THE BACK ROOM VIEW OF APPEASEMENT

by Sir DESMOND MORTON
The Diplomatic Diaries of Oliver Harvey 1937-1940 Edit. by John Harvey (Collins eSs.)
'THE author of these Diar
ies, so modestly named. was in fact no ordinary man and had no ordinary career. His personal modesty, however, was such that he gave the Diaries to the British Museum in case they might one day be of some use to historians. The declaration of the thirty year rule on confidentiality enabled him to announce that his Diaries and other papers might he made public after his own death.
Born in 1893, educated at Malvern and Cambridge. Harvey served with distinction in the Army during the first World War. In 1919, he entered the Diplomatic Servic e, wherein he worked until his retirement, when Ambassador to France, in 1954, During that period he inherited a Baronetcy, was made G.C.M.G. and G.C.V.O. and, on retirement. a Peer, as Baron Harvey of Tasborough.
The Diaries now published cover February 23rd, 1937 to June 24th, 1940 a period of the utmost political tension and historic interes t. Chamberlain succeeded Baldwin as Prime Minister: the second World War broke out. and Churchill replaced Chamberlain. During t h e greater part of this time, Harvey was Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary. serving both Eden and Halifax with equal loyally, though personally declaring his own abhorrence of the
"Appeasement" policy t o which 'Halifax adhered, but which led to Eden's decision to quit the Foreign Secretaryship.
From New Year 1940 to June 24th. where the Diaries, now published. end, Harvey served as Minister in the British diplomatic Mission to France, thus covering the final battle for France. Dunkirk, and the French surrender. From this different viewpoint, we are given the s a ni e meticulously accurate. detailed account of events. which, in view of the generally prevailing confusion of those days, is certainly of a value equal to what we have already learnt from the same source.
Following the Diaries arc included a s "Appendices" seventeen Memoranda. addressed at various times by Harvey to Eden and Halifax commenting on the
Government's foreign policy. The frankness of expression used in these Notes may surprise readers unaware of the privilege accorded to career Diplomats as being direct servants of the Monarch, free to hold their own views on foreign policy and to advise
their political masters accordingly. They are naturally bound to complete secrecy on such matters in regard to the public domain.
Intelligent discretion is also essential. But should such a one find, for example, the Foreign Secretary himself inclined to agree more with the opinions of his own advisers than with those held by the Government, a great collaboration may arise as it did between Eden and Harvey. Though they failed to alter the determination of the Prime Minister to maintain h i s suicidal policy of "Appeasement," this book demonstrates how hard they tried.