Author Description

Ernest Foreign Secretary is the definitive study by a major historian of the last phase in the career of an outstanding British public figure of this century and of a crucial period in world history after World War II.The events of Bevin's term as Foreign Secretary include the first phase of the Cold War, the Marshall Plan, the North Atlantic Alliance, the division of Germany, the Schuman Plan, the creation of Israel, the independence of India and Pakistan, and the Korean War. Britain was deeply involved in all of these events but the material has not hitherto been available to make possible a clearer understanding of British policy and Britain's role in relation to the post-war settlement.The author had to wait 30 years after Bevin's death before his papers became available for use, bringing advantages for the author and the reader. Alan Bullock was able to talk to many who were involved closely with Bevin after the War and whose recollections of him were still vivid, but many of the most valuable witnesses have since died, including Lord Attlee, Dean Acheson and Lewis Douglas. Lord Bullock had the advantage of watching a period and a series of events (he was thirty when Bevin became Foreign Secretary) slowly change and display new facets as the historical perspective lengthened.Lord Bullock's work is a landmark of contemporary history.