The Foreign Office, 1930–39: Strategy, Permanent Interests and National Security

Abstract

Under the Permanent Under-Secretary, Robert Vansittart, the Foreign Office was finally returned to conducting British foreign policy on the basis of ‘old diplomacy’. This changed, however, when Neville Chamberlain removed Vansittart in 1937 and took direct personal charge of the conduct of foreign policy. The latter strategy fundamentally undermined British interests abroad. One of the strengths of Foreign Office modus operandi is a belief in a continuity of approach to foreign policy – that the Office worked best when allowed to evolve gradually to meet the challenges of post-First World War diplomacy, rather than when its position was usurped by the Prime Minister of the day. Vansittart's views on this matter were also consistent with others who had held the post of Permanent Under-Secretary.