Bureaucracy, Personal Relationships, and Diplomatic Tensions

Key Insight

The return to the capital after extended travels brought complexities in personal relationships and professional conduct. A young woman, an expert on nutrition, was appointed to the staff of a diplomatic mission, a move that sparked significant controversy due to its perceived nepotistic nature. This appointment caused 'a fluttering in the diplomatic dovecotes' as it seemed to lack pressing academic justification and appeared to be driven by personal affinity.

The situation escalated with a formal memorandum sent to London by a colleague, a polymath biologist, detailing scathing criticisms. The memo accused the mission's head of appointing the young woman, who was also a mistress, to a high-paying position. It even cited a personal file containing official letters with marginalia in 'dog Chinese' expressing personal longing, which the mission head's wife, unfamiliar with Chinese, reportedly read. The memo also criticized the head's expensive and seemingly unnecessary travels to 'third-rate institutions' in Free China, costing 3000 pounds, driven by a 'God-complex' and further complicated by bringing along his wife and another 'affinity' at the Council's expense.

Upon learning of this memorandum, the mission head, though generally unperturbed by criticism, responded with a retaliatory formal assessment of his colleague, describing him as 'unfriendly and disagreeable', ensuring it would remain a negative mark on his personnel file. This incident, while personally contentious, had little lasting impact on the mission head's towering reputation. Despite these internal conflicts and a period of loneliness, the focus remained on the broader scientific mission and preparing for a future defining task.