Reading rooms at Chatham House

Reading rooms at Chatham House

For almost four decades, Margaret Cleeve (1895-1967) was librarian and principal administrator of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, commonly known as Chatham House. The RIIA was established in 1920 by the diplomat and author Lionel Curtis following discussions between British and American delegates at the Hotel Majestic in Paris during the peace conferences. Cleeve worked with Curtis and his successors, including Arnold Toynbee, Lord Meston, Lord Astor and Sir Ivison Macadam, as the RIIA expanded from two rooms in Horseferry Road to the impressive 18th-century residence it acquired, thanks to a wealthy Canadian backer, in St James’s Square in 1922 (see the reading rooms in the images above). The house had previously been occupied by no fewer than three English prime ministers, including William Pitt (the elder). Cleeve organised lectures and conferences, many delivered by leading politicians under ‘Chatham House’ rules of secrecy, and edited the RIIA’s influential journal, International Affairs, from 1932. Her position in this important British institution underlines the significance of women in international relations between the wars.

Chatham House archives