FINESTHOUR

Winter 1997-98 • Number 97

i iirnal of The Churchill Center• International Churchill Societies

TABLE OF CONTENTS

•r-

Winter 1997-98

FINEST HOURJournal of The Churchill Center and Societies Number 97

5 Our First Associates Raise Churchill Center'sEndowment to $785,000

Personality of the CenturyThe countdown to the Millennium has Begun.Finest Hour Begins the Nominating Arguments...

12 No Misgivings About My Choiceby Carol Ferguson13 A Project of Honor and Recognitionby Cyril Mazansky, M.D.14 Unswerving Resolution, Glinting Intellectby Ron Cynewulf Robbins

18 The Two Churchills and Chess"Marshal Your Baldwins!"by Henry Crooks

21 Online Debate: Iraq ("Messpot")"Listserv Winston" Members Contemplate WhatChurchill's Wisdom Suggests About Iraqby Various Hands, Keyboards and Modems

23 Fifteenth International Churchill ConferenceColonial Williamsburg, Virginia, 5-8 NovemberUpdate and Hotel Booking Information

4 Amid These Storms *"6 International Datelines

20 www.winstonchurchill.org24 Riddles, Mysteries, Enigmas25 Wit & Wisdom26 Action th i s Day38 Woods Corner42 Churchill in Stamps44 Despatch Box45 Recipes From Number Ten46 Churchilltrivia47 Ampersand48 Immortal Words

BOOKS, ARTS & CURIOSITIES:28 The Churchill Center's first book, Churchill asPeacemaker is recommended, not without contentions,by Warren F. Kimball, while Professor Kimball's latestRoosevelt-Churchill book is recommended, not withoutcontentions, by Richard Langworth. Robin Dennistonhas produced a dense but useful book on Churchill'spolicy toward Turkey, based on the latest releases ofsecret files, says David Stafford. Finest Hour begins aseries of reader reviews of older works with a critiqueby Joe Sramek of Manchester's The Last Lion, while theEditor praises BBC2 Television's Brian Walden, whoreveals why Churchill remains a hero.

34 Rescuing the HavengoreAustralian Owen Palmer is fast restoring the historiclaunch that carried Sir Winston up the Thamesby Dougla< ]. Hall

38 Woods Corner: What Should I Read?Bibliophiles discuss recommended reading, a fictitioustitle, and the origin of texts from Malakand to WW2.

40 Churchill Commemoratives Calendar, Part 7A look at the bountiful array of Churchilliana producedin the years leading up to the Centenary

Cover:Catching some lovely afternoon sunlight on

St. Stephen's Tower, the Churchill statue byIvor Roberts-Jones broods over ParliamentSquare, London. The controversial statue,

which the sculptor himself confessed to hav-ing had nightmares about (see FH 94, p8),might have been rendered in Garter Robes(see cover, FH 86) had Lady Churchill not

expressed the wish that Sir Winston be hereportrayed in military uniform.

Photograph by John G. Plumpton

FINEST HOUR 9 7 / 3

FINEST HOURISSN 0882-3715

Barbara F. Langworth, PublisherRichard M Langworth, EditorPO Box 385, Hopkinton, NH 03229USA Tel. (603)746-4433E-mail: Malakand@aol.com

Senior Editor. John G. Plumpton130 Collingsbrook BlvdAgincourt Ont. M1W 1M7 CanadaEmail: Savrola@ican.net

Senior Editor: Ron Cynewulf Robbins198 St. Charles St.Victoria, BC, V8S 3M7 Canada

Features Editor: Douglas J. Hall183A Somerby Hill, GranthamLines. NG31 7HA England

News Editor: John FrostEditorial Assistant: Gail Greenly

ContributorsSir Martin Gilbert, United KingdomGeorge Richard, AustraliaJames W. Muller, United StatesNigel Knocker, United KingdomManfred Weidhorn, United StatesCurt Zoller, United States

Finest Hour is made possible throughthe generous support of members ofThe Churchill Center and Societies.

Winston Churchill AssociatesICS United States, Churchill Center,Mr. & Mrs. Matthew B. Wills,Mr. & Mrs. Parker H. Lee III,Alex M. Worth Jr., Fred Farrow,Colin D. Clark, David & Diane Boler,Michael & Carol McMenamin

Clementine Churchill AssociatesBarbara &c Richard Langworth,James F. Lane, John B. Thomison,John H. & Susan H. Mather,Mr. & Mrs. D. Craig Horn

FINEST HOUR is published quarterly byThe Churchill Center and InternationalChurchill Societies, which offer various lev-els of support in their respective currencies.Membership applications and changes ofaddress should be sent to the appropriateoffices on page 2. Permission to mail at non-profit rates in USA granted by the US PostalService, Concord, NH, permit no. 1524.Copyright 1998. All rights reserved. De-signed and edited by DragonwyckPublishing Inc. Production by New EnglandFoil Stamping Inc. Printed by ReprographicsInc. Made in U.S.A.

AMID THESE STORMS

PERSONALITY OF THE CENTURY

Aprominent newspaper editor with whom I spoke recently gave mesome intriguing advice about influencing the choice of Personality(better, don't you think, than the trendy newspeak "Person"?) of the

Century by Time magazine. Notwithstanding the indications (that Time maysubdivide its choices by category, as on its website), he believes that a con-certed effort by Churchillians could produce the result we wish to see.

His suggestion is twofold. First, we should promote a series of schol-arly articles for the op-ed pages of major newspapers, particularly the NewYork Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, all of whichwill increasingly focus on this discussion as we approach the end of the cen-tury. He believes that The Churchill Center and Societies include many quali-fied writers who can do this, people we can influence to undertake suchpieces. Part two of his program is to send a distinguished delegation to Time,armed with these articles: persuasive and articulate people who would be ableto achieve the vital hearing by Time's editors.

This is a well-considered gameplan by which such a PR campaigncould actually be carried out. I do not delude myself that our journal has theclout to influence Time; but some of its subscribers do, and my editor friendreminded me that Finest Hour can play a role in priming the pump, with aseries of articles on the same theme.

To that end I invite readers willing to contemplate pieces of 1000-2000words to consider writing same for FH; and, as well, to suggest distinguishedwriters, connected in some way with ICS/CC past events, programs, projectsand publications, to essay similar pieces. My editor friend has offered his pro-fessional assistance in placing these articles in the key op-ed pages.

To be effective, articles must consider not only Churchill's role inWorld War II but the totality of his contribution: the crucial reforms from hisearly years with the Liberal Party; his strategic, diplomatic and military rolesin the Great War, and particularly its peace settlements, such as Ireland andthe Middle East; his efforts at summitry during and after World War II; andhis political philosophy as outlined in his speeches and books. Ipso facto,Churchill's thought is as important as his deeds. No less a scholar than LeoStrauss termed Marlborough "the greatest historical work written in our cen-tury, an inexhaustible mine of political wisdom and understanding." Equally,his faults may be acknowledged, since his virtues eclipse them. Of course, asGeorge Will has written, the centrality of Churchill's contribution was that atthe most important juncture this century, he recognized tyranny for what itwas and singlemindedly pursued its destruction. The end of Nazism heachieved; the end of Communism he predicted forty years before it expired.

All these points, and many more that you will undoubtedly think of,need to be molded into convincing articles that will help fuel this campaign. Itis important that articles are compact. The best editor I ever worked for oncetold me, "A bore is someone who tells everything."

Our first nominating article, by newspaper columnist and CC memberCarol Ferguson, appears herein. Adjacent is an even more ambitious "roll-out" plan by Cyril Mazansky. Finally, Ron Cynewulf Robbins establishesChurchill's "glinting intellect" as one of his great characteristics. Keep yourarticles coming. I will do my best to see them into print.

RICHARD M. LANGWORTH, EDITOR

FINEST HOUR 97 / 4

The Churchill Center Report: WinterThe Churchill Center was founded by the International Churchill Societies to encourage study of the life and thought of Sir

Winston Churchill; to foster research about his speeches, writings'anddeeds; to advance knowledge of his example asastatesman; and, by programs of teaching and publishing, to impart that learning to men, women and young people aroundthe world. Programs include courses, symposia, libraries, an annual Churchill. Lecture, visiting professorships,, seminars,

publishing subventions, fellowships, internet website and ICS activities including Finest Hour and other ICS publications.

Our First Twenty-seven Churchill Center AssociatesRaise Center's Endowment to $785,000

The Churchill Center is pleased to announce itsfirst twenty-seven Associates: people (including

every member of The Churchill Center Board ofGovernors) and organizations who have pledged$10,000 or more to our Endowment Fund throughthe end of 2000 and, in somecases, additional gifts.

Our Patron, Lady Soames,authorized three categories ofEndowment support. MarySoames Associates have pledged$10,000 up to $25,000. _Clementine Churchill Associateshave pledged $25,000 up to$50,000. Winston ChurchillAssociates have pledged $50,000or more. In keeping with ourpromise, the names of theWinston and ClementineAssociates appear on FinestHour's masthead, and on allfuture CC publications.

Those pledging more than$10,000 may defer any amountover $10,000 through a bequestor later gift of cash or property.For example, Winston ChurchillAssociates include some wfu>have presented $50,000, an^some who are presenting x*-$10,000 by the end of 2000 and$40,000 in later gifts.

We are also grateful to anadditional number of memberswho, while not able to make anAssociate commitment at thepresent time, have added signifi-cantly to the Endowment.

It is quite impossible to thankour Churchill Center Associates enough. You havebrought us to "the End of the Beginning." You willnever be forgotten.

Associates of Recordas of 5 February 1998

Winston Churchill AssociatesInternational Churchill Society, USA

The Churchill CenterMr. & Mrs. Matthew B. WillsMr. & Mrs. Parker H. Lee, III

Mr. Alex M. Worth, Jr.Mr. Fred Farrow

Mr. Colin D. ClarkMichael & Carol McMenamin

David & Diane Boler

Clementine Churchill AssociatesBarbara & Richard Langworth

Mr. James F. LaneDrs. John H. & Susan H. Mather

Mr. & Mrs. D. Craig HornDr. John B. Thomison

Mary Soames AssociatesMr. & Mrs. William C. Ives.

Jacqueline & Malcolm WitterMr. & Mrs. John G. Plumpton

Mr. Gary J. BonineMr. & Mrs. James W. Muller

Frederick C. & Martha S. HardmanAmbassador & Mrs. Paul H. Robinson, Jr

Mr. & Mrs! Charles D. PlattMr. Douglas S. Russell

Elizabeth Churchill SnellMr. & Mrs. Richard A: Leahy

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Drake KambestadRichard & Jenny Streiff

A BOLD NEW INITIATIVE..." \ / o u have read herein of the strides being made byA The Churchill Center in graduate and undergradu-

ate fields: seminars, symposia and books like Churchillas Peacemaker. We are also working to promote

Churchill Studies among youthsbelow college age.

