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Monday, February 7, 1972
countries of the free world on the basis of full independence. During
his Premiership Sir Alec made other journeys overseas, visiting Western
Germany for talks with the Chancellor, touring Nigeria, and flying to
India to attend the funeral of Jawaharlal Nehru.
As a member of the Shadow Cabinet Sir Alec Douglas-Home
continued to specialise on foreign and Commonwealth affairs and to
lead for his Party on these subjects in the House of Commons. From
1966 to 1969 he represented Britain on the Consultative Committee of
the Council of Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union.
In 1968 he visited Rhodesia, had talks with the Governor and Mr. Ian
Smith, and saw Mr. Wilson when he returned home bringing proposals
for the settlement of the constitutional question. He was appointed
to represent the Conservative Party on the international Action Committee
for a United States of Europe when Britain's three political parties
joined it in the autumn of 1968.
Sir Alec married in 1936 the second daughter of the Very Rev.
Dr. C. A. Alington, Dean of Durham and former headmaster of Eton; he
and his wife have a son and three daughters. Lady Douglas-Home has
accompanied Sir Alec on many of his tours.
Sir Alec is Lieutenant, the Royal Company of Archers (the
Queen's Body Guard for Scotland) and was created a Knight of the Thistle
in 1962. He is a Justice of the Peace in Lanarkshire and a Deputy
In April 1966 he was installed as first
Lieutenant of Berwickshire.
Chancellor of the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, and he has received
honorary doctorates from a number of universities and is an Honorary
Student of his old college, Christ Church.
/Sir Alec