Alternative to Appeasement: Sir Robert Vansittart and Alliance Diplomacy, 1934-1937

211 Pages·1997·12.6 MB·English

by  Michael Roi

ALTERNATIVE
TO APPEASEMENT
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ALTERNATIVE
TO APPEASEMENT
Sir Robert Vansittart and
Alliance Diplomacy, 1934-1937
Michael L. Roi
Praeger Studies in Diplomacy and Strategic Thought
B.J.C. McKercher, Series Editor
PRAEGER Westport, Connecticut
London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roi, Michael L. (Michael Lawrence), 1965—
Alternative to appeasement : Sir Robert Vansittart and Alliance
diplomacy, 1934—1937 / Michael L. Roi.
p. cm.—(Praeger studies in diplomacy and strategic
thought, ISSN 1076-1543)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-275-95909-0 (alk. paper)
1. Vansittart, Robert Gilbert Vansittart, Baron, 1881-1957.
2. Great Britain—Foreign relations—1910-1936. 3. Great Britain—
Foreign relations—1936-1945. 4. Diplomats—Great Britain—
Biography. I. Title.
DA574.V3R65 1997
327.2'092—dc21 97-5865
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 1997 by Michael L. Roi
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-5865
ISBN: 0-275-95909-0
ISSN: 1076-1543
First published in 1997
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
Copyright Acknowledgments
The author and publisher are grateful for permission to print excerpts from the following:
The papers of Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, courtesy of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library.
The papers of Lord Templewood, courtesy of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library.
The papers of Lord Avon, courtesy of Lady Avon.
The papers of Neville Chamberlain, courtesy of The University of Birmingham.
The papers of Viscount Simon, courtesy of Christie, Viscountess Simon and Bodleian Library, Uni
versity of Oxford.
The papers of Sir Horace Rumbold, courtesy of Sir Henry Rumbold.
The papers of Baron Inverchapel, courtesy of Lady Lewthwaite.
The Lord Hankey collection, courtesy of The Master and Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge.
The Sir Eric Phipps collection, courtesy of The Master and Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge.
The Lord Strang collection, courtesy of The Master and Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge.
Sir Alexander Cadogan's Diaries, courtesy of Farrer & Co.
The papers of Group Captain Malcolm Christie, courtesy of M.A.H. Christie.
The papers of Allen Leeper, courtesy of Katharine Cobbett.
The papers of Lord Vansittart, courtesy of Sir Colville Barclay.
The papers of Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, courtesy of The Trustees of
the Liddell Hart Center for Military Archives.
The papers of Lord Chatfield, courtesy of The Trustees of the National Maritime Museum.
The James Ramsay MacDonald papers (PRO 30/69), copyright British Crown and courtesy of the
heirs of the late Malcolm MacDonald.
"From the Stresa Front to the Triple Entente. Sir Robert Vansittart, the Abyssinian Crisis and the
Containment of Germany" by Michael L. Roi, appearing in Diplomacy & Statecraft 6 (1995), cour
tesy of Diplomacy & Statecraft.
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright materials in this book, but in
some instances this has proven impossible. The author and publisher will be glad to receive informa
tion leading to more complete acknowledgments in subsequent printings of the book and in the
meantime extend their apologies for any omissions.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 Rethinking Vansittart 9
2 The Beginning: Vansittart's Strategic Vision and the DRC 25
3 "Deepening Shadows": Death of Disarmament and the Strcsa
Solution, January 1934-June 1935 57
4 "The Worst of All Worlds": The Abyssinian Crisis and the
End of the Stresa Front, June 1935-February 1936 91
5 Vansittart and Eden: Facing the Dictators, Though Not
Together, 1936 117
6 A Year of Grace: 1937 149
Conclusion: "Mine Is a Story of Failure?" 169
Selected Bibliography 111
Index 193
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
Unlike Athena, this book did not spring fully formed from the head of its creator. Its
conception, gestation, and birth owe much to the assistance of others. I would like to
acknowledge first of all the steadfast support of Professor Sidney Aster of the
University of Toronto, whose efforts on my behalf deserve more recognition than the
few sparse sentences given here. His constructive criticism and his exhortations to think
and write clearly have undoubtedly made this a much better book. I would like to
underscore the considerable support I received from Professor R J.C McKercher of the
Royal Military College of Canada. He enthusiastically supported the project, and it is
a measure of my good fortune that he has become a dear friend. I am especially
grateful to Sidney and Brian for urging me forward at moments when my own spirits
languished
I have also benefited greatly from the insightful comments of Professor Denis
Smyth and Professor John Cairns, both of the University of Toronto. Professor Smyth
has shown me that writing history involves much more than "cutting and pasting"
historical documents together. Like many others before me, I too found Professor
Cairns' vast knowledge of interwar international history of inestimable value. He not
only forced me to rethink Vansittart but also, generally, British attitudes toward the
French. In addition, I would like to thank Professor Wesley K. Wark for his keen and
incisive comments on an earlier version of this book—though I'm certain he will
disagree with what follows. I would also like to express my gratitude to the staff of
Praeger Publishers and, in particular, Dan Eades, Maureen Melino, and Jason Azze for
their consummate professionalism.
My greatest debt, however, belongs to my wife, Amy, to whom this book is
dedicated. With grace and good-humor, she continuously supported me throughout the
researching and the writing of this book. In return, I have tried, in the words of one
of her favorite poets (W.R Yeats), to tread softly for I am fully conscious that I tread
on her dreams.
I am grateful to the following people and institutions for permission to cite and
to quote limited passages from unpublished Crown material and private manuscript
collections: Unpublished Crown material in the Public Record Office is reproduced by