Christine Nicholls
In the mid-1990s, as a new millennium approached, thoughts among the fellows of St Antony’s turned towards celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the college in 1950. Sir Marrack Goulding, then Warden of the college, knew that I had just retired as Editor of the Dictionary of National Biography and made a smart move before I took on another project. He asked me to write the history of St Antony’s from its inception in 1950 to the year 2000. I asked what documents I would be allowed to see and was pleased to be told that I could have the run of the college attic where all the past documents were held in cardboard boxes, somewhat haphazardly. But what was even more exciting was that I was given permission to see the Governing Body Minutes.
I made a start by hauling down from the attic one dusty cardboard box after another. Then a dash to the shops to buy a mask to curtail the sneezing prompted by all the dust. The boxes were arranged by centres – Middle East Centre, Far East Centre etc. But clearly one should begin by finding out about the original founding of the college, how this was financed, and how new funds were solicited. This was tricky and involved research in the University archives, a trip to America to read the Ford Foundation archives, interviews with people involved including Sir Isaiah Berlin who told me from a deep sofa in All Souls that he could not remember any details, and, of course, talks with the first Warden, Sir William Deakin. It emerged that St Antony’s had a very rocky start indeed. The trustees of the legacy of Antonin Besse, the donor of the original fund, refused to release the funds, to the displeasure of Besse’s wife. For the first year or two the college limped along, grossly underfinanced. Even the saint after which it was named (that of Egypt or of Padua) was in dispute.
During the early years subject centres were established, and I discovered this was a gradual process. The cardboard boxes disclosed a wealth of detail, and I supplemented this with interviews with retired and present college fellows. The most complicated matter to unravel was the founding of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies. There were differing accounts of how this was financed, and the controversy rumbled on even after the History of was published. The founding of the Middle East Centre was fairly straightforward, but, after the book’s publication, I was criticized for not giving a prominent fellow his due. The trouble was, the archives sometimes revealed disputes which had later been smoothed over or erased. The Russian Centre box was interesting because St Antony’s was accused of being a ‘spy centre’. A few of St Antony’s fellows had been in the secret services in World War 2 – simply because clever people were those who were recruited – and this gave rise to the rumour.
While delving into the college archive boxes I took time to write to every former junior member, to ask them about their experiences of St Antony’s. The response was good and I quoted parts of some of the replies in the History. There was only one very negative account, from someone who had clearly not fitted in and had had a miserable time. It was also obvious that some of the foreign students had found the hierarchical nature of the college, with servants and senior and junior common rooms, strange and alien to their experience. I also approached former senior members and fellows; the interviews with fellows were very helpful, if often too discreet for the historian in me.
The Governing Body minutes, transcribed and later typed in large volumes, were eye-opening. They were crucial in providing a true picture of what actually happened. At first, before committees were established after the college grew in size, the Governing Body dealt with every matter, petty or momentous. The Bursar had such limited funds that college rooms were sparsely furnished. The minutes recorded such delights as the installation of central heating, the purchase of a washing machine and of soft lavatory paper, the last of these opposed by the Bursar on the grounds that he had plentiful supplies of the old paper. Throughout, the Governing Body discussed new buildings, alterations to old buildings, the expansion of the library and, always, their worries about money.
Writing the history of St Antony’s was a great responsibility, but also a great pleasure. When the book was published, I was signing copies and the queue was very long. Far down it stood the first Warden, Sir William Deakin, now old and patiently waiting in line. He refused to come to the front. This was typical of the modest man who had striven so hard in the early years to get this great institution off the ground.