Archive of Sir Peter Marshall

Collection

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The collection comprises:

series 'A', containing files numbered A132 - A349
series 'H', containing files numbered H35 - H272
diaries and additional files, containing written accounts covering the years 1924-2000, unlabelled files, and a small amount of files labelled series 'I'.

Dates

Creation: c.1924-2022

Extent

3.37 Linear metres (56 boxes)

Language of Materials

English
French

Conditions Governing Access

Some material is closed.

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. 23796/1, folder 1].

Please see our help page for further guidance on citing archives and manuscripts.

Full range of shelfmarks:

MSS. 23796/1-56

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 23796

Additional Description

Abstract

Archive of Sir Peter Marshall.

Biographical / Historical

Sir Peter Marshall was born in 1924 in Reading, Berkshire. He served as a navigator for the RAF during the Second World War and in 1946 he took up a place at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, to study Economics.

In 1949, Marshall joined the Diplomatic Service and served in a number of postings at home and abroad, including in Baghdad, Bangkok, and Paris. Between 1975 and 1979 he was the UK Representative on the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and between 1979 and 1983 he was Ambassador and Permanent UK Representative to the United Nations (UN). In 1983, Marshall was appointed to the position of Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General (Economic), working with Secretary-General Shridath Ramphal.

In his retirement, Marshall maintained a strong interest in diplomacy and matters concerning the Commonwealth. He served as Chairman of the Commonwealth Trust, the Royal Commonwealth Society, and the Joint Commonwealth Societies Council. He was a regular contributor to The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and, in addition to his many articles, he published the book Positive Diplomacy (1997), in which he reflected on the role of the diplomat in international relations.

Marshall was married twice and had two children. He died in 2023, aged 98.

Arrangement

Peter Marshall's system for organising his papers has been preserved. He labelled files either 'A' or 'H' and assigned each file a number. Although he kept his files in ascending numerical order, some numbers are missing from the sequence. For example, the first box in series 'A' (MS. 23796/1) comprises files A132, A152, A153, and A155.

Diaries, files without an assigned letter or number, and a small number of files labelled 'I' have been catalogued under the series 'Diaries and additional files'.