Mission With Mountbatten - Softcover

The career of Alan Campbell-Johnson (1913-1998) has from the outset followed the triple line of author, politics and public relations. Educated Westminster, History Scholar at Christ Church (Oxford), he served as Political Secretary to Sir Archibald Sinclair, Liberal Leader between 1937 and 1940. During this time he wrote full length biographies of Anthony Eden and Lord Halifax, the former earning him commendation of Sir Winston Churchill. Nearly four years of his war service in the RAF was spent on the Head-quarters Staff of Lord Mountbatten at combined Operations and in South-east Asia Command where he was officer in charge of the Inter-Allied Records Section. He stood twice for Parliament as Liberal candidate for Salisbury and was a well known broadcaster. He was Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of a Public Relations Consultancy acting for a number if leading British and International businesses. He is survived by his wife, Fay. "Mission with Mountbatten" is the day-by-day record of his third assignment on Lord Mountbattens Staff, this time in civilian capacity as Press Attach to Indias last Viceroy and first constitutional Governor-General.

A first hand account, illuminated by comment which is both informed and independent. No one will be able to ignore Campbell-Johnson's evidence nor is anyone likely to impunge his integrity. -- The Times Literary Supplement

Alan Campbell-Johnson's day-to-day record of his experiences and impressions was first published only three years after the momentous events described therein. It was the first authoritative full length account and it had the immediacy and impact of a news story. It was at once recognised as primary source and nearly every subsequent account of those fifteen crowded crucial months has quoted from it or relied upon it to some extent. While it is no longer news and has ripened into history his diary narrative of the events....remain as "gripping and vivid" as it did when Nehru so described it at the time of its original publication. Re-reading this historic document has brought back to me the vivid memory of the excitement and almost unbelievable pressure under which we worked. But it has also brought back astonishingly happy memories of friendship and trust in the midst of crises and calamities.....I am glad that this book will now be available to a new generation who were not even born when these events occurred. Through this book they will have the chance to sharing in the living experience of a turning point in history. -- Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma, 1972 Edition ,

The book reads exceedingly well. It is gripping and vivid. (refers to books initial publication) -- Jawharlal Nehru, 1951