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BRITISH INTERNATIONAL HISTORY GROUP Newsletter 2014 SS Great Britain, BIHG 2013 Conference
BRITISHINTERNATIONALHISTORYGROUPNewsletter 2014
SS Great Britain, BIHG 2013 Conference
Welcome
The British International History Group was established back in 1987 by a group of university academics and is one of the oldest working groups within its parent organisation, the British International Studies Association (BISA).
The BIHG promotes research into international history, provides a forum for discussions in the field and highlights the relevance of an historical approach to the wider study of international relations. To help fulfil these purposes, the Group acts as a link to other relevant institutions, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and The National Archives, who each send a member along to our regular committee meetings. We also seek to defend the interests of historians of international relations at national level by, for example, making representations about the format of national research exercises and pressing for the membership of an international historian on the REF History sub-panel. To keep members informed of its activities, BIHG has an e-mailing list, an annual newsletter and a website. It holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the annual conference, but has also been involved in organising a number of ad hoc conferences on particular subjects and has regularly organised panels at the BISA annual conference. The executive committee includes the Officers of the Group and a number of ordinary members, who meet four times per year so as to plan the annual conference and other events, oversee the preparation of the newsletter and website, and discuss particular challenges (most recently that of ‘open access’ publishing). We hope that you find us a welcoming and supportive organisation, who listen to what you have to say.
We look forward to seeing you at our 27th annual conference at the University of Kent in 2015.
John YoungChair of the British International History Group
British International History Group | www.bihg.ac.uk
Contents
05 BIHG 26th Annual
conference 2014
London School of Economics
10 First World War Centenary
Sir Edward Grey and the Outbreak of the First
World War
21 Obituary
Professor Donald Cameron Watt
02 BIHG 25th Annual
conference 2013
University of the West of England, Bristol
Conferencesand events16
The History Role and
Function of the British Embassy in Paris Witness
Seminar
11
International History Seminar
programme19
Open Access12The National
Archives15
BIHG Thesis Prize20
BIHG Committee23
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1
BIHG 25thAnnual conference 2013
The BIHG celebrated its 25th anniversary conference
at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
In addition to the Annual General Meeting two
keynote lectures were delivered by Professor Geoffrey
Roberts of University College Cork, ‘Memoirs and the
Historian: Writing the Biography of Marshal Georgy
Zhukov’ and Professor John Young of the University
of Nottingham, ‘An American Ambassador in London:
David Bruce, 1961-1969’. The plenary session was
devoted to a discussion of Josef Stalin’s foreign policy
in the late 1930s/early 1940s and was led by Professor
Geoff Swain of the University of Glasgow and Dr
Alastair Kocho-Williams of Aberystwyth University.
A Round Table was also held during the conference
on the British International History Group itself with
John Young [Chairman], Ted Johnson [Vice-Chairman]
and Glyn Stone [Secretary] leading the discussion.
Delegates celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary
conference dinner on board the S.S. Great Britain at
Bristol harbourside.
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Papers were presented by delegates in four separate sessions as follows:
David Schriffl, Austrian Academy of Sciences
‘On the Crossroads of Power Politics and Dynastic Struggles: Intermingling Austrian and Portuguese Interests Overseas and in Europe in the early 19th Century’
Anna Brinkman, King’s College London ‘The Court of Mixed Commissions in Havana: A case study of Britain’s Attempt to Suppress the Spanish Slave Trade, 1820-1835’
Owain Wright, University of Ulster ‘A Policy of Regime Change? Sir Henry Elliott’s Special Mission to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1859-1860’
Sakiko Kaiga, King’s College London ‘Use of Force to Prevent War? The Bryce Group’s Proposals for the Avoidance of War, 1914-1915’
George Giannakopoulos, Queen Mary London
‘Nationality before Internationalism: The New Europe magazine in Britain during the First World War and Its Immediate Aftermath’
Sarah Frank, Trinity College Dublin ‘Colonial Prisoners of War under the Influence: German and French Propaganda’
Miklos Lojko, Central European University Budapest
‘The Age of Illusion? The Foreign Office and Overseas Trade during the Inter-War Years’
Neil Forbes, Coventry University ‘The Relationship between Public Policy, Diplomacy and the Flow of International Finance with particular reference to Hungary in the 1930s’
Uri Bar-Noi, Bar-Ilan University Israel ‘Timber and Coarse Grains for Jet Engines, Aircraft and Machine Tools: Anglo-Soviet Trade Negotiations, 1946-1947’
Daniel Gilfoyle, The National Archives ‘South Africans Abroad: Origins of the Continental Control of Rinderpest in East Africa, 1930-1950’
Fewzi Borsali, University of Adrar Algeria ‘The British Labour Party and Colonial Development Policy in Africa, 1920-1950’
Poppy Cullen, University of Durham ‘Funeral Planning: British Involvement in the Funeral of President Jomo Kenyatta, 1968-1978’
Jonathan Colman, University of Central Lancashire
‘The ‘Bowl of Jelly’? The US Department of State in the Kennedy and Johnson years, 1961-1968’
Robert McNamara, University of Ulster ‘US Intelligence Assessments and the Unholy Alliance of Southern Africa: The Road to Intelligence Assessment Failure’
Geoff Roberts, University College Cork ‘Stalin’s Postwar Peace Movement Reappraised: The Struggle for Peace and the Transformation of Soviet Foreign Policy, 1948-1956’
Gabriel Doherty, University College Cork ‘Ireland, the UK, EEC and NATO: The Polish Invasion Scares, 1980-1981’
Natalie Martin, Loughborough University ‘Has Turkey’s European Boat sailed? Prospects for Turkey-EU relations since 1997’
Barbara Reeves-Ellington, Siena College ‘Boston on the Bosphorous: Religion, Diplomacy and Anglo-American Politics in 19th Century Istanbul’
Andrada Liga Manole, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
‘The Opposing Allies: Stratford Canning and Edouard Thouvenel: Anglo-French Disagreements in Constantinople concerning the Union of Romanian Principalities’
Roberto Mazza, Western Illinois University ‘The British Conquest of Jerusalem, 1917-1918’
Alexander Noonan, Boston College ‘Assassins on Trial: Hurdles to Prosecuting Transnational Crimes, 1900-1901’
Tony Lentin, Wolfson College Cambridge ‘Amritsar Aftermath: Ruffling Imperial Feathers, Mr Justice McCardle and the case of O’Dwyer v. Nair, 1924’
Benedict Greening, London School of Economics
‘The Last Hangings on British Soil: The Royal Prerogative of Mercy, the Creech-Jones Doctrine and the Judicial Killings of Erskine Durrant Burrows and Larry Winfield Tacklyn’
Neil Fleming, University of Worcester ‘Britannia’s Strategic Dilemma: Iraq, India and the Shaping of British Disarmament Policy, c. 1932-1934’
David Whittington, University of the West of England Bristol
‘Leo Amery, India and the Problems of Imperial Management from London, 1940-1945’
David Hall, University of East Anglia ‘Eden’s Visit to Moscow: The Changing Course of British Foreign Policy, December 1941’
Martin Folly, Brunel University ‘Churchill, Eden and the Stalled Alliance: Britain and the Soviet Union, November 1942 to March 1943’
Alex Ferguson, University of Southampton ‘Quiet and Ugly Americans: The US Embassy at Saigon and the Decolonisation of Vietnam, 1950-1954’
Bevan Sewell, University of Nottingham ‘Anglo-American relations over Latin America between 1961 and 1963’
