ABSTRACT
Lord Ismay belongs to that now legendary group of public officials who developed, administered, and sustained the British Empire—an empire that enabled an island nation to achieve and maintain a position as a world power for four centuries. When Churchill became prime minister and minister of defense in 1940, he made Ismay his chief of staff (military) and representative to the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Given Ismay's experience, outlook, and ideas, his appointment as the first secretary-general of NATO would appear an obvious selection. Ismay assumed office on NATO's third anniversary, 4 April 1952. Ismay held definite feelings about the development of NATO. At the initial ministerial meeting of Ismay's incumbency, held in Paris during December 1952, Ismay submitted his first report on the progress of NATO activities outside the military field. Ismay's relationships with NATO's military leaders were consistently good.
