Foreign Office, 1958-62; Imperial Defence College, 1962; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, British Embassy, Washington, 1963-68; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1968-71; Ambassador to USSR, 1971-73; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO and Permanent Representative on Council of WEU, 1973-75; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to NATO, 1975-79.
Interviewed 2002.

LAING, John Stuart (b. 1948)

Entered Diplomatic Service in 1970: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970-71; MECAS, Lebanon, 1971-72; 2nd Secretary, Jedda, 1973-75; 1st Secretary: UK Permanent Representative to EC, 1975-78; FCO, 1978-83; Cairo, 1983-87; FCO, 1987-89; Counsellor, Prague, 1989-92; Deputy Head of Mission and HM Consul-General, British Embassy, Riyadh, 1992-95; Head, Know How Fund for Central Europe, FCO, later DFID, 1995-98; High Commissioner to Brunei, 1998-2002; Ambassador to Oman, 2002-05; Ambassador to Kuwait, 2005-08.
Interviewed 2018.

LAMB, Sir Albert Thomas (Sir Archie), KBE CMG DFC (1921-2021)

Diplomat. Served RAF 1941-46. Foreign Office 1938-41; Embassy, Rome [Italy], 1947-50; Consulate-General, Genoa, 1950; Embassy, Bucharest [Romania], 1950-53; Foreign Office 1953-55; Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies, 1955-57; Political Residency, Bahrain, 1957-61; Foreign Office 1961-65; Embassy, Kuwait, 1965; Political Agent in Abu Dhabi, 1965-68; Inspector, 1968-70, Senior Inspector, 1970-73, Assistant Under-Secretary of State and Chief Inspector, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-74; Ambassador to Kuwait, 1974-77; Ambassador to Norway, 1978-80.
Interviewed 2000.

LAMPORT, Martin (1952-2020)

Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1974: West Indian and Atlantic Department, FCO, 1975-76; Finance Department, FCO, 1976; Nationality and Treaty Department, FCO, 1979-80; Libya, 1980-83; Venezuela, 1983-85; Nuclear Energy Department and Science Energy Nuclear Department 1987-89; UK Rep, Brussels, 1989-93; Belize, 1993-96; Security Policy Department, FCO, 1996-99; Sana’a and Consul General Aden, 1999-2002; Lima, 2002-04; the Horn of Africa 2004-07; UN Department and Kosovo Section, FCO, 2007-10.
Interviewed 2019.

LAMPORT, Sir Stephen, GCVO DL (b. 1951)

HM Diplomatic Service, 1974–2002: UK Mission to United Nations, 1974; Tehran, 1975–79; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979–84; Private Secretary to Minister of State, 1981–84; First Secretary, Rome, 1984–88; FCO, 1988–93; Deputy Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales, 1993–96; Private Secretary and Treasurer to the Prince of Wales, 1996–2002; Chapter Clerk and Receiver General, Westminster Abbey, 2008–18.
Interviewed 2020

LEAHY, Sir John Henry Gladstone, KCMG (1928-2015)

Diplomat. RAF, 1950-52; FO, 1952-54 (Assistant Private Secretary to Minister of State, 1953-54); 3rd, later 2nd Secretary, Singapore, 1955-57; FO, 1957-58; 2nd, later 1st Secretary, Paris, 1958-62; FO, 1962-65; Head of Chancery, Tehran, 1965-68; Counsellor, FCO, 1969; Head of Personnel Services Department, 1969-70; Head of News Department, FCO, 1971-73; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Paris, 1973-75; seconded as Under Secretary, NI Office, 1975-76; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1977-79; Ambassador to South Africa, 1979-82; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1982-84; High Commissioner, Australia, 1984-88.
Interviewed 2001.

LESLIE, Dame Alison Mariot, DCMG (b. 1954)

After a brief spell in the Scottish Office from 1975, Leslie joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1977 and during her diplomatic career served in the following posts: Singapore, 1978-81; Bonn, 1982-86; Paris (on secondment to Quai d’Orsay), 1990-92; Head, Environment, Science and Energy Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1992-93; Scottish Office Industry Department, 1993-95; Head, Policy Planning Staff, FCO, 1996–98; Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Rome, 1998-2001; Ambassador to Norway, 2002-06; Director, Defence and Strategic Threats, 2006-07, Director General, Defence and Intelligence, 2007-10, FCO; Member, Joint Intelligence Committee, 2007-10; UK Permanent Representative, UK Delegation to NATO, 2010-14.
Interviewed 2017.

LEVER, Sir Paul, KCMG (b. 1944)

3rd Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1966-67; 3rd, later 2nd Secretary, Helsinki, 1967-71; 2nd, later 1st Secretary, UK Delegation to NATO, 1971-73; FCO, 1973-81; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary (David Owen), 1978-81; Chef de Cabinet to Christopher Tugendhat, Vice-President of EEC, 1981-85; Head of UN Department, FCO, 1985-86; Head of Defence Department, 1986-87; Head of Security Policy Department, FCO, 1987-90; Ambassador and Head, UK Delegation to Conventional Arms Control Negotiations, Vienna, 1990-92; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1992-94; Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Office, and Chairman, Joint Intelligence Committee, 1994-96; Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Director for EU and Economic Affairs), FCO, 1996-97; Ambassador to Germany, 1997-2003.
Interviewed 2011.

LEVY, Lord Levy of Mill Hill (b. 1944)

Michael Levy’s career includes: Lubbock Fine (Chartered Accountants), 1961–66; Principal of M. Levy and Company, 1966–69; Partner, Wagner Prager Levy and Partners, 1969–73; Chairman: Magnet Group, 1973–88; D and J Securities Limited, 1988–92; M and G Records, 1992–97; Wireart Limited, 1992–2002; Chase Music (formerly M and G Music) Limited, 1992–2002; International Standard Asset Management, 2008–11; Vice Chairman: Phonographic Performance Limited, 1979–84; British Phonographic Industry Limited, 1984–87.

He was particularly involved in Jewish affairs, as: National Campaign Chairman, United Joint Israel Appeal, 1982–85 (Hon. Vice President, 1994–2000; Hon. President, 2000–); Chairman: Jewish Care, 1992–97 (President, 1998–2020; Life President, 2020); Jewish Care Community Foundation, 1995–2010; Vice Chairman, Central Council for Jewish Community Services (formerly Central Council for Jewish Social Services), 1994–99. He became Personal Envoy for the Prime Minister (Tony Blair) and an Adviser on the Middle East, 1999–2007.

Interviewed 2023.

LIFE, Vivien, CMG (b. 1957)

Civil Service Fast Stream, 1979–81; HM Treasury, 1981–88; entered FCO, 1988; EU External Department, FCO, 1988–91; First Secretary, Washington, 1992–96; Deputy Head: EU Department External, FCO, 1996–97; Latin America and Caribbean Department, FCO, 1997–99; Head: Consultancy Group, FCO Services, 1999–2003; Strategy Group, FCO, 2003–06; External Relations Group, Europe Directorate, FCO, 2006–08; Enlargement SE and Wider Europe Group, FCO, 2008–10; Climate Change and Energy Department, FCO, 2010–12; Ambassador to Denmark, 2012–16; Director, Free Trade Agreements, Department for International Trade, 2016; Director, Asia and Australasia Negotiations, Department for International Trade, 2020-22.
Interviewed 2023.

Vivien Life

LOGAN, Sir David, KCMG (b. 1943)

Entered Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1965; Istanbul, Ankara and FCO, 1965-70; Private Secretary to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 1970-73; First Secretary, 1972; UK Mission to United Nations, 1973-77; FCO, 1977-82; Counsellor, Head of Chancery and Consul-General, Oslo, 1982-86; Head of Personnel Operations Department, FCO, 1986-88; Senior Associate Member, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, 1988-89; Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Moscow, 1989-92; Assistant Under Secretary of State (Central and Eastern Europe), 1992-94, (Defence Policy), 1994-95, FCO; Minister, Washington [United States], 1995-97; Ambassador to Turkey, 1997-2001. Following his retirement from the Diplomatic Service, Logan became Director of the Centre for Studies in Security and Diplomacy, and Hon. Professor, School of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham, 2002-06.
Interviewed 2017

LOGAN, Sir Donald Arthur, KCMG (1917-2009)

Diplomat. Joined the Foreign (subsequently Diplomatic) Service, in December 1945, and his diplomatic career included: Foreign Office, 1945-1947; HM Embassy, Tehran [Iran], 1947-1951; Foreign Office, 1951-1953; Assistant Political Agent, Kuwait, 1953-1955; Assistant Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs [John Selwyn-Lloyd], 1956-1958; HM Embassy, Washington, 1958-1960; HM Ambassador to Guinea, 1960-1962; Foreign Office, 1962-1964; Information Counsellor, British Embassy, Paris [France] 1964-1970; Ambassador to Bulgaria, 1970-1973; Deputy Permanent UK Representative to NATO, 1973-1975; Ambassador and Permanent Leader, UK Delegation to UN Conference on Law of the Sea, 1976-1977; Leader, UK delegation to Conference on Marine Living Resources of Antarctica, Buenos Aires [Argentina] and Canberra [Australia], 1978-1980.
Interviewed 2002.

Please note that this transcript is an excerpt from Logan’s memoirs. See also account of the Suez Crisis by Logan in MISC 30: more details are available on the ArchiveSearch webserver.