James Lockhart, University of Arizona ‘Showcase: Britain and Chile’s Nuclear Program in the 1960s’
Christopher Reeves, University of Kracow ‘Anglo-American Relations and the 1971 Four Power Berlin Treaty’
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Charles Ariye, University of Keele ‘The Diplomatic Imperative in Dispute Resolution: An Examination of Bilateralism in the 1994 Bakassi Peninsula Case between Nigeria and Cameroon’
Alan Sharp, University of Ulster ‘The New Diplomacy and the New Europe, 1916-1921’
Elisabetta Tollardo, University of Oxford ‘Italy and the League of Nations, 1920-1936’
Jaci Eisenburg, The Graduate Institute Geneva
‘The Status of Women: A Bridge from the League of Nations to the United Nations’
Paul Horsler, London School of Economics ‘The Munich Crisis 1938: A Local Story’
Jonathan Murphy, University College Cork ‘Blurring the Lines: Anglo-Polish Attitudes towards the Polish-Soviet Border at the Outbreak of the Second World War’
Michael Jabara Carley, University of Montreal
‘The war that almost was: The Anglo-Franco-Soviet Confrontation over Finland, December 1939-March 1940’
Dragan Bakic, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
‘Milan Stojadinovic, the Croat Question and the International Position of Yugoslavia, 1935-1939’
Andras Becker, University of Southampton ‘The Failure of a Revolutionary Diplomat: György Barcza, Hungarian Minister at London, 1938-1941: An Analysis of His Diaries’
Branislav Radeljic, University of East London
‘European-Yugoslav Relations, 1968-1991’
Saho Matsumoto Best, Nagoya City University
‘The History of the Vatican in International Politics over the last 200 years’
Alessandro Iandolo, New Economic School Moscow
‘No Love Lost: USSR-UN Relations during the Early Congo Crisis, 1960-1961’
Alanna O’Malley, Leiden University ‘A stage upon which to avert bloodshed by substituting ritual for real conflict: US-UN Relations in the Early Stages of the Congo Crisis, 1960-1961’
Dionysios Chourchoullis ‘NATO Assessments of the Soviet Military and Naval Presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East, 1964-1970’
Edward Hampshire, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
‘Ending the Continental Commitment 30 years early: Margaret Thatcher’s first eighteen months in power and the failed attempt to create a maritime-based defence strategy’
Andrea Chiampan, The Graduate Institute Geneva
‘The Faltering Special Relationship: The Myth of Maggie and Ron and Anglo-American Relations in the 1980s’
Stuart Butler, University of Manchester ‘Obsessed with the commercial aspect of things: British Approaches to European Science and Technology’
Christopher Deal, King’s College London ‘The BBC Monitoring Service and Cold War Radio’
Ofer Fridman, University of Reading ‘The Power of Social Media: Waging the War of Ideas in the Era of the Internet’
Cornelis Heere, London School of Economics
‘Open Door? The British Presence in China and the Impact of the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905’
Antony Best, London School of Economics ‘British Intelligence and the Japanese Intervention in Siberia, 1917-1925’
Douglas Ford, University of Birmingham ‘Strategic Culture and War preparations against Japan, 1919-1941: The Experience of the United States Navy and the Royal Navy’
Greg Kennedy, King’s College London ‘British Propaganda and the Deterrence of Japan, 1933-1942’
Nick Lloyd, King’s College London ‘Propaganda, Influence and the British in India, 1917-1941’
Kate Utting, King’s College London ‘Palestine 1945-1948: Policy Propaganda and the Limits of Influence’
Seung-young Kim, University of Sheffield ‘George F. Kennan and the Decisions towards Korea, 1950-1953’
Tracy Steele, Sam Houston State University ‘Only so far: Sino-British Rapprochement, 1954’
Dean Kotlowski, Salisbury University Maryland
‘Uneasy Allies: The Nixon Administration, Ferdinand Marcos and United States-Philippines relations, 1969-1974’
Vladimir Dobrenko, London School of Economics
‘Institution of Peace: The Soviet Peace Council in the Early Cold War’
Katie Griffiths, University of Keele ‘Exploring British action towards the perceived threat of Communism in the Domestic Sphere between 1945 and 1956’
Christopher Casey, University of California at Berkeley
‘Soil or Blood: Nationality, Sovereignty and the International Legal Order at the League of Nations Codification Conference’
David Varey, Royal Military College of Canada
‘Sir Allen Leeper, the World Disarmament Conference and the Question of German Air Power, 1932-1934’
Chikara Hashimoto, Aberystwyth University
‘International Security Cooperation in the Middle East: Intelligence Liaison, Counter-Subversion and the question of the Kurds under the ‘unknown alliance’, 1956-1963’
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BIHG 26thAnnual conference 2014
The BIHG’s 26th Annual conference took place at the
London School of Economics.
A Round Table on ‘The State of the Discipline of International History in Britain: A panel in Memory of Professor Saki Dockrill’ was
organised by Effie Pedaliu and chaired Michael Dockrill. Speakers included Antony Best, James Ellison, Michael Kandiah and Kate
Utting. The Keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Arne Westad, London School of Economics, ‘Worlds Apart: The Cold War in
the Twentieth Century’. The plenary session was led by Professor David Stevenson and Professor Mick Cox, both London School of
Economics, ‘1914 from an International History and International Relations Perspective’.
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Andrew Cobbing, University of Nottingham ‘Satow’s Guide to Diplomatic Practice: Japan and the Frederick Marshall Connection’
Takahiro Yamamoto, London School of Economics
‘Governing a Borderland: the Russians and the Japanese in Sakhalin, 1867-1873’
Matthew Glencross, King’s College London ‘In his Father’s Shadow: Revisiting George V’s Contributions to Diplomacy’
Matthew Brand, University of East Anglia ‘The Duke of Bordeaux’s visit to Britain and the Entente Cordiale, 1843’
Rogelia Pastor-Castro, University of Strathclyde ‘Benevolent support from the outside: Anglo-French relations and the Paris Embassy, 1948-1954’
Saho Matsumoto-Best, Nagoya City University ‘Giulio Andreotti, Italy and the Cold War’
David Schriffl, Austrian Academy of Sciences ‘Cooperative neighbours or impassable border? Austrian-Slovak relations from 1945 to 1968’
Nigel Ashton, London School of Economics ‘Searching for a just and lasting peace: Anglo-American diplomacy and the road to the UN Security Resolution 242’
Benjamin Martill, University of Oxford ‘Politics of Atlanticism: Rethinking Transatlantic relations during the Cold War’
Niklas Rossbach, Swedish Defence Research Agency
‘The British and American Empire at a time of crisis- a useful comparison [since 1945]’
Richard Langhorne, University of Buckingham ‘Clearing the Decks: Slimming diplomatic procedures and the origins of the Concert of Europe’
Jan Lemnitzer, University of Oxford ‘Creating and enforcing universal international law: A Nineteenth Century Revolution’
Quentin Bruneau, University of Oxford ‘The development of the Global Economy and Ranking Sovereigns: Banks, Statistics and Credit Ratings in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries’
Maartje Abbenhuis, University of Auckland ‘An Error in World History: Revisiting the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899-1907’
Dhara Anjaria, Independent Researcher ‘An independent and not always friendly power: British colonial governments and their relations with other colonies in the late nineteenth century’
Andres Sanchez-Padilla, University Complutense Madrid
‘Procrastination defeats Power: US-Spanish Trade Negotiations, 1877-1895’
David Kaufman, University of Edinburgh ‘Sir Eyre Crowe and the German-Polish Borderlands, 1919’
David Varey, Royal Military College of Canada ‘The Foreign Office, the World Disarmament Conference and the question of tanks, 1932-1934’
Jonathan Murphy, University College Cork ‘Changing enemies: Anglo-Soviet insistence upon unconditional surrender and the failure of Romanian peace feelers in 1944’
