Anglo-American Diplomacy: Cold War Warriors and Détente

Abstract

When the era of East-West relaxation began in the early seventies Britain positioned itself as sceptical of Cold War detente. This was surprising, given Britain’s long-standing support for detente efforts, attempts almost as long as the Cold War itself.1 The previous chapter focused on inter-allied diplomacy. This chapter looks outwards: on international security and diplomatic relations with the Cold War enemies. The chapter explains why the Heath government shifted Britain’s Cold War stance. It also analyses the effect of detente on the foreign policy of the Heath government and on Anglo-American relations. Like most aspects of the Cold War affairs East-West diplomacy had profound consequences for inter-allied relations. For example, the very nature of the post-war special relationship had been shaped by the Cold War. While studying the impact of European detente on Heath’s plans it becomes necessary to relate Anglo-American relations to simultaneous changes in the Cold War.