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Fraser of Kilmorack (Richard Michael Fraser, Baron) papers
98012
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Title: Richard Michael Fraser, Baron Fraser of Kilmorack papers
Date (inclusive): 1930-1977
Collection Number: 98012
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
97 manuscript boxes
(40.5 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, minutes, memoranda, speeches, reports, and printed matter, relating to British domestic and foreign policy,
and to activities of the Conservative Party.
Creator:
Fraser of Kilmorack, Richard Michael Fraser, Baron, 1915-1996
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Originals closed; microfilm use only. Materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired in 1998.
[Identification of item], Richard Michael Fraser, Baron Fraser of Kilmorack Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover
Institution Library & Archives.
Also available on microfilm (117 reels).
| 1915 | Born, Nottingham, England, as Richard Michael Fraser (and using the name Michael Fraser as an adult) |
| 1939-1946 | Serves in the Royal Artillery, attaining rank of Lieutenant-Colonel |
| 1946 | Receives M.B.E. (Member of British Empire) award |
| 1946-1964 | Works in the Conservative Research Department, serving as Director from 1959 to 1964 |
| 1964-1975 | Serves as Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party |
| 1974 | Awarded life peerage, becoming Baron Fraser of Kilmorack |
| 1996 | Died |
The papers of Baron Fraser of Kilmorack in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives document a career spent in the higher
echelons of the British Conservative Party during the three decades following World War II. In his work as a party official,
including a term as Deputy Chair, Fraser participated in nearly every aspect of Conservative politics, including the devising
of campaign strategies, the selection of party leaders, the management of public relations, and the choice of day-to-day tactics
in parliamentary debate. The Fraser papers provide a view of the internal and external workings of the Conservative Party
both in opposition and in government during a period of considerable change in British politics.
A detailed record of Conservative Party life is contained in the
Letterbooksseries of the papers, which consists largely of correspondence sent by Fraser to various party officials and politicians over
a 30-year period. Much of this is concerned with administrative matters, but larger issues of power and policy are also addressed,
as is the question of influencing British public opinion. The
Alphabetical Correspondence series contains additional letters sent to and received from party leaders, including R. A. Butler, as well as correspondence
with the Conservative prime ministers of the period, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, and, in particular,
Edward Heath.
The Fraser papers include the minutes of proceedings of various Conservative Party bodies, both those taking place in the
public arena, such as party conferences, and others involving private deliberations of the party leadership, such as the Leader's
Consultative Committee and Steering Committee (see
Conservative Party Meetings File). There is also material in this section relating to the evolution of British policy toward the European Community.
Among other activities, the work of the Conservative Research Department involved the sampling of public opinion as a guide
to the formulation of party policy. Both poll results and political position papers can be found in the
Conservative Research Department Administrative Fileof the Fraser papers. There is additional material concerning Conservative electoral strategies in the
Subject File, which also contains documents assessing the domestic impact of the British role in the Suez crisis of 1956. As a whole,
the Fraser papers represent a significant record of Conservative politics in the time between the Churchill era and the realignment
of the party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1945-1964
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1964-1979
Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- 1945-
Conservative Party (Great Britain)