Diplomatic correspondence ~ My dear Reggie / Regy(sic): Happy anniversary
From: Press & Digital Team
Date: 05/04/2017 20:17 (GMT+00:00)
To: Registry
Subject: Personal: My Dear Reggie ~ the stuff of diplomatic legend
My dear Regy (sic)
1. Tks for the nudge earlier. In haste from the airport whilst I await our visitors from London, and as promised in my email of 24 March I trust you will find your patience rewarded young Padawan...
2. Please B.U. one year, every year on 6 April. Here is the infamous ~ nay notorious ~ letter of diplomatic legend. From the British Ambassador at Moscow, Sir Archibald Clerk Kerr, to Lord Reginald 'Reggie' Pembroke, the 15th Earl of Pembroke, a Foreign Office Minister. Full text follows:
TEXT BEGINS
H.M. EMBASSY
MOSCOW
Lord Pembroke
The Foreign OfficeLONDON
6th April 1943
In these dark days man tends to look for little shafts of light that spill from Heaven. My days are probably darker than yours, and I need, my God I do, all the light I can get. But I am a decent fellow, and I do not want to be mean and selfish about what little brightness is shed upon me from time to time. So I propose to share with you a tiny flash that has illuminated my sombre life and tell you that God has given me a new Turkish colleague whose card tells me that he is called Mustapha Kunt.
We all feel like that, Reggie, now and then, especially when Spring is upon us, but few of us would care to put it on our cards. It takes a Turk to do that.
(Signed)
Sir Archibald Clerk Kerr,
H.M. Ambassador
TEXT ENDS
3. [Comment: While I've got you online, and we're 'talking Turkey' as it were, pls suitably 'top and tail *that* limerick BoJo did. Turkish Ambo paying a call next week, and the Ambo wants to regale her with his 'shining wit' to boost diplomatic relations further. Say nothing... I know they say revenge is a dish best served cold. But 74 years on after 'My Dear Reggie', really is a long time to continue a 'running joke' over a chap's rather unfortunate name. Or maybe not. Either way, so much for us Brits not playing tit for tat.]
4. Clearly another, firefighting ~ Ambo induced ~ diplomatic incident in the making. And one for yours truly to 'manage'.
5. [Comment: I trust that you shall share this missive only with trusted cohorts of a similar ilk/tendency. One's mindful of a colleague ~ of a 'sensitive' disposition ~ who complained to a group of us, back in the day, who were fond of forwarding jokes etc, and asked to be deleted from any such office banter.]
6. Never a dull moment. Tell you more ~ much more ~ when I'm back from accompanying the Ambo on his up-country trip with the official visitors who have just arrived. And causing merry Hell at customs...
Regards,
Embassy Press & Digital Team
Ext 0007
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P.S. For the record, when addressing you 'My dear Regy', I don't for one minute think that you're a 'Mustafa'. Au contraire. Alas, we seem to be relatively devoid of humour nowadays. Call it, if you will, this ol' lag's attempt at reigniting morale, and not allowing the more fun elements of our calling to disappear into the ether.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
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