| Description | Bound typed diary entries, with other documents from the same period, including a list, probably made by Nancy Shuckburgh [Shuckburgh's wife] of cuts made by Shuckburgh. The diary is split into two parts, with a sequence of page numbers for each part: Part I begins at 266 and ends at 463; Part II begins at 1 and ends at 137. It begins on 1 January and ends on 17 December 1954.
Further cuts were made when the book was edited; these are not indicated in the diary.
'In January 1954, I accompanied Eden to Berlin for a conference of the four occupying powers on the future of Germany and Austria. I wrote a full diary recording blow-by-blow the failure to obtain Soviet consent either to the establishment of an all-German Government through free elections or to the signature of an Austrian peace treaty. Most of it is omitted here... Eden's attention was increasingly diverted from these problems by troubles in the Middle East and the Far East and by concern over his position in the Government.' (p. 127)
In April and May 1954, Shuckburgh went to the Geneva Conference as Private Secretary to Eden, but left half way through the conference. On his return, he was given a new post at the Foreign Office: Under-Secretary in charge of Middle East affairs. The main foreign policy issues of 1954 were as follows: '...the focus of attention is on the re-negotiation of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, and the chapter ends with the successful conclusion of an agreement with Nasser over the conditions of British withdrawal from the Suez Canal Zone base. But at home the Prime Minister could not be reconciled to what he considered a policy of 'scuttle', and the 'Suez Group' in the Conservative Party, led by Julian Amery and Captain Waterhouse, taunted Eden with appeasement.' (Descent to Suez, p. 242).
The following documents are bound with the diary:
Part I
72a-b Copies of letters to Shuckburgh from Nancy Shuckburgh [his wife], mainly family news, 15 February 1954 and undated;
126a Part of a telegram from Sir John Sterndale Bennett [British Middle East Office], annotated by Anthony Eden 'Bennett is a bore - what does that office do?' 6 April 1954
156a Letter to Shuckburgh from Nancy Shuckburgh, mainly family news, 27 April 1954
182a-b Letter to Shuckburgh from Nancy Shuckburgh, 2 May 1954 and 8 May 1954
194a Letter to Shuckburgh from Anthony Eden, thanking him for his 'wonderful help and guidance' while Shuckburgh was working for him, 3 June 1954
/194b Letter to Shuckburgh probably from Roger Makins [British Ambassador to Washington], congratulating Shuckburgh on 'his elevation to the Under-Secretarial ranks', 8 June 1954
Part II
/25 Copy of a minute by Shuckburgh sent to the Foreign Secretary concerning negotiations with Egypt and calling for a 7-year withdrawal from Suez, 17 July 1954
/25a Letter to Shuckburgh from the Foreign Office, informing him that he has been promoted, 17 July 1954
/30 Copy of a minute by Shuckburgh arguing that the British should agree to withdraw troops from Egypt after 7 years, 21 July 1954
/46a Letter to Shuckburgh from Ralph [British Embassy, Cairo], saying that he enjoyed having Anthony Head to stay and that he was happy for Anthony Head to initial the Agreement, 9 August 1954
/106a-b Cuttings reporting on Shuckburgh's visit to Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries for talks, November 1954
/117a Letter to Shuckburgh from Moshe Sharett [Prime Minister of Israel], thanking him for his gift of a book of photographs, and saying that he was glad to have talked to him, 9 December 1954
/117b-d Press cuttings of articles reporting on Shuckburgh's meetings with Moshe Sharett and other Israeli politicians, 25 November 1954
/121a-g Press cuttings reporting on Shuckburgh's tour of the Middle East, 1 December-22 December 1954
/137a-d 'Some Winstoniana': a Letter to John Shuckburgh from Winston Churchill thanking him for his 'fine work on the Middle East', 21 December 1921; b Telegram from the Foreign Office announcing the abdication of King Farouk of Egypt, annotated by Winston Churchill: 'They have lost their King!', 27 July 1952; c Note from Winston Churchill: 'Poor Oswald Birley died this morning', 6 May 1952; d Note from Anthony Eden: 'If someone wasn't so Zionist we could settle all this tomorrow with Jordan and tell Egyptians to go to - -', annotated by Shuckburgh: 'AE on arms for Jordan. 'Someone' =W.S.C.', nd. |