The Internet is fast becomingthe world's encyclopedia, espe-cially among young peopleaged 14-18. So our website(www.winstonchurchill.org) isadding "The Finest of FinestHour"—articles and bookreviews from our first 100issues, with emphasis on pri-mary sources. Our site is visit-ed by thousands weekly andaccessible by 50 million com-puter users. (For further detailssee page 25.) The cost to do thisis remarkably low—and maylead to something more.

The recent debate in Englandover lack of traditional historyin the National Curriculum, asreported in these pages, ledmany significant people andfirms in the UK to suggestmethods by which Britain's(and Churchill's) positive rolein recent history could be reem-phasized. So we are nowproposing that a prominentpublisher produce "the Finestof Finest Hour" in book form,primarily for schools andlibraries. Both our website andthis book project require corpo-

rate sponsorship. If you can help, please contact JohnPlumpton, 130 Collingsbrook Blvd., Agincourt,Ontario, Canada M1W 1M7 <Savrola@ican.net> M>

FINEST HOUR 97 / 5

INTERNATIONAL DATELINES

QUOTES OF THE SEASON"When one looks at the disadvantages attaching to alliances, one must not for-get how superior are the advantages." -WSC, HOUSE OF COMMONS, 2iSep43

• "In working with allies it sometimes happens that they developopinions of their own." -wsc, THE HINGE OF FATE (1950)

• "There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fightingWithout them." -WSC,IRREPRESSIBLE CHURCHILL (1966)

CENTENARY OF THEMALAKAND HELD FORCEPESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, SEPTEMBER— W i n -

ston S. Churchill toured the scenes ofhis grandfather's famous military ad-venture on its 100th anniversary, send-ing us the adjacent photographs andwriting of his experience in the DailyTelegraph, in an article he promises toFinest Hour for a future issue. "With aneight man military escort front and rearand running a very tight schedule, wehad a most successful journey, includ-ing a fascinating trip to the MalakandPass, Chakdara Fort and ChurchillPicket. At Mardan, now the regimentalheadquarters of the Punjaub [sic] Regi-ment, there is a 142-year-old cotton-wood tree which would have beenlarge in my grandfather's day but isabsolutely massive today. The Pakistanimilitary rolled out the red carpet andwere enormously welcoming."

TWO NEWCOMMEMORATIVE COVERSPESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, MARCH 14TH— If all

proceeds asplanned, thePeshawarPost Officewill cancelseveral hun-dred copiesof our 50th

>trcif>on>]£nt anil politically upiringWINSTON C H U K C H O L U noc|» «*»

iK.- umltBL fort Clwlulan > lop COwdW H*Fnmdix north of h h w Tha n p i m r

*z M»di 14.189&commemo-rative cover,marking the

centenary of Winston Churchill's firstbook, The Story of the Malakand FieldForce. The resourceful Dave Marcus,who has been in charge of ICS andChurchill Center covers since 1970,arranged the cancellation with BradHansen, United States Consul at Pesha-

Left: Winston Churchill being briefed by Lt.Col. Ejaz Akhatan at Malakand fort. Above:"Churchill Picquet," a heliograph stationbuilt in 1895, from which Sir Winstonallegedly sent despatches to his newspapersin 1897. Below left: The huge cottonwood treeat Mardan, 42 years old in Sir Winston's day,now 142. Below: The Swat Valley fromChurchill Picquet—not much has changed inone hundred years! Photographs by kindcourtesy Winston S. Churchill.

war, the nearest large town to the sceneof the Malakand campaign. Marcus'slaboriously created cachet design isbased on the cover of the Colonial Edi-tion Malakand Field Force, combinedwith a photograph of young Winstonand Chakdara Fort. For safety, the cov-ers will be conveyed back to Dave bydiplomatic pouch and posted to com-memorative cover subscribers in outerenvelopes from the USA.

LONDON, DECEMBER 12TH— Using a small

supply of cover 29, which in 1987marked ten years since the death ofLady Churchill, Dave Marcus com-memorated the event on its 20thanniversary by adding a British defini-tive stamp and second cancellation.This new cover "29a" bears a rubberstamp reading "1977 • TWENTIETHANNIVERSARY • 1997." Most copieswere distributed at random to >»

FINEST HOUR 97 / 6

INTERNATIONAL DATELINES

THE CHURCHILL CALENDARLocal event organizers are welcome to send entries for this calendar; owing to our quarterly schedule, however, we need copy at least three months in advance.

19982 April: Spring dinner, Washington Society for Churchill. Speaker: "Williamson Murray, "Churchill & Alanbrooke"

26 April: ICS United Kingdom Annual General Meeting, RAF Museum, Hendon13 May: Book Launches: Churchill and Secret Intelligence and. Churchill as Peacemaker, St. Paul's School, Barnes, London.

14-17 May: Third Churchill Center Symposium, "Winston Churchill's Life of Marlborough," Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.16 May (tentative): Launch of A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Winston Churchill, Brassey's (UK) Ltd.

15 June: International Churchill Society Thirtieth Anniversary (founded at Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, 1968)6-10 July (tentative): Churchill Panel, Institute of Contemporary Historians Meeting, London.

2 September: Battle of Omdurman Centenary Dinner, Boston, Massachusetts3 September (tentative): Churchill Center Panel, American Political Science Convention, Boston, Massachusetts

25-26 September: Churchill Center Board of Governors Annual General Meeting, Washington, D.C.5-8 November: Fifteenth International Churchill Conference, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

30 November: Sir Winston Churchill's 124th Birthday1999

Summer: Sixteenth International Churchill Conference August: Ninth Churchill Tour, "Churchill's South Africa"2000

14-17 September: Seventeenth International Churchill Conference, Anchorage, Alaska2001

14 February: Centenary of Churchill's Entry into Parliament Autumn: Eighteenth International Churchill Conference2003

Twentieth International Churchill Conference and 50th Anniversary of the Bermuda Conference, Hamilton, Bermuda

Covers, continued...

present-day cover subscribers whowere members of record in 1987; a fewremaining copies are reserved for oth-ers in this category on a first-comebasis.

Commemorative covers are free,but you have to ask to be placed on thelist. To do so, send a label from a recentFinest Hour or other ICS/CC mailing orproof of membership to David Marcus,3048 Van Buskirk Circle, Las Vegas NV89121-5107 USA. You may also order acopy of the "Malakand" cover by send-ing Dave US$3 (payable to TheChurchill Center) C$4 (payable to ICSCanada) or £2 (payable to ICS/UK).

CHURCHILL ART AT SOTHEBY'SLONDON, JANUARY 17TH— Well over 5000people attended a twelve-day exhibi-tion at Sotheby's of over 100 Churchillpaintings, and those of artists he ad-mired (FH96, p7), which closed today.The exhibit marked the 50th anniver-sary of publication of his book Paintingas a Pastime, and of Winston Churchill'selection by the Royal Academy as Hon-orary Academician Extraordinary.

On opening day, January 5th, 140members and guests of ICS/UK heardLady Soames introduce the exhibit with

some remarks about her father's hobby.Even she had not yet seen some of theexhibits, many on loan from private col-lections. She introduced DavidCoombs, curator of the show and com-piler of the definitive catalogue ofChurchill's paintings, who gave a fasci-nating and informative survey of whatwas on display.

Rafal Heydel-Mankoo of ICS/Canada reports: "The exhibition wastruly wonderful. Never have so manyof Sir Winston's works been gathered inone place. I have seen most of his paint-ings in books but nothing can match thereal items. I derived most pleasure fromthe portrait of Clementine which gracedthe cover of Finest Hour 83, the paintingof the tapestry at Blenheim whichshows the First Duke of Marlborough,at the Battle of Blenheim; and the seriesof Chartwell paintings. I also enjoyedthe various Churchill-related items ondisplay. Most wonderful was the hat heusually wore to paint, along with hiseasel and chair. Bibliophiles wouldhave loved the things in Sotheby's dis-play cases. They included, amongstother things, items Sir Winston hadgiven to the Duke of Windsor, and theChurchill funeral program of 1965."

David Coombs said the exhibitshowed "how surprisingly good the

paintings are," while the chairman ofSotheby's said Churchill might havebecome a top artist if he had not beeninterrupted so often by politics.

In the spirit of the age, there werescoffers on hand to proclaim that inpainting, as in other spheres,. Churchillwas sadly lacking. Brian Sewell of theEvening Standard called his work "thera-peutic outpourings of frustration andboredom," while John McEwen of TheSunday Telegraph commented, "Themore one looks, the worse his picturesbecome, whereas the reverse is true of agenuine work of art." Perhaps thesoundest view of Churchill as artist wasthat of Sir Hugh Casson, president ofthe Royal Academy of Art, in a 1982catalogue produced by Wylma Wayne:"An amateur of considerable naturalability who, had he had the time, couldhave held his own with most profes-sionals—especially as a colourist."

TURKISH TAFFYOn the Ataturk ballot stuffing of

Time's Top 100 poll on the Internet (lastissue, page 7) Time magazine has finallyreacted. Their statement (24 Novemberissue, page 4) is a real piece of PC gob-bletalk. They must be employing laid-off political speechwriters:

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FINEST HOUR 97 / 7

INTERNATIONAL DATELINES

ATATURK..."A maelstrom of electronic votes,

augmented by hundreds of thousandsof postcards, letters and faxes, urged usto name [Ataturk] as Time's Person ofthe Century. As of last week, Ataturk'stally was closing in on 1.7 million, outof a total of 5 million votes cast. Andbefore we consolidated his votes intothe two most appropriate slots (States-men and Heroes), he was leading thefield in all five categories.

"Whether it is true, as a flurry ofnews accounts have suggested, thatAtaturk's astonishing support is theresult of a national campaign backed bythe government in Ankara, we cannotsay. But whoever is behind this shouldknow that while our final selection willnot be bound by these poll results, weare keenly aware of Ataturk's role inTurkish history. We will consider himcarefully. Certainly no one at Timeobjects to the passionate display of sup-port for Ataturk. In fact, we wonderwhy Britons aren't doing more to helpWinston Churchill, who trails Ataturkby more than half a million votes. Andhow about Mao, China?"