Rakesh Ankit, University of Southampton ‘In the twilight of empire: Britain and India at the United Nations, 1945-1947’
Dionysios Chourchoulis, University of the Peloponnese
‘Cold War tension, regional pressures, intra-allied disputes and the abortive efforts to establish a Mediterranean defence pact, 1946-1950’
Evanthis Hatzivassiliou, University of Athens ‘Probes in the third dimension: Establishing the NATO Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society, 1969-1970’
Jordan Becker, United States Military Academy Westpoint
‘The Continent of the Grand Large? The effect of strategic culture on burden sharing and the future of the Atlantic Alliance’
Ian Horwood, York St John University, Niall MacKay, University of York and Christopher Price, York St John University
‘Concentration and Asymmetry in Air Power: From the Battle of Britain to the First Gulf War’
Dimitrios Bourantonis and Spyros Blavoukos, Athens University of Economics and Business
‘From Primary to Shared Responsibility: Their interplay throughout the life of the United Nations’
Chong XU, L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris ‘The French Concession of Shanghai at the moment of the Boxer Rebellion, 1900-1903’
Seung-young Kim, University of Sheffield ‘The Franco-Japanese Agreement of 1907: Balancing of Threat and securing Profit’
Cornelis Heere, London School of Economics ‘His impulsiveness is a danger: The British Empire, Theodore Roosevelt and the problem of Japan, 1905-1909’
Jasper Trautsch, The Free University of Berlin ‘The West as Christianity? Religion in discourses on western civilisation in the early phase of the Cold War’
Andrew Johnstone, University of Leicester ‘Freedom’s eldest and most cherished child is religion: American internationalism and religion on the eve of the Second World War’
Bevan Sewell, University of Nottingham ‘Woodrow Wilson’s Heir: The pragmatic and traditional roots of John Foster Dulles’s Christian internationalism in the 1930s’
Neville Wylie, University of Nottingham ‘The protection of prisoners of war in the Great War: US diplomats in Russia, 1914-1917’
Sarah Frank, Trinity College Dublin ‘The long road home and origins of discontent: colonial prisoners of war and the end of the Second World War’
Geoff Roberts, University College Cork ‘Warrior in silk stockings: the wartime correspondence of Kathleen Harriman, 1941-1945’
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Louise Kettle, University of Nottingham ‘Going it alone: the repercussions of the Suez Crisis on the British intervention in Jordan, 1958’
Norasmahani Hussain, University of Leeds ‘British Foreign Office objections towards the admission of Greece and Turkey into NATO, 1947-1950’
Begum Yildizeli, University of Exeter ‘Riding the Storm: The Dynamics of Anglo-Turkish relations from 1918 to 1923’
Alastair Noble, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
‘The worst government in modern British History: the foreign policy of the Wilson Administration of 1974-1976’
Simon Smith, University of Hull ‘Dear Mr Prime Minister: Lyndon Baines Johnson’s correspondence with Harold Wilson and the Anglo-American special relationship, 1964-1969’
Matthias Haeussler, University of Cambridge ‘Harold Wilson, Helmut Schmidt and the British renegotiation of EC-Membership, 1974-1975’
Helen Parr, University of Keele ‘The British Paratrooper and the Falklands War, 1982 and after’
James Ellison, Queen Mary University London ‘Double Standards? Liberal intervention, Blair, Bush and the Iraq War’
Michael Kandiah, King’s College London ‘What if anything has changed for British diplomats since the 1980s?’
John Fisher, University of the West of England Bristol
‘The British colony in Morocco and the issue of sacred and contested space’
Roberto Mazza, Western Illinois University ‘A Honest Broker? The American Consul in Jerusalem, Otis A. Glazebrook, 1914-1920’
Alloul Houssine and Henk de Smaele, University of Antwerp
‘Belgian Catholic opinion and the Armenian Massacres of 1894-1896’
Tina Tamman, Independent Scholar ‘British Intelligence Service’s interest in Estonia, 1920-1940’
Mika Suonpää, University of Turku Finland ‘Promoting Anglo-Finnish commercial relations in the inter-war period’
Miroslav Svircevic, Institute of Balkan Studies, Belgrade
‘The Munich Agreement of 1938 and the Decree on Banovina of Croatia in 1939’
Peter Whitewood, York St John University ‘The Red Army and the Great Terror, 1937’
David Motadel, ‘University of Cambridge ‘Islam and Germany’s War: Military Conflict and the Politics of Religion, 1941-1945’
Russel Hart, Hawaii Pacific University ‘Never have so few fought so much for so little: Strategic Dimension and Command Friction between British, Canadian and American ground force commanders in the Normandy Campaign, June-July 1944’
Jessica Shahan, Aberystwyth University ‘Writing controversial memoirs: Examining key debates on intelligence memoirs in the United Kingdom’
Chikara Hashimoto, Aberystwyth University ‘A story behind the Official History of the Lebanese Sureté Générale’
Len Scott, Aberystwyth University ‘Deception and Deterrence: 1977 British-Argentinian Crisis’
Dean White, University of Northumbria ‘The United Kingdom, the United Nations and Rwanda, 1994’
Poppy Cullen, University of Durham ‘Kenya, Britain and Somalia: the making of a military understanding, 1967-1968’
Fewzi Borsali ‘The Colonial Office, the British Council and West Africa during World War II’
Martin Thornton, University of Leeds ‘The First Lord of the Admiralty and a Naval Policy for the Dominions in 1912: Protection from the big dog’
Richard Hammond, University of Portsmouth ‘Demonising the Fleet: British perceptions of the Italian Navy in the Second World War’
Sakiko Kaiga, King’s College London ‘A Quasi-International movement under the League of Nations: The Anglo-American Pro-League of Nations groups, 1914-1918’
Paul Horsler, London School of Economics ‘Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the coming of the Second World War’
Dimitris Kamouzis, Centre for Asia Minor Studies, Athens
‘One day the mouse may gnaw the cords that bind the lion: British foreign policy in the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece’s projected role c. 1912-1922’
Valentinos Valanos, London School of Economics ‘Anglo-American relations and the Cyprus Crisis, 1963-1964: The shift in leadership’
Alexandros Nafpliotis, National Hellenic Research Foundation
‘Working with a country where deals are continuously cooked up behind the scenes; Anglo-Greek relations, NATO and the EEC in the 1970s’
Stuart Butler, University of Manchester ‘The score is now plus two ministers, minus one organisation: British scientific diplomacy and the declining role of the 1964-1968 Foreign Office’
Yoshitaka Okamoto, Queen Mary University London
‘British foreign policy and European security under the Callaghan Government, 1976-1979’
Mark Chi-Kwan, ‘Royal Holloway University of London
‘Nixon First: Anglo-Chinese normalisation, Sino-American rapprochement and the Anglo-American special relationship, 1971-1972’
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Roundtable on International History
This roundtable consisted of short presentations on the state
of the discipline of international history from some of the
contributors to Britain and the World (published by Macmillan
Palgrave), which were two volumes of essays written in honour
of Professor Saki Ruth Dockrill, a doyenne in the field, who died
in 2009.
The contributors and their topics were:
Dr Antony Best, LSE – the ‘cultural turn’ in International History.
Dr James Ellison, Queen Mary, University of London – developments in Anglo-American relations.
Dr Michael Kandiah, King’s College London – using oral history
Dr Kate Utting, King’s College London – on propaganda and intelligence
Dr Antony Best, LSE
I regret to say that I did not speak from notes when I made
my contribution to the discussion about the disciple of
international history arising from the two volumes dedicated to
the memory of Saki Dockrill (this is because I was organizing
the conference and did not have the time or wit to prepare).
