DC Confidential Synopsis
'Blair was pretty determined to go all the way with President Bush not because he's hanging on to this relationship for dear life but because he truly believed that Saddam Hussein was an offence to the integrity of the UN.'
Christopher Meyer was Ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 2003, during which time he was an eyewitness to and participant in the events following 9/11 and the preparations for the Iraq war. Never before has there been such a riveting and candid memoir of life behind the diplomatic scenes. Meyer's is an honest account of what he saw, what he heard and how he felt.
The cast list of characters who feature here includes Margaret Thatcher, Bob Hope, the Clintons, Steven Spielberg, Condoleeza Rice, Alastair Campbell and Jack Straw. The book reveals close encounters with Tony Blair, Robin Cook and Peter Mandelson; KGB honey traps in Russia; a major row with Bill Clinton; inside stories on Number 10 and the Foreign Office; and of course life behind the scenes with Blair and George W. Bush. It was clear that the Prime Minister's office and not the Foreign Office would control relations with Washington, and Meyer shows in close up how he helped facilitate the 'special relationship'.
For anyone whose definition of a diplomat is someone sent abroad to lie for their country, Christopher Meyer's memoir is the perfect rejoinder. It will also be hailed as one of the most important political memoirs of the decade.
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Christopher Meyer Press Reviews
'a marvellously entertaining and readable book.'
Andrew Gilligan
THE EVENING STANDARD
'The chapters on 9/11 and on the Iraq War are totally absorbing and often quite moving.'
Cal McCrystal
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
'the delicious portraiture, razor-sharp character assessments and the sharing of undiplomatic discretions, are all beautifully, and often comically, presented.'
James Cusick
THE SUNDAY HERALD
About Christopher Meyer
Christopher Meyer served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom to the United States from 1997 until 2003. He was a vital link in the important relationship between America and Britain, one of the closest periods since the Second World War. He had previously been British Ambassador to Germany and chief spokesman and press secretary for former Prime Minister John Major, and for Geoffrey Howe when he was Foreign Secretary. In 2003 Meyer was appointed Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission. He was knighted in 2001.
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