The Ditchley Foundation Annual Lectures

The first event to formalise the establishment of the Ditchley Foundation was a lecture given by the Provost, Harry Hodson. Since that date, a lecture has - with the exceptions of 1977, 1979 and 2001 - been held annually.

Usually delivered by a distinguished individual from public life, the lecture has become the largest regular event at Ditchley and since 1975 has been held in June/July to mark the close of our conference season.

It has become a tradition that the nationality of the speaker rotates between Britain, North America, and a third country. The topic of the lecture is of the speaker's own choosing, and the text is released for publication.

Jump to: 1962 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

I : Inaugural Lecture: The Anatomy of Anglo-American Relations

Delivered by Mr H V Hodson

27 April 1962

II : The Dimensions of the Atlantic Alliance

Delivered by General Lauris Norstad

18 October 1963

III : Friends and Relations

Delivered by Mr Arnold Heeney QC

19 June 1964

IV : The Roots of British Foreign Policy

Delivered by Lord Caccia

5 November 1965

V : International Monetary Systems: An American perspective

Delivered by Hon Douglas Dillon

8 July 1966

VI : The English-Speaking People in a Changing World

Delivered by Sir Robert Menzies

28 July 1967

VII : An International Weather Forecast

Delivered by Sir Alec Douglas-Home

19 July 1968

VIII : The Americans and Europe: rhetoric and reality

Delivered by Hon McGeorge Bundy

18 July 1969

Jump to: 1962 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

IX : The Evolving Commonwealth

Delivered by The Rt Hon Malcolm MacDonald

25 September 1970

X : Environment: A Global Perspective

Delivered by the Hon Russell E Train

23 July 1971

XI : The Concept of Universal Man

Delivered by Lord Clark of Saltwood

28 July 1972

XII : Europe and the Americans

Delivered by Dr Joseph Luns

21 September 1973

XIII : One Earth: the problems and opportunities on a very interdependent planet

Delivered by Father Theodore Hesburgh

September 1974

XIV : Politics and the Environment

Delivered by Lord Ashby

18 July 1975

XV : America's Imports Revalued: the Tributaries of American Culture

Delivered by Congresswoman Barbara Jordan

23 July 1976

No Annual Lecture

1977

XVI : France, the European Community and the Western Alliance:

The Outlook after the French General Elections

Delivered by M. Maurice Schumann

21 July 1978

No Annual Lecture

1979

Jump to: 1962 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

XVII : On the Usefulness of Biological Science

Delivered by Dr Lewis Thomas

11 July 1980

XVIII : The Economic Challenges of the '80s

Delivered by Dr Otmar Emminger

17 July 1981

XIX : God in Search of Us

Delivered by Cardinal Basil Hume

16 July 1982

The American Ditchley Foundation Lecture

I: Today's Challenges to Democracy

Delivered by Lord Home of the Hirsel

18 April 1983

XX : The Atlantic Alliance: Tasks for Tomorrow

Delivered by The Hon Cyrus R Vance

15 July 1983

XXI : Philosophy and Public Policy

Delivered by Dame Mary Warnock

20 July 1984

XXII : The ECU and its contribution to the stability of the international monetary system

Delivered by M Valery Giscard D'Estaing

12 July 1985

XXIII : Japan's Role from the Global Perspective

Delivered by Ambassador Yoshio Okawara

July 1986

XXIV : English Anchor - American Sail: Two Centuries of the American Constitution

Delivered by Professor Benno Schmidt

17 July 1987

XXV : Paradise after the Fall: in Search of Contemporary Australia

Delivered by Dame Leonie Kramer

15 July 1988

XXVI : The French Revolution and the Development of Western Democracy

Delivered by Mr François Furet

30 June 1989

Jump to: 1962 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

XXVII : Towards a New Concert of Europe

Delivered by Lord Carrington

July 1990

XXVIII : After the Persian Gulf: American Politics and Policy in the 1990s

Delivered by the Hon Thomas S Foley

5 July 1991

XXIX : Europe in the ‘90s

Delivered by Dr Kurt Biedenkopf

10 July 1992

XXX : Cold War, Chill Peace

Delivered by Professor Sir Michael Howard

July 1993

XXXI : The Russia in Europe’s Future: Engagement, not containment

Delivered by HE The Hon Thomas R Pickering

July 1994

XXXII : Inter-governmental co-operation and integration in the European Union

Delivered by Professor Guiliano Amato

July 1995

XXXIII : Has diplomacy a future?

Delivered by The Rt Hon Douglas Hurd CH CBE MP

July 1996

XXXIV : The United Nations, regionalism and the future of international peace and security

Delivered by Ambassador William Richardson

July 1997

XXXV : Intervention

Delivered by HE Kofi Annan

26 June 1998

XXXVI : Who Needs Art?

Delivered by Sir Richard Eyre

July 1999

Jump to: 1962 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

XXXVII : The human consequences of the information revolution

Delivered by Hon James H. Billington

July 2000

No Annual Lecture was held, due to maintenance work on the Mansion.

2001

XXXVIII : Refugees in a globalized world

Delivered by HE Ruud Lubbers

July 2002

XXXIX : Judging Today

Delivered by The Rt Hon The Lord Bingham of Cornhill

July 2003

XL : America and Europe: what is the role of soft power?

Delivered by The Honorable Joseph Nye

July 2004

XLI : Britain's role: Has Dean Acheson's question been answered yet?

Delivered by The Rt Hon The Lord Patten of Barnes

July 2005

XLII : Balancing Society and Market: Public Policy and Growth for Africa

Delivered by the Honourable Trevor A Manuel MP

July 2006

XLIII : The Challenges of a Dynamically Changing World

Delivered by the Honorable Brent Scowcroft

July 2007

XLIV : The Next Half-Century: a Scientist's Hopes and Fears
Delivered by Lord Rees of Ludlow
July 2008

XLV : Europe's global role - what next steps?
Delivered by Dr Javier Solana
July 2009

XLVI : Obama, America, and the World: A Promise at Risk
Delivered by The Honorable Strobe Talbott
July 2010

XLVII : The changing face of government
Delivered by The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG, CH
July 2011

Jump to: 1962 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Conferences