I do recall that I noted that, after reading the two volumes, I
was struck that most of the contributors were still writing quite
orthodox international history. The only marked exceptions
were Martin Thomas who did address the ‘Orientalist’ attitudes
that affected British and French use of airpower for colonial
policing and John Young’s work on the range of functions
required for a modern ambassador. This raised the question of
whether too many of us were frightened of the ‘cultural turn’
and that we were being too conservative for own good.
The problem, of course, is that our natural bias towards
empiricism make us suspicion of theory, whether that be theory
in terms of international relations or the use of critical theory in
the humanities. When we see theory being used, it often comes
across not as a tool to be used to advance understanding but
as a restrictive, intolerant, deterministic framework. Moreover,
the prose that is used by those inclined towards theory is too
often opaque and elitist, with the result that it repels rather
than attracts. However, we do need to ask in what ways a
flexible understanding of the role of culture can help us in our
endeavours. We can usefully ask what public and symbolic
diplomacy tells us about the relations between two or more
states. We can try to see the links between elite perceptions and
broader cultural movements.
The other thing I mentioned was that the other phenomenon
that faces us at present is the ballooning of the resources at our
disposal due to the coming to the digital age. This presents both
opportunities and problems. At one level it is a godsend to be
able to sift through the numerous newspapers and periodicals
that have now been put on online, for they contain a treasure
trove of material. In addition, Hansard is so much easier to use
in digital form as the old indexes were, at best, misleading. The
clear problem, though (as I know only too full well), is when
to stop. This is even more of a concern for doctoral students
than it is for established scholars, for they are assessed on what
can reasonably be produced within four years of study. So how
much digitalized material do we expect them to use? Where is
the balance to be drawn between the burgeoning media sources
at our disposal and the official records?
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Dr Michael Kandiah, King’s College London
I have used oral history and interviewing throughout my
academic career. For the past 15 years I have been Director of the
Witness Seminar Programme at the Institute of Contemporary
British History, King’s College London, and it is my job to collect
and publish oral testimonies relating to Britain’s recent past.
The field of oral testimony and interviewing had become more
sophisticated over the past 30 years and scholars, particularly in
the social sciences, had developed methodologies to use it better.
I suggested that it was my experience that better use of oral
history and interviews could be of benefit to any historian
researching periods of history where contemporaries are alive.
Obviously, interviews can give colour and texture in a way
that documents may not but, perhaps more importantly, oral
testimony can help us better understand and locate archival
material. It had been my experience that talking to those who
created records can aid the research to understand of those
records and also help refine research. Researchers can be too
reliant on catalogue description of archives – interviews might
also reveal other archival sources, what they recalled as being
as important at the time, and so forth.
Oral history and interviews can help archival research in other
ways. I have worked with the archivists at the Churchill Archives
Centre – which houses the British Diplomatic Oral History
Archives – and also those at King’s College London Archives
to help them build up their collections. Interviewees are more
likely to think about allowing access to and depositing their
personal papers.
It has also been my experience that Freedom of Information
(FoI) requests have been aided by interviews. For me this was
a surprise, because I had thought that FoI would help me to
interview better as I would have documents upon which to base
my interviews. However, in practice, I found that interviewing
would often help me making FoI requests because interviewees
could help me locate material that had not yet been release to
The National Archives.
Finally, I suggested that this same technique might help us
when researching the period after the middle 1990s and beyond,
when the archives were born digital. Even though search engine
would help us locate material, but we would still have find ways
of refining this material. Getting tips via interviews could help.
Plenary session chaired by Professor Glyn Stone ‘1914 from an International History and International Relations Perspective’Professor David Stevenson and Professor Mick Cox
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First World War CentenarySir Edward Grey and the Outbreak of the First World War
Lancaster House
There are few historical debates more central to diplomatic
history than the origins of the First World War and the
centennial seemed an ideal time to reappraise Britain’s
decision to intervene, and the role played by the Foreign
Secretary, Sir Edward Grey. In November FCO Historians
partnered with the School of International History at the LSE
to hold a conference on ‘Sir Edward Grey and the Outbreak of
the First World War’ in the grand surroundings of Lancaster
House. The conference offered a chance to re-examine Grey’s
career and address key questions such as whether a general
European war was avoidable and whether, in particular,
Britain could or should have done anything different. It also
examined the pre-war decade of relations between Britain and
the Central and Entente Powers.
Thomas Otte (right) gave the keynote address entitled ‘Sir
Edward Grey: Reflections on a Politician and Diplomat’. This
was followed by sessions on Grey and the Entente (John Keiger
– France, Keith Wilson – Russia); Grey and the Central Powers
(Austria – Roy Bridge, Germany – Annika Mombauer) and Grey
and the July Crisis (Chris Clark). I presented a paper which took
a look at the private life of Edward Grey. The day concluded with
a panel discussion on Grey and the culture of diplomacy and
Grey’s diplomatic style in which Zara Steiner, Keith Robbins
and Thomas Otte participated. Also present was Grey’s great-
great-nephew who spoke briefly from a family perspective. He
also provided artefacts for an exhibition which included Grey’s
fishing reel and flies, books and pocket watch.
As well as contributing to the FCO’s commemoration of the First
World War centenary, we felt the conference both promoted and
facilitated research and also strengthened FCO links with the
academic community. There was enthusiastic response from
members of the audience and lively Twitter coverage which you
can see at #Grey1914. We plan to publish papers in an academic
journal and hope podcasts of the talks will bring the event to
a wider audience. Follow the @fcohistorians Twitter feed for
further developments.
Podcasts of papers available at
https://audioboom.com/playlists/1265752-sir-edward-grey-and-
the-outbreak-of-the-first-world-war-podcasts
Richard Smith, FCO Historians
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The History, Role and Functions of the British Embassy in ParisForeign and Commonwealth Office
This event and witness seminar examined the history,
role and functions of the UK Embassy in Paris,
principally from the testimonies and perspectives of
those FCO officials who served there.
This event marked the publication of Rogelia Pastor-
Castro and John W Young’s edited volume, The Paris
Embassy: British Ambassadors and Anglo-French
Relations, 1944-79. It was the intention of the witness
seminar session to pick up where this volume ends. John
Young (University of Nottingham) chaired papers from
Rogelia Pastor-Castro (University of Strathclyde): Sir
Oliver Harvey; Helen Parr (University of Keele): Sir Patrick
Reilly; Isabelle Tombs (FCO): Sir Nicholas Henderson.
Matthew Rycroft, Chief Operating Officer, FCO chaired the
witnesses Sir David Manning GCMG: First Secretary, 1984-
88; Sir Christopher Mallaby GCMG: Ambassador, 1993-
1996; Lord Jay of Ewelme GCMG: Counsellor (Financial
and Commercial), 1987–90; Ambassador, 1996-2001; Sir
John Holmes GCVO: First Secretary (Economic), 1984–87;
Ambassador, 2001-2007.
The audience consisted of FCO alumni and current staff, academics
and students of foreign policy. Twitter coverage can be found at
#UKEmbassyParis. The transcript of this event will be published at
http://issuu.com/fcohistorians
It was the sixth and final in a series of witness seminars sponsored by
the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office, and it was part of the Witness Seminar
Programme of the Institute of Contemporary British History (ICBH),
King’s College London. The witness seminars were: the British High
Commission in New Delhi (17 November 2011); the British Embassy
in Beijing (held on 7 June 2012); the British High Commission in
Canberra (8 November 2012); the UK Mission to the United Nations
New York (22 May 2013); and the British Embassy / High Commission
in Pretoria (26 November 2013).
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11
Open Access: An Information Note on the HEFCE Document ‘Policy for open access in the post-2014 Research Excellence Framework’ March 2014 | ref: 2014/07 available at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2014/201407/
HEFCE have now published their policy on open access and the
requirements for compliance of outputs for post-2014 Research
Excellence Framework (REF2020).
