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Reflect on Things Past: The Memoirs of Lord Carrington
Lord Carrington, Secretary General of NATO, presents here his memoirs, giving details of his career and the many people with whom he has had dealings. Born into a family with strong political roots, he went to Eton and Sandhurst, saw action in north-west Europe during World War II, then as soon as possible took his seat in the House of Lords as a somewhat questioning and occasionally uneasy Tory. Given his first government appointment by Winston Churchill and later serving as Leader of the House of Lords, Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary, he ended his career in government with the painful incident of his resignation when the Argentinians invaded the Falkland Islands. In Peter Carrington's record of his public life he describes the people from all over the world whom he has met such as Harold Macmillan, William Slim, Robert Menzies, Henry Kissinger, Robert Mugabe and Dom Mintoff. This account of his life also gives insights into British and European political life and his reflections on the main issues that have preoccupied him, including reform of the House of Lords and above all, defence of the realm.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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October 8, 2015
Three things distinguish the Memoirs of Lord Carrington from the run of political memoirs.
First, there is the sheer breadth of his experience. Carrington has been a soldier, a diplomat, First Lord of the Admiralty, Leader of the House of Lords, Secretary of State for Defence, Chairman of the Conservative Party, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Secretary General of NATO, and, wherever he was, interesting and important things were happening at the time. He has also been a farmer, a collector, and director of several banks and multinational corporations. He is another of those characters who manage to pack a great deal into their lives.
Second, he is extraordinarily modest for a modern politician. The memoirs of Sir Brian Horrocks, his corps commander in the Arnhem Campaign, single him out as having won a particularly good Military Cross leading the first tanks across the bridge at Nijmegen; the citation is available online and reads like a ‘Boys’ Own’ story. Yet there is absolutely no mention in the book of his even winning the medal. He is also characteristically discreet about his departure from the Foreign Office, which is generally held to be one of the most honourable acts in recent British politics.
Third, he comes across as very pleasant human being. In particular, he seems to belong to the school that believes that, if one cannot say something nice about someone, one should not say anything at all. So he goes out of his way to find something positive to say about everyone, even opponents or people he has to criticise. In some cases, notably Menachem Begin, he is stretched a bit to do this, but he always finds something.
The great irony is that, although Carrington makes some good points against the hereditary Peerage in the House of Lords, he is a walking advertisement for it.
First, there is the sheer breadth of his experience. Carrington has been a soldier, a diplomat, First Lord of the Admiralty, Leader of the House of Lords, Secretary of State for Defence, Chairman of the Conservative Party, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Secretary General of NATO, and, wherever he was, interesting and important things were happening at the time. He has also been a farmer, a collector, and director of several banks and multinational corporations. He is another of those characters who manage to pack a great deal into their lives.
Second, he is extraordinarily modest for a modern politician. The memoirs of Sir Brian Horrocks, his corps commander in the Arnhem Campaign, single him out as having won a particularly good Military Cross leading the first tanks across the bridge at Nijmegen; the citation is available online and reads like a ‘Boys’ Own’ story. Yet there is absolutely no mention in the book of his even winning the medal. He is also characteristically discreet about his departure from the Foreign Office, which is generally held to be one of the most honourable acts in recent British politics.
Third, he comes across as very pleasant human being. In particular, he seems to belong to the school that believes that, if one cannot say something nice about someone, one should not say anything at all. So he goes out of his way to find something positive to say about everyone, even opponents or people he has to criticise. In some cases, notably Menachem Begin, he is stretched a bit to do this, but he always finds something.
The great irony is that, although Carrington makes some good points against the hereditary Peerage in the House of Lords, he is a walking advertisement for it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review