Janus: The Papers of Sir Eric Phipps

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The Papers of Sir Eric Phipps

Title	The Papers of Sir Eric Phipps
Reference	GBR/0014/PHPP
Creator	Phipps, Sir Eric Clare Edmund, 1875-1945, Knight, diplomat
Covering Dates	1797–1970 (Such early and late covering dates are due to the papers including those inherited by Phipps and some added by his wife after his death.)
Extent and Medium	34 boxes
Repository	Churchill Archives Centre

Content and context

Sir Eric Phipps was born 27 October 1875 the only son of Sir Constantine Phipps, HM Minister at Brussels, 1900 - 1906. His first marriage was to Yvonne de Louvencourt in 1907 (she died in 1909) . His second marriage was in 1911 to Frances Ward and they had four sons and two daughters. Died 13 August 1945.

Phipps entered the Diplomatic Service in 1899 and was the Attaché to HM Embassy at Paris, then at Constantinople, Rome, and at Paris again in 1909, where he was private secretary to the Ambassador (later Lord Bertie). He then went to the following Embassies: Petrograd, 1912, Madrid, 1913, Paris, 1916. He was British Secretary to the Paris Peace Congress in 1919, Assistant Secretary at the Foreign Office, 1919-1920, and Counsellor of HM Embassy, Brussels, 1920-1922. Phipps held the following positions: Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris, 1922-1928, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Vienna, 1928-1933, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Berlin, 1933-1937 and in Paris, 1937-1939. He was attached to the British Delegation at The Hague Reparations Conferences in August 1929 and January 1930. He retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1939.

The papers largely consist of Phipps' correspondence on subjects connected to his diplomatic career as well as associated papers. The majority of the material comes from the 1920s and 1930s. Correspondants include Neville Chamberlain, Ramsey Macdonald, Austen Chamberlain, Anthony Eden, Lord Halifax, Sir Maurice Hankey as well as Buckingham Palace and European embassies.

This collection was deposited at Churchill Archives Centre in 6 accessions, between 1974 and 1995, by Lady Phipps and her daughters.

This collection is owned by Churchill College, Cambridge.

Access and Use

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. Churchill Archives Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. A prior appointment and two forms of identification are required.

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

Please cite as Churchill Archives Centre, The Papers of Sir Eric Phipps, PHPP

Further information

A catalogue (in three parts) is available for consultation at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge and at the National Register of Archives, London. A copy of this finding aid is available on the Janus website, http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/.

This collection (fonds) level description was prepared by Louise King of Churchill Archives Centre in April 2004 using information from the catalogues compiled in the 1970s and from the papers themselves.

Index Terms

Diplomacy

Phipps, Sir Eric Clare Edmund (1875-1945) Knight, diplomat

Eden, Robert Anthony (1897-1977) 1st Earl of Avon, statesman

Vansittart, Robert Gilbert (1881-1957) 1st Baron Vansittart of Denham, diplomat

Churchill/PHPP contains:

I 1

Telegrams, Dispatches and Correspondence with the Foreign Secretaries. This section contains Phipps' correspondence with the Foreign Secretaries under whom he served, arranged in chronological order.
23 files.

1921–1939

I 2

Correspondence with Members of the Foreign Office. This section consists of Phipps' official and unofficial correspondence with fellow members of the Foreign Office such as Sir Alexander Cadogan, Sir Orme Sargent, Sir Robert Vansittart and R. F. Wigram.
25 files.

1916–1939

I 3

General Correspondence. Correspondents include: Leo Amery, the Chamberlains, the Churchills, Anthony Eden, Sir Maurice Hankey, Sidney Webb, The Archbishop of Canterbury and The Archbishop of York.
7 files.

1920–1940

I 4

Correspondence with the Royal Family. Correspondence with the secretaries of King George VI, Queen Mary and the Duke of Windsor.
5 files.

1925–1939

I 5

Notes and memoranda by Phipps. Includes copies of Cabinet and other papers kept by Phipps while at the Paris and Berlin Embassies and at the Hague Conference.
15 files.

1917–1963

I 6

Speeches given by Phipps.
1 file.

1932–1939

I 7

Honours and Appointments.
1 file.

1901–1937

I 8

Letters to Lady Phipps. Writers include: Anne Chamberlain, Lord Halifax and Sir Eric Phipps.
1 file.

1920–1939

I 9

Memoirs. Entitled "Light and Shade".
1 file.

1942–1945

I 10

Berlin Diaries.
2 files.

Oct 1933-Apr 1937

II 1

Annual Reports and Correspondence to the Foreign Secretary.
2 files.

1934–1937

II 2

Correspondence with the Foreign Office. Correspondents include Sir Orme Sargent and Sir Robert Vansittart.
1 file.

1908–1937

II 3

Reports and Correspondence with the King and Private Secretaries. The Private Secretaries are Wigram and Mitchell.
1 file.

1933–1937

II 4

General Correspondence. Correspondents include Viscount Curzon and Sir Maurice Hankey. Most are single letters.
1 file.

1906–1942

II 5

Speeches. Mostly by Phipps but includes the speech given by Maurice Norman to Phipps as HM Ambassador.
8 files.

1938–1943

II 6

Appointments, Honours and Personal Ephemera.
2 files.

1898–1942

II 7

Menus. Mostly from official functions at Berlin Embassy.
1 file.

1933–1938

II 8

News cuttings and other Printed Papers. Obituary notices for Phipps, reviews, and printed reports on the war. Includes a print of Hitler from 1916.
3 files.

1916–1945

II 9

Phipps Family Papers. Relating to General Edmund Phipps (18th-19th Century), Sir Edmund Constantine Henry Phipps (19th-20th Century) and Alan Phipps (20th Century).
3 files.

1797–1944

III 1

Correspondence and Papers. A mixture of personal and professional papers. Includes news cuttings, letters of congratulations, menus and letters of condolence to Lady Phipps.
15 files.

1911–1970

III 2

Lecture Notes and Speeches.
5 files.

1928–1939

III 3

Honours. Both British and European honours.
2 files.

1901–1941

III 4

Photographs. Subjects include diplomatic groups, state visits and key Nazi figures such as Hitler and Goring.
5 files.

1913–1937

III 5

Newspaper Cuttings and Scrapbook. Subjects include Phipps' diplomatic career, world events. Also included are menus, letters and invitations.
15 files.

1830–1941

III 6

Printed Papers from the Embassies at Vienna, Berlin and Paris. Name cards, seating plans, invitations, timetables and programmes.
6 files.

1928–1939

III 7

Lady Phipps' Papers. Notebooks, correspondence and student papers.
5 files.

1920–1967