David French - Deterrence, Coercion, and Appeasement: British Grand Strategy, 1919-1940

The staffs of the National Archives at Kew, the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives at Kings College London, the library of University College London, the Churchill College Archives Centre, and the Institute of Historical Research have again placed me in their debt by offering me every possible assistance. They made working in their institutions a pleasure.

I have amassed a considerable number of intellectual debts in the course of writing this book. I would especially like to thank Professor Kathleen Burk who kindly took the time and trouble to read a draft of my manuscript, and to give me the benefit of her suggestions. I also benefited from the advice of two anonymous readers who, I hope, will forgive me if I did not incorporate each and every one of their suggestions into the text. The members of the Military History seminar at the Institute of Historical Research have provided me with both friendship and intellectual stimulation over more than forty years, and I am grateful to them. None of the above is responsible for what appears here, and I alone am responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation. I must also thank my editors at OUP, Stephanie Ireland and Cathryn Steele and their colleagues, for their patience and assistance during the gestation of this book.

The following institutions and individuals have kindly given me permission to consult and refer to documents in their keeping: the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections, University of Birmingham; the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College Cambridge; the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, Kings College London; the National Archives of Australia; Library and Archives Canada; the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Crown Copyright material is reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/. All reasonable efforts have been made to contact the holders of copyright materials reproduced in this book. Any omissions will be rectified in future printings if notice is given to the publisher.

This book is dedicated to the memories of three friends, each of whom passed away during its creation. Ian Shaw first set me on the path to becoming a historian. He showed me that doing history could be both fun, challenging, and intellectually stimulating. In their different ways Michael Dockrill and Keith Neilson made the inter-war period their own. My numerous references to their works can be but a small tribute to all that they have contributed to my understanding of this period. This would have been a much better book had I been able to show them a completed draft and taken advantage of their wisdom and knowledge, as I have done so often in the past.

David French