Teaching Resource - Thaw how far: Eastern Europe 1961-66

In July 1964, Edward du Cann, Minister of Trade (or, in 1964 official parlance, Minister of State of the Board of Trade) made an official visit to four East European Countries, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. In most of these countries, this was the first visit of a British minister since the Communist seizure of power after the Second World War. The British embassies in Sofia, Bucharest, Budapest, and Prague made extensive preparations for, and evaluations of the visit. These materials are all collected in Cold War Eastern Europe. We will focus here on how the embassies presented each country and its relations with the UK.