 By the time of Dunglass 's appointment Chamberlain was generally seen as the heir to the premiership , and in 1937 the incumbent , Stanley Baldwin , retired , and Chamberlain succeeded him . He retained Dunglass as his PPS , a role described by the biographer D R Thorpe as " the right @-@ hand man ... the eyes and ears of Neville Chamberlain " , and by Dutton as " liaison officer with the Parliamentary party , transmitting and receiving information and [ keeping ] his master informed of the mood on the government 's back benches . " This was particularly important for Chamberlain , who was often seen as distant and aloof ; Douglas Hurd wrote that he " lacked the personal charm which makes competent administration palatable to wayward colleagues – a gift which his parliamentary private secretary possessed in abundance . " Dunglass admired Chamberlain , despite his daunting personality : " I liked him , and I think he liked me . But if one went in at the end of the day for a chat or a gossip , he would be inclined to ask ' What do you want ? ' He was a very difficult man to get to know . " 
