Sir Orme Sargent and British Policy Towards Europe 1926-1949

This thesis examines the views of Sir Orme Sargent on British policy towards Europe between 1926 and 1949. Sargent, a career civil servant who after 1926 did not leave Whitehall for a post abroad, has remained as much of an enigma to historians as he was to his peers. Despite the tumultuous events covered by the thesis, Sargent has remained relatively neglected in the literature on the era. This study examines his opinions, his attitudes and the advice he tendered to successive foreign secretaries. It argues that throughout the period under discussion Sargent remained convinced of the significance of Britain’s role as a Great Power in the world. It also traces his commitment to the idea that British policy should be informed exclusively by British interests. The issue of influence, both of and on the Foreign Office in the shaping of British foreign policy, is also investigated as far as is possible. This analysis of Sargent’s activities during this period provides an original perspective on the relations between Britain and Europe from one of the Foreign Office's most distinguished figures of the twentieth century.