How about Stalin, Russians? Hitler,Germans? To imagine that the presentgovernment in Ankara, which is tryingto walk a thin line between Moslem fun-damentalists and the secular Turkeyestablished by Ataturk, could be behindthe ballot stuffing makes us wonderwho's kidding whom. Icing on the cake:Time's article mentions that "for awhile,Madonna led F.D.R. for Warriors &Statesmen. That's the Internet for you."Who was it who said, "Wherever youhave free speech, you always have a cer-tain amount of foolish speech"?

TRIBUTE TO ATATURKProfessor Paul Addison, University

of Edinburgh, reacted to the newsabove by offering a quote about KemalAtaturk, written in 1939:

"During the Great War Con-stantinople was saved mainly by themilitary conduct and energy of thatever-famous Turkish warrior,Mustapha Kemal. He it was who in thedark hours of defeat when all seemedhopeless rescued his native land fromsubjugation and partition. He it was

Nigel (right) with the editor after thatfrosty New England sail last October.

Notable Churchillians: Nigel Knocker

C ol. Nigel Knocker, OBE became chair-man oflCS United Kingdom in }uly of

last year. He has spent thirty-four years inthe British Army, serving all over the worldin the Royal Sussex Regiment and later theQueen's Regiment. After service in theArmy, Nigel spent eleven years in LocalGovernment in Emergency Planning. Heestablished and became the first chairman ofthe UK Emergency Planning Society, whichbecame much involved with the EuropeanCommunity. He is presently Chairman of theSultan of Oman's Armed Forces Association,and works as a fund raising volunteer with

the Tank Museum at Bovington. "My wife thinks I am mad, as I am supposed to beretired, but it's all good fun despite the occasional 'strains of'office!,.'" he says.

The Tank Museum at Bovington is a unique collection of Armoured FightingVehicles amongst which is one of the few remaining German Tiger tanks left in theworld. Nigel has been preparing a bid to the National Lottery to restore the tank tofull working order, and is now awaiting the outcome of the bid. If successful the tankwill be restored to full operational capability again together with its awsome 88mmgun, which was so feared by Allied troops during the Second World War. As a mat-ter of interest, there is a photograph of Winston Churchill inspecting the tank inNorth Africa shortly after it had been captured by the British Eighth Army.

Many members of The Churchill Center and Societies had the pleasure of meet-ing Nigel Knocker at the International Conference in Toronto last October, and theAnnual General Meeting of The Churchill Center's Board of Governors in Washing-ton last November. He was sent to the latter event as representative oflCS UnitedKingdom, and his advice and counsel in planning UK and international aspects ofChurchill Center programmes has been indispensable.

Nigel is a keen boat enthusiast. The boat is based in Pembrokeshire, Wales,where he and his wife have a cottage and escape to whenever ICS permits them!Thus acclimatised, Nigel was a game crew member on Grania, the Langworths' sail-boat, on her last voyage of 1997: an extremely frigid experience on October 21st. Wefeel very fortunate and honoured to be working with an accomplished professionaland look forward to participating in many of his and his Committee's plans for ICSin the UK and Europe. -RML

who, with long persistent statesman-ship, rebuilt the strength of the Turkishhomeland, and by a series of astonish-ing and revolutionary reforms modern-ized the institutions and, to a largeextent, the civilisation, of the Turkishrace....The relations of Turkey andGreece, like those between Turkey andRussia, have now become thoroughlyharmonious. The historic feuds, withtheir frightful injuries given and

received, which for centuries haveafflicted these peoples, are now laid torest. This achievement, in which theleaders of Greece and Russia haveborne their part, must mainly beascribed to the far-seeing steady wis-dom of the great Ataturk, true Father ofhis country in peace and war."

Dr. Addison writes: "Readers willeasily identify the author of this quote! Ithink the quote is worth reflect- >»

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ATATURK...ing on in case the farce over the Timepoll should lead anyone to underesti-mate Ataturk. Man of the century hewas not, but Churchill could describehim as a 'Man of Destiny' in The WorldCrisis. Since he had played a large partin defeating Churchill first at Gallipoli,and then at Chanak, Churchill waswriting with hard-won but chivalrousappreciation of a former enemy."

THE THINGS THEY SAY:PART #1,793

"Professor John Charmley, self-pro-claimed "Thatcherite historian" whobelieves Churchill's bellicosity againstHitler destroyed the British Empire,warns that "we are in a biographicglut" of Winston Churchill, railingagainst the Churchill family for "contin-uing to profit" from Sir Winston'sscreed. In a thinly veiled reference tocertain recent and upcoming books, heclaimed that family members are nowrepublishing stuff already in the com-panion volumes of the official biogra-phy. (His own books don't do this, ofcourse...) Following the 1995 purchaseof Churchill archives by the Britishnation, Charmley attacked whatamounts to Sir Winston's right to pro-vide for his heirs, a privilege you'dthink Thatcherites would support. Itseems odd that an author who profitedso handsomely from his two Churchillbooks, articles, and reviews of otherChurchill books, should object to otherscashing in on the free market he claimsto uphold. "J.C." is an engaging andbrilliant gadfly, but he would be moreconvincing if he demonstrated the char-ity he presumably possesses! himself,since he condemns so vociferously thelack of it in others, -fames Mack ""v

HASTINGS LETTERS REVEAL"SUICIDAL DESPAIR"

This article by Stephen McGinty hasbeen edited [brackets] to correct the errors

LONDON, JULY 17TH— Winston Churchillwas so racked by despair during theFirst World War that he contemplateddefeat and death, according to letterssold recently at auction. Written in1914-15 to his younger brother Jack, the

letters depict a man beset by gloom athis role in the war and at the slaughterof thousands of troops. He was fearfulof a German victory and harried bydoubts about the campaign he devisedin the Dardanelles, in which 36,000Commonwealth troops, mainly fromAustralia and New Zealand [no, mainlyfrom Britain], died. The deeply personalnature of the letters has prompted DrPeter Beal, manuscript specialist atSotheby's, to describe the sale as "themost important series of letters byChurchill ever to appear at auction."

Writing during the first few weeksof August 1914, Churchill declared thatif Germany were to win the war, "I donot want to live any more." By Octoberhe was even more pessimistic, writingthat the war would "devour us all andfor my part I am willing when the timecomes to pay the price." As First Lordof the Admiralty, Churchill devised [no,championed] the daring strategy todrive the Turkish forces out of the warand open a southern front against theGermans by an attack on the Dard-anelles. Churchill [no, Kitchener] pro-posed that British, Australian and NewZealand troops land on the Gallipolipeninsula, rapidly defeat the Turks andpush on through eastern Europe,attacking the German army frombehind. It was to prove a disaster. InJune 1915, after the Dardanelles cam-paign had begun, Churchill wrote in anine-page letter to his brother: "Thewar is terrible. The carnage growsapace, and the certainty that no resultwill be reached this year fills my mindwith melancholy thoughts."

The Dardanelles campaign wascrippled by bad coordination, poorplanning and a lack of surprise becauseof preliminary bombardments. The cab-inet wrangled over Churchill's ideas. InAugust, he wrote of a "disagreeabletussle" with Lord Kitchener, the secre-tary of war, over the transportation ofshells through France and Italy.

While the politicians argued, thetroops were bogged down in trenchesunder the machine guns of the Turks. Itwas a horror of which Churchill waspainfully aware, writing: "The losseswill no doubt be cruel." He attemptedto remain optimistic, saying the deaths

ERRATUM, FH 96Paul Courtenay of Andover,

Hants., England writes: "Your answeron Churchill's uniforms (page 13),while correct as far as it goes, is in-complete. The Army uniform whichhe wore most frequently was that ofColonel of his earliest regiment, the4th Queen's Own Hussars." Thanks.

BACK NUMBERS WANTEDOriginal copies of Finest Hour

numbers 3,5,14; 17,23,24 and 28 arewanted to complete a collection. Cananyone help? Please contact ArthurBraver, 10837 West Clairmont Circle,Tamarac FL33321-7890 USA, tele-p h o n e ' ^ ) 720-4464.

were better in the Dardanelles, "wherevictory will be fruitful," than in thekilling fields of France, where there wasstalemate. But he seems also to betrayhis doubts by writing to his brother:"Do not despair whatever happens."

Andrew Roberts, the historian andauthor of Eminent Churchillians, said:"Churchill never got lower than duringthe collapse of the Dardanelles and hewas never closer to any other memberof his family than to Jack. Churchill waspouring his heart out in these letters."

The death toll and failure of thecampaign led the Cabinet to dismissChurchill from his post, and he wasmade Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan-caster. He later wrote, "My position athome since I left the Admiralty hasbeen one of much responsibility with-out control and I have watched all theseheavy months' folly, sloth and indeci-sion ruining large conceptions. I havemade up my mind not to return to anyGovmt [sic] during the war...."

For the previous eighteen monthsChurchill had envied his brother onactive service and felt guilty over hisown passive contribution, far removedfrom the fighting. "I feel so acutely theignoble position of one who merelycheers from the back the gallantestefforts of the rovers," he wrote. InDecember 1915 Churchill rejoined thearmy as a lieutenant colonel in theRoyal Scots Fusiliers. He later rejoinedgovernment as minister of munitions in

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FINEST HOUR 9 7 / 9

HASTINGS LETTERS...Lloyd George's cabinet in 1917.

Despite the pain of failure, at bot-tom his confidence in his strategy of theDardanelles was to prove unshakable.He also wrote: "History will vindicatethe conception, and the errors in execu-tion will on the whole leave me clear.My one fatal mistake was trying toachieve a great enterprise without hav-ing the plenary authority which couldso easily have carried it to success." Aninquest held in 1916 exonerated him of

INTERNATIONAL DATELINES

blame for the debacle.The seventeen letters were sold

individually. They cover numerous top-ics, including Churchill's foreseeingAmerica's entry into the First WorldWar. In February 1915, ten weeksbefore the sinking of the ocean linerLusitania with the loss of 1,200 lives,which eventually led to the USA's entryinto the war, Churchill wrote of theAmericans: "I have a feeling that anincident might turn them powerfullyour way."

Local and National Events

DALLAS, TEXASNOVEMBER 30TH— About 100 membersand friends gathered at Le Meridianhotel tonight to celebrate WinstonChurchill's 123rd birthday and wel-come Wendy Reves, his hostess in theSouth of France after his retirement asPrime Minister. Simultaneously we cel-ebrated publication of Winston Churchilland Emery Reves: Correspondence 1937-1964, the marvelous compilation of let-ters between Churchill and his literarycollaborator, Wendy's late husband (seereview last issue). Books were suppliedby Richard Hazlett of the History Mer-chant bookshop, who kindly offered ahuge discount, and over forty copies,each inscribed by Wendy, quickly dis-appeared. Introduced by NathanHughes and Richard Langworth, who

L-R: Richard Langworth, Wendy Reves, NathanHughes and members of the Support Group: PatMarshall, Ann Hazlett, Dot and Asa Nezvsom. Ourspecial thanks to program coordinator CharlotteKaram, Wendy's secretary Alma Villarreal, andWendy's Dallas friends Betty and ]oe Mullens.

had flown in from New Hampshire tobe present, Mrs. Reves entertained theassembly with recollections of the GreatMan at La Pausa, the Reves's villa inthe South of France. It was a marvelousevening of fun and remembrance,made more special by the timely arrivalof the new Churchill-Reves book.

