Diplomacy: The Candid Secretary

As Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home (pronounced Hume), occupies a post whose previous incumbents have often been primarily famed for their ability to speak at great length without saying anything at all.* In sharp departure from this cherished British diplomatic tradition. Lord Home, 57, is addicted to clear and candid statements that sometimes border on indiscretion. Last week, just before flying off to Bangkok for the critical SEATO meeting on Laos, Lord Home confided to a Tory meeting some of his thoughts on British foreign policy. Items:

ON NATIONAL PURPOSE: "When paleolithic man lived...

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