ABSTRACT
Although Younger returned from his holiday on 28 August 1950, the first entry in his diary after his return was not until 17 September. The first sentence explains why.
These last three weeks have, contrary to my hopes, been almost as hectic as the summer months. Ernie Bevin was only there for a week, & I had little chance to see him. Then he went off to the Tripartite meeting in New York,1 and I was again in charge. Despite the [parliamentary] recess there has been a mass of cabinet & committee meetings, with much F.O. business, and during this last week Parliament has been in emergency session to debate defence.2…Now we are in for two contentious debates on exports of strategic materials and on the nationalisation of steel. The latter might, in the present state of the casualty & absentee lists, bring the government down, which would mean an October election. It is anyone’s guess; my guess is that we will scrape through.3 Then-if we succeed-I am off to the General Assembly [of the United Nations] in New York, & may not get back much before Xmas-an awful thought.
