For many years Alistair Lexden, then Alistair Cooke, was the Deputy Director of the Conservative Research Department.
Ten years ago, he produced a short book about it to mark the 80th anniversary of its establishment by Neville Chamberlain, the great Tory policy-maker of the inter-war years. David Cameron was amongst those who contributed to this publication.
With the approach of the Department’s 90th anniversary in November this year, the book is now being reissued in electronic form. A PDF is attached.