Though Sir John Burgh was indeed a remarkable person, his time at the British Council was more complex than the obituary suggested. It is always difficult when Whitehall mandarins find themselves in charge of cultural or academic institutions, since their ways are very different. But to Burgh's credit, he learned quite quickly to adapt, even accepting my proposals for an equal opportunities policy. He had to weather constant abrasions to the budget, including the reduction of the government grant one year by 25% in real terms. It sometimes seemed to leave him with a weariness of spirit, but he never gave up.
He defended and enhanced the council's standing as Britain's main agent of cultural diplomacy. In this he was helped by the opportunity of its half-centenary celebration – and above all, as I'm sure he would have been the first to acknowledge, by the council's chairman at the time, Dick Troughton.