LONG, Christopher, CMG (1938-2023)

HM Diplomatic Service, 1963–98: Foreign Office, 1963–64; Jedda, 1965–67; Caracas, 1967–69; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1969–74; Budapest, 1974–77; Belgrade (CSCE), 1977; Counsellor, Damascus, 1978–80; Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative, UKMIS, Geneva, 1980–83; Head, Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 1983–85; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Deputy Chief Clerk and Chief Inspector), FCO, 1985–88; Ambassador to Switzerland, 1988–92 and also to Liechtenstein, 1992; Ambassador to Egypt, 1992–95; Ambassador to Hungary, 1995–98.
Interviewed 2018.

LONGWORTH, Peter, CMG (b. 1942)

Journalist, 1963-74: Labour and Industrial Correspondent, Bristol Evening Post, 1964-66; Lobby Correspondent, Western Daily Press, 1966-68; Diplomatic Correspondent, Westminster Press, 1968-74. Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1974; First Secretary, FCO, 1974-77; First Secretary (Economic), Bonn, 1977-81; Head of Chancery and HM Consul, Sofia, 1981-84; FCO, 1984-87; Counsellor (Economic and Commercial), Copenhagen, 1987-91; Deputy Head of Mission, Counsellor (Economic and Commercial) and Consul General, Seoul, 1991-94; Consul General, Johannesburg, and Director of UK Trade Promotion and Investment, South Africa, 1994-98; High Commissioner, Zimbabwe, 1998-2001.
Interviewed 2006.

LUCAS, Ivor Thomas Mark, CMG (1927-2018)

Diplomat. Served in Royal Artillery, 1945-48 (Captain). Entered Diplomatic Service, 1951; Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, Lebanon, 1952; 3rd, later 2nd Secretary, Bahrain, Sharjah and Dubai, 1952-56; Foreign Office, 1956-59; 1st Secretary, Karachi, 1959-62; 1st Secretary and Head of Chancery, Tripoli, 1962-66; Foreign Office, 1966-68; Counsellor, Aden, 1968-69 (Chargé d’Affaires, August 1968-February 1969); Deputy High Commissioner, Kaduna, Nigeria, 1969-71; Counsellor, Copenhagen, 1972-75; Head of Middle East Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975-79; Ambassador to Oman, 1979-81, to Syria, 1982-84.
Interviewed 2005.

LYALL GRANT, Sheila (b. 1960)

Sheila Lyall Grant joined the Diplomatic Service in 1980 and her career included: Western European Department, FCO, 1980-82; Immigration Registry, then Consulate, Islamabad, 1982-85; Protocol Directorate, FCO, 1985-90; Vice-Consul, Paris, 1990-93; MPs’ Letters Section, FCO, 1993-96; Consul, Pretoria,1996-98; Equal Opportunities Officer, Personnel Policy Department, FCO, 1998-2001; Visits Officer, Protocol Directorate, FCO, 2001-03; Special Unpaid Leave, Pakistan, 2003-06; Head of Visits Section, Protocol Directorate, FCO, 2007-09; Special Unpaid Leave, New York, 2009-15; Project Task Force, FCO, 2015-18; Multilateral Policy Directorate, FCO, 2018-21.

Interviewed 2022

LYALL GRANT, Sir Mark, GCMG (b. 1956)

Joined FCO, 1980; Second Secretary, Islamabad, 1982–85; FCO, 1985–87; Private Secretary to Minister of State, FCO, 1987–89; First Secretary, Paris, 1990–93; FCO 1993; seconded to European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 1994–96; Deputy High Commissioner and Consul General, South Africa, 1996–98; Head, EU Department (Internal), FCO, 1998–2000; Director, Africa, FCO, 2000–03; High Commissioner to Pakistan, 2003–06; Political Director, FCO, 2007–09; Permanent Representative to the UN, 2009–15; National Security Adviser, 2015–17.
Interviewed 2019.

LYNE, Sir Roderic Michael John, KBE CMG (b. 1948)

Diplomat. Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1970; Army School of Languages, 1971; Moscow, 1972-74; Dakar, 1974-76; Eastern European and Soviet Department, FCO, 1976-79; Rhodesia Department, FCO, 1979; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1979-82; UK Mission to UN, New York, 1982-86; Visiting Resident Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1986-87; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Moscow, 1987-90; Head of Soviet Department, 1990-92, Head of Eastern Department, 1992-93, FCO; on secondment as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, 1993-96; on secondment as Director for Policy Development, CIS ME and Africa, British Gas, 1996; UK Permanent Representative to Office of UN and other international organisations, Geneva, 1997-2000; Ambassador to Russia, 2000-2004.
Interviewed 2006.

MACAN, Thomas (b. 1946)

Joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1969: United Nations Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1969–71; Bonn, 1971–74; Brasilia, 1974–78; Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department, FCO, 1978–81; Press Secretary, Bonn, 1981–86; Head, Commonwealth Co-ordination Department, FCO, 1986–88; Head, Training Department, FCO, 1988–90; Counsellor, Lisbon, 1990–94; Ambassador to Lithuania, 1995–98; on secondment to BOC Group, 1998–99; Minister and Deputy High Commissioner, New Delhi, 1999–2002; Governor, British Virgin Islands, 2002–06.
Interviewed 2019.

MACGREGOR, Dame Judith, DCMG LVO (b. 1952)

Entered Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1976; Belgrade, 1978-81; FCO, 1981-86; Prague, 1989; Paris, 1992-93; Deputy Head, Western European Department, FCO, 1993-95; Counsellor and Head of Security Strategy, FCO, 2001-03; FCO Chair, Civil Service Selection Board, 2003-04; Ambassador to Slovakia, 2004-07; Director for Migration, FCO, 2007-09; Ambassador to Mexico, 2009-13; High Commissioner to South Africa, 2013-17, and (non-resident) to Lesotho and Swaziland, 2014-17.
Interviewed 2019-20.

MACGREGOR, John, CVO (b. 1946)

Joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1973; 2nd Secretary, United Nations Affairs, 1973–74; 1st Secretary (political), New Delhi, 1975; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979; Private Secretary to Minister of State, FCO, 1981; speechwriter to Foreign Secretary, 1982; Assistant, Soviet Department, FCO, 1983; Deputy Head of Mission, Prague, 1986; Head of Chancery, Paris, 1990–93; Head of EU Department (External), 1993–95; Director General for Trade Promotion in Germany and Consul-General, Düsseldorf, 1995–98; Ambassador to Poland, 1998–2000; Director, Wider Europe, FCO, 2000–02; Ambassador to Austria, 2003–07; UK Permanent Representative to UN in Vienna and UK Gov. to IAEA, 2006–07.
Interviewed 2019-20.

MADDOCKS, Arthur Frederick, CMG (1922-2020)

Army, 1942–46; Foreign (later Diplomatic) Service, 1946–82: Washington, 1946–48; FO, 1949–51; Bonn, 1951–55; Bangkok, 1955–58; UK Delegation to OEEC, 1958–60; FO, 1960–64; UK Delegation to European Communities, Brussels, 1964–68; Political Adviser, Hong Kong, 1968–72; Deputy High Commissioner and Minister (Commercial), Ottawa, 1972–76; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to OECD, Paris, 1977–82.
Interviewed 2018.

MAITLAND, Sir Donald James Dundas, GCMG OBE (1922-2010)

Diplomat. Director, Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, Lebanon, 1956-60; Counsellor, Egypt, 1963-5; Head of News Department, 1965; Ambassador to Libya, 1969-70; Press Secretary, Prime Minister’s Private Office, 1970-3; UK Permanent Representative, United Nations, 1973-4; Ambassador to EEC, 1975-9; Permanent Under-Secretary, Department of Energy, 1980-2.
Interviewed 1997.

MALLABY, Sir Christopher Leslie George, GCMG GCVO (1936-2022)

Diplomat. First Secretary, Berlin, 1966-9; Deputy Director, British Trade Development Office, New York, 1971-4; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Soviet Union, 1975-7; Head, Arms Control and Disarmament Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1977-9; Head, East European and Soviet Department, 1979-80; Minister, Bonn, 1982-5; Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Office, 1985-8; Ambassador to West Germany, 1988-92, and to France, 1993-6.
Interviewed 1997.

MARGETSON, Sir John William Denys, KCMG (1927-2020)

Lieutenant, Life Guards, 1947-49. Colonial Service, District Officer, Tanganyika, 1951-60 (Private Secretary to Governor, Sir Edward Twining, 1956-57); entered Foreign Service, 1960; The Hague, 1962-64; speech writer to Foreign Secretary, George Brown, 1966-68; Head of Chancery, Saigon, 1968-70; Counsellor 1971, seconded to Cabinet Secretariat, 1971-74; Head of Chancery, UK Delegation to NATO, 1974-78; Ambassador to Vietnam, 1978-80; seconded to Ministry of Defence as Senior Civilian Instructor, Royal College of Defence Studies, 1981-82; Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to United Nations, New York, and President, UN Trusteeship Council, 1983-84; Ambassador to the Netherlands, 1984-87; Special Representative of the Foreign Secretary, 1994-98.
Interviewed 2007.

MARSH, Derek Richard, CVO (b. 1946)

Civil servant and diplomat.  Ministry of Defence, Assistant Principal, 1968–72; Assistant Private Secretary to Minister of State for Defence, 1973–74; Ministry of Defence, Principal, 1974–78; NATO Defense College, Rome, 1974; Administrative Secretary, Sovereign Base Areas, Cyprus, 1978–81; Ministry of Defence, Assistant Secretary, 1982–86; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1987; Department of Trade and Industry, Head of Air 1 and 2, 1988–91; Director, Companies House, 1991–93; Director, Projects Export Promotion, 1994–97; Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General, Republic of Korea, 1997–2001; Director General, British Trade and Cultural Office, Taipei, 2002–05; Special Ambassador for Head of UK Trade and Investment, 2006.

