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Transcript of interview: Sir Michael Alexander, 1998

 File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/DOHP 34

Scope and Contents

From the Fonds:

The programme comprises transcripts of interviews with senior diplomats.

Dates

  • 1998

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge.

Material in this collection is open to researchers unless otherwise marked in the catalogue.

Biographical / Historical

Michael Alexander was born 19 June 1936, the son of the late Conel Hugh O’Donel Alexander, CMG, CBE, and Enid Constance Crichton Neate; he was educated at Foyle College, Londonderry; Hall School, Hampstead; St Paul’s School (Scholar); King’s College, Cambridge (Scholar); Harkness Fellow (Yale and Berkeley) 1960-62. MA (Cantab), AM (Yale). In 1960 he married Traute Krohn. Alexander died on 1 June 2002.

Alexander entered the Foreign (later Diplomatic) Service in 1962 and his career included: Moscow [Soviet Union], 1963-65; Office of Political Adviser, Singapore, 1965-68; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968-72; Assistant Private Secretary to Secretary of State (Sir Alec Douglas-Home, MP, and James Callaghan, MP) 1972-74; Counsellor (Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe) and later Head of Chancery, UK Mission, Geneva [Switzerland], 1974-77; Deputy Head, 1977-78, Head, 1978-79, Personnel Operations Department, FCO; Private Secretary (Overseas Affairs) to the Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher, MP), 1979-81; Ambassador, Vienna [Austria], 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 [Belgium], 1986-92 (Dean of Council, 1991-92).

He was awarded the GCMG in 1992 (KCMG 1988; CMG 1982) and died in June 2002.

Extent

1 file(s)

Language of Materials

English