Life and Career
Kirkpatrick was born at his family estate at Donaghcumper, Celbridge, County Kildare. He left school to join the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and was wounded in the Great War. He was mentioned in despatches twice and was awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre. After being wounded he was sent to Holland as a spymaster.
He entered the diplomatic service in 1919. He was first secretary at the British Embassy at Rome from 1930 to 1932; chargé d'affaires at the Vatican in 1932-33; and first secretary at the British Embassy at Berlin from 1933 to 1938. He held a number of diplomatic offices throughout the Second World War, as well as Controller of European Services of the BBC in 1941.
When Deputy Nazi Leader, Rudolf Hess landed in Britain in May 1941 he was questioned by Kirkpatrick as he was a Foreign Office expert on Germany. His report on Hess was shown only to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, Lord Privy Seal Clement Attlee and Minister of Aircraft Production Lord Beaverbrook.
He was Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office in 1945 and Deputy Under-Secretary in 1948. He became Permanent Under-Secretary for the German Section at the Foreign Office in 1949 and was British High Commissioner for Germany from 1950 to 1953; then, he was Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office from 1953 to 1957.
Read more about this topic: Ivone Kirkpatrick
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