FEBRUARY 18TH— As we go to press, Dr.Hopkins of the History Department,Southern Methodist University, wasscheduled to address a joint meeting ofthe Dallas ICS/CC members and theColophone (Friends of the SMU

Library) at the University tonight at7:30PM. The topic: "Winston Churchilland the Battle of Britain."

Dallas Churchillians meet regular-ly. For details contact Nathan Hughes,1117 Shadyglen Circle, Richardson TX750810-3720, telephone (214) 235-3208),e-mail <Nathan_Hughes@acd.org>.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

JANUARY 17TH— Retroactively, owing toa conflict, but stalwart as always, thir-ty-three Chicago area Churchilliansgathered to mark Sir Winston's 123rdbirthday in the Grand Ballroom of theHoliday Inn. Churchill once wrotefrom Hoe Farm that he had everythinghe needed: "cold Champagne, hotbaths, new peas and old brandy."Nobody took any baths, but the otherrequisites were on hand and the sunshone brightly, if not hotly, on the pro-ceedings.

Douglas Russell drove up fromIowa City to give a marvelous presenta-tion on what The Churchill Center con-cept is and how we are all a part of it,and the future: a presentation worthy ofthe trial orator that Mr. Russell is.

Cdr. Joseph Triani, USN, gave usan update on the USS Churchill, theguided missile destroyer to be launchedat Bath Ironworks, Maine in the year2000. He suggests that the ChurchillCenter and Societies help stock theship's library (what a good idea!) andattend the ship's launch. Our man inBath is keeping us advised; see"Ampersand," p47. We will certainlylet everyone know well in advanceabout the launch ceremonies.

As is customary, the Loyal Toastfollowed a delicious lunch and the cut-ting of the official Churchill cake (dou-ble chocolate with raspberry filling).Attendance was the highest to date.Plans are being developed for an out-door escapade this summer to theMcCormick Estate, home of the pub-lisher with whom Churchill carried ona love-hate relationship at the height ofhis journalistic activity. -JJ

To assist or learn about future Chicagoactivities please contact Joe or Judith Just,16 West 251 South Frontage Road #25,Burr Ridge IL 60521, telephone (630) 654r3500, fax 654-3520. >»

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INTERNATIONAL DATELINES

HALIFAX, N.S.

Elizabeth Snell, author of The Churchills:Pioneers and Politicians, spoke about her bookat the 211th Anniversary Dinner of the RoyalSaint George Society of Halifax (oldest in theCommonwealth) last year. L-R: Elsie ChurchillTolson of the Nova Scotia Churchill shippingfamily; Hon. James ]. Kinley, Lt. Gov. of NovaScotia and Patron of the Society, and Elizabeth.

VANCOUVER, B.C.JUNE 1ST— Since 1993 the Sir WinstonS. Churchill Society of B.C. has heldannual essay contests for students ofhistory, international relations orpolitical science. Stan Winfield of theSociety has sent us a copy of the 1996winning essay, The Diary of FelixBartmann, a fictional diary based onresearch and interviews with hermother, who was a Kindertransportchild, evacuated to England fromVienna in 1938. We will gladly send acopy to any reader who asks.

NOW PLAYINGLONDON— Staff of the Cabinet WarRooms, the underground headquar-ters intended to be what Lady Soames

calls "the last redoubt" should theGermans have succeeded in invadingBritain, have collaborated with theChurchill Archives Centre to producea permanent display entitled"Churchill: The War Years," whichopened 29 January and is ongoing.

The display uses colour facsimi-les of Churchill's correspondence,telegrams and speech notes, includ-ing Churchill's own drafts for severalof his famous speeches and broad-casts; Roosevelt's handwritten letterof June 1941 in which he quotes Long-fellow's "Sail On O Ship of State";George VI's request that WinstonChurchill stay at his desk on D-Day;and Stalin's VE-Day message toChurchill. There are also three casesof original documents. These willchange every six months to highlightdifferent themes. From January toJuly they focus on the often difficultbut ultimately successful relationshipbetween Churchill and his generals.Original correspondence with Wavell,Auchinleck, Alexander, Montgomery,Brooke and Mountbatten helps tobring to life the personalities of theperiod.

The Cabinet War Rooms (nearesttube St James's Park) are open from10AM daily except 24-26 December; thelast admission is at 5.15 pm.

-Allen PackwoodChurchill Archives Centre

Coming EventsLONDON

APRIL 26TH— A reminder (see^ast issuepage 11) of the ICS United kingdomAnnual General Meeting at RAFHendon (North London) today, com-mencing at 10:30-11 AM. A fee of £10will entitle members to coffee andbiscuits and a tour of the enormousaircraft collection, followed by theAGM in the Lecture Theatre between11 and noon. Lunch (not included infee) will be at the Wings Restaurant;at 1:30 PM there will be a conductedtour round the museum, emphasisingChurchill and the Battle of Britain.

MAY 13TH— A joint US/UK book sign-ing event has been arranged inLondon today starting at 5:30 PM.The venue is St. Paul's School, Lons-dale Road, Barnes, London SW13 inthe Montgomery Room. The schoolcan be reached easily by under-ground from central London. (FieldMarshal Montgomery was an OldBoy at St. Paul's, where much of theD-Day planning took place, althoughthe school itself was then in a differ-ent location one mile away.)

Two recently published bookswill be on sale and their author andeditor will sign copies: Churchill and

Secret Service, by David Stafford (£25)and Churchill as Peacemaker, edited byJames W. Muller (£35). The Society'sPatron, Lady Soames, will also bepresent. (Please note that credit cardscannot be accepted.)

Lonsdale Road is just South ofHammersmith Bridge. Anyone arriv-ing by road should note that thebridge is now for pedestrians only, soanother route must be found. Thoseusing public transport should takethe Underground to Hammersmithand walk across the bridge (ten min-utes). To help assess the numbersexpected, members wishing to be pre-sent are asked to send £5 or $8 (pay-able to ICS) to arrive by 24th April toICS/UK, PO Box 1257, Melksham,Wiltshire SN12 6GQ.

WASHINGTON, D.C.APRIL 2ND— Williamson Murray, arenowned scholar of World War IImilitary history, speaks on "Churchilland Alanbrooke" tonight at the OldEbbitt Grille near the Treasury Build-ing, the spring meeting of the Wash-ington Society for Churchill. Time is6:30PM for dinner at 7:15. Area mem-bers will receive mail invitations.Others interested may contact RonHelgemo, 12009 Taliesin Court, Apt13, Rpston VA 20190.

BOSTON, MASS.SEPTEMBER 2ND— The Churchill Centermarks the Centenary of the Battle ofOmdurman with a dinner thisevening at the Athenaeum Club, 100years since Churchill's charge withthe 21st Lancers. A scholarly panel,"Winston Churchill at War on theNile," chaired by Michael Barone ofthe Reader's Digest, is also scheduledfor this week, possibly the 3rd, at theconference of the American PoliticalScience Association. Papers will bepresented by Drs. David Jablonsky,Michael Platt and James W. Muller.Another APSA panel will discussMarlborough. New England memberswill be mailed ticket information;anyone else wishing details may con-tact the editor, FH. $

FINEST HOUR 97/11

Persoiialiiiy 01 me C^enfmy CD

No JMLisgiviiiigs A o o n i NLj

Ican still recall the awful feeling in thepit of my stomach when the journalismprofessor handed out assignments.Each of us in his class was to write a

celebrity profile, the kind that would bekept on file in a newspaper "morgue" foruse later when the person died. As he readthe list aloud, I realized the other studentswere being given names of nationallyknown politicians, leaders of industry orentertainment stars. All were relatively bignames but, nonetheless, people you couldeasily research and write about within theallotted two hours. Then came my assignment:Winston Spencer Churchill.

In two hours? "Oh Lord, take me now," Ithought.

Bear in mind I was only 19 years old and wayover my head on this subject. Churchill had not yetbecome Prime Minister for the second time, but theprospect of trying to encompass his life so far—andto get it right—terrified me. I think I spent the firstten minutes sitting at my desk in shock before final-ly gathering up my courage and heading for thelibrary. My finished piece was neither a thing ofbeauty nor a joy forever. It received a passinggrade...just.

Later, when Churchill was named Time maga-zine's "Man of the Half Century," I remember read-ing the extensive cover story and thinking "Wherewas this when I needed it?"

Churchill and Time have been on my mind thisweekend. January 24th was the thirty-third anniver-sary of Sir Winston's death, and speculation is ram-pant about who will be the magazine's "Person ofthe Century." (Note the use of the word "person" inour politically sensitive era, although on five occa-sions in the past Time has chosen women for thehonor commonly referred to as "Man of the Year.")

Just for fun Time asked its readers to nominate100 "People of the Century" as well as an overall"Person of the Century." Entries have been pouringin for several months suggesting 20th century fig-ures for these categories: Warriors and Statesmen,Builders and Titans, Heroes and Adventurers,Scientists and Heroes, Entertainers and Artists.

The early answer was—brace, yourselves—Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is credited with theestablishment of Turkey as a republic. In theWarriors and Statesmen group, he has edged out

Mrs. Ferguson is a feature writer for the Greenville (Texas)Herald Banner, where her article first appeared on January 25th.

© KARSH, OTTAWA

Churchill. He is beating Henry Ford inBuilders and Titans, leads Albert Einsteinin Scientists and Bob Dylan inEntertainment. Well, he certainly enter-tained the British at Chanak...

If you smell a rat, you're correct.Apparently Turkish journalists began urg-ing readers to nominate Ataturk, and Timehas been deluged with letters, faxes and e-mail. According to the Wall Street Journal,tempers became heated when the Federa-tion of Turkish American Associationsalleged that Armenians and Greeks in

response were whipping up support for Churchill.Fortunately the final selections will not be the

result of a popularity contest, say Time staffers. The"Person of the Century" as well as the other catego-ry winners, will be named by an "internal decision."

I should hope so, and I cannot imagine anychoice other than Winston Churchill. In the yearssince I sat stupefied at my desk trying to evaluatehis life, Churchill has become my personal hero. Ilove him for his courage, his wit and his eloquence.

