Lord Francis Barty, Frank Barty, as his friends called him, was an outstanding diplomat, British Ambassador to France in 1914-1918, who faithfully served his country and did it masterfully, perfecting the art of diplomacy. The diaries he kept throughout his service in France during the difficult years of the First World War are a valuable document revealing the true motives of British policy in Europe, the Middle East, Palestine, the Balkans and other regions - always based on common sense and understanding the essence of what is happening, Barty reveals the secrets of the diplomatic kitchen, where cold calculation reigns in achieving not always plausible goals.