Analysing the experiences of a variety of British and Commonwealth diplomats throughout some of the most bitter conflicts of the first half of the twentieth century, this book offers a unique insight into the challenges that confronted heads of missions during wartime. History of International Relations, Diplomacy and Intelligence, 3 (History of International Relations Library, 3) The first half of the twentieth century had a dramatic impact upon the practice of diplomacy and the role of diplomats in wartime. The advent of total war witnessed the rapid expansion of the diplomatic agenda and saw the transformation of overseas policy into wartime policy. Regional and world conflicts would revolutionise the way embassies, legations, high commissions and governorships functioned, posing formidable challenges to the authority of heads of missions whose job it was to manage the bilateral relations for which they were responsible. With contributions from leading scholars on various British and Commonwealth heads of mission, this book provides a fascinating survey of diplomats and their responses to the vicissitudes of war, making an important contribution to twentieth century diplomatic history. "The book is a splendid analysis of how British and Commonwealth diplomats adjusted to the transformation of their duties in wartime. Moreover, it offers intriguing insights into the diminishing status of Britain as a world power in the first half of the 20th Century." Dr Dominik Geppert, Free University Berlin TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1. British Legations in Tokyo and Beijing during the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-05, Ian Nish 2. Sir Francis Bertie and his Great War Embassy to France, 1914-18, Keith Hamilton 3. Sir Cecil Spring Rice and the United States, 1914-17, Keith Neilson 4. "Between Hammer and Anvil": Sir Francis Oppenheimer, the Netherlands Overseas Trust and Allied Economic Warfare, 1914-18, T.G. Otte 5. Lord Halifax: Wartime Ambassador to the United States, 1941-6, Greg Kennedy 6. "The other blade of the scissors": Richard Gardiner Casey, Australia's First Minister to the United States, 1940-2, Carl Bridge 7. Stanley Bruce at the Wartime Australian High Commission in London, David Lee 8. "The Liquidator": Sir Harry Batterbee as the British Wartime High Commissioner in New Zealand, Andrew Stewart 9. Lord Harlech in South Africa, 1941-4, Kent Fedorowich 10. British Imperial Proconsuls and the Second World War, Ashley Jackson 11. Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen and Turkish Neutrality, 1942-4, Christopher Baxter 12. From War to Postwar: Ted Williams in Canberra, 1946-52, David Lowe ABOUT THE EDITORS Christopher Baxter is a Research Fellow in Intelligence History at Queen's University Belfast. He was formerly one of the Foreign Office's resident historians and has published a number of articles on British diplomacy in the twentieth century. Andrew Stewart is a Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, King's College London, based at the UK Defence Academy's Joint Services Command and Staff College. His research and writing focusses on the British Empire and the Second World War.