There is no doubt he saved the free world by hisearly recognition of Hitler as "a bloodthirsty gutter-snipe." While others were content to appease orignore, Churchill carried on a determined wake-upcampaign to alert the world. Some called him a rab-ble-rouser, but he persisted.

Time summed up his foresight in its "Man of theHalf Century" article: "As the 20th Century plungedon, long-familiar bearings were lost in the mists ofchange. Some of the age's great leaders called formore and more speed ahead; some tried to reversethe course. Winston Churchill had a different func-tion: his chief contribution was to warn of the rocksahead, and to lead the rescue parties. He was not theman who designed the ship; what he did was launchthe lifeboats. That a free world survived...with ahope of more progress and less calamity, was due inlarge measure to his exertions."

Now that is a legacy for this or any century.If Churchill had been selected "Personality of

the Century" in his lifetime, I wonder what his reac-tion would have been. Perhaps this quote from hisacceptance speech on winning the 1953 Nobel Prizefor literature gives a clue:

"I am proud, but I am also awestruck at yourdecision to include me. I do hope you are right. I feelwe are both running a considerable risk and that Ido not deserve it. But I shall have no misgivings ifyou have none."

I have none whatsoever. $

FINEST HOUR 97/12

ersQualify ol oie Oeinfan

"N. s Aever

For those of us who have livedthrough a major portion of the 20thcentury, its fast approaching end

should be a cause for reflection. Thesehundred years have seen the extremes ofhuman existence, mostly paired as oppo-sites. The greatest scientific advances andmaterial comfort have been combined withfrighteningly destructive pollution of ourearth. The ability to communicate at light-ning speed has been matched by thebreakdown of family and personal bonds.

Tremendous economic advances haveleft vast populations uncertain as to when or wheretheir next meal will be. The greatest health and med-ical progress has led to dramatic increases in lifes-pan and the overall well being of society, simultane-ously with the development of weapons with whichwe can easily annihilate the entire human race at thepush of a button. In a century when the world popu-lation grew faster and larger than ever before, a dia-bolically evil and maniacal group of fanatics tried toannihilate, among other ethnic and religious groups,one of the oldest and most cultured races, whosegreatest gift to mankind was monotheism and theTen Commandments.

Yet, despite the problems of the 20th century,few if any of us would change places with our coun-terparts of centuries past. That our world, on bal-ance, is a far better place for more people is owed inno small measure to an extraordinary human beingwho admonished us when our prospects were black-est: "Never Despair."

Our work is far from complete. Our mostearnest desire is to pass to our descendants an ever-improving world. We do not despair, so we stressthe positive aspects and aije not pessimistically over-come by the problems. Yetiwe also know that historyis our best teacher. As we stand on the brink of anew century, we reflect on the passage of this one,and try to benefit from its experience in order tohelp fulfill our goals for the future.

One of the most effective ways we can put intopractice these impulses, this desire to benefit fromexperience, is to impress upon mankind's collectivememory the example of someone who had similaraspirations, faced similar challenges, and producedaccomplishments which left the world a far betterplace. We members of The Churchill Center and

Dr. Mazansky has served as a Director of ICS/USA, Governor ofThe Churchill Center and organizer of New England events. Hisarticles have appeared in FH70, 74, 75, 87, 91 and 93.

© KARSH, OTTAWA I

oiiOF an

Societies know that such a person existed.We can certainly name him loudly andclearly. It is our responsibility to pass thison to the future generations. It is perhapsour single most important mission. I canthink of no more effective way to accom-plish this task than to get our nationalcommunities to recognize WinstonSpencer Churchill as Personality of theCentury.

f as an organization we wish to accom-plish this goal, there are a number ofsteps to be undertaken and the start

must be made now. The work to be done is long,arduous and multifaceted. Because of the shortnessof time, I confine myself chiefly to American recogni-tion such as that of Time magazine (see page 4); butthere is no reason why these tactics cannot be adopt-ed by fraternal organizations outside the USA. Ourcombined efforts can reach their crescendo as theclock ticks out the end of this century. Some pedantssay the official end is on 31 December 2000; but inview of how the media will handle it, recognitionmust be in place by the final moments of 1999.

The ideas and thoughts of our members must besolicited over the next nine months. A committeemust be formed, most appropriately under the lead-ership of our editor and academic chairman, clearlyto articulate our ideas. The publication of articles, asoutlined on page 4, is certainly important, but muchmore needs to be done. A White Paper should bewritten to state Churchill's case, to promote ouridea, and to convince national leaders to accept theconcept and participate in it. Through our member-ship we already have a potent base of influence toinitiate the process.

Outside organizations and influential personsmust be solicited at an early phase to support theconcept and provide their support to advance theidea if we are to be successful. However, I believe itmust be done under Churchill Center leadership,because nowhere else is there a greater concentra-tion of lay and academic forces devoted to an under-standing and appreciation of Winston Churchill'slife and thought.

The White Paper should include, but need notbe limited to: 1) description of the concept; 2) criteriafor a titular award; 3) a list of Churchill's humanitar-ian, political, literary, artistic, journalistic, moralqualifications for the award, backed by supportiveevidence; 4) a list of other contenders, with respect-ful arguments why each of them does not fulfill thecriteria; 5) benefits of implementing the concept; »

FINEST HOUR 97/13

Mazansky, continued6) programs that the Churchill Center and othersmight institute to give meaning to this award.

Regarding the last item, programs to celebratethe recognition of the award may be educational,cultural, political and ceremonial; they may alsoinvolve travel. Programs can occur through univer-sity seminars, school projects, conferences, libraryexhibits and tours. With this weight of recognition,Time magazine would have Churchill on its cover asPersonality of the Century in December 1999.

Ten steps occur to me by which we should pro-gress toward this goal: 1) obtain Churchill fam-ily permission; 2) solicit our memberships for

ideas to support our goal; 3) establish a committeeto review suggestions and promote the plan; 4)involve other Churchill organizations; 5) obtain theactive and passive support of influential membersand honorary members; 6) approach national leader-ship for support; 7) develop specific programs; 8)

implement these programs starting January 1999; 9)send our delegation to Time magazine (see page 4);and 10) conclude the program with appropriatememorial ceremonies.

The benefits to The Churchill Center andSocieties that would come with this accomplishmentseem manifest. We would gain far wider recogni-tion. Our membership would grow dramatically.Our financial base would be enhanced. Our successin the 21st century would be guaranteed. New andyounger leaders would be brought in to continueour work. Most importantly, though, our belief inthe preeminence of Winston Churchill, his centralrole in the 20th century, and our belief in our owngoals, would be more than amply rewarded, byteaching future generations about things theyshould never forget: history, literature, justice, socialenlightenment, political morality and effective lead-ership—all of which were embodied in WinstonChurchill for more years and to more peoples thanany other figure of the 20th century. M

ersonalify oi tike

Unswerving lixesoiu.tfo.on,

Glinting intellect

British confidence in Churchill's leadership wasreinforced by his determination to retaliateagainst the foe at every conceivable opportuni-

ty. But bludgeoning alone could not undermine theingenuity of German scientists feeding Hitler'shellish ambitions.

Unswerving resolution and glinting intellectwere evident in Churchill's prompt direction ofcountermeasures whenever Hitler unleashed newdevices to wreak havoc on Britain. Appreciation ofhow he successfully faced the challenge is peevishlywithheld by several present-day critics, who carpponderously about his wartime decisions. Theirhindsight will never equal Churchill's foresight.

His marshalling of British brainpower and tech-nocrats stands for all time as the achievement of amaster mind. Added to this was his gift of inspiringhimself and others to almost super-human endeav-ours. Inventions and daring enterprises werebrought to swift completion; the will to win wasmarvelously served by instruments forged for victo-ry with unparalleled resourcefulness.

Lodged in Churchill's memory were gruesomedetails of ordeals dating back to the First World War.

Mr. Robbins, of Victoria, B.C., is a FH Senior Editor.

He knew that each fresh assault could cloak anothermenace. His acute awareness, may be likened todevastatingly accurate prophecy.

FINEST HOUR 97/14

At the onset of the Blitz he instantly perceivedhidden dangers in the podgy, below-normal-sizedbombs suddenly augmenting the terrorizing ofLondon. Nose down, scores of them lay partiallyburied and he was convinced they had not gone offbecause they possessed a secret feature: delayed-action fuses. His fears arose from his recollection ofGermany's use of that type fuse during the previousconflict. Surely, he thought, the passing years hadbeen marked by a startling advance in design.Subsequent events proved he was right.

As soon as the apparent "duds" were dropped,he injected his famous sense of urgency into the mil-itary machine. He insisted that UXBs (short forunexploded bombs) must be dealt with rapidly.They were clustered at railway junctions. Traffic waspiling up. Invasion loomed and lines to the southcoast were imperative for men and materiel neededto repel an already mightily triumphant armypoised in France, barely twenty miles from Englishshores.

UXBs had triple objectives: to kill and demoral-ize the population, and to disrupt vital production.The Germans, exploiting surreptitious pre-war map-ping of strategically important factories and otheressential facilities, were cunningly selecting targets:first London, then the rest of the country.

Spurred on by Churchill, the army organizedbomb disposal squads with great expediency. Thechief recruits were from the Royal Engineers, whosecourage adorns British history. Their task wrackedthe nerves and wore down the strongest physique.They worked steadfastly, even though they realizedonly the luckiest among those carrying out the finalact of defusing would survive longer than just overa couple of months without being maimed or killed.Sometimes Londoners, trapped beneath a bomb,clung desperately to life for long hours before sol-diers could render the fuse harmless and haul themgently to safety. The plight of children was especial-ly harrowing.

Churchill always met and thanked UXB squadswhen he toured bombed areas. He was deeplymoved by their pallid cheeks and the strain etchedon youthful brows. Throughout the war he did notencounter more haggard lqoks. Despite what theyhad endured, their greetings.,were heartwarming,their loyalty firm and true. He commented:"Somehow or other their faces seemed differentfrom those of ordinary men, however brave or faith-ful." Yet courage continued to shine in their eyes.

From the start of the UXB crisis, Churchill hadpressed hard for the best possible equipment.Typically, he investigated what the United

States might have available. Inevitably, initial train-ing for the squads was meagre and the tools elemen-tary. Royal Air Force personnel gave demonstrationsof exactly how fuses manufactured in Britain wereput together. Usually there were no more than half a

dozen or so men in a team carefully shifting bombsto an open space where, to begin with, block andtackle, hammers and chisels were the sole equip-ment for defusion. Removal of the deadly middlemechanism was a chore reserved for officers. Thelearning process demanded unflinching sacrifice. Inthe last four months of 1940 there were 125 deaths.