Context:
Electronic publishing and the internet have made technically
feasible for the first time the propagation of the research of
academics open access compliant. This is driven by ethical,
research and financial considerations. Research paid for by the
taxpayer should be available to the taxpayer free of charge in
an electronic form. Scientists, in particular, require the ability
to use search engines and data mining techniques to construct
and aid their research. Libraries are deeply concerned about the
massive costs of journal subscriptions, which have seen journal
prices rise at roughly six times the level of inflation. The British
government and its funding bodies (HEFCE and RCUK) since
2011 has become one of the leading proponents of open access
in all publically funded research. Criteria for open access will
apply not only to grants but to the QR funding that staff at UK
Higher Education Institutions (HEI) receive.
Enforcement will come through a number of means: the most
notable is that all journal articles submitted for the proposed
2020 Research Evaluation Framework must be open access
compliant.
There are two acceptable open access routes:-
a. the green route, which means that only the final accepted
version of the journal article (essentially the typescript,
which has not be sub-edited or formatted by the Journal)
needs to be open access, or
b. the Gold route, which is the published version. Most
journals will only allow this to be freely available if an
article processing charge (APC) has been paid. The pricing
structure of these charges is likely to be variable. From
what publishers have told me, however, be prepared to
budget (in the Humanities) for between £1500 to £2500 per
article.
Humanities and Social Sciences, who make up 50% of the
staff of UK universities (but receive less than 10% of research
funding) have been less enthusiastic about open access.
Obviously ethically there is little objection to the concept of
Open access but there are obvious practical and financial
problems.
• Will small journals go to the wall (particularly those
associated with learned societies)?
• Will there be, consequently, less peer reviewed outlets to
publish in?
• Will publication in non-UK journals be impossible (or more
to the point, worthless in REF2020 terms)?
• What is the future of the academic monograph – the
ultimate badge of prestige in humanities publishing?
Below, I summarize the open access policy and how it will apply
to REF2020 as outlined in the HEFCE policy document referred
to above.
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12
1. Date of application of new HEFCE Rules:
The HEFCE policy will apply to outputs accepted for publication
after 1 April 2016. (It is, therefore, essential to maintain a
verifiable paper/email trail should you wish to submit for
REF2020 something accepted before, but published after, 1 April
2016).
2. What does the policy apply to?
It will only apply to Journals and Conference Proceedings with
ISSN numbers. [See 11.b of HEFCE 2014/07]
Therefore, Monographs, book chapters and other outputs
are exempt [See 12 of HEFCE 2014/07]. That being said open
access for these publications will be rewarded in the Research
Environment category. (14, 15 of HEFCE 2014/7). Early fears
amongst humanities practioners, particularly after the
publication of the Fitch report (2012) suggested that the
Open Access policy might encompass all outputs including
monographs. However, the practical and financial difficulties
appear to have moderated the policy considerably.
3. HEFCE Deposit Requirements for inclusionof a journal article in REF2020:
The HEFCE policy is more akin to the so-called Green route than
the Gold route. In summary, the policy requires the deposit
of the ‘post-peer-review’ text (also known as ‘post-print’, or
author’s accepted version) in an institutional repository within
3 months of acceptance by a journal. The deposited version may
be replaced by the Version of Record at a later date. (17-19 of
HEFCE 2014/7)
4. Access Requirements
Embargos: The Green Route (allowing delayed access to the
deposited version) IS permitted by the policy. For Green Route
OA, embargos of 24 months from the point of first publication
(including online only) apply to subjects assessed by Panels C
and D (27-30), including history. However, this means that you
will need to have your article accepted two years in advance of
the census date for REF2020 or pay the article processing charge
for gold open access
5. Licenses:
The less permissive CCBY-NC-ND licence is acceptable and
explicitly named in the guidance. (25 of HEFCE 2014/7).
6. Exemptions:
A number of clearly defined exemptions will apply. It is well
worth carefully reading these as they may allow exemptions,
particularly with regard to international publishing (35-39 of
HEFCE 2014/7).
Two elements are notable:
Deposit Requirements Exemptions: If you are not employed
at UK HEIs at the point an output was submitted and those
who could not secure access to a repository , will be exempted
from the deposit requirements (and hence the policy). This is
clearly designed to help Incoming International Scholars and
Early Career Researchers (36, a,c of HEFCE 2014/7), who might
otherwise find it impossible to have REF2020 compliant research
output . This has, to a large extent, addressed a significant
concern.
Access Requirements will not necessarily be applied:
a. if an output depends on the reproduction of third party
material (e.g. images) preventing compliance; (37, a HEFCE
2014/7),
b. or if journal does not permit compliance but was the ‘most
appropriate’ outlet for the publication. This facilitates
international publication as long as that case can be made.
(There is potential for ambiguity and disputes within a HEI,
when selecting outputs.)
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7. How will this impact on Researcher Mobility?
A researcher’s publications may migrate with them when
they move institution. However, open access should not be
interrupted (43-44). Presumably, the day you put your output up
in new institution, it may be taken off the website of your former
institution.
8. Compliance:
Compliance is essential for an output to be eligible for REF2020,
so it has either to be exempt (i.e. monograph or book chapter) or
meet the requirements for journals. (42 of HEFCE 2014/7)
9. Implications and Problems:
In comparison to the Fitch report, which had grave implications
for a subject like History, the HEFCE policy is a significant
moderation and a far from a worst-case scenario.
However, it is likely to add another layer of complexity to the
selection of outputs for REF2020 by institutions. Assessments
will now almost certainly include open access as well as quality
and outlet as criteria. There is also likely to be ambiguity as
to how, for instance, will individual HEI’s interpret the policy
particularly regarding exemptions? Will they consider that Open
Access publications will be treated more favourably than those
that are exempt and therefore decide to exclude those that do
not meet open access?
There is also a certain amount of ambiguity about what will
be assessed under REF2020. Will it be the Open Access final
manuscript copy that has been accepted but not sub-edited
and typeset or will it be the version that appears in the journal.
Could we see a situation where a manuscript copy accepted by
say Diplomacy and Statecraft is being compared to an English
Historical Review copy that is fully open access as a HEI as paid
the APCs. One assumes that it will be in both cases the Journal
version but there is a degree of ambiguity about this.
We have no idea what the impact of open access on the
viability of journals, and therefore, outlets for peer-reviewed
publications, will be. There has been a useful recent study by
Professor Chris Wickham et al on the impact on Humanities and
Social Sciences journals available at: http://www.britac.ac.uk/
openaccess/
Research Councils and other funding bodies are likely to have
even more stringent open access requirements. Will this require
the addition of article processing charges for proposed journal
outputs into funding applications? The safest assumption is to
assume that will be the case.
Robert McNamaraUniversity of Ulster
Note: Dr McNamara is grateful to the work done by HistoryUK co-convenor, Dr Andrew Dilley in investigating and clarifying many of these points. It might also be noted that Peter Mandler of the Royal Historical Society and Chris Wickham have done stalwart work in putting forward a strong case for the humanities and history in particular to HEFCE. The views expressed and any errors are, of course, the writer’s own.
1 Chris Wickham’s report notes ‘private trusts vary considerably in their attitudes to open access, from Wellcome’s keen support of the agenda to Leverhulme’s careful neutrality: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Policy/Policy-and-position-statements/WTD002766.htm http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/OAP.cfm.’
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14
The National Archives
Some notable files released:
FCO 141 - Records of colonial administration(“migrated archive”)
The transfer of the migrated archive is now complete. The
eighth and final tranche consists of records originating in
Malta, Singapore, Western Pacific, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar,
West Indies Federation, West Indies Development and Welfare
Organisation. The release also includes around 950 files on the
Kenya Land Transfer Programme during the 1960s and 1970s
and a group of files on the history of the migrated archive itself.
