88R. John Simon (p.p.) to Harrod, 2 June 1925 [a]

"You deserve to be warmly congratulated on the success of your `push' for Lord O[xford]. & A[squith]. The thing would never have been carried through if it had not been for you and your friends at Christ Church. [1] I see a rather ill-natured comment in the `Times' which however is probably intended for me. [2] But the plain fact is that Lord O. would never have been nominated if we had not made this effort" (see also 101 R).

1. 1. Refers to Harrod's and F. A. Lindemann's support to the nomination of Asquith to the Chancellorship of Oxford University: see note 1 to letter 87 R. Among Simon's papers (Simon 59 fol. 48, 49, 62 and 75) there are four telegrams by Harrod concerning the election, all dated 28 May 1925, with reference in particular to Francis Pember's position (the master of All Souls supported the nomination of Sir Edward Grey: see Harrod, The Prof., 1959, pp. 120-21); one of the telegrams concerned arrangements for a meeting. The copy of a telegram from Harrod to N. A. Beechman of 28 May, reporting A. D. Lindsay's view on the desirability of a representative Conservative being elected, is also in the Simon Papers (Simon 59, fol. 55); this was forwarded to Simon by Basil Herbert, who later congratulated on the work Harrod had been doing for the Liberal Party cause (Herbert to Harrod, 4 June 1925, in HPBL Add 71611/87-88).

   2. The Times commented that "In Oxford itself, and especially among Oxford Liberals, a good deal of resentment appears to be felt, not indeed at Lord Oxford's nomination, but at the methods adopted by some of his supporters to secure it to the exclusion of Lord Grey of Fallodon" ("Oxford University Chancellorship. Support for Lord Oxford and Asquith", 2 June 1925, p. 12).

   1. a. TLS, two pages, from 59 Cadogan Gardens, S.W.3. # , in HPBL Add 71617/15.

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