Six months was the limit for membership of thesquads. However, the same soldiers kep*t Extendingtheir period of duty. Some heroes volunteered fortytimes in succession before death claimed them.There were encouraging signs that the British wereproving too clever for their opponents. The knack ofteasing out a fuse after undoing the locking ring wasquickly acquired.

The Germans now threw down a bigger chal-lenge, with an infinitely more dangerous spring det-onator. British science solved this problem too. Sincethe explosive was soluble, it was decided to steam itout, rendering the fuse ineffective. But worse was tofollow. The next contrivance could blow up an offi-cer the very second his hand was extracting the core.And, while university dons were again findinganswers, a weightier fury was hurled at Britain byHitler: naval mines descending via parachute.

Anyone devoted to liberty must marvel atChurchill's grip on the defence of his compa-triots. They were more closely besieged than

their forebears had been in the days of Napoleon.Picture the scene: no continental ally; the hastyrebuilding of an army that had recently escaped atDunkirk; death raining daily on civilians at thebehest of a dictator who ruled Europe's coast fromthe Pyrenees to the North Cape. In additionMussolini, out of a foolish lusi for loot and glory,marched side-by-side with Germany. Along comesthe parachute mine and, in the midst of everythingelse clamouring for attention, Churchill displays theutmost clarity of thought. He sees at once thatHitler's latest venture in terrorism exposes his crudepretense that it was not Nazi policy to annihilateBritish civilians.

Churchill was well ahead of his government col-leagues and service chiefs in recognizing the fullimport: it was impossible to avoid a major turning-point if Britain was to survive. Key military leadersreceived a sharp memorandum from him on theenemy's barbarism: "At five thousand feet he cannothave the slightest idea what he is going to hit. This,therefore, proves the 'act of terror' intention againstthe civilian population." He advocated "...propor-tionate retaliation, i.e. equal retaliation..." (Theemphasis on "equal" was Churchill's.)

Thus began a process to which, backstage,Churchill sorrowfully alerted his Cabinet: the horrif-ic fact that totalitarianism could be stemmed andeventually conquered only by all-out war. "Alas,poor humanity," was how Churchill summed up hisanguish. CONTINUED OVERLEAF >»

FINEST HOUR 97/15

Robbins, continuedThe parachute mines dangled from rooftops,

electricity poles and lamp-posts. Churchill called inthe Royal Navy to deal with them and intensifiedhis visits to shattered districts where his upliftingpresence roused people to cheers. His name hadbecome synonymous with freedom. Women pressedforward just to touch his coat. Standing with them inthe ruins of their homes he often broke into tears. Hebriskly demolished opposition from officialdom tohis scheme for immediate compensation wheneverdamage was inflicted by the Nazis.

practical knowledge of science was minimal, he didnot overlook the vital necessity of supporting everyproposal that might bring victory in the "InvisibleBattle." And his disclaimer cannot conceal that atthe beginning of the war he was already equipped tohead a team to frustrate the results of Germanresearch.

For twenty years Churchill and a top Oxford sci-entist, Professor Frederick Lindemann, hadbeen companions. Theirs was a magnificent

partnership. Churchill became familiar with radar

"The UXB detachments presented themselves wherever

I went on my tours. Somehow or other their faces

seemed different from those of ordinary men,

however brave and faithful. They were gaunt, . —«

they were haggard, their faces had

a bluish look, with bright gleaming

eyes and exceptional compression A

of the lips; withal 4

. a perfect demeanour."

-WSC, Their Finest Hour, p320.

Further proof of Hitler's evil designs took theform of storms of quite small explosives,known as butterfly bombs, which swept the

country. But the nation was sustained by unity ofpurpose and the tenacity that had earned Britonstheir high place in history. The defeat of theLuftwaffe in the Battle of Britain was indisputableevidence Hitler could be outmanoeuvred. The roleof British inventiveness in giving the gallant RAFthe superior "eyes" of radar was an impetus toefforts, led by Churchill, that enlarged the scope forBritish scientists locked in combat with their indus-trious German counterparts.

Although Churchill readily confessed that his

through their collaboration on the Air DefenceCommittee prior to 1939. Continuity plus affinityturned into golden assets.

The committee structure of Parliament hadenabled Churchill to study many aspects of defenceand to overcome to some extent his pre-war preclu-sion from office; he also ran what amounted to a pri-vate intelligence service, which had frequently sur-passed official attempts to fathom Berlin's secrets.From May 1940, he combined his Premiership withthe duties of Defence Minister and that brought richdividends. He had authority to give wings to anypropitious scientific undertaking. The developmentof the "sticky" bomb is a prime example. »>

FINEST HOUR 97/16

An experimental station, run by the army, hadthe notion that invading tanks could be counter-attacked by throwing bombs capable of sticking toarmour-plating. Churchill was au courant witheverything the station was doing. The idea appealedimmensely to his imagination and he would counte-nance no hold-ups until the device was an accom-plished fact. The memos he fired off on the subjectare a delight to read. The bombs were not resortedto in England because, of course, Hitler had to aban-don invasion plans after losing the Battle of Britain.But in Syria they justified Churchill's bold initiative.

Sardonic comments about the Luftwaffe's obviouslack of efficiency were heard in pubs when hun-dreds of bombs began to fall harmlessly on openfields. "Rotten shot, eh? I wouldn'twant that Jerry pilot on my dartsteam" is a sample of the reaction.Other remarks, more amusing butunprintable, caused loud laughter.

But the Germans' bad aim wasno accident. The truthemerged at the end of the war:

British skill had foiled a Germancontrivance intended to guide theLuftwaffe to its targets night andday in any kind of weather with anaccuracy that might have gone along way towards crippling armsoutput and morale. Churchill waswarned by Lindemann that it was inthe offing. The Germans haddevised a complex radio beam (itscode name was "Knickebein")which led pilots unerringly to a tar-get—and, frankly, this is an attemptto reduce it to its simplest terms.Churchill, always capable of findingthe right words, called the effort tofoil this weapon "The Battle of the Beam."

Lindemann explained that Dr. R. V. Jones, whohad been his student, was convinced the beam couldbe bent. The proviso was: immediate action—unde-niably Churchill's forte. Typically, the PM called anemergency meeting of scientists and Royal Air ForceCommanders at Ten Downing Street. Jones wasinvited and unfolded his solution. BritishIntelligence broke the Knickebein code with aston-ishing speed and, thanks to the dedication of Jones,another menace was checkmated.

At the heart of success was a repeating devicewhich wrecked Knickebein. The Luftwaffe, slavishlyfollowing Knickebein, came to doubt its value.Ironically, pilots risking their lives flying aboveEngland avoided taking a chance by personally con-tradicting Goering's obdurate belief in his newesttechnique for spreading death and destruction. Theintroduction of Knickebein heightened rather thandiminished British morale. It was a joy indeed for

the much-pounded defenders to witness the enemywasting ammunition.

Churchill was soon informed that only one-fifthof the bombs now landed inside cities Hitler soughtto batter out of existence. The giant Nazi edifice wasnot toppling, but fissures and flaws seemed topresage its end. Certitude was to come with theentry of the United States into the war. Relief andgratitude flooded the British Isles.

There is a lengthy list of the hazards Churchilland his advisors had to grapple with on the scientif-ic front. Conspicuous on that list is the magneticmine, which jolted Churchill's customary resilience.Researchers in Britain, diligent and percipientthough they were in the 1930s, had not taken fully

into account how much harm couldbe inflicted by ships and planescapable of casting magnetic devicesdeep into the ocean.

Hitler's "secret weapon" (hisdescription) started to sink mer-chant ships as on their approach toharbour. Several were blown upnear the Thames. Luck, as well asfortune, can favour the brave. At acrucial point, with losses mountingand no answer forthcoming, aGerman plane was seen offShoeburyness dropping a "bigobject" strung on a parachute. Thereceding tide exposed an expanse ofmud, in the midst of which was the"object," which had every appear-ance of being a magnetic mine.Royal Navy personnel recovered itwithout a qualm at the peril of theirlives.

wice First Lord of theAdmiralty in his turbulentcareer, Churchill mustered

naval specialists in underwater weapons. Theirwork resembles the legendary inventiveness ofDaedalus, whose exploits included the constructionof wings that flew him out of prison. The nullifyingof the magnetic mine followed a rush of experimentsembarked on the minute it was dismantled. Trialand error produced a complicated cable, whichencircled ships and demagnetised them. It waslabelled "degaussing" and naval and merchant sea-men thankfully attached it to their vocabulary.Degaussing had to be done in shipyards, so it wasimpossible to conceal the Navy's triumph from thepublic. Their faith in Churchill and their fortituderemained solid.

Churchill regarded 1940 as the "most splendid,as it was the most deadly" year in British history.His verdict epitomizes for future chroniclers theentire struggle: "The soul of the British people andrace had proved invincible." M>

FINEST HOUR 97/17

"Marshal Your Baldwins!" Winston, Randolph and that Great,Cosmopolitan Game of Unarmed Combat:

The Two Churchills and ChessBy Henry Crooks

The board game of chess, that great cosmopolitanunarmed combat, has fascinated and capturedthe interest of man since ancient times, but no

one is sure of its origins. One tongue-in-cheek chessaddict wrote: "it has been variously ascribed to theGreeks, Icelanders, Australian aborigines, Chinese,Parsees, Pygmies, Red Indians, Irish, Bataks andMeetaks. Chess pieces are said to have been found inancient tombs, Ur and there....the game probably origi-nated either in India, or not in India, between 10,000B.C. and 2000 A.D. Practically all the opponents of thisview have by now been discredited."1

Since the late 15th century the game has beenplayed in the form we know it today. Recognised forits educational value, chess helps to develop concentra-tion, logic, foresight and caution. Canny statesmenhave often been described as "good chess players," notwithout reason. Many of them developed their politicalprowess with the help of the game played on sixty-fourblack and white squares.

Notable personages throughout history have fallenunder the spell of chess, not the least Sir WinstonChurchill and his father Lord Randolph. The latter, itwould appear, was the more advanced player, havingspent more time at the game, and having receivedexpert tuition. Nathan Divinsky, in The BatsfordEncyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford: 1990) gives the follow-ing profile of Lord Randolph:

Winston Churchill's father was an ardent chess player.He took lessons from Steinitz and Zukertort, was Vice-President of the British Chess Association and a fre-quent spectator at the great London tournament of1883. Steinitz2 played 6 blindfold simultaneous gamesat Oxford on May 17,1870 and one of the wins wasagainst Randolph Churchill. In August 1870 Steinitzdrew against a group of allies that included Churchill.