Interviewed 2023

Please note that the full version of this interview is closed. An edited version is open to readers.

MARSHALL, Sir Peter Harold Reginald, KCMG CVO (1924-2023)

After serving in the RAFVR, 1943-46, Marshall joined the Foreign (later Diplomatic) Service in 1949, and in his diplomatic career served in the following posts: Foreign Office, 1949-52; 2nd Secretary and Private Secretary to Ambassador, Washington, 1952-56; Foreign Office, 1956-60; on staff of Civil Service Selection Board, 1960; 1st Secretary and Head of Chancery, Baghdad, 1961, and Bangkok, 1962-64; Assistant Director of Treasury Centre for Administrative Studies, 1965-66; Counsellor, UK Mission, Geneva, 1966-69, Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Paris, 1969-71; Head of Financial Policy and Aid Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1971-73; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1973-75; UK Representative on Economic and Social Council of United Nations, 1975-79; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to Office of United Nations and Other International Organisations at Geneva, 1979-83. He later served as Commonwealth Deputy Secretary General (Economic), 1983-88, and Chairman of the Joint Commonwealth Societies Council, 1993-2003.
Interviewed 2017.

McBAIN, (David) Malcolm, LVO (1928-2022)

Diplomat. Ministry of Civil Aviation appointments in Tripoli, Libya, 1949-51, New Delhi, 1953-54; Diplomatic Service: New Delhi, 1958-61; Kenya, 1963-67; Thailand, 1968-75; Brunei, 1978-81; Texas, 1981-84; Ambassador to Madagascar, 1984-87.
Interviewed 2000.

Also includes a chapter from Malcolm McBain’s memoirs relating to his time as Ambassador to Madagascar.

McDONALD, Lord McDonald of Salford, GCMG KCVO (b. 1961)

Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1982; Jedda, 1985; Riyadh, 1985–88; Bonn, 1988–90; FCO, 1990; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1993–95; First Secretary, Washington, 1995–98; Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General, Riyadh, 1998–2001; Principal Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 2001–03; Ambassador to Israel, 2003–06; Director, Iraq, FCO, 2006–07; Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Minister and Head, Overseas and Defence Secretariat, later Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 2007–10; Ambassador to Germany, 2010–15; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, 2015–20.
Interviewed 2021.

Further reading:

Simon McDonald – Leadership:  Lessons in the Life of Diplomacy

In his first book, Simon reflects on the leaders he worked for, especially in the first half of his career, and how they affected his leadership style, especially in the second half of his career. 

McLAREN, Sir Robin John Taylor, KCMG (1934-2010)

Diplomat. First Secretary, Rome, 1964-8; Assistant Political Adviser, Hong Kong, 1968-9; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Denmark, 1975-8; Head of Hong Kong and General Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1978-9; Head of Far Eastern Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979-81; Political Adviser, Hong Kong, 1981-5; Ambassador to the Philippines, 1985-7; Assistant Under-Secretary, FCO, 1987-90; Ambassador to China, 1991-4.
Interviewed 1996.

McLOUGHLIN, Leslie J (b. 1935)

Instructor and interpreter in Arabic. After studying history at Manchester University, McLoughlin spent two years in National Service as an instructor officer in the Army Educational Corps (1955-57). At the direction of the Army he returned to university, at Durham, to learn Arabic (1960-61), and joined the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies (MECAS) in 1961. After a spell teaching Arabic to British forces in Aden [Yemen] between 1962 and 1964, McLoughlin became Principal Instructor at MECAS from 1965 to 1968. For a short time, McLoughlin taught Arabic outside MECAS, first at Edinburgh University [Scotland] between 1969 and 1970, and also as a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania [United States] in the summer of 1969, then at Columbia University in 1970. He then returned to MECAS once again, remaining there between 1970 and 1975. McLoughlin’s other duties have included acting as a Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence interpreter from 1983 onwards, and he is also a Fellow of the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies.
Interviewed 2003

MELLON, Sir James, KCMG (b. 1929)

Diplomat. Department of Agriculture for Scotland, 1953-60; Agricultural Attaché, Copenhagen and The Hague, 1960-63; Foreign Office, 1963-64; Head of Chancery, Dakar, 1964-66; UK Delegation to European Communities, 1967-72; Counsellor, 1970; Head of Science and Technology Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-75; Commercial Counsellor, East Berlin, 1975-76; Head of Trade Relations and Export Department, FCO, 1976-78; High Commissioner in Ghana and Ambassador to Togo, 1978-83; Ambassador to Denmark, 1983-86; Director-General for Trade and Investment, United States, and Consul-General, New York, 1986-88.
Interviewed 2003.

MEYER, Sir Christopher John Rome, KCMG (1944-2022)

Diplomat. 3rd Secretary, Foreign Office, 1966-67; Army School of Education, 1967-68; 3rd, later 2nd, Secretary, Moscow, 1968-70; 2nd Secretary, Madrid, 1970-73; 1st Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-78; 1st Secretary, UK Permanent Representative to European Communities, 1978-82; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Moscow, 1982-84; Head of News Department, FCO, 1984-88; Fellow, Center for International Affairs, Harvard, 1988-89; Minister (Commercial), 1989-92, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, 1992-93, Washington; on secondment to the Cabinet Office, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, 1994- 96; Ambassador to Germany, 1997; Ambassador to United States, 1997-2003; Chairman, Press Complaints Commission, 2003-.
Interviewed 2004.

MIERS, Sir (Henry) David, KBE CMG (b. 1937)

Diplomat. Entered HM Foreign Service, 1961; Reporting Officer United Nations General Assembly 16 and United Nations Department, FO, 1961-63; Tokyo, 1963; Vientiane, 1966; Private Secretary to Minister of State, Foreign Office, 1968; Paris, 1972; Assistant in Energy Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975-76; Counsellor, Tehran, 1977-79; Head of the Middle Eastern Department, FCO, 1980-83; Ambassador to Lebanon, 1983-85; Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Middle East, FCO, 1986-89; Ambassador to Greece, 1989-93; Ambassador to the Netherlands, 1993-96.
Interviewed 2014.

MILES, (Frank) Stephen, CMG (1920-2013)

Diplomat. Fleet Air Arm, 1942-46 (Lt (A) RNVR); Scottish Home Department, 1948; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1948-80. Miles served in: New Zealand, 1949-52; East and West Pakistan, 1954-57; Ghana, 1959-62; Uganda, 1962-63; British Deputy High Commissioner, Tanzania, 1963-65 (Acting High Commissioner, 1963-64); Acting High Commissioner in Ghana, March-April 1966; Consul-General, St Louis [United States], 1967-70; Deputy High Commissioner, Calcutta [India], 1970-74; High Commissioner, Zambia, 1974-78; High Commissioner, Bangladesh, 1978-79.
Interviewed 1996.

MILES, (Richard) Oliver, CMG (1936-2019)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1960; served in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Aden, Mukalla, Nicosia, Jedda; Counsellor, Athens, 1977-80; Head of Near East and North Africa Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1980-83; Ambassador to: Libya, 1984; Luxembourg, 1985-88; Under-Secretary on loan to Home Civil Service, Belfast, 1988-90; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Economic), FCO, 1990-91; Director General of Joint Directorate, Overseas Trade Services, FCO/Department of Trade and Industry, 1991-93; Ambassador to Greece, 1993-96.
Interviewed 2004.

Please note that the full version of this interview is closed. An edited version is open to readers.

MOBERLY, Sir John Campbell, KBE CMG (1925-2004)

Diplomat. War Service in Royal Navy, 1943-47 (despatches). Entered Foreign (now Diplomatic) Service, 1950; Political Officer, Kuwait, 1954-56; Political Agent, Doha, 1959-62; First Secretary, Athens, 1962-66; Counsellor, Washington, 1969-73; Director, Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1973-75; Ambassador, Jordan, 1975-79; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1979-82; Ambassador, Iraq, 1982-85; Consultant, then Associate Fellow, Middle East Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1986-2003.
Interviewed 2002.

MORLAND, Martin Robert, CMG (1933-2020)

Diplomat. National Service with the Grenadier Guards, 1954-56; British Embassy, Rangoon [Burma, later Myanmar], 1957-60; News Department, Foreign Office, 1961; UK Delegation to Common Market negotiations, Brussels [Belgium], 1962-63; Foreign Office, 1963-65; UK Disarmament Delegation, Geneva [Switzerland], 1965-67; Private Secretary to Lord Chalfont [Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office], 1967-68; European Integration Department, FCO, 1968-73; Counsellor, 1973-77, Rome [Italy], seconded temporarily to Cabinet Office to head EEC Referendum Information Unit, 1975; Head of Maritime Aviation and Environment Department, FCO, 1977-79; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Washington [United States], 1979-82; seconded to Hardcastle and Company Limited, 1982-84; Under-Secretary, Cabinet Office, 1984-86; Ambassador to Burma, 1986-90; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to Office of United Nations and other international organisations, Geneva, 1990-93.
Interviewed 2006.

MORRIS, Warwick (b. 1948)

Entered Diplomatic Service, 1969; Third Secretary, Paris, 1972–74; Korean language training, Yonsei University, Seoul, 1975–76; Second Secretary, Seoul, 1977–79; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1979–83; First Secretary, 1982; First Secretary (Commercial), Mexico City, 1984–87; Head of Chancery, Seoul, 1988–91; Deputy Head, Far Eastern Department, FCO, 1991–93; Counsellor, 1993, Head, 1994, Permanent Under Secretary’s Department, FCO; Economic and Commercial Counsellor, New Delhi, 1995–98; Royal College of Defence Studies, 1999; Ambassador to Vietnam, 2000–03; Ambassador to South Korea, 2003–08.

