Hewlett Johnson, the 'Red Dean of Cathedral from 1931 to 1963, was one of the most complex and intriguing public figures in twentieth- century Britain. Much of his theology was ahead of his time, but it was his political beliefs that attracted the most controversy. An avowed Christian Marxist and promulgator of pro-Soviet views, he was a globetrotting peace campaigner with the ear of political leaders around the world, a prolific writer and a famously gifted orator - he twice spoke to huge audiences at Madison Square Garden in New York. He was awarded the Soviet equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize, was tracked by MI5 for thirty-five years, was the subject of a splenetic debate in the House of Lords, and was condemned by an as 'blind, unreasonable and stupid'.

John Butler s new book is the first to draw on some 12,000 of Johnson s unpublished personal letters and papers, as well as the MI5 archives. At a time when the Cold War is starting to recede from living memory, Butler casts new light on church and politics in the era of communism and fascism, as well as on Johnson s career and private life. He argues that the 'Red Dean deserves better than to be remembered only as a controversial cleric who alienated his colleagues and split public opinion with his radical politics, presenting a more complete portrait. Johnson s longevity was remarkable: he had two marriages, each of nearly thirty years, and became a father for the first time at the age of sixty-six. He did not retire as Dean until the age of eighty-nine, when he had served almost sixty years in the Anglican ministry.

The Foreword is written by s elder daughter, Kezia Noel-Paton, and all royalties from the sale of the book will go to the Canterbury Gift, the charity that raises funds for the repair and conservation of . IN THE MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY, few people in Britain divided public opinion more than Hewlett Johnson. To the high-profile Cathedral, the principles of communism were all but indistinguishable from Christian teaching about the Kingdom of God on earth, and he used his position to promote his beliefs. A global campaigner for peace in the Cold War era, he had audiences with Gandhi, Stalin, Khrushchev, Tito, Mao Tse-Tung and Chou En-Lai, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Wherever he spoke and preached, he was either adored as a Christian visionary or hated as a mouthpiece of Soviet propaganda.

In this timely new biography, drawing for the first time on Johnson's own personal papers and other previously unexplored archives, including those of MI5S, John Butler explores the charismatic and intriguing figure of the 'Red Deanl Hewlett Johnson, the 'Red Dean of Canterbury Cathedral from 1931 to 1963, was one of the most complex and intriguing public figures in twentieth- century Britain. Much of his theology was ahead of his time, but it was his political beliefs that attracted the most controversy. An avowed Christian Marxist and promulgator of pro-Soviet views, he was a globetrotting peace campaigner with the ear of political leaders around the world, a prolific writer and a famously gifted orator - he twice spoke to huge audiences at Madison Square Garden in New York. He was awarded the Soviet equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize, was tracked by MI5 for thirty-five years, was the subject of a splenetic debate in the House of Lords, and was condemned by an Archbishop of Canterbury as 'blind, unreasonable and stupid'.

John Butler's new book is the first to draw on some 12,000 of Johnson's unpublished personal letters and papers, as well as the MI5 archives. At a time when the Cold War is starting to recede from living memory, Butler casts new light on church and politics in the era of communism and fascism, as well as on Johnsons career and private life. He argues that the 'Red Dean' deserves better than to be remembered only as a controversial cleric who alienated his colleagues and split public opinion with his radical politics, presenting a more complete portrait. Johnson s longevity was remarkable: he had two marriages, each of nearly thirty years, and became a father for the first time at the age of sixty-six. He did not retire as Dean until the age of eighty-nine, when he had served almost sixty years in the Anglican ministry.

The Foreword is written by Hewlett Johnson's elder daughter, Kezia Noel-Paton, and all royalties from the sale of the book will go to the Canterbury Gift, the charity that raises funds for the repair and conservation of Canterbury Cathedral.