Willert, Arthur, Sir, 1882-1973

Arthur Willert: British journalist and diplomat; joined London Times in 1906; chief correspondent in U. S., 1910-1920; secretary of the British War Mission in Washington and representative of the Ministry of Information, 1917-1918; head of the News Department and Press Officer ofthe British Foreign Office, 1931-1935; member of British delegations to various international conferences, 1921-1934; head of the Ministry of Information Office for the Southern Region, 1939-1945; author of four books on politics, and other writings.

Arthur Willert: British journalist and diplomat; joined London Times in 1906; chief correspondent in U. S., 1910-1920; secretary of the British War Mission in Washington and representative of the Ministry of Information, 1917-1918; head of the News Department and Press Officer ofthe British Foreign Office, 1931-1935; member of British delegations to various international conferences, 1921-1934; head of the Ministry of Information Office for the Southern Region, 1939-1945; author of four books on politics, and other writings.

Sir Arthur Willert was born on May 19, 1882 in Oxford, England. He received his education at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, and in 1906 began a career in journalism as a member of the London Times staff. After brief periods in Paris, Berlin, Washington, and London Willert was appointed chief correspondent of the London Times in the United States, a position he held from 1910 to 1920. His work for the Times was interrupted during 1917-1918 when he served as Secretary of the British War Mission in Washington and representative of the Ministry of Information.

While in the United States Willert's amiable personality and talent as a journalist won him a large number of contacts in influential government and private circles. Among those with whom he established friendships were: William Howard Taft, Elihu Root, Edward M. House, Robert Lansing, Frank Polk, and the young Franklin Roosevelt. During World War I Willert's contacts, combined with his firsthand knowledge of American public opinion, enabled him to supply the British government with valuable information on American politics, foreign policy, and public opinion. Of equal importance to Britain was Willert's skill in acting as an unofficial interpreter of the British view-point to American officials.

In 1921 Willert left the Times to become Head of the News Department and Press Officer of the British Foreign Office. As part of his duties Willert was a member of the United Kingdom's delegation to the Washington Naval Conference (1921-1922), the London Economic Conference (1924), the London Naval Conference (1930), the Geneva Disarmament Conference (1932-1934), and to meetings of the League of Nations between 1929 and 1934.

Resigning from the Foreign Office in 1935 Willert devoted his time to writing and lecturing on British foreign policy and the need for collective security in the face of the increasing militarization of Germany. At the outbreak of World War II he became Head of the Ministry of Information office for the Southern Region, a post he held until 1945.

Sir Arthur died on March 11, 1973.

His published works include: Aspects of British Foreign Policy (1928), The Frontiers of England (1935), The Empire in the World (joint, 1937), The Road to Safety (1952), Washington and other Memoirs (1972).