Originally interviewed 2009, but this was never completed; memoir submitted in 2020.

MUNRO, Colin Andrew, CMG (b. 1946)

Diplomat. Assistant Principal, Board of Inland Revenue, 1968-69; Diplomatic Service, 1969; Foreign and Commonwealth Office (SW Pacific Department), 1969-71; Third, later Second, Secretary, Bonn, 1971-73; FCO (Commonwealth Co-ordination Department), 1973; Second, later First, Secretary, Kuala Lumpur, 1973-77; FCO (Defence Department), 1977-79; FCO, Private Secretary to Minister of State (Peter Blaker), 1979-80; Head of Chancery, Bucharest, 1981-82; FCO (Western European Department), 1983-84, Assistant Head of Department, 1985-87; Deputy Head of Mission, East Berlin, 1987-90; Consul General, Frankfurt, 1990-93; FCO (Head of OSCE and Council of Europe Department), 1993-97; Ambassador to Republic of Croatia, 1997-2000; Deputy High Representative, Mostar, 2001; Royal College of Defence Studies, 2002; UK Permanent Representative to OSCE, Vienna, 2003-07.
Interviewed 2009.

Also includes the text of an article by Munro: Britain, Berlin, German Unification and the fall of the Soviet Empire, for the Bulletin of the German Historical Institute, London, vol XXXI, No.2, November 2009.

MUNRO, Sir Alan Gordon, KCMG (b. 1935)

Diplomat. Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1958-60; British Embassy, Beirut, 1960-62; Kuwait, 1961; FO, 1963-65; Head of Chancery, Benghazi, 1965-66 and Tripoli, 1966-68; FO, 1968-73; Consul (Commercial), 1973-74, Consul-General, 1974-77, Rio de Janeiro; Head of East African Department, FCO, 1977-78; Head of Middle East Department, FCO, 1979; Head of Personnel Operations Department, FCO, 1979-81; Regional Marketing Director (Middle East), Ministry of Defence, 1981-83; Ambassador to Algeria, 1984-87; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, Middle East/Africa, FCO, 1987-89; Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 1989-93.
Interviewed 1996.

NIXON, Patrick Michael, CMG OBE (b. 1944)

Joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1965; MECAS, Lebanon, 1966; Cairo, 1968; Lima, 1970; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973; Tripoli, Libya, 1977; British Information Services, New York, 1980; Assistant, later Head, Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 1983; Ambassador and Consul-General at Doha, Qatar, 1987–90; Counsellor, FCO, 1990–93; High Commissioner to Zambia, 1994–97; Director, FCO, 1997–98; Ambassador to UAE, 1998–2003; Regional Coordinator for Coalition Provisional Authority, Southern Iraq, 2004.
Interviewed 2021.

O’KEEFFE, (Peter) Laurence, CMG CVO (1931-2003)

Diplomat. HM Customs and Excise, 1953-62; 2nd, later 1st Secretary (Economic), Bangkok, 1962-5; FO, 1965-8; 1st Secretary and Head of Chancery, Athens, 1968-72; Commercial Counsellor, Jakarta, 1972-5; Head of Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975-6; Director-General, British Information Services, and Deputy Consul General (Information), New York, 1976-8; Counsellor, Nicosia, 1978-81; Ambassador to Senegal, 1982-5, and concurrently (non-resident) to Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania and Cape Verde, 1982-5; Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, 1988-91.
Interviewed 1998.

See also O’Keeffe’s lecture And the Walls Came Tumbling Down on Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution, given at St Antony’s College, Oxford, in November 1996.

PALLISER, Sir Michael, GCMG PC (1922-2012)

Diplomat. Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1947; South East Asia Department, Foreign Office, 1947-49; Athens, 1949-51; Second Secretary, 1950; Foreign Office: German Finance Department, 1951-52; Central Department, 1952-54; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary, 1954-56; First Secretary, 1955; Paris, 1956-60; Head of Chancery, Dakar, 1960-62 (Chargé d’Affaires in 1960, 1961 and 1962); Counsellor, and seconded to Imperial Defence College, 1963; Head of Planning Staff, Foreign Office, 1964; a Private Secretary to Prime Minister, 1966; Minister, Paris, 1969; Ambassador and Head of UK Delegation to European Communities, Brussels, 1971; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to European Communities, 1973-75; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FCO and Head of Diplomatic Service, 1975-82.
Interviewed 1999.

PARSONS, Sir Anthony Derrick, GCMG LVO MC (1922-1996)

Diplomat. First Secretary, Turkey, 1955-59, Jordan, 1959-60, Egypt, 1960, Sudan, 1964-65; Political Agent, Bahrain, 1965-69; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, UK Mission to UN, 1969-71; Ambassador to Iran, 1974-79; UK Permanent Representative to UN, 1979-82; Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Minister, 1982-83.

PARSONS, Sir Richard, KCMG (1928-2016)

Diplomat. Foreign Office, 1951-53; 3rd Secretary, Washington, 1953-56; 2nd Secretary, Vientiane, 1956-58; FO, 1958-60; 1st Secretary, Buenos Aires, 1960-63; FO, 1963-65; 1st Secretary, Ankara, 1965-67; FO, 1967-69; Counsellor, Lagos, 1969-72; Head of Personnel Operations Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1972-76; Ambassador to Hungary, 1976-79; Ambassador to Spain, 1980-84; Ambassador to Sweden, 1984-87.
Interviewed 2005.

PELLEW, Mark Edward, CVO (b. 1942)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1965; Foreign Office, 1965-67; Third Secretary, Singapore, 1967-69; Second Secretary, Saigon, 1969-70; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970-76; First Secretary, Rome, 1976-80; Assistant Head of Personnel Operations Department, FCO, 1981-83; Counsellor: Washington, 1983-89; on secondment to Hambros Bank, 1989-91; Head of North America Department, FCO, 1991-96; Ambassador to the Holy See, 1998-2002.
Interviewed 2005.

PENFOLD, Peter Alfred, CMG OBE (1944-2023)

Diplomat. Joined Foreign Service (American Division and United Nations Division), 1963; Bonn, 1965-68; Registry Officer, Kaduna, 1968-70; Latin American Floater, 1970-72; Passport Officer, Canberra, 1972; Desk Officer, Pacific and Dependent Territories, FCO, 1972-75; Second Secretary: Addis Ababa, 1975-78; Port of Spain, 1978-81; First Secretary, FCO, 1981-84; Deputy High Commissioner and Head of Chancery, Kampala, 1984-87; First Secretary and Deputy Head of West Indian and Atlantic Department, FCO, 1987-91; Governor, British Virgin Islands, 1991-95; Special Drugs Adviser to the Caribbean, FCO, 1995-96; High Commissioner, Freetown, 1996-2000; Senior consultant and conflict adviser, DFID [Department for International Development], 2001-2.
Interviewed 2003.

PHILLIPS, Sir Hayden, GCB (b. 1943)

Home Office: Assistant Principal, 1967; Economic Adviser, 1970-72; Principal, 1972-74; Assistant Secretary, and Principal Private Secretary to Home Secretary (Roy Jenkins), 1974-76; Deputy Chef de Cabinet to President of the European Commission (Roy Jenkins), 1977-79; Assistant Secretary, Home Office, 1979-81, Assistant Under-Secretary of State, 1981-86; Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Office (MPO, subsequently Office of the Minister for the Civil Service), 1986-88; Deputy Secretary, Treasury, 1988-92; Permanent Secretary: Department for National Heritage, later Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1992-98; Lord Chancellor’s Department, 1998-2003; Department for Constitutional Affairs, 2003-04; Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, 1998-2004.
Interviewed 2011.

PHILLIPS, Sir Horace, KCMG (1917-2004)

Diplomat. Vice Consul, Shiraz and Bushire, Iran, 1947-9; Oriental Secretary, Afghanistan, 1949-50; Head of Chancery, Saudi Arabia, 1953-6; Protectorate Secretary, Aden, 1956-60; Counsellor, Iran, 1960-4; Deputy Political Resident, Persian Gulf, 1964; Ambassador to Indonesia, 1966-73; Ambassador to Turkey, 1973-7.
Interviewed 1997.

PLUMBLY, Sir Derek, KCMG (b. 1948)

Diplomat. VSO, Pakistan, 1970-71; Third Secretary, FCO, 1972-73; MECAS, 1973-75; Second Secretary, Jedda, 1975-77; First Secretary, Cairo, 1977-80; FCO, 1980-84; First Secretary, Washington, 1984-88; Deputy Head of Mission, Riyadh, 1988-92; Head of Chancery, UK Mission to United Nations, New York, 1992-96; International Drugs Co-ordinator, and Director, Drugs and International Crime, FCO, 1996-97; Director, Middle East and North Africa, FCO, 1997-2000; Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 2000-03; Ambassador to Egypt, 2003-07; Chairman of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission, Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Sudan, 2008-11; Under Secretary General and Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations, 2012-15.
Interviewed 2018.

POWELL, Lord Powell of Bayswater, KCMG (b. 1941)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1963; Third Secretary, FO, 1963-65 (Desk officer, Muscat and Oman); Second Secretary, Helsinki, 1965-67; FCO, 1968-71; First Secretary and Private Secretary to HM Ambassador, Washington (Lord Cromer), 1971-74; First Secretary, Bonn, 1974-77; FCO, 1977-80 (Counsellor, 1979; Special Counsellor for Rhodesia negotiations, 1979-80); Counsellor, UK Permanent Representation to European Communities, 1980-84; Private Secretary to Prime Minister, 1983-91.
Interviewed 2000.

