David Bruce and Diplomatic Practice

John W. Young is Professor of International History at the University of Nottingham, UK, and chair of the British International History Group.

• AbbreviationsAcknowledgements1. Introduction2. The Residence and the Embassy3. Communicating with Washington4. Engaging British Government and Society5. The Embassy in Anglo-American Relations 6. The Diplomatic Corps7. Elements of Embassy work: consular affairs, intelligence, defence and culture8. Threats to the Embassy? The media, summits and special missionsConclusionAppendix 1. US Embassy and Consulate Staff in the UK, 1961Appendix 2: Selected Ambassador’s Statistics, for full years, 1962-68BibliographyIndex

This is an example of one of the best kinds of historical writing: an exhaustively researched and crisply written case study designed to examine general propositions, here those concerning chiefly the role of the embassy in modern diplomacy. In the process, Professor Young has not only scotched many myths but also produced a genuinely interesting book on Anglo-American relations, itself quite an achievement. I found it compulsive reading.