Britain'S 'Mr X'

Reviews / Votes

Contemporary verdicts about Frank Roberts

'The most supremely competent of all the professional diplomatists I have known.'
George F. Kennan
'A sharp-witted and capable person.'
Stalin
'A superlative operator.'
Lord Thomas Brimelow

Reviews of Britain's 'Mr X'

'Frank Roberts was one of the foremost British diplomats of the Cold War. He held senior posts in major European capitals and did much to shape Britain's relations with West Germany, Yugoslavia, NATO and the Soviet Union. A man possessed of a formidable intellect and work ethic, he was widely seen by his contemporaries as the diplomats' diplomat. Dr Colman's book, although focussing primarily on Roberts' diplomatic career, is also very strongly biographical, casting fascinating insights into his subject's formative years, including his cherished Lancashire roots. Dr Colman is a leading British historian of the Cold War in Europe and North America, and this book benefits enormously from the depth of insight that he is thus able to bring to the material. Anyone interested in twentieth century British foreign policy, especially in the period after the Second World War, should read this book.'
Gaynor Johnson, Professor Emerita in International History, University of Kent

'A powerful reminder that international relations are shaped by people and that there are many, like Frank Roberts, who play a key role without becoming household names.'
Allen Packwood, Director, Churchill Archives Centre, University of Cambridge

'Jonathan Colman's latest book is a welcome addition to the literature on twentieth century British foreign policy, focusing as it does on one of the country's leading diplomats, Sir Frank Roberts, who rose to become ambassador to Yugoslavia (1954-57), NATO (1957-60), the USSR (1960-62) and West Germany (1963-68). As well as allowing us to see diplomacy from the viewpoint of a consummate insider and throwing new light on key episodes, like the Cuban Missile Crisis, Colman's exhaustive study of Roberts' career, based on meticulous transatlantic research, is especially useful for highlighting distinctively British approaches to global issues. This is especially clear in 1946, when Roberts' belief that Britain, though firmness and patience, could find a way to work with the Kremlin, had both similarities to and differences from the view of his American colleague, George F. Kennan.'
John W. Young, Professor Emeritus in History, University of Nottingham. -- .