PRENDERGAST, Sir (Walter) Kieran, KCVO CMG (b. 1942)

Diplomat. Turkish language student Istanbul, 1964; Ankara, 1965; Foreign Office (later Foreign and Commonwealth Office), 1967; 2nd Secretary Nicosia, 1969; 1st Secretary FCO, 1972; The Hague, 1973; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary (Anthony Crosland, Dr David Owen), 1976; UK Mission to UN, New York, 1979 (detached for duty Jan-Mar 1980 at Government House, Salisbury); Counsellor, Tel Aviv, 1982; Head of Southern African Department, FCO, 1986-89; High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, 1989-92; High Commissioner to Kenya, 1992-95; Ambassador to Turkey, 1995-97; Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, United Nations, New York, 1997-2005.
Interviewed 2012.

PRINGLE, Dame Anne Fyfe, DCMG (b. 1955)

Joined FCO, 1977: Third Secretary, Moscow, 1980–83; Vice Consul, San Francisco, 1983–85; Second Secretary, UK Rep., Brussels, 1986–87; FCO, 1988–91; First Secretary, European Political Co-operation Secretariat, Brussels, 1991–93; Deputy Head, Security Co-ordination Department, then African Department (Equatorial), FCO, 1994–96; Head, Common Foreign and Security Policy Department, FCO, and European Correspondent, 1996–98; Head, Eastern Department, FCO, 1998–2001; Ambassador to the Czech Republic, 2001–04; Director, Strategy and Information, FCO, 2004–07; Ambassador to Russia, 2008–11.
Interviewed 2018.

RAMSBOTHAM, Hon Sir Peter, GCMG (1919-2010)

Diplomat. Entered Foreign Service, October 1948; Political Division of Allied Control Commission, Berlin, November 1948; transferred to Foreign Office, 1950; 1st Secretary, 1950; Head of Chancery, UK Delegation, New York, 1953; Foreign Office, 1957; Counsellor, 1961, Head of Western Organisations and Planning Dept; Head of Chancery, British Embassy, Paris, 1963-67; Foreign Office, 1967-69 (Sabbatical year, Institute of Strategic Studies, 1968); High Commissioner, Nicosia, 1969-71; Ambassador to Iran, 1971-74; Ambassador to the United States, 1974-77; Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda, 1977-80.
Interviewed 2001.

RANKIN, John James CMG (b. 1957)

Solicitor and Member, Law Society of Scotland. Lecturer in Public Law, University of Aberdeen, 1984–88; Assistant, then Senior Assistant Legal Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1988–90; Legal Adviser, UKMIS and UKDIS, Geneva, 1991–94; Legal Counsellor, FCO, 1995; Deputy Head, OSCE Department, 1996–98; Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, Dublin, 1999–2003; Consul General, Boston, 2003–07; Director, Americas, FCO, 2008–10; High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and (non-resident) to the Maldives, 2011–15; Chargé d’Affaires, Nepal, 2015; Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda, 2016–20; Governor, British Virgin Islands, 2021–23.
Interviewed 2024

John Rankin

REDDAWAY, Sir David Norman, KCMG MBE (b. 1953)

Diplomat.  Joined FCO in 1975: language student, SOAS, 1976 and Iran, 1977; Tehran: Third Secretary, later Second Secretary (Commercial), 1977–78; Second Secretary. later First Secretary (Chancery), 1978–80; First Secretary: (Chancery), Madrid, 1980–84; FCO, 1985–86; Private Secretary to Minister of State, 1986–88; (Chancery), New Delhi, 1988–90; Chargé d’Affaires, Tehran, 1990–93 (Counsellor, 1991); Minister, Buenos Aires, 1993–97; Head, Southern European Department, FCO, 1997–99; Director, Public Services, FCO, 1999–2001; UK Special Representative for Afghanistan, 2002; Visiting Fellow, Harvard University, 2002–03; High Commissioner, Canada, 2003–06; Ambassador: to Ireland, 2006–09; to Turkey, 2009–14.
Interviewed 2022.
DOHP 213 1 file

Sir David Reddaway

RENWICK, Rt Hon Lord (Robin), KCMG (1937-2024)

Diplomat. Entered Foreign Service, 1963; Dakar, 1963-64; FO, 1964-66; New Delhi, 1966-69; Private Secretary to Minister of State, FCO, 1970-72; First Secretary, Paris, 1972-76; Counsellor, Cabinet Office, 1976-78; Rhodesia Department, FCO, 1978-80; Political Adviser to Governor of Rhodesia, 1980; Visiting Fellow, Center for International Affairs, Harvard, 1980-81; Head of Chancery, Washington, 1981-84; Assistant Under Secretary of State, FCO, 1984-87; Ambassador to South Africa, 1987-91; Ambassador to Washington, 1991-95.
Interviewed 1998.

RHODES, Sir Peregrine Alexander, KCMG (1925-2005)

Diplomat. Served with Coldstream Guards, 1944-47. Joined Foreign Office, 1950; 2nd Secretary, Rangoon, 1953-56; Private Secretary to Minister of State, 1956-59; 1st Secretary, Vienna, 1959-62; 1st Secretary, Helsinki, 1962-65; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1965-68, Counsellor 1967; Institute for Study of International Organisation, Sussex University, 1968-69; Counsellor, Rome, 1970-73; Chargé d’Affaires, East Berlin, 1973-75; on secondment as Under Secretary, Cabinet Office (Chief of Assessments Staff), 1975-78; High Commissioner, Cyprus, 1979-82; Ambassador to Greece, 1982-85.
Interviewed 2003.

RICHARDS, Sir Francis Neville, KCMG CVO DL (b. 1945)

Royal Green Jackets, 1967-69; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1969; Moscow, 1971; UK Delegation to MBFR (Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction) negotiations, Vienna, 1973; FCO, 1976-85 (Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1981-82); Economic and Commercial Counsellor, New Delhi, 1985-88; FCO, 1988-90 (Head, South Asian Department); High Commissioner, Namibia, 1990-92; Minister, Moscow, 1992-95; Director (Europe), FCO, 1995-97; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1997-98; Director, GCHQ, 1998-2003; Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Gibraltar, 2003-06.
Interviewed 2016.

RICHARDSON, Sir Thomas, KCMG (b. 1941)

Joined Foreign Office, 1962; seconded to University of Ghana, 1962–63; Foreign Office, Near East and North Africa Department, 1963-65; Third Secretary, Dar es Salaam, 1965-66; Vice-Consul (Commercial), Milan, 1967-70; seconded to N. M. Rothschild and Sons, 1970; FCO, Financial Policy and Aid Department, 1971-74; First Secretary, UK Mission to United Nations, 1974-78; FCO, Deputy Head of Energy, Science and Space Department, 1978-80; seconded to Central Policy Review Staff, Cabinet Office, 1980-81; Head of Chancery, Rome, 1982-86; Head of Economic Relations Department, FCO, 1986-89; UK Deputy Permanent Representative to United Nations, with personal rank of Ambassador, 1989-94; Deputy Political Director and Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Western Europe), FCO, 1994-96; Ambassador to Italy and (non-resident) to San Marino, 1996-2000.
Interviewed 2019.

RICKETTS, Lord, GCMG GCVO (b. 1952)

Joined FCO, 1974; Reporting Officer, UKMIS New York, 1974; Singapore, 1975-78; UK Delegation to NATO, 1978-81; Arab-Israel desk, FCO, 1981-86; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, 1983-86; Washington, 1986-89; Deputy Head of Security Policy, FCO, 1989-91; Head of Hong Kong Department, FCO, 1991-1994; Economic and Financial Counsellor, Paris, 1994-97; Deputy Political Director, FCO, 1997-99; Director, International Security, FCO, 1999-2000; Chairman, Joint Intelligence Committee, Cabinet Office, 2000-01; Political Director, FCO, 2001-03; UK Permanent Representative to NATO, 2003-06; Permanent Under-Secretary of State and Head of Diplomatic Service, 2006-10; National Security Advisor, 2010-11; Ambassador to France, 2012-16.
Interviewed 2016-17.

Further reading:

Peter Ricketts – Hard Choices

In Hard Choices, Peter Ricketts draws on his experiences during forty years as a member of the British Diplomatic Service to explore how the country should define its future in an increasingly divided and unpredictable world.

ROBERTS, Sir Frank Kenyon, GCMG GCVO (1907-1998)

Diplomat. British Minister, Moscow, 1945-47; Principal Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 1947-49; Ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1954-57, USSR, 1960-62 and Federal Republic of Germany, 1963-68.
Interviewed 1996

ROBERTS, Sir Ivor, KCMG (b. 1946)

Diplomat. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1968; Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1969; Third, later Second Secretary, Paris, 1970-73; Second, later First Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973-78; First Secretary, Canberra, 1978-82; Deputy Head of News Department, FCO, 1982-86; Head, Security Co-ordination Department, FCO, 1986-88; Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Madrid, 1989-93; Chargé d’Affaires, Belgrade, 1994-96; Ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1996-97; Senior Associate Member, St Antony’s College, Oxford, 1997-98; Ambassador to Ireland, 1999-2003; Ambassador to Italy and San Marino, 2003-2006.
Interviewed 2007

ROSE, Alison (b. 1961)

Civil servant and diplomat.  Department of Employment: various management posts in employment operations, Manpower Services Commission (Jobcentres, training schemes for the long term unemployed), 1983–88; Deputy Team Leader: EU Training and Qualifications Policy, 1988–92; UK Health and Safety Policy, 1992–95; Team Leader: UK Health and Safety Finance and Operations, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1995–98; Greater London Authority Act team (Transport), Government Office for London, 1998–99; First Secretary (regional funds, health, culture, media and sport), UK Permanent Representation to EU, Brussels, 1999–2003; Deputy Director, European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 2003–06; Deputy Director: Change Management, Department for Communities and Local Government, 2006–07; Equalities Strategy, Government Equalities Office, 2007–08; Head of Department, EU Issues, EU Act 2011, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2008–12; Counsellor (EU and Global Issues), Paris, 2012–13; Deputy Director, Heritage Policy, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2013; Ambassador to Belgium, 2014–19.