Sir Winston, in his filial biography of 19063 wrotethat his father at Oxford "soon acquired, for an ama-teur, more than ordinary skill in the game. In conjunc-tion with several friends, he founded the UniversityChess Club, and on the first visit of Mr. Steinitz, thechampion chess player of the world, he conducted oneof the boards at the blindfold exhibition. Although hisplay necessarily lacked the strength derivable frombook knowledge and experience, it is described in thisas in other affairs, as being 'original, daring, and some-times brilliant.'

"Lord Randolph's game with Mr. Steinitz hasbeen recorded, so that competent persons may judge ofhis quality for themselves." It appears at upper right.

Lord Randolph vs. Steinitz, 1870

Game No. 1 (published in the Ohvol. ii.,

ALLGAIE

White. Black.Mr. Steinitz. Lord Itandolph(blindfold) Churchill.

1 .P-K4 P - K 42 . P - K B 4 P x l '3. Kt—KIi3 P — KKt44. P—KR4 P — KKt6S. Kt —K6 ( J - K 2 ( « )6. P—Q4 P - Q S7. Kt x Kt P Q x P (ch)8. Q—K2 P —Q40. Kt—K6 Kt— KR3(6)

10. Kt—QB3 B —QK1511. Q X Q P x Q12. B x P Kt— KB 413. Castles B x Kt14. P x B Kt—Q316. P—QB4(c) P - K B 31(1. P—QB5 P x Kt17. B x P Kt —KB2

(a) This was once a common defento entail the loss of tlie gambit pawn.

(b) B — It 3 would not have done,queens, and played B — Q B 4, &c.

(c) This move loses White a piece,(rf) Blade should have lost no time

followed by K — Q 2 seems the best pi(e) Kt — Q R 4 would be, perhaps,

the worst of it.

ess Players' Quarterly Chronicle,p. 110).

R GAMUIT.

White. Black.

Mr. Steinitz. Lo™| RandolphChurchill.

18. B x R Kt x B10. R — K6q P —Q Kt3(d)20. U x P fch) K —Qsn21. B - Q B 4 B — QKt 222. It —Kt4 Kt— K K t 323. P —K5 Kt —K224. R—Ksq QKt — Q B 325. P - Q 5 Kt —QKt 5(«)26. I' — QBO B —QBsq27. R _ K K t 7 K t — Q B 328. P x Kt Kt x P20. B — Q Kt 6 1) — Q Kt 230. R —Qsq(ch) K —Ksq31. R x Q B P K - Ii si!32. R—KBsq(ch) K — Kt sq33. B — Q B 4 (ch), and mates in a

few moves.

ce to the Allgaier opening, but it seems

lor White would then have exchanged

but he obtains for it a full equivalent,lcre iu getting his pieces out; B K 3,ly-better ; but in any case he must have

"Competent persons" will notice a printer's erroron Black's 27th move, which should be, in today'snotation, B4 x C64; they will also wonder why LordRandolph did not develop his bishop on move 19.It is clear that Lord Randolph had studied the Allgaiervariation, and he was to be congratulated on holdingout against the world champion for thirty-three moves.

In 1877, when Lord Randolph was staying atDublin's Viceregal Lodge with Lady Randolph andtheir three-year-old son, Steinitz visited Dublin andthey played again. The outcome of this encounter isnot known; nor do we know if the impressionableWinston saw or came into contact with the still worldchampion.

The Oxford University Chess Club, founded byLord Randolph and his friends, flourishes today, stag-ing internal tournaments playing matches againstother county teams and against local clubs. (This writerhas obtained a win and a loss representing the then-Atomic Energy Establishment against the University.)Also, since 1873, seven board matches have beenplayed against Cambridge University, and occasionallythe two universities combine to play against suitablestrong opposition. Many players of outstanding abilityhave emerged from OUCC, the latest being a grand-master,5 twenty-two-year-old Dharshan Kumeran.

Although Sir Winston Churchill showed earlyinterest in chess, there is no record that he and his

FINEST HOUR 97/18

father played together, but at the age of 21 he hadreached a good standard. This and other interestinginformation is given by Mike Fox and Richard James intheir entertaining and deeply researched The Even MoreComplete Chess Addict (London: Faber and Faber 1993):

Churchill is one of the great might-have-beens ofchess. He teamed at prep-school in Hove... 'DearMamma do not forget to get the set of chess for me, Ishould like the board to be red and white not blackand white,' said a letter from the twelve-year-oldWinston. By the time he was twenty-one he wasbeginning to show signs of addiction. A letter fromBombay told her he'd reached the semi-finals of ashipboard tournament and continued, 'I should tryand get really good when I am in India!' But otherdistractions occupied the great man and he never ful-filled his early promise. We do know that Winstonplayed a game against the mysterious British LadiesChampion Miss Fatima. She was unimpressed.... Theonly later record of Churchill we have is of a gameagainst Asquith, before which Winston gave vent tohis bizarre battle cry: 'Marshal your Baldwins/(Churchillian slang for pawns).

Miss Fatima of India became British Empire LadyChess champion in August 1933 at the British ChessFederation Congress held at Hastings. Her compatriot,Sultan Khan, took the men's title. Three months lateron Armistice Day, she with Sultan Khan played asimultaneous charity match in aid of the IncorporatedSoldiers and Sailors Help Society and the Lord RobertsMemorial Workshops for Disabled ex-Service Men.The entrance fee was 6/-, the playing time 2:30-7:00PM.

We can safely assume that Churchill was a partici-pant in this charity event, for he had direct concernwith both the societies, having been First Lord of theAdmiralty in the First World War, previously servingwith the troops in India and the Sudan, being underthe command of Lord Roberts during the Boer War,serving in France in 1916 and as Minister of Munitionsin 1917. Later he had some responsibility for demobili-sation. However, at the time of the tournament he washeavily engaged with matters of Parliament and muchconcerned with the problem^ of India and Germanarmament under Hitler. Alsb,<he was involved atChartwell with Volume II of Marlborough. So he couldnot have been a match for Miss Fatima, who at the timewas considered to be the strongest and cleverest ladychess player in England. She left for her homeland inDecember, never to return.

Churchill must nevertheless have been quite agood player. In 1927, when travelling with his15-year-old son Randolph and playing him at

chess, Winston could "give a queen or two castles, oreven castle, bishop and knight and still wallop him,"according to his grandson Winston in his recent book,His Father's Son: The Life of Randolph Churchill

(Weidenfeld and Nicholson 1996).Churchill also played, probably in a simultaneous

match, against grandmaster Miguel Najdorf, who heldthe record for blindfold chess by playing forty-fiveopponents at one sitting. We do not have knowledge ofChurchill's performance, nor where and when thisencounter took place.

New information continues to come forward con-cerning Sir Winston and Lord Randolph and I hopefurther details of their experience with the game willemerge. $5

"That's light—you simply pick them up like this andinovc them about on tht little squares."

FOOTNOTES

1. "CapsuleHistory of theGame" in TheFireside Book ofChess, NY: Simon& Schuster, 1949.

2. WilhelmSteinitz was bornin Prague in1836. Much trav-elled, he lived inEngland (1862-1882), Dublinand New York,where he died in1900. He wasrecognised

world champion from 1866, after defeating AdolfAnderssen, to 1894, when he lost to Emanuel Lasker.The author was privileged to witness the great interna-tional tournament at Nottingham in 1936, whereEmanuel Lasker came in seventh.

3. Lord Randolph Churchill, by Winston SpencerChurchill, London: Macmillan 1906.

4. Chess Players Quarterly Chronicle 1870-1, Vol. II p.110gives Black's 27th move as QKt to QB3 taking P, whichhas something to say in favour of the modern notation.(B4 x C6).

5. Grandmaster. A mathematical rating devised byArpad Emrick Elo. Points, currently from 2500 to 2800,are given that satisfy carefully laid achievement levels.

6. Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997), born in Moscow, soughtasylum in Argentina when playing in a chess Olympi-ad there in September 1939. Nationalised in 1944, hewas recognised as one of the world's greatest players.

Mr. Crooks, of ICS/UK, wishes to thank the BodleianLibrary, Oxford for much valuable data, also The DailyTelegraph for its obituary of Miguel Najdorf (9 July 1997).

FINEST HOUR 97/19

http: //www. winstonchurchill.orgCHURCHILL ONLINE

The Churchill Home Page and Listserv "Winston"The Churchill Homepage: http://www.winstonchurchill.org

THE CHURCHILL WEBSITE:Aim your web browser at the abovewww address and the Churchill Pageshould appear. Click on any of the redbuttons to be led to the latest ChurchillCenter - Churchill Society information.The "Finest Hour" button producesthe earliest publication of the nextissue. If you experience any difficultyplease e-mail John Plumpton:Savrola@ican.net

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in past issues of Finest Hour: NormanLongmate's If Britain Had Fallen andStephen Roskill's Churchill and theAdmirals (Finest Hour 33), MarySoames's Clementine Churchill and

Family Album (37), William Manchester's The Last Lion,Vol. I (40), Sir John Colville's The Fringes of Power (50).There will be more by the time you visit. Click "Books"and then "Book Reviews."

• Finest Hour: We have also begun posting theFinest of Finest Hour, "Glimpses and Memories" ofChurchill by one of his Scotland Yard bodyguards,Ronald Golding (Finest Hour 34 & 35), "Churchill andCanada: Encounters with Canadians" by JohnPlumpton (44), "Churchill: Prophet, Pragmatist,Idealist and Enthusiast" by the Hon. CasparWeinberger (40), "Churchill's England" by Sir JohnColville (41), "Churchill and Polo" by BarbaraLangworth (72). There will be more by the time youvisit. We are also hoping that the best of this materialwill one day be published in book form. Click "FinestHour" and then "Finest of Finest Hour."

Action This DayThis section on our website will eventually be a

resource that will tell where Churchill was, who he waswith and what he was doing on every day of his life. To seean example, click "Action This Day," then "Prophet ofTruth 1922-1939," then "1930."" We are most gratefulto Chartwell for providing us with copies of the Chart-well Visitor's Book, so we can see who was visitingChurchill when he was there.

FINEST HOUR 97/20

Churchill Online, continued

Want to be a Churchill researcher?If we are ever going to get "Action This Day" com-

pleted we need lots of researchers, just as Churchill didwhen writing his histories and biographies. Pick a yearthat interests and then contact the Website Manager,John Plumpton (savrola@ican.net) or write to 130Collingsbrook Blvd., Agincourt, ON Canada M1W 1M7and we will discuss the resources used in collecting thisinformation.

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Online Debate of the Season

IRAQ ("MESSPOT")What Does Churchill's Experience Suggest?