FO 1093 - Foreign Office: Permanent Under-Secretary’s Department: Registered and Unregistered Papers
The Permanent Under-Secretary’s Department (PUSD) was the
department responsible for liaison between the Foreign Office
and the UK’s intelligence agencies, and all of these records are
intelligence-related. This second tranche comprises 463 pieces
covering the period from September 1939 to 1951 as well as 17
files from 1903 to 1913. Many concern intelligence priorities,
covert operations and special operations during the early Cold
War and there are a number of files relating to Rudolph Hess
CAB 301- Cabinet Office: Cabinet Secretary’s Miscellaneous Papers, 1936-52
The archive covers a wide range of subjects. The earlier papers
in this collection, relating principally to the Second World
War, are concerned primarily with intelligence-related matters,
particularly in relation to the use of the Secret Vote to fund
wartime intelligence activities.
FO 1042 - Embassy, Bonn, West Germany: General Correspondence
12 files on the Berlin Airlift, among other topics
FCO 58 - United Nations (Political) Department
Some 199 files on human rights and refugees
PREM 19 - Records of the Prime Minister’s Office: Correspondence and Papers, 1979-1997
Topics covered include:
• Prime Minister’s visit to China, 1982
• Modernisation of Theatre Nuclear Forces (TNF) in Europe
• GRENADA: Power struggle; US-led invasion;
• PRIME MINISTER: Prime Minister’s visit to Falkland
Islands, January 1983; part 1
• IRELAND: Situation in Northern Ireland; part 14
• US Foreign Policy
Online Catalogue Discovery
Please note that the new design of the catalogue makes it very
easy to search for records for particular series released after a
certain date – use the advanced search button.
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15
Conferences and events
The UN and the Post-War Global Order: Dumbarton Oaks in Perspective after 70 years
Simon Rofe
On a lovely spring day a group of 20 scholars met at under the
auspices of the Global Diplomacy programme at the Centre for
International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD) SOAS, University
of London, for a colloquium entitled “The UN and the Post-War
Global Order: Dumbarton Oaks in Perspective after 70 years”.
An impressive mix of academics from the United States,
the United Kingdom and further afield engaged in a day of
debate and discussion to mark the 70th anniversary of the
Dumbarton Oaks gathering, or the “Washington Conversations
on International Peace and Security Organization” as they were
formally. Representatives of the University of Oxford’s Bodleian
Library were in attendance also given their holdings of United
Nations materials.
The outcome of some of the day’s deliberations will be
published in the forthcoming volume: Dan Plesch and Tom
Weiss (eds) Wartime Origins and the Future United Nations,
(Routledge, 2015)
Further reflections on the colloquium would be welcomed by
the convenor Dr J Simon Rofe; [email protected]
Napoleon and Wellington in War and PeaceBritish Embassy Paris, October 2014
Rogelia Pastor-Castro
In 1814 the British government bought the Hotel de Charost for
Wellington from Napoleon’s sister Pauline Borghese. To mark
the bicentenary of the residence, the British Ambassador
Sir Peter Ricketts invited forty British and French historians
to focus on the European situation in 1814. William Hague
opened the proceedings and highlighted the importance of
history in the policy making process. The first panel on the
Approach of Peace was chaired by Jean Tulard, Member of the
Institute. John Bew’s paper focused on ‘France, Britain and
Europe at the End of the ‘Great War’ and Thierry Lentz spoke
on ‘Restraint: The Franco-British Dialogue at the Congress of
Vienna’. The Marquess of Douro chaired papers from Andrew
Roberts and Peter Hicks on Wellington and Napoleon and
the Duel for Europe. Jacques-Olivier Boudon chaired the
third panel on ‘A new relationship after Waterloo’. Philip
Mansel delivered a paper on Wellington and Louis XVIII, and
Emmanuel de Waresquiel on Napoleon and Europe, 1815:
a Strategy of Despair. The FCO historians helped organise
the event were represented by Patrick Salmon and Isabelle
Tombs. The warm welcome, interesting papers and scholarly
debate are available as a podcast https://soundcloud.com/
ukinfrance/sets/napoleon-and-wellington-in-war-and-peace
Twitter coverage #BE200
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16
Colonial Counterinsurgency in Comparative Perspective, University of Exeter, 18 and 19 September 2014
Martin Thomas
The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have prompted renewed interest in Britain’s experience of counterinsurgency and empire,
with a particular emphasis on the period of decolonization and issues relating to ‘minimum force’, ‘hearts and minds’, human
rights protections and the treatment of combatants, civilians and detainees. Yet, in spite of the growing interest in the history of
counterinsurgency and empire, there remain few comparative studies of colonial responses to armed insurrection, civil disorder,
and responses to paramilitaries and other irregular forces. With this in mind, the aim of the conference was to reconsider the
tenets, the methods and the consequences of the counterinsurgency pursued by Europe’s imperial powers, investigating whether
colonial states adopted distinctly national approaches to colonial counterinsurgency. The conference took place at the University
of Exeter on 18 and 19 September 2014 and was hosted by the Centre for War, State and Society and the Strategy and Security
Institute. Speakers from Britain, North America, Germany, the Netherlands, and France included David Anderson (Warwick),
Jeremy Kuzmarov (Tulsa), Brian Drohan (UNC), Huw Bennett (Aberystwyth), Emmanuel Blanchard (CNRS, Paris), Moritz Fiechtinger
(Berne), Roel Frakking (UEI, Florence), and Martin Thomas, Stacey Hynd and Gareth Curless (all Exeter).
Imperial and Global Forum, University of Exeter http://imperialglobalexeter.com
Journals
Review of International Studies(ISSN 0260 2105)
The Review of International Studies (Cambridge University
Press) is the official journal of the British International Studies
Association (BISA), the parent body of BIHG. The journal’s
scope is wide-ranging both in terms of subject matter and
method. It is designed to serve the needs of students and
scholars interested in every aspect of international studies,
including the political, economic, philosophical, legal, ethical,
historical, military, cultural and technological dimensions.
International History articles are welcome. The current editor
is Professor Kimberley Hutchings of the London School of
Economics, and manuscripts (9,000-12,000 words including
footnotes) should be submitted by electronic mail (RISsub@lse.
ac.uk) or on disk. Submission of manuscripts is also online via
the website, http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ris. The address
is: Department of International Relations, London School of
Economics, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE.
Diplomacy and Statecraft (ISSN 0959 2296)
The Editor of Diplomacy and Statecraft (Taylor & Francis)
is Professor Brian McKercher of Victoria University, British
Columbia, Canada and the Book Reviews Editor is Dr John
Fisher of the University of the West of England, Bristol. Professor
McKercher welcomes articles on all aspects of International/
Diplomatic History. The latest issues of the journal (vols. 24 and
25, 2013-2014) include articles by BIHG members: Rogelia Pastor-
Castro, ‘René Massigli’s Mission to London, 1944–1954’ (vol. 24,
2013); Lorna Lloyd, ‘On the side of Justice and Peace: Canada on
the League of Nations Council, 1927-1930’ (vol. 24, 2013); Seung-
young Kim, ‘The Rise and fall of the United States Trusteeship
Scheme for Korea as a Peace-maintenance Scheme’ (vol. 24,
2013); Gaynor Johnson, ‘Sir Ronald Lindsay and Britain’s
Relations with Germany, 1926-1928’ (vol. 25, 2014); Philip Towle,
‘Edward Dicey, Mass Politics and International Affairs’ (vol.
