his aim was to work in the third world as a resident representative of the united nations development programme, and the first requirement was to have a degree, so he became an undergraduate student in international politics and economics at university of wales, aberystwyth. while at aberystwyth he also started and ran the interstate journal of international affairs, wrote a book on the soviet navy for the uk's institute of strategic studies, spoke at numerous specialist conferences on this subject, and "in spite of his age, he experienced no difficulty in slipping into college life as a popular, if slightly formidable figure".