"It is surmised that theresult of Mr. Churchill's artstudy among the pyramidsis sure to be felt." -Punch, 13Apr 1921

The Colonial Secretary convenedthe Cairo Conference to draw up aplan for a peaceful settlement inMesopotamia (Iraq), Transjordanand Palestine. While in Egypt,WSC visited the Pyramids anddevoted a few hours of his leisureto painting....

Every so often on "Listserv Vfinston" we try to stir up somecontroversy, and as we go totyress, the following email mes-sages have been exchanged onHhe^ subject of Iraq, all of whichmay be academic by the time you read this. Nonetheless, weinvite everybody to join in, whether you are online or not,and we will publish any further comments on the subject.

Winston Churchill was instrumental in creat-ing Iraq after World War I. The 1921 CairoConference, which he convened as Colonial

Secretary, set up the British mandate and laid out itsboundaries, which encompass three separate peoples—Kurds, Shiite and Sunni Moslems—who cordially hateeach other. Churchill argued for a separate Kurdistan at

the time, where the Kurds would be safe "from somefuture bully in Iraq." But he was overruled by his ownForeign Office, who were certain that Iraq with itsBritish-installed monarch, King Feisal, would neverpose a threat to the Kurds, or to anyone else. ?

So it was for thirty-seven years, but Feisal H'Wasthrown out by the 1958 revolution, and SaddamHussein is latest in a series of thugs who have ruledever since. In Jordan, the grandson of King Abdullah,whom Churchill also placed on the throne at Cairo, stillrules—fortunate, considering the likely alternatives.("Abdullah sits on the throne of Trans-Jordan where Isat him," WSC said in the late 1930s.)

Churchill had a fairly consistent view of alliances,which he usually promoted (see "Quotes of theSeason," page 6). He exclaimed at various times thatthe only thing worse than fighting with allies is fightingwithout them.

In recent days the United States Secretary of Statehas made impressive efforts to garner the support ofAmerica's allies in the Gulf War coalition; whether hernoble efforts will be rewarded is, at this writing, stillunknown. It remains likely that, with no one alongside,except her old partner of the special relationship, theUSA seems determined to bomb Iraq ("Mesopotamia"in Churchill's early years, which WSC sometimesreferred to as "Messpot").

I am not interested in what the Russians think, butit seems to me worth considering what the Canadians,Germans, Japanese, Chinese and French think; and theBritish, who are by no means of one mind; and thestates most immediately menaced by Iraq, only one ofwhich indicates a significant level of support, be it mili-tary force or permission to use their airfields. To someextent this is a result of the United States havingignored the Desert Storm coalition repeatedly over thelast five years; but to a greater extent it is due to self-interest among allies who, as Churchill said, sometimesdevelop opinions of their own.

There is more unanimity on what those allies want,namely the removal of Saddam Hussein and hisweapons of mass destruction. But there is less beliefthat an air attack will accomplish either. Even the U.S.Secretary of Defense, remarkably and surprisingly, saidin late January that in his opinion no air assault wouldachieve either objective. Caution has been urged fromsuch unexpected quarters as an admiral who helpedfight Desert Storm. Poll-watching politicians who lackthe moral fibre to sell a ground war to the public arenot about to unleash one; for them air-launched mis-siles are a much cheaper way out. Foreign policy in thisage seems often to be conducted by opinion polls.

It seems probable that the only way to rid theCONTINUED OVERLEAF >»

FINEST HOUR 97/21

Churchill Online, continued

world of this particular madman and his deadly toys isto invade and occupy Iraq. "Why not?" I heard some-one say lately, "We did it with Nazi Germany." Butthat was another time, there was more unanimity, andalso a damsite more soldiers.

As Lady Soames constantly admonishes us, no oneis entitled to say how Winston Churchill would react tomodern situations. But perhaps there are some inter-esting things we could observe from his confrontationwith similar problems in the past. Were there any likethis one?

The tempting comparison to Hitler goes only sofar. True, Hitler was genocidal, posed a threat to hisneighbors, most of whom preferred to avoid con-fronting him. But the nature of the Nazi threat was mil-itarily more serious, and its ultimate aims were global,or at least hemispherical. Churchill's experience indealing with more primitive problems in the Malakandand Sudan are perhaps apposite. Notably, on somesuch occasions, he urged restraint and supported coali-tions. One recalls his arguments against the ForwardPolicy in northwest India and his comprehension ofthe Mahdi's level of support among the Dervish tribes-men of the Sudan. Thus we frame the debate: whatmight Churchill's experience and wisdom suggest inthis confrontation?

-Malakand@aol.com (Editor)

1. Don't Indulge in PinpricksChurchill always preferred to operate from a posi-

tion of strength. Our military power has been seriouslyeroded since Desert Storm, our former allies are nolonger reliable, and our leadership is weak. Pinprickswhich do not achieve our political goals will furthererode our position. An aggressive dictator, militaryunpreparedness, feckless leaders—sound familiar?Fortunately, Saddam Hussein is no Hitler, because wehave no Winston Churchill.

-leveck@hotmail.com (Terrence Leveck)

2. One of Churchill's Sillier MistakesPerhaps the creation of Iraq (which Churchill occa-

sionally, but not routinely called Mesopotamia—unlikeIran which he insisted should be called Persia) is one ofBritain's (and Churchill's?) sillier mistakes. In the veryshort run, access to some oil may have been im-proved—although customers are always needed, evenby non-Western societies. But the absurdity of treatingnations, states, and societies (all different) as if theywere pieces on some Parker Bros. "Monopoly" board,was a chicken that came home to roost. (In this case,"some chicken, some neck" is obviously not the most

fitting response.) The fraudulent boundaries thatBritain and France arrogantly (and stupidly) imposedon the Middle East ("middle" in relation to what?)after World War I were more foolish (though not yet asdestructive—at least not to Britain and the U.S.) thanthe nonsense that went on at the Paris Peace Confer-ence in 1919. Certainly Churchill's role in the creationof Iraq and the Middle Eastern settlement is hardly acredential for his selection as man-of-the-century.

Moreover, I think Mr. Churchill would have firmlyagreed. He was stubborn, opinionated, and parochial.(Aren't we all!) But he was not so insecure as to refuseto admit making a mistake. In this case I suspect hiscomment, in American slang coming from hangingaround too much with Franklin Roosevelt, would havebeen: "A mistake! And a lulu."

-wkimball@andromeda@Rutgers.edu(Professor Warren Kimball)

3. Generational Chauvinism?More and more lately I find myself agreeing with

Prof. Kimball, which I know will shock him as much asit does me!

But of course we can judge the boundaries of theNEAR EAST (so called because they were the NearestEast to the heart of the Empire and, ipso facto, the cen-ter of the universe) quite clearly in hindsight. The sameerrors were made in Africa, where tribal boundarieswere ignored in drawing up borders that created quo-tidian hostility when the colonial powers left. But towish for a more enlightened approach is to indulge inwhat William Manchester called "generational chau-vinism": judging actions of the past by the relativelyenlightened present. It is like rejecting the name ofGeorge Washington on a high school because GeorgeWashington, who died in 1799, owned slaves.

And yet, for a stubborn and parochial politician,Churchill showed amazing prescience in arguing thatthe 1921 boundaries should include a home for theKurds, "to protect them from some future bully inIraq." I know of no other "man of the century" nomi-nee who could see that far ahead. And the boundarieshe drew up also included Palestine: which evolved,thanks in part to his support, into Israel....

-Malakand@aol.com

4. The Jean Dixon EffectA multitude of predictions make for the appearance

of prescience. Call it the Jean Dixon effect. However, ifwe're into that sort of thing (i.e., Churchill's quite cor-rect concern about the Kurds), how about FDR's advicein 1942 or '43 that trying to put Serbs and Croats to-gether was just asking for trouble since their mutualhatred was so deep. But no one (neither Tito nor the

FINEST HOUR 97 / 22

Churchill Online, concludedBritish nor I think, the American State Department)paid any attention.

-wkimball@andromeda@Rutgers.edu

5. Excuse Me But...Actually the Serbs and Croats had been put togeth-

er long before World War II. The Kingdom of Jugoslaviawas created by the royal house of Karageorgevich inthe 1920s from the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats andSlovenes. The reason was that they were already notgetting along—though the pan-Slavism of pre-WWIdays is what made them want to be together in the firstplace—and the King wanted to foster a greater sense of

unity. I don't think it's fair to blame the Yugoslav situ-ation on the Great Powers. It was the goal of the Slavsthemselves. Once they were united, they fell to bicker-ing and arguing over unfair representation and power-sharing.

-jahvah@empirenet.com (Alexander Justice)

And there the discussion ends......At least at the time we extracted it from the ether.

As regular users already know, and readers willobserve, Listserv discussions take unexpected twistsand turns—and we still haven't had anyone tell uswhat we can learn, if anything, from Churchill's expe-rience with Iraq! Any takers? $

"America, Britain and the Special Relationship"

15th International Churchill ConferenceColonial Williamsburg, Virginia, 5-8 November

An Update for Members

A Conference Committeehas been formed (see page 2)to finalize details of theforthcoming meeting in thebeautifully restored Colonialcapital of what Churchillcalled "World FamousVirginia." Assistance frommembers, particularly inVirginia and theWashington metro area, willbe greatly appreciated.There is much to do andmany opportunites to helpand to meet new Churchill

Duke of Gloucester Street has changed little since Roosevelt visitedthe old capital of Virginia in 1934. Photo: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Center friends at the same time. If you are interested inplaying a role, please contact the chairman, JohnMather, Secretary of The Churchill Center (see page 2),or Craig or Lorraine Horn, 8016 McKenstry Drive,Laurel MD 20723-1152, telephone 301-725-7266 (emailaddress: dcraighorn@msn.com).

Registration packets (which many have askedabout already), will be mailed as usual at the end ofMay. In the meantime, we urge you to book your roomsat your preferred location (box, right) NOW, becausethey are limited and will go fast.

Members will be pleased to know that ample timewill be allowed to enjoy the finest restored city in theUnited States and the many local amenities, includingan outstanding golf course, and to extend your stay atthe special low rates shown opposite.

We cannot as yet reveal thename of our chief speaker,but we can advise of a newapproach: this speech, theFirst Annual ChurchillLecture, will be deliveredin the late afternoon, andthe dinner that night willbe in honor of the speaker,but will not keep you longafter the Loyal Toasts. Wehope this will prove to bean improvement that betterbalances your time. Moreto come soon! Stand by. $

Word to the Wise: Book Williamsburg Now!

Excellent rates are available for the 1998 ChurchillConference at Colonial Williamