Scope and Contents

Letter from William Athelstan-Johnson, Albemarle Street, London to WSC, on the political situation in Germany, and the international situation.

Scope and Contents Letter from WSC to Roy Harrod, on the harm done by the Oxford Union resolution [that "this House would not fight for King and Country"]. Commenting that it played a traceable part in feelings of contempt for Britain "which led Mussolini into adventures so perilous to him and to us all". Also commenting that he had declared himself against handing over British Colonies to the League of Nations "as if they were cattle we could no longer afford to look after ourselves" and predicting that "we...

Scope and Contents

Letter from Cecil L'Estrange Malone, Phene Street, Chelsea SW3 to WSC, enclosing cuttings from the Northampton Chronicle and Echo, on his decision not to stand as Labour candidate for Northampton in the forthcoming General Election, because of his disagreement with the Party's foreign policy.

Scope and Contents

Letter from Roy Harrod, Christ Church, Oxford, to WSC, on the international situation, particularly the Italo-Abyssinian dispute.

Scope and Contents

Letter from Pierre Flandin, Ministre d'Etat, Paris to WSC, congratulations on election victory.

Scope and Contents

Letter from C Collingwood Townshend, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, to WSC, on the international situation [with note by Violet Pearman that it was not answered].

Scope and Contents Letter from Brendan Bracken, 20 Bishopsgate, London EC2 to WSC, commenting on the "political earthquake", a debate in the House of Commons on the "Hoare-Laval-Abyssinian plan. Stating that Stanley Baldwin was "incoherent, and his face a study in misery", "Duff [Cooper, Later Lord Norwich] looked as if he had just had a stroke" and that the only Ministers who looked pleased were "Neville Chamberlain (Samuel Hoare's principal backer in the Cabinet)" and John Simon, who of course was delighted...

Scope and Contents

Telegram from Randolph Churchill to WSC, on the political situation. Reporting that the Government were standing firm on the peace proposals, and were bound to get a reasonable majority in debate in the House of Commons. Advising him to remain in Spain and not return for the debate.

Scope and Contents Letter from Randolph Churchill, May Fair Hotel, Berkeley Street, London W1 to WSC, on the political situation. Stating that WSC had made a wise decision to remain in Spain, as the Government would win the debate in the House of Commons "There will be a large number of abstentions, but few Conservatives will go into the Lobby against the Government". Reporting that the authors of this "shameful surrender" Stanley Baldwin, Samuel Hoare (later Lord Templewood) and Sir Robert Vansittart intended...

Scope and Contents Letter from Desmond Morton to WSC, on the political situation, particularly the Hoare-Laval peace terms. Commenting that he had canvassed friends in Government, who agreed that the terms were "sound", the concessions to Italy were within the limits of the original proposals of the Council of Five. "In spite of certain obvious faults we greatly prefer Italians to Ethiopians, who,...are far from being either Christians or civilised." Stating that Baldwin had sacrificed his friend [Hoare], not...

Scope and Contents

Letter from Anthony Eden (later Lord Avon), Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, thanks for speech in House of Commons on 8 Nov WSC spoke on the need for a precise plan in foreign policy.

Scope and Contents

Letter from Joseph Beck, Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs, sending gift of book by the late Marshal Joseph Pilsudsky.

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Lady Houston, thanks for letter on the League of Nations, stating that he had very carefully considered the course he was taking from the view of the "safety of England from the German Nazi menace", and that he shared her regrets for the "misguided policy of the MacDonald-Badwin regime" in defence and external affairs [carbon].

Scope and Contents Letter from Ivan Maisky, Soviet Ambassador to Britain, commenting on WSC's speech in Foreign Affairs debate in the House of Commons, rejecting the claim that the Soviet Union was primarily responsible for the outbreak of civil war in Spain. Stating that the German and Italian governments had set to work to foster anti-republican propaganda, and to prepare military rebellion against the republican Government, and that it would be truer to say that German propaganda and intrigue was largely...

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Sir Guy Fleetwood Wilson, thanks for letter on the international situation, commenting that he was "trying to marshal all the forces I can to prevent this coming war and to strengthen Britain" [carbon].

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Sir Archibald Boyd-Carpenter MP, thanks for letter of congratulation on speech in Defence debate in the House of Commons, commenting that he had never heard "such a squalid confession from a public man" as Stanley Baldwin had offered [Baldwin had been seeking to explain why he had not rearmed more forcefully between the autumn 1933 and summer 1935] [carbon].

Scope and Contents

Letter from Sir Archibald Boyd-Carpenter MP to WSC, congratulations on speech in the Defence debate in the House of Commons. Commenting on the "pathetic effort of SB which makes one feel almost ill" [Stanley Baldwin had been seeking to explain why he had not rearmed more forcefully between the autumn 1933 and summer 1935].

Scope and Contents

Letter from Sir Leo Chiozza Money, Bramley, Surrey, to WSC, on the international situation, particularly WSC's speech in the Defence debate in the House of Commons.

Scope and Contents

Letter from Major-General Sir Hugh Tudor to WSC on rearmament, particularly speech in Defence debate in the House of Commons and Stanley Baldwin's reasons for not rearming more forcefully between 1933 and 1935.

Scope and Contents

Letter from Eleanor Rathbone MP to WSC, asking for meeting to discuss a campaign in favour of collective security through the League of Nations, enclosing cutting of her letter to the Manchester Guardian on the Government's European Policy.

Scope and Contents

Letter from Lucy, Lady Houston, Byron Cottage, Hampstead Heath, to WSC, on the international situation particularly his support for the League of Nations and "that awful little ass Mr Eden - who isn't fit to black your shoes".

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Lucy, Lady Houston, on the international situation, commenting that if the League of Nations was to be based on weak and disarmed nations he would share her prejudices, but that what was proposed was an association of strong and well armed states to resist an aggressor, and that Britain should be made strong again as fast as possible [carbon].

Scope and Contents

Letter from Sir John Chancellor, Hyde Park Square, London W2 to WSC, 19 Nov 1936, enclosing copy of White Paper Cmd 1700 Palestine: Correspondence with the Palestine Arab Delegation and the Zionist Organisation, [Feb-June 1922], published June 1922, commenting that the most important documents were No.5, the Colonial Office's letter to the Zionist Organisation, and its enclosure, WSC's Statement of British Policy in Palestine.

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to Anthony Eden, [later Lord Avon], Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, reporting that it had been suggested that at his forthcoming meeting at the Royal Albert Hall he should propose intervention by the League of Nations in Spain. Commenting that he wished to keep in step with the Foreign Office, suggesting meeting to discuss the matter [carbon].

Scope and Contents

Letter from Henry Wickham Steed, Lansdowne House, Holland Park, London W11 to WSC, reporting conversation with the German writer and philosopher F W Foerster on the international situation, particularly relations between Germany, France and the Soviet Union.