25, 2014); John Young, ‘Conservative Leaders, Coalition and
Britain’s Decision for War in 1914’ (vol. 25, 2014). Manuscripts,
submitted in duplicate, and editorial correspondence should
be sent to B J C McKercher, Editor Diplomacy & Statecraft,
Department of History, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3045 STN
CSC Victoria, B.C. V8W 3P4 Canada E-mail: [email protected]
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17
International History Review(ISSN 0707 5332)
The Editors of the International History
Review, Professor Andrew Williams at the
University of St. Andrews, and Professor
Lucian Ashworth at the Memorial
University of Newfoundland, welcome
articles on all areas of international
history and on all historical periods.
The book review editor is Professor
Gaynor Johnson at the University of
Kent. Recent articles in the journal by
BIHG members include: Jan Lemnitzer,
‘The moral League of Nations versus
the United States: The Origins of the
1856 Declaration of Paris (vol. 35, 2013);
Antony Best, ‘The Leith Ross Mission
and British policy towards East Asia,
1934-1937’ (vol. 35, 2013); Martin Thomas
and Andrew Thompson, ‘Empire and
Globalisation from High Imperialism to
Decolonisation’ (vol. 36, 2014); Patrick
Finney, ‘The Ubiquitous Presence
of the Past? Collective Memory and
International History’ (vol. 36, 2014);
Geraint Hughes, ‘Soldiers of Misfortune:
The Angolan Civil War, the British
mercenary Intervention and UK Policy
towards Southern Africa’ (vol. 36,
2014). Members and supporters of the
British International History Group are
encouraged to submit articles and to
ensure that publishers send review copies
of any research monographs they publish
to the journal. Papers for consideration
should be sent to the Editors at
[email protected] The website
address for the on-line journal is:
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/RINH
Publications by BIHG members
Christopher Baxter, Michael Dockrill, and Keith Hamilton (eds), Britain in
Global Politics Volume 1: From Gladstone to Churchill (Basingstoke: Palgrave
2013)
Mark Cornwall, The Devil’s Wall: The Nationalist Youth Mission of Heinz Rutha
(Cambridge: Harvard, 2012)
Patrick Finney (guest ed.) ‘Vasily Grossman: Ruthless Truth in the Totalitarian
Century’, theme issue of Journal of European Studies, 43 (4), December 2013
Gerald Hughes, The Postwar Legacy of Appeasement: British Foreign Policy
Since 1945 (London: Bloomsbury, 2014)
Peter Jackson, Beyond the Balance of Power: France and the politics of national
security in the era of the First World War. (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2013)
Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones. In Spies We Trust: The Story of Western Intelligence
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013)
Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones. The American Left: Its Impact on Politics and Society
since 1900 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2013. Distributed in the USA
by Oxford University Press, New York)
Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones and Andrew Lownie, eds., North American Spies: New
Revisionist Essays (London: Thistle Publications Kindle edition, 2013)
T.G. Otte, July Crisis: How the World Descended into War, Summer 1914
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014)
T.G. Otte, (ed.), An Historian in Peace and War: The Diaries of Harold
Temperley, 1900-1939 (Farnborough: Ashgate, 2014)
Rogelia Pastor-Castro and John Young (eds), The Paris Embassy: British
Ambassadors and Anglo-French Relations 1944-1979 (Basingstoke: Palgrave,
2013)
Martin Thomas Fight or Flight: Britain, France and their Roads from Empire
(Oxford University Press 2014)
John W. Young, David Bruce and Diplomatic Practice: an American ambassador
in London, 1961-69 (Bloomsbury, 2014)
--International Relations since 1945: a global history (Oxford University Press,
2013; with John Kent)
--Britain in Global Politics, volume 2: from Churchill to Blair (Palgrave-
Macmillan, 2013; co-edited with Effie Pedaliu and Michael Kandiah)
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18
International History Seminar Institute of Historical Research
Convenors: Ms Melanie Aspey (The
Rothschild Archive), Dr Christopher
Baxter (The Cabinet Office), Dr Best
(LSE), Dr Ellison (QMUL), Professor
Gaynor Johnson (University of Kent), Dr
Kandiah (KCL), Dr Kelly (KCL), Dr Pedaliu
(LSE), Mrs Staerck (IHR), Dr Kate Utting
(KCL), Professor J. Young (University of
Nottingham)
For enquiries relating to this seminar
please contact Dr Michael Kandiah:
Venue: Past and Present Room 202, 2nd
floor, IHR, North block, Senate House
Time: Tuesday, 6.00pm
Spring Term 2015
6 January Dr Keith Hamilton (FCO)
Britain and the economic containment of imperial Germany (1906-1914): the case of the Constantinople Quays Company
20 January Cees Heere (LSE) The British Empire and the Politics of Asian Immigration, 1904-1914
3 February Jeff Michaels (KCL) JFK’s Coup Dilemma: Idealism, Military Regimes, and the Recognition Problem, 1961-1963
17 February Heather Campbell (QMUL)
Britain and the Muslim World, 1918-1923
10 March Dr Yasuo Mori (Doshisha/LSE)
The preparation for Total War in JapanVenue: Room 304, 3rd floor, IHR, North block, Senate House
Summer Term 2015
21 April Dr Kent Fedorwich (UWE & Menzies Centre, KCL) & Dr Jayne Gifford (UEA)
“Gullible’s Travels”: Anglo-Australian wartime relations and Sir Earle Page’s mission to London, 1941-42
5 May Professor Jim Cronin (Boston College, USA)
Democratic Neoliberalism and the End of the Cold War Professor Jim Cronin
19 May Professor Carl Bridge (KCL)
Australia and the Treaty of Versailles
2 June Dr Elspeth O’Riordan (Dundee)
Britain’s foreign policy and the occupation zone in Germany 1945-7
16 June James Clifton (Boston College, USA)
“Children of the Grave”: Detente, Nuclear Weapons, and Britain’s Search for Power in a Globalising World
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19
BIHG Thesis Prize
The BIHG Thesis Prize was established in
1996. It is awarded annually to the best
doctoral thesis on any aspect and any
period of International History, which
has been awarded a degree by a British
University or a British University College
or College of Higher Education during the
calendar year. Authors should send two
returnable copies (preferably copied on
both sides of the page to reduce weight)
of their thesis to the Secretary of the
British International History Group by
31 March of the year following that in
which their doctorate is awarded. They
should also inform the Secretary of the
names of their internal and external
examiners, whose views on the thesis
may be requested. The thesis is judged
by a Panel drawn from members of
the BIHG Committee. In judging the
competition the Panel pay particular
attention to originality of approach,
thoroughness of research, style of writing
and presentation, and contribution to
historical scholarship. The current value
of the prize is £300.00. The result of the
competition is announced at the annual
conference each September.
Rules
1. The thesis prize is awarded annually.
2. Only theses awarded a doctoral degree by a United Kingdom University
or University College or College of Higher Education are eligible for
consideration.
3. The thesis can be on any aspect and period of International History.
4. The competition will be judged by a Panel drawn from members and officers of
the BIHG Committee.
5. The final submission date is 31 March of the year following the award of the
doctoral degree.
6. The doctoral degree must be awarded during the calendar year preceding the
award of the prize. Candidates should include a copy of the correspondence
from their university or college which confirms the award of the degree.
7. Candidates for the prize should submit two copies to the Secretary of the BIHG
and these will be returned on completion of the competition.
8. Candidates should provide the names of their internal and external
examiners, whose views on the thesis may be requested.
9. The current value of the prize is £300.00.
10. The successful candidate will be invited to present a paper on an aspect of his
/her thesis to the annual conference of the BIHG where all their conference
expenses will be met.
Address: Professor Glyn Stone, Secretary BIHG, Department of Arts, University of
the West of England Bristol Frenchay Campus Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QY
BIHG Thesis Prize winners
The BIHG Thesis Prize for 2013 was awarded to Dr Dean White of the University of
Northumbria for his thesis entitled ‘Britain and the Crisis in Rwanda, 1994’.
