Editor 's note
This is an abridged version of Professor Trevor- Roper's Oration Day address at the London School of Economics, given on 6 December. The full text will in due course be published by the LSE. The annual Oration is an out- standing event in the LSE's calendar. This year's address, by the Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford. was, however, exceptional not only in its quality but also in the curious circumstances in which it was given. A minority pressure-group of 'radical' students had announced in advance that they intended to disrupt the meeting because they disapproved of Professor Trevor-Roper's views on recent events in Greece. The LSE Academic Council then posted a notice stating that it would re- gard suds action as a breach of academic freedom and treat it accordingly. Anxious to avoid a show of strength, however, the LSE authorities urged Mr Trevor-Roper to appease
ottt,dents:- •was.,asked. that his,s0ifit,and step-daughter should give up their seats in the hall to students, and that he should himself go, after delivering his Oration, to another hall where the students would be able to attack him on the subject of Greece. As a guest, he acquiesced. On Oration Day itself a student appeared before Mr Trevor-Roper and Lord Robbins. Chairman of the LSE Governors, to present as an ultimatum the conditions under which the Regius Professor would be heard. Lord Robbins duly aKreed to a number of con- cessions. Further demands were then made by another student just as Professor Trevor-Roper was about to give his speech., to which Lord Robbins again replied in a conciliatory manner. Mr Trevor-Roper at last delivered his address, which lasted the best part of an hour, at the end of which he received an ovation. He then had to endure a further hour of hostile ques- tioning on Greece, even though this had no relevance wherretWinlikercitlon. •
Previous page
