ABSTRACT
IN THE 1950s the British perception of Japan continued to be of a far-away exotic (even tropical) place that had hardly any relevance at all, other than in opera or because of war memories. For the time being, however, the British Foreign Office maintained the excellent tradition of sending language students to such distant places. In 1956 one such student was the future ambassador, JOHN WHITEHEAD. Here he ‘lifts the veil’ on those early days, partly prompted by the letters he wrote to his parents about his ‘Japan experiences’:-
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