Date of birth:

March 11th, 1911 (Cairo, Egypt)

Date of death:

June 15th, 1996 (Hitchin and Stevenage district/Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)

Service number:

195624

Nationality:

British

Born in Cairo in 1911 to a Scottish military family, Maclean was descended from the Macleans of Ardgour. Raised in Italy, he studied at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, followed by time in Germany before joining the Diplomatic Service in 1933.

Posted to Moscow in 1937, Maclean witnessed Stalin’s purges firsthand. He traveled deep into the USSR, often shadowed by the NKVD. His experiences formed the basis of his acclaimed memoir Eastern Approaches.

Resigning from diplomacy in 1939, Maclean enlisted as a private and quickly rose through the ranks. He served with the SAS in North Africa, pioneering desert warfare tactics. In Persia, he led a daring mission to kidnap General Zahedi, disrupting Nazi influence in the region.

In 1943, Churchill sent Maclean to liaise with Tito’s Partisans. Despite ideological differences, Maclean built a strong rapport and helped coordinate Operation Ratweek, a major campaign to block German retreats. He later wrote two biographies of Tito and was granted honorary citizenship in Korčula, Croatia.

Maclean served as Conservative MP from 1941 to 1974, holding various roles including Financial Secretary to the War Office. He was also active in cultural diplomacy, chairing the GB-USSR Association.

Maclean authored numerous books on history, politics, and travel. He and his wife ran a hotel in Strachur and maintained close ties to Yugoslavia, even delivering aid during the Croatian War of Independence.

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• - MACLEAN, F., Eastern Approaches, 1949.
  - The London Gazette 1944
  - CBE Recommendation
  - Recommendation CdG
  - Peerage