Interviewed 2023.

ROSE, Sir Clive Martin, GCMG (1921-2019)

Diplomat. Rifle Brigade, 1941-46 (Major; despatches): served in Europe, 1944-45; India, 1945; Iraq, 1945-46. CRO, 1948; Office of Deputy High Commissioner, Madras, 1948-49; Foreign Office, 1950-53; UK High Commission, Germany, 1953-54; British Embassy, Bonn, 1955; FO, 1956-59; 1st Secretary and HM Consul, Montevideo, 1959-62; FO, 1962-65; Commercial Counsellor, Paris, 1965-67; Imperial Defence College, 1968; Counsellor, British Embassy, Washington, 1969-71; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1971-73; Head, British Delegation to Negotiations on Mutual Reduction of Forces and Armaments and Associated Measures in Central Europe, Vienna, 1973-76; Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Office, 1976-79; UK Permanent Representative on North Atlantic Council, 1979-82.
Interviewed 2003.

SANKEY, John Anthony, CMG (1930-2021)

National Service in 1st (Singapore) Regiment, RA (2nd Lieutenant), 1952. Entered Colonial Office, 1953-61; UK Mission to United Nations, 1961-64; Foreign Office, 1964-68; Guyana, 1968-71; Singapore, 1971-73; NATO Defence College, Rome, 1973; Malta, 1973-75; The Hague, 1975-79 (Governor, British School in the Netherlands); Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Head of Central African Department, 1979-82; High Commissioner, Tanzania, 1982-85; UK Permanent Representative to UN Office, Geneva, 1985-90.
Interviewed 2010.

SHEINWALD, Sir Nigel Elton, GCMG (b. 1953)

Joined Diplomatic Service, 1976; Japan Desk, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1976-77; Russian language training, 1977-78; Third, later Second Secretary, Moscow, 1978-79; Rhodesia/Zimbabwe Department, FCO, 1979-81; Eastern European and Soviet Department, FCO, 1981-83; First Secretary, Washington, 1983-87; Deputy Head, Policy Planning Staff, FCO, 1987-89; European Community Department (Internal), FCO, 1989-92; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, UK Permanent Representative to EU, 1993-95; Head of News Department, FCO, 1995-98; Director, EU, FCO, 1998-2000; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to EU, Brussels, 2000-03; Foreign Policy and Defence Adviser to the Prime Minister, 2003-07; Ambassador to the United States, 2007-12; Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on intelligence and law enforcement data sharing, 2014-15.
Interviewed 2016-17.

SHIERS, Leslie Gordon (c. 1920-2007)

RNVR Surgeon Lieutenant in the light cruiser Dauntless at the invasion of Madagascar in the Spring of l942.
Interviewed 1997.

SINDALL, Adrian John, CMG (b. 1937)

Diplomat. Foreign Office 1956-58; Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1958-60; Third Secretary (Commercial), Baghdad, 1960-62; Second Secretary, British Embassy, Rabat, 1962-67; First Secretary: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1967-70; Beirut, 1970-72; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, British Embassy, Lima, 1972-76; FCO, 1976-79; Counsellor, Head of Chancery and Consul-General, Amman, 1979-82; Head of S America Department, FCO, 1982-85; Consul-General, Sydney, 1985-88; Middle East Marketing Director, Defence Export Services Organisation, Ministry of Defence, on secondment, 1988-91; High Commissioner, Brunei, 1991-94; Ambassador to Syria, 1994-96.
Interviewed 2008.

SMEDLEY, Sir Harold, KCMG MBE (1920-2004)

Diplomat. First Secretary, New Zealand, 1948-51, Rhodesia, 1951-4; Principal Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, 1954-7; Counsellor, Calcutta, 1957, Delhi, 1958; High Commissioner, Ghana, 1964-5 and 1966-7; Ambassador to Laos, 1968-70; High Commissioner, Sri Lanka, 1973-6, New Zealand, 1976-80.
Interviewed 1997.

SNOXELL, David Raymond (b. 1944)

Diplomat. Entry to FCO (UN Department), 1969; FCO, Information Administration Department, 1971; Islamabad, 1973; UK Mission to Geneva, 1976; FCO, Republic of Ireland Department, 1981; FCO, Economic Relations Department, 1983; Director, British Information Services, New York, 1986; Deputy Head, Drugs and International Crime Department, 1991; Deputy Head of Southern Africa Department, FCO, 1994; Ambassador to Senegal (and concurrently to Mali, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde), 1997; High Commissioner, Mauritius, 2000; retired 2004.
Interviewed 2007.

STAGG, Sir (Charles) Richard, KCMG (b. 1955)

Joined Diplomatic Service, 1977; FCO, 1977–79; Sofia, 1979–82; The Hague, 1982–85; FCO, 1985–86; UK Representation to EC, Brussels, 1987–88; FCO, 1988–91; UK Representation to EC, Brussels, 1991–93; Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary (Douglas Hurd), 1993–96; Head, EU (External) Department, FCO, 1996–98; Ambassador to Bulgaria, 1998–2001; Director of Information, 2001–03, Director General (Corporate Affairs), 2003–07, FCO; High Commissioner to India, 2007–11; Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2012–15.

Interviewed 2022.

STUART, Andrew Christopher, CMG (1928-2014)

Diplomat. Royal Navy, 1947-49. Colonial Administrative Service, Uganda, 1953; retired from HMOCS as Judicial Adviser, 1965. Called to Bar, Middle Temple, 1965. Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1965; 1st Secretary and Head of Chancery, Helsinki, 1968; Assistant, South Asian Department, FCO, 1971; Head of Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department, FCO, 1972-75; Counsellor, Jakarta, 1975-78; British Resident Commissioner, New Hebrides, 1978-80; Ambassador to Finland, 1980-83. Principal, United World College of the Atlantic, 1983-90; Consultant to Voluntary Service Overseas, 1990-96.
Interviewed 2002.

SUMMERHAYES, David Michael, CMG (1922-2008)

Diplomat. Served War of 1939-45 in Royal Artillery (Captain), North Africa and Italy. 3rd Secretary, Foreign Office, 1948; Baghdad, 1949; Brussels, 1950-53; 2nd Secretary, FO, 1953-56; 1st Secretary (Commercial), The Hague, 1956-59; 1st Secretary and Consul, Reykjavik, 1959-61; FO, 1961-65; Consul-General and Counsellor, Buenos Aires, 1965-70; Head of Arms Control and Disarmament Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970-74; Minister, Pretoria/Cape Town, 1974-78; Ambassador and Leader, UK Delegation to Committee on Disarmament, Geneva, 1979-82; Disarmament Adviser, FCO, 1983-92.
Interviewed 2003.

SUTHERLAND, Dame Veronica Evelyn, DBE CMG (b. 1939)

Diplomat. Joined Diplomatic Service, 1965; 2nd, later 1st Secretary, Copenhagen, 1967-70; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970-75; 1st Secretary, New Delhi, 1975-78; FCO, 1978-80; Counsellor, 1981; Permanent UK Delegate to UNESCO, 1981-84; Counsellor, FCO, 1984-87; Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, 1987-90; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (Personnel), FCO, 1990-95; Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, 1995-99.
Interviewed 2005.

SYNNOTT, Sir Hilary, KCMG (1945-2011)

Diplomat. RN 1962-73 (HM Submarines, 1968-73). Joined Diplomatic Service, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1973; UK Delegation to OECD, Paris, 1975; Bonn, 1978; Southern European Department, FCO, 1981; Head of Chancery, Amman, 1985; Head of Western European Department, FCO, 1989; Head of Security Co-ordination Department, FCO, 1991; Minister and Deputy High Commissioner, New Delhi, 1993-96; Director (S and SE Asia), FCO, 1996-98; Visiting Fellow, Institute of Developing Studies, University of Sussex, and International Institute of Strategic Studies, 1999-2000; High Commissioner to Pakistan, 2000-03; Coalition Provisional Administrator, Southern Iraq, 2003-04; retired 2004.
Interviewed 2008.

TALLBOYS, Richard Gilbert, CMG OBE (1931-2013)

HM Diplomatic Service, 1968-88: First Secretary i/c Brasilia, 1969; Head of Chancery, Phnom Penh, 1972 (Chargé d’Affaires 1972, 1973); FO, 1973; Counsellor Commercial, Seoul, 1976-80 (Chargé d’Affaires 1977, 1978, 1979); Consul-General, Houston, 1980-85; Ambassador to Vietnam, 1985-87.
Memoir.

TATHAM, David, CMG (b. 1939)

Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1960; New York, 1962–63; Milan, 1963–67; Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies, 1967–69; Jeddah, 1969–70; FCO, 1971–74; Muscat, 1974–77; Assistant Head of Middle East Department, FCO, 1977–80; Counsellor, Dublin, 1981–84; Ambassador to Yemen Arab Republic, also accredited to Republic of Djibouti, 1984–87; Head of Falkland Islands Department, FCO, 1987–90; Ambassador to Lebanese Republic, 1990–92; Governor, Falkland Islands, and Commissioner for South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, 1992–96; High Commissioner, Sri Lanka, also accredited to Republic of Maldives, 1996–99.
Interviewed 2017.

