Promoting Britain’s fight: Duff Cooper’s 1939–40 lecture tour and American public opinion during the ‘Phoney War’

Abstract

Abstract From October 1939 to March 1940, Conservative member of parliament Alfred Duff Cooper and his wife Diana toured the United States. Their public appearances drew thousands of audience members and provoked the ire of isolationists, but the true importance of the Coopers’ tour lay in the conversations they undertook with prominent Americans. This article examines the controversy surrounding the Coopers’ wartime tour of the U.S., the significance of the trip and the conclusions both drew from their visit. These would have a demonstrable impact on British public relations efforts, particularly after Duff Cooper’s appointment as minister of information.