He was born in Pretoria, South Africa,[2] the eldest son of Johannes Smuts of Wynberg, Cape Town.
In 1946 he became Area Commissioner (i.e. Military Governor) of Trieste and had to deal with public demonstrations and other problems arising from Iron Curtain issues on the Italy/Yugoslavia border.
In 1932 he was President of the Oxford Union[9] He became active in the Liberal Party, taking a particular interest in foreign affairs.
[13] He was publicly critical of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement policy to Nazi Germany along with Liberal leader Sir Archibald Sinclair.
In July 1939 they called for a more broadly based government to be formed which included Winston Churchill.
[14] He was actively campaigning in the Pudsey constituency through the summer of 1939 in anticipation of a general election being called.