THOMAS, Sir Derek Morison David, KCMG (b. 1929)

Diplomat. Entered Foreign Service, 1953; Midshipman 1953, Sub-Lieutenant 1955, RNVR; FO, 1955; 3rd, later 2nd, Secretary, Moscow, 1956-59; 2nd Secretary, Manila, 1959-61; UK Delegation to Brussels Conference, 1961-62; 1st Secretary, FO, 1962; Sofia, 1964-67; Ottawa, 1967-69; seconded to Treasury, 1969-70; Financial Counsellor, Paris, 1971-75; Head of North American Department, FCO, 1975-76; Assistant Under Secretary of State, FCO, 1976-79; Minister Commercial and later Minister, Washington, 1979-84; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Europe and Political Director, FCO, 1984-87; Ambassador to Italy, 1987-89.
Interviewed 2002.

THOMSETT, Heather (née Auchterlonie, b. 1924)

Interview with Heather Thomsett on her work in the Foreign Secretary’s Private Office from 1943 to 1947.
Interviewed 2024.

Heather Thomsett

THOMSON, Sir John Adam, GCMG (1927-2018)

Foreign Office, 1950; Third Secretary, Jedda, 1951; Damascus, 1954; FO, 1955; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary, 1958–60; First Secretary, Washington, 1960–64; FO, 1964; Acting Head of Planning Staff, 1966; Counsellor, 1967; Head of Planning Staff, FO, 1967; seconded to Cabinet Office as Chief of Assessments Staff, 1968–71; Minister and Deputy Permanent Representative to North Atlantic Council, 1972–73; Head of UK Delegation to MBFR Exploratory Talks, Vienna, 1973; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1973–76; High Commissioner to India, 1977–82; UK Permanent Representative to United Nations, 1982–87.
Interviewed 2017.

Please note that Sir John Thomson died before this interview could be completed, so it does not include his whole career, but ends in 1964.

TICKELL, Sir Crispin, GCMG KCVO (1930-2022)

Diplomat. Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1954. Served at: Foreign Office, 1954-55; The Hague, 1955-58; Mexico, 1958-61; FO (Planning Staff), 1961-64; Paris, 1964-70; Private Secretary to successive Ministers responsible for British entry into the European Community, 1970-72; FCO, 1972-75; Chef de Cabinet to President of European Community, 1977-81; Ambassador to Mexico, 1981-83; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1983-84; Permanent Secretary, ODA, 1984-87; British Permanent Representative to UN, 1987-90.
Interviewed 1999.

TOMKYS, Sir William Roger, KCMG (b. 1937)

Entered Foreign Service, 1960; MECAS, 1960; 3rd Secretary, Amman, 1962; 2nd Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1964; 1st Secretary, Head of Chancery, Benghazi, 1967; Planning Staff, FCO, 1969; Head of Chancery, Athens, 1972; Counsellor, seconded to Cabinet Office, 1975; Head of Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 1977–80; Counsellor, Rome, 1980–81; Ambassador: to Bahrain, 1981–84; to Syria, 1984–86; Assistant Under Secretary of State and Principal Finance Officer, FCO, 1987–89; Deputy Under Secretary of State, FCO, 1989–90; High Commissioner, Kenya, 1990–92.
Interviewed 2015.

TONKIN, Derek, CMG (b. 1929)

Diplomat. HM Forces, 1948-49; FO, 1952; Warsaw, 1955; Bangkok, 1957; Phnom Penh, 1961; FO, 1963; Warsaw, 1966; Wellington, 1968; FCO, 1972; East Berlin, 1976; Ambassador to Vietnam, 1980-82; Minister, Pretoria, 1983-86; Ambassador to Thailand, and concurrently to Laos, 1986-89.
Interviewed 2000.

TUCKER, Herbert Harold, OBE (1925-1996)

Diplomat. Economic Information Unit, Treasury, 1948-49; Foreign Office, Information Research Department, 1951-74; Counsellor (Information), Australia, 1974-79; Consul-General, Vancouver, 1979-83; Disarmament and Arms Control Information Co-ordinator, 1983-84.
Interviewed 1996.

UNWIN, Peter William, CMG (b. 1932)

Diplomat. Army, 1954-56; Foreign Office, 1956-58; British Legation, Budapest, 1958-61; British Embassy, Tokyo, 1961-63; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1963-67; British Information Services, New York, 1967-70; FCO, 1970-72; Bank of England, 1973; British Embassy, Bonn, 1973-76; Head of Personnel Policy Department, FCO, 1976-79; Fellow, Center for International Affairs, Harvard, 1979-80; Minister (Economic), Bonn, 1980-83; Ambassador to: Hungary, 1983-86; Denmark, 1986-88; a Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth, 1989-93.
Interviewed 2005.

URE, Sir John Burns, KCMG LVO (1931-2023)

Joined Foreign Service, 1956; 3rd Secretary and Private Secretary to Ambassador, Moscow, 1957–59; Resident Clerk, FO, 1960–61; 2nd Secretary, Leopoldville, 1962–63; FO, 1964–66; 1st Secretary (Commercial), Santiago, 1967–70; FCO, 1971–72; Counsellor, and intermittently Chargé d’Affaires, Lisbon, 1972–77; Head of South America Department, FCO, 1977–79; Ambassador to Cuba, 1979–81; Assistant Under-Secretary of State for the Americas, FCO, 1981–84; Ambassador to Brazil, 1984–87, to Sweden, 1987–91.

Interviewed 2007.

VARCOE, Jeremy Richard Lovering Grosvenor, CMG (b. 1937)

Colonial Service: District Officer, Swaziland, 1962–65. Called to the Bar, Gray’s Inn, 1966; Lecturer in Law, University of Birmingham, 1967–70; joined HM Diplomatic Service, 1970; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970–72; Deputy Secretary General, Pearce Commission on Rhodesian Opinion, 1972; First Secretary, Ankara, 1972–74, Lusaka, 1974–78; FCO, 1978–79; Counsellor, Kuala Lumpur, 1979–82; Head of Southern African Department, FCO, 1982–84; Counsellor, Ankara, 1984–85; on special leave with Standard Chartered Bank, Istanbul, 1985–87; Ambassador to Somalia, 1987–89; Minister/Deputy High Commissioner, Lagos, 1989–90; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1990–92.
Edited version of memoir, 2021.

WADE-GERY, Sir Robert Lucian, KCMG (1929-2015)

Diplomat. Joined HM Foreign (now Diplomatic) Service, 1951; FO (Economic Relations Department), 1951-54; Bonn, 1954-57; FO (Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary, later Southern Department), 1957-60; Tel Aviv, 1961-64; FO (Planning Staff), 1964-67; Saigon, 1967-68; Cabinet Office (Secretary to Duncan Committee), 1968-69; Counsellor 1969; on loan to Bank of England, 1969; Head of Financial Policy and Aid Department, FCO, 1969-70; Under-Secretary, Central Policy Review Staff, Cabinet Office, 1971-73; Minister, Madrid, 1973-77; Minister, Moscow, 1977-79; Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet, 1979-82; High Commissioner to India, 1982-87.
Interviewed 2000.

WALKER, Sir Harold Berners, KCMG (b. 1932)

Diplomat. Assistant Political Agent, Dubai, 1958-60; Principal Instructor, Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, 1963-64; First Secretary, Egypt, 1964-66; Head of Chancery and Consul, Damascus, Syria, 1966-67; First Secretary (Commercial), Washington, 1970-73; Counsellor, Jedda, 1973-75; Deputy Head, Personnel Operations Department, 1975; Head of Personnel Operations Department, 1976; Ambassador, Bahrain, 1979-81, Abu Dhabi, 1981-86, Ethiopia, 1986-90, Iraq, 1990-91.
Interviewed 1996.

WALL, Sir (John) Stephen, GCMG LVO (b. 1947)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1968; Addis Ababa, 1969-72; Private Secretary to HM Ambassador, Paris, 1972-74; First Secretary, FCO, 1974-76; Press Officer, No 10 Downing Street, 1976-77; Assistant Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 1977-79; First Secretary, Washington, 1979-83; Assistant Head, later Head, European Community Department, FCO, 1983-88; Private Secretary: to Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, 1988-90; to the Prime Minister (John Major), 1991-93; Ambassador to Portugal, 1993-95; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to EU, Brussels, 1995-2000; Head of European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, and EU Adviser to the Prime Minister (Tony Blair), 2000-04.
Interviewed 2010 and 2012, by Thomas Raineau (Université de Paris-Sorbonne).

Further reading:

Stephen Wall – “Reluctant European“

Stephen Wall, Reluctant European: Britain and the European Union from 1945 to
Brexit  (Oxford University Press, 2020)

WARREN, Sir David Alexander, KCMG (b. 1952)

Entered HM Diplomatic Service, 1975; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975–77; Third, later Second, then First Secretary, Tokyo, 1977–81; FCO, 1981–87; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, Nairobi, 1987–90; FCO, 1990–91; on secondment as Head, International Division, Science and Technology Secretariat, later OST, then OPSS, Cabinet Office, 1991–93; Counsellor (Commercial), Tokyo, 1993–98; Head, Hong Kong Department, later China Hong Kong Department, FCO, 1998–2000; Director, Trade Partners UK, British Trade International, subsequently UK Trade and Investment, 2000–04; Director, HR, FCO, 2004–07; Ambassador to Japan, 2008–12.
Interviewed 2020.

WESTMACOTT, Sir Peter John, GCMG LVO (b. 1950)

Entered Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1972; Tehran, 1974, Brussels, 1978; First Secretary, Paris, 1980; Private Secretary to Minister of State, FCO, 1984; Head of Chancery, Ankara, 1987; Deputy Private Secretary to Prince of Wales, 1990; Counsellor, Washington, 1993; Director, Americas, FCO, 1997; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 2000-01; Ambassador to Turkey, 2002-06; Ambassador to France, 2007-11; Ambassador to United States, 2012-15.
Interviewed 2017

Further reading:

Peter Westmacott – “They Call It Diplomacy”

WESTON, Sir Philip John, KCMG (b. 1938)

Diplomat. Served with Royal Marines, 1956-58. Entered Diplomatic Service, 1962; FO, 1962-63; Treasury Centre for Administrative Studies, 1964; Chinese Language student, Hong Kong, 1964-66; Peking, 1967-68; Foreign Office, 1969-71; Office of UK Permanent Representative to EEC, 1972-74; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary (James Callaghan, Anthony Crosland), 1974-76; Counsellor, Head of EEC Presidency Secretariat, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1976-77; Visiting Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford, 1977-78; Counsellor, Washington, 1978-81; Head Defence Department, FCO, 1981-84; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1984-85; Minister, Paris, 1985-88; Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, Cabinet Office, 1988-89 (on secondment); Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Defence), FCO, 1989-90; Political Director, FCO, 1990-91; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to North Atlantic Council (NATO), 1991-95, to Permanent Council of WEU, 1992-95; British Permanent Representative to the United Nations, (1995-98).
Interviewed 2001.

WHITTING, Ian Robert, OBE, (b. 1953)

Joined FCO, 1972; Attaché, Moscow, 1975–76; Third Secretary, Tunis, 1976–79; Third Secretary, Cairo, 1979; Press Attaché, Athens, 1980–83; Eastern European and Soviet Department, FCO, 1983–85; Second Secretary, Moscow, 1985–88; Southern Africa Department, FCO, 1988–90 and joint organiser, NATO Summit, 1990; First Secretary, Dublin, 1990–94; Deputy Head of Mission, Abidjan, 1994–97; Conference media coordinator, Information Department, 1997-98; Deputy Head, Africa Department (Equatorial), and Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Great Lakes, 1998–2002; Head, EU Department (Bilateral), FCO, 2002–03; Director, EU and Economic Affairs, Athens, 2003–04; Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission and HM Consul-General, Athens, 2005–08; Ambassador to Iceland, 2008–12; Ambassador to Montenegro, 2013–17; Deputy High Commissioner to Cyprus, 2017–20; Head, Cyprus Settlement Unit, FCDO, 2020-22.

Interviewed 2022.

WILLSON, John Michael, CMG (1931-2013)

Diplomat. Colonial Service, Northern Rhodesia, 1955-64; Ministry of Overseas Development, 1965-70; seconded to British High Commission, Malta, as First Secretary (Economic), 1967-70; joined Diplomatic Service, 1970; British Consulate-General, Johannesburg, 1972-75; Foreign and Commonwealth Office (West Indian and North American Departments), 1975-8; Special Counsellor for African Affairs, 1978; Secretary-General, Rhodesian Independence Conference, 1979; on staff of Governor of Rhodesia, 1979-80; Counsellor, Bucharest, 1980-82; Ambassador to Ivory Coast, Burkina (formerly Upper Volta) and Niger, 1983-87; High Commissioner in Zambia, 1988-90.
Interviewed 2005.

WILSON, Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, GCMG (b. 1935)

Diplomat. National Service, The Black Watch, 1953-55; entered Foreign Service, 1958; Third Secretary, Vientiane, 1959-60; Language Student, Hong Kong, 1960-62; Second, later First Secretary, Peking, 1963-65; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1965-68; resigned, 1968; Editor, China Quarterly, 1968-74; Visiting Scholar, Columbia University, New York, 1972; rejoined Diplomatic Service, 1974; Cabinet Office, 1974-77; Political Adviser, Hong Kong, 1977-81; Head, South European Department, FCO, 1981-84; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1984-87; Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Hong Kong, 1987-92.
Interviewed 2003.

WOOD, Sir Andrew Marley, GCMG (b. 1940)

Diplomat. Foreign Office, 1961; Moscow, 1964; Washington, 1967; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970; seconded to Cabinet Office, 1971; First Secretary, FCO, 1973; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, Belgrade, 1976; Counsellor, 1978; Head of Chancery, Moscow, 1979; Head of West European Department, 1982, Head of Personnel Operations Department, 1983, FCO; Ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1985-89; Minister, Washington, 1989-92; Chief Clerk, FCO, 1992-95; Ambassador to the Russian Federation and to Moldova, 1995-2000.
Interviewed 2003.

WRIGHT, Patrick Richard Henry, Lord Wright of Richmond, GCMG (1931-2020)

Diplomat. Served Royal Artillery, 1950-51; joined Diplomatic Service, 1955; Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies, 1956-57; Third Secretary, British Embassy, Beirut, 1958-60; Private Secretary to Ambassador and later First Secretary, British Embassy, Washington, 1960-65; Private Secretary to Permanent Under-Secretary, FO, 1965-67; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, Cairo, 1967-70; Deputy Political Resident, Bahrain, 1971-72; Head of Middle East Dept, FCO, 1972-74; Private Secretary (Overseas Affairs) to Prime Minister, 1974-77; Ambassador to: Luxembourg, 1977-79; Syria, 1979-81; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 1982-84; Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 1984-86; Permanent Under-Secretary of State and Head of Diplomatic Service, 1986-91. Member, Security Commission, 1993-2002.
Interviewed 2000.

WRIGHT, Sir (John) Oliver, GCMG GCVO DSC (1921-2009)

Diplomat. Royal Navy 1941-45; Entered FO 1945; Vice-Consul, New York, 1946; 3rd Secretary, Bucharest, 1948; 2nd Secretary, Singapore, 1950; FO 1952 (Western and Southern Departments); First Secretary, Berlin, 1954-57, South Africa, 1957-59; Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, 1964-66; Ambassador to Denmark, 1966-69; Seconded to Government of Northern Ireland, 1969-70; Chief Clerk, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1970-72; Ambassador to West Germany, 1975-81, to United States, 1982-86.
Interviewed 1996.

WRIGHT, Sir Denis, GCMG (1911-2005)

Diplomat. Employed from outbreak of war as Vice-Consul on economic warfare work at HM Consulate at Constantza (Romania), 1939-41. Vice-Consul-in-charge of HM Consulate at Trebizond (Turkey), 1941-43; Acting-Consul-in-charge of HM Consulate, Mersin (Turkey), 1943-45; First Secretary (Commercial) to HM Embassy, Belgrade, 1946-48; Superintending Trade Consul at Chicago for Middle-Western Region of USA, 1949-51; Head of Economic Relations Department in the Foreign Office, 1951-53; appointed Chargé d’Affaires, Tehran, on resumption of diplomatic relations with Persia, December 1953; Counsellor, HM Embassy, Tehran, 1954-55; Assistant Under-Secretary, FO, 1955-59; Ambassador to Ethiopia, 1959-62; Assistant Under-Secretary, FO, 1962; Ambassador to Iran, 1963-71.
Interviewed 2000.

WRIGHT, Sir Stephen, KCMG (b. 1946)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rhodesia Political Department, 1968; Havana, 1969-71; Civil Service College, 1971-72; FCO, Trade Policy Department, then Eastern European and Soviet Department, 1972-75; British Information Services, New York, 1975-80; UK Permanent Representative to European Community, Brussels, 1980-84; FCO, Energy, Science, and Space Department, 1984-85; seconded to Cabinet Office, Deputy Chief of Assessments Staff, 1985-87; Counsellor and Head of Chancery, New Delhi, 1988-91; Counsellor (External Relations), UK Permanent Representative to European Community, Brussels, 1991-94; Assistant Under-Secretary of State, later Director, EU affairs, FCO, 1994-97; Minister, Washington, 1997-99; Director, Wider Europe, FCO, 1999-2000; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, Director-General, Defence and Intelligence, 2000-02; Ambassador to Spain, 2003-07.
Interviewed 2015.

YOUNG, Elisabeth Ann, MBE (b. c 1945)

Married Thomas Young in 1971, and accompanied him to the following postings: Ankara, 1969-71; Madrid, 1972-76; Head of Chancery, Ankara, 1979-80; Deputy Director of Trade Development, New York, 1981; First Secretary, Washington, 1981-84; Assistant Head, Nuclear Energy Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1984-86; Deputy High Commissioner, Accra, 1987-90; Director of Trade Promotion, British High Commission, Canberra, 1990-93; Ambassador to Azerbaijan, 1993-97; High Commissioner to Zambia, 1998-2002.
Interviewed 2011.

YOUNG, Sir John Robertson (Sir Rob), GCMG (b. 1945)

Entered Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1967; MECAS, Lebanon, 1968; Third Secretary, Cairo, 1970; Second Secretary, FCO, 1972; Private Secretary to Minister of State, 1975; First Secretary, Paris, 1977; Assistant Head, Western European Department, FCO, 1982; Counsellor, Damascus, 1984; Head of Middle East Department, FCO, 1987; Minister, Paris, 1991; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, 1994–98, and Chief Clerk, 1995–98, FCO; High Commissioner, New Delhi, 1999–2003.
Interviewed 2019.