- History
- Europe
- Politics, Institutions, and Public Opinion
- Comparative Politics
- Public Opinion
- Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies
- Revitalizing History
- Understanding the Effects of Technology on Economics and Governance
How did Britain’s diplomats help win World War II—and shape the world that followed? Lord Peter Ricketts, former head of Britain’s Diplomatic Service and its first National Security Advisor, discusses the extraordinary men and women of the wartime Foreign Office, from Churchill’s uneasy relationship with Charles de Gaulle to Freya Stark’s espionage work and the creation of the UN and NATO. He also explains how Britain’s diplomats confronted the decline of British power—and why the postwar international order may now be coming apart.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lord Peter Ricketts served as chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) under Prime Minister Tony Blair. He was the UK government's first national security adviser from 2010 to 2012, serving under Prime Minister David Cameron. He has sat as a crossbencher in the House of Lords since 2016.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Secrets of Statecraft is a bimonthly podcast hosted by Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts that explores the effect that the study of history has had on the careers and decision-making of public figures. The podcast also features leading historians discussing the influence that the study of history had on their biographical subjects. The title is taken from Winston Churchill’s reply on Coronation Day 1953 to a young American who had asked him for life advice, to whom he said, “Study history, study history, for therein lie all the secrets of statecraft.”
