Primary Sources in European Diplomacy, 1914-1945A Bibliography of Published Memoirs and Diaries, by Frederic Messick

This book (published in 1987 by the Greenwood Press), is a true treasure-trove — a compilation listing all published first-hand accounts of the major diplomatic events and personal experiences of the WWI to WWII period. Excerpted here are all the accounts written by people who participated in the diplomatic life of Latvia during that era. A word of caution, if you are going to pursue obtaining one of these books, make sure check the contents, as it's not guaranteed that the author actually wrote about the Baltics.

• Grant Watson, Herbert A. 1881-1971 —citation 235.

  British diplomat. Entered Foreign Service in 1905. Served in Washington and Brazil; in Belgium, 1910-1915; Foreign Office, 1915; Denmark, 1915-1919. Sent on special mission to the Baltic States in 1919, where his presence constituted de facto recognition. Posted to Portugal, 1920-1928. Was in Central America and Cuba, 1928-1935. Envoy to Finland, 1933-1937, and to Cuba, 1937-1940.

  • An Account of a Mission to the Baltic States in 1919. London: Waverly, 1957. 65 p.
  • The Latvian Republic: The Struggle for Freedom. London: Allen and Unwin, 1965. 102 p.

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• Hugessen, Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull. 1886-1971 —citation 285.

  British. Entered the foreign service in 1908. In Foreign Office until 1919. Member of delegation to Paris Peace Conference, 1919. Served in Hague embassy, 1919-1923; Paris, 1923-1926; Brussels, 1926-1930. Minister to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, 1930-1934; to Iran, 1934-1936. Ambassador to China, 1936-1938, and to Turkey, 1939-1944, where he helped to negotiate the Anglo-Franco-Turkish Treaty. The author had considerable contact with Ismet Inonu and also describes his contacts with German Ambassador Franz von Papen.

  • Diplomat in Peace and War. London: Murray, 1949. 270 p.

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• Kennan, George F. 1904-[2005]—citation 305.

  American diplomat and expert on the Soviet Union. He was one of the first to be trained as a U.S. Foreign Service Russian specialist (along with Charles Bohlen, q.v.). Prior to serving in the Soviet Union he was stationed at the "listening posts" of Tallinn, Estonia and Riga, Latvia in the late 1920's and early 30's. When the U.S. established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union Kennan was in the first small group of Americans to serve there, helping to open the embassy in 1933. His ambassador was William C. Bullitt. He was posted to Prague for one year, arriving as the Munich Crisis was reaching its peak. His next station was Berlin where he remained until, and after, the German declaration of war on the U.S. He and a number of other Americans were [interred] for six months. Kennan was sent to Portugal next where he became chargé d’affaires after the death of the U.S. minister. As such he was recalled to Washington for consultations. He had private meetings with Harry Hopkins and President Roosevelt. On his return to Portugal, bearing a letter from FDR to President Salazar, he met with the latter regarding the use of facilities on the Azores. In 1943 he became political advisor to Ambassador John Winant in London and his representative to the European Advisory Commission. From 1944 to 1946 he served in Moscow again, this time under Averell Harriman. After the war, he gained stature as one of the leading American authorities and thinkers on the Soviet Union. [George F. Kennan was Professor Emeritus, Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, until his death in 2005 at the age of 101.]

  • From Prague after Munich: Diplomatic Papers, 1938-1940. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1968. 266 p.
  • Memoirs, 1925-1950. Boston: Little, Brown, 1967. 583 p.

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• LaTournelle, Guy de. 1898-[1982] —citation 329.

  French diplomat. Served in Foreign Ministry, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria before taking his post as Consul in Danzig, 1934-1939. Resumed his diplomatic career after World War II.

  • "A Dantzig de dècembre 1934 à septembre 1939." Revue d’histoire diplomatique (1978): 321-47

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• Lane, Arthur Bliss. 1894-1956 —citation 334.

  American diplomat. Served as minister to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, 1936-1937; to Yugoslavia, 1937-1941. Ambassador to the Polish government in exile in London in 1944 and to the newly established regime in Warsaw, 1944-1947. Resigned in dismay because of (Russian dominated) political situation in Poland.

  • I Saw Poland Betrayed. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1948. 344 p.

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• Leeper, Reginald. 1888-1968 —citation 346.

  British diplomat. Joined Foreign Service in 1918. Stationed in Poland, Latvia, Turkey and the Foreign Office. Ambassador to Greece, 1943-1946. With Harold Macmillan he had a hand in negotiating a settlement to the Greek Civil War.

  • When Greek Meets Greek. London: Chatto and Windus, 1950. 243 p.

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• Suqué, Antonio —citation 568.

  Spanish diplomat who served in London, Riga (while Latvia was still a part of Russia), Salonika, Budapest, and Treiste.

  • En el desplome de Europa: Memorias de un consul de España, 1898-1932. Prologues by the Duque de Maura and Jaime Vicens Vives. Barcelona: Teide, 1954. 570 p.
    [Full Spanish title:En el desplome de Europa; memorias de un cónsul de España, 1898-1932. Orán, Londres, San Francisco, Riga, Salónica, Budapest, Trieste, Madrid, Montreal, Montevideo, Dublín, Gibraltar. Prólogos del Excmo. Sr. duque de Maura y del Prof. Dr. J. Vicens Vives.]

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• Tallents, Stephen. 1884-1958 —citation 574.

  British. Worked under Lloyd George in Ministry of Munitions in 1915-1917. Head of British Relief Mission in the Baltic States, 1919-1921.

  • Man and Boy. London: Faber, 1943. 431 p.

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• Winnig, August. [1878-1956] —citation 626.

  German. Minister to the Baltic States, 1918-1919. Commissioner in East Prussia, 1919-1920.

  • Am Ausgang der deutschen Ostpolitik. Berlin: Staatspolitischer Verlag, 1921. 125 p.

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