The BIHG Thesis Prize for 2014 was awarded to Laure Humbert of the University
of Exeter for her thesis entitled ‘From ‘soup-kitchen’ charity to humanitarian
expertise? France, the United Nations and the Displaced Persons Problem in post-
war Germany’
David Motadel BIHG Thesis Prize winner 2011 was awarded the Fraenkel Prize, one
of the leading prizes in contemporary European history, for his book Islam and
Nazi Germany’s War, Harvard University Press.
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20
Obituary Professor Donald Cameron Watt
Donald Cameron Watt, who died on Thursday 30
October 2014 in his 87th year, was a member of the
Department of International History at the LSE for
39 years until his retirement in 1993.
Born in 1928, the son of a master at Rugby School, he attended Rugby before obtaining a place at Oriel College Oxford in 1948. His interest in international history had been stimulated by his time in National Service which posted him to Austria as a member of the British occupation forces.
Upon graduation in 1951 he put his linguistic skills and historical
knowledge to effective use as assistant editor of the documents on German
foreign policy, 1918-1945, based in the Foreign Office. After three years with
this project he joined the LSE in 1954 as Assistant Lecturer, then Lecturer,
Senior Lecturer, Reader and in 1972 Professor of International History. In
1981 he succeeded James Joll as the Stevenson Professor of International
History. In 1990 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy as well as
the Royal Society of Arts.
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21
Donald Cameron Watt’s first historical publication was
a review of Lewis Namier’s Diplomatic Prelude and two
subsequent volumes of occasional pieces on war origins,
which appeared in the Cambridge Journal in 1954. Already
confident of his views, Donald anticipated later revisionist
work by challenging Namier’s negative treatment of British
statesmanship in the 1930s which, he argued, faced greater
constraints than Namier was prepared to acknowledge. Two
years later Donald published Britain and the Suez Canal within
weeks of the crisis itself, and followed this some months
later with an edited volume of Documents on the Suez Crisis.
Subsequently he edited the Royal Institute of International
Affairs’ annual Survey of International Affairs (1961 to 1971),
Documents on International Affairs (1961, 1966), the American
Studies in Europe newsletter (1962-65), with James Mayall
the annual Current British Foreign Policy (1970-73), and with
Kenneth Bourne Studies in International History (1967) and the
multi-volume British Documents on Foreign Affairs (1985-97)
which comprised the entire 150-year-long Confidential Print
series of documents from the archives of the Foreign and
Colonial Office. In 1969 he published a new edition of Hitler’s
Mein Kampf with a detailed introduction; a second edition
appeared in 1992.
Donald’s publications mainly took the form of journal articles,
essays, lectures and reviews which appeared in both academic
journals and the popular press. Several collections were
published as books including Personalities and Policies:
Studies in the formulation of British foreign policy in the
twentieth century (1965), lectures at Trinity College Cambridge:
Too Serious a Business: European armed forces and the
approach of the Second World War (1975) and the Lees Knowles
lectures at Oxford: Succeeding John Bull: America in Britain’s
Place (1984). But he also wrote the first part of a two-volume
History of the World in the Twentieth Century (1967) and How
War Came: The Immediate Origins of the Second World War
(1989), a 736-page narrative account of events on the eve of the
war in Europe largely drawn from his earlier work, which was
awarded the Wolfson History Prize.
Besides administrative responsibilities in the Department and
the School, Donald contributed to the historical profession in
a remarkable number of ways. He served for a number of years
on the committee of the British International History Group
to which he brought his wide experience and wisdom in the
early years of the Group as well as participating in its annual
conferences. He was a longstanding member of the editorial
board of Political Quarterly, Marine Policy, International
History Review, Intelligence and National Security, and Review
of International Studies. He created and for several years
taught a professional course on the international politics of
maritime relations. He actively contributed to the new field
of historical studies in intelligence, counter-intelligence
and national security. In the 1960s he actively supported
efforts to alter the fifty-year rule governing the release of
official British documents, which led to the current thirty-
year rule in 1967. In 1967 he became secretary, and between
1970 and 1977 chairman, of the Association of Contemporary
Historians. In 1978 he was appointed Official Historian in the
Cabinet Office Historical Section. He chaired the Greenwich
Forum between 1974 and 1984, was secretary-treasurer of the
International Commission for the History of International
Relations from 1982 to 1995, and board member of the Institute
of Contemporary British History (now based in King’s College
London) from 1987 to 2001. Besides being an indefatigable
lecturer, Donald also supervised a very large number of PhD
students, many of whom entered the history profession and
remained his friends throughout their careers. His research
students formed the nucleus of the seminar on twentieth-
century international history, which was held at the LSE and
served the whole of the University during the twenty-five years
that he chaired it.
Donald’s constant theme as lecturer, reviewer, supervisor and
convenor was the importance of keeping international history
properly international. For him this meant two things. First,
the historian of international relations must consider not
only a country’s formal diplomatic activity – its diplomatic
history - but also the process of policy-making and ‘deep’
factors influencing it such as politics, demography, cultural
traditions, economics, intelligence and military resources.
Second, the historian must go beyond the narrow vantage-
point of a single national actor by considering all the powers
involved in an international event. Donald did not always heed
his own injunctions, and significantly his last major project was
the preparation of an official history of the British Ministry of
Defence. He remained nonetheless a stimulating lecturer whose
manifest enthusiasm for modern international history reached a
wide audience and inspired several generations of students.
Donald donated his extensive collection of books and
academic journals to Brunel University library where they are
freely available to readers. He also donated eleven volumes of
press cuttings and other printed material gathered between
1956 and 1959 to St. Antony’s College Oxford.
Dr Robert BoyceLondon School of Economics
British International History Group | www.bihg.ac.uk
22
BIHG Officers and Members of the BIHG executive 2014-2015 Following the Annual General Meeting of the Group at the London School of Economics
Conference, the following will serve as officers and members of the Executive during 2014-2015
Chairman: Professor John Young
University of Nottingham
Vice-Chairman: Dr Edward Johnson
Birmingham City University
Secretary: Professor Glyn Stone
University of the West of England, Bristol
Treasurer: Dr Rogelia Pastor-Castro
University of Strathclyde
Newsletter Editor: Dr Alastair Kocho-Williams
Aberystwyth University
Members: Dr Antony Best, London School of Economics
Dr John Fisher, University of the West of
England
Dr Neil Fleming, University of Worcester
Dr Martin Folly, Brunel University
Dr Michael Hopkins, University of Liverpool
Prof Gaynor Johnson, University of Kent
Dr David Kaufman, University of Edinburgh
Dr Seung-young Kim, University of Sheffield
Dr Lorna Lloyd, University of Keele
Dr Steven Morewood, University of
Birmingham
Prof Thomas Otte, University of East Anglia
Dr Philip Towle, University of Cambridge
Co-opted Members:
Professor Michael Dockrill, King’s College London and former
Chairman of the Group
Dr Victoria Lain and Dr Daniel Gilfoyle (as alternates),
The National Archives
Dr Richard Smith, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
David Watson representing the Scottish Universities
Dr Patrick Finney, Aberystwyth University, representing the
Welsh Universities
Dr Robert McNamara, University of Ulster, representing the
Northern Ireland Universities
Professor Andrew Williams and Dr Lucian Ashworth (as alternates),
Co-Editors of the journal International History Review
BIHG Conference 2015
The BIHG 27th Annual
conference will take place
at the University of Kent
10-12 September 2015.
The local organiser is
Prof Gaynor Johnson. The
conference dinner will
take place at Canterbury
Cathedral Lodge.
Look out for the call for
papers in January.
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