This work investigates how the British government navigated the complex diplomatic challenges of protecting its prisoners of war held by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Neville Wylie, a scholar of international history, utilizes extensive archival research from the Foreign Office and the Red Cross to analyze the tension between humanitarian concerns and the harsh realities of total war. The book argues that the treatment of captives became a critical, yet often overlooked, theater of diplomatic maneuvering that tested the limits of international law and state sovereignty.

Historians and military scholars frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of humanitarian law and wartime diplomacy. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous and comprehensive look at the administrative and political complexities of the era.