The Robert Hall Diaries 1954-1961 (Routledge Revivals)

Book excerpt: Lord Roberthall was economic adviser to a succession of Labour and Conservative governments from 1947 to 1961. During that time, he served under eight Chancellors and exercised more influence on economic policy than perhaps any other official. Fortunately – though it was contrary to Civil Service rules – he kept a diary in which he documented and reflected on day-to-day events. This second volume, published in 1991, covers the years between 1954 and 1961, after Robert Hall’s appointment as Economic Adviser to HM Government. The book includes details of conferences and negotiations in Australia, the United States and Canada, as well as accounts dealing with the struggles to contain inflation and moderate wages. This is a highly readable and fascinating account of what went on inside government in the post-war years. The book provides a unique picture of the relationship between Whitehall and Downing Street, and those people who shaped this challenging period in British economic history. Edited by Sir Alec Cairncross, who succeeded Lord Roberthall as Economic Adviser to HM Government in 1961, this reissue will interest any student researching policy and decision-making in the post-war period.