Harold Nicolson was a tory MP, and wife of Vita sackville West. He was briefly a cabinet minister in the war, and is a useful guide to the moods of WWII parliamentarians. The editing job by his son, seems competent. ( )

The British circles of power of WWII, as viewed with V-1s flying over Sissinghurst. This, the middle volume of one the pre-eminent British diaries of the 20th century, is an invaluable source on the British political history of the war years. Nicolson, a highly cultured and accomplished individual, served in high enough echelons to write of the workings of the circles of power and the day-to-day unfolding of great events from, as it were, a medium distance. (His fellow parliamentarian Robert Bernays aptly characterized Nicolson as being "...a national figure of the second degree.") It is perhaps this diary, of all of his voluminous oeuvre, for which Nicolson shall be most remembered, as he was variously an acquaintance, associate, friend, or intimate to such figures as Ramsay MacDonald, David Lloyd George, Duff Cooper, Charles de Gaulle, Anthony Eden and Winston Churchill, along with a host of literary and artistic figures. A keen observer, the enties are shot through with color and detail –the character sketches are as engrossing as the titanic struggles which gradually body forth. It's still gripping even though we know how the history turned out!

Excellent prime source account of the war years in England from both diaries and letters of Harold Nicolson and his wife, Vita Sackville-West. Diaries and letters are often the most interesting and reliable accounts of events and these do not disappoint. They are written by people who are literate and reflective and in the case of Mr. Nicolson, someone who had a window into the important events of the era through the people he knew and his position as a member of Parliament. Interesting interplay in the letters between husband and wife as they comment on the events of the war and the possibility of invasion. ( )

Written by a diplomat and member of Britain's Parliament during the war, written from the POV as to "his great-grandchildren". HN was 53 in 1940.
For the most part, actual conversations are recalled in the Diary. Although we approach this claim with circumspection -- one who tells us stories of Winston, but who is himself not mentioned in six volumes of Churchill's history.
HN's role in history is as a man famous in the "2d degree". He spoke fluent French and frequently writes in support of the honor of the Free French. In the darkest hour he remained defiant, while loathing violence.
While deeply (and fortunately) abridged from the manuscripts, the selections include "almost every mention" of Churchill. [20] HN was clearly confident in victory and seemed to understand that this was certain because of Churchill.
Although not a soldier, HN was fascinated by each announced event in the course of WWII and appears to accurately recount them as a Bloomsbury intellectual.
His wife, V. Sackville-West, described him as someone "with an almost morbid dislike of emotion". Yet he passionately expressed love and joy, while refusing to cheer the sinking of the Bismark, out of loathing for the violence.