Feature Sir John Simon David Dutton asks whether Simon was the 'Worst Foreign Secretary since Ethelred the Unready'. David Dutton | Published in History Review Issue 43 September 2002 British Foreign Secretary John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon (1873-1954), 1932. Wiki Commons. To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive. Buy Online Access Buy Print & Archive Subscription If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in. Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.