http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/2188569944

Papers of Sir Esme Howard, 1863-1939

"Esme Howard was one of the greatest British diplomatists in the first half of the twentieth century. A member of the famous Howard family that had played a notable role in British history, Howard's career is significant for its breadth and impact. A colourful figure, he was an adventurous traveler, an overseas entrepreneur, a war hero, in addition to his diplomatic achievements. An intimate of major political figures and members of various royal families, with a wide network of diplomatic friends, he conducted an active correspondence. His papers provide a vivid picture of life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain, as well as providing a rich source of material on the shaping and conduct of British foreign and imperial policy. Howard served in a series of posts of ever increasing significance. In the first part of the century he was the British Consul General on Crete, when the Great Powers placed that troubled island under a form on international guardianship, that would be the forerunner of numerous subsequent similar efforts. As such Howard was at the vortex of what was then one of the major crises in international relations. Howard served in Budapest during the 1908 Bosnian Annexation Crisis, and then in neutral Switzerland as minister in the lead up to the First World War. He spent the war years in neutral Sweden, attempting to preempt supplies from reaching Germany while ensuring that shipping lines to Allied Russia remained open. Immediately after the war he was at the Paris Peace Conference, and participated in a notable mission to a war ravaged Poland. After this he was given his first embassy, to Spain, and was there when the 1923 coup occurred that began the downward spiral in Spanish politics that would ultimately result in civil war. The capstone of his career was as Ambassador to the United States, 1924-30. On his retirement he was rewarded with a seat in the House of Lords, and continued an active correspondence until his death in 1939. Accompanied bya guide to the online version by Erik Goldstein, Professor of International Relations and History, Boston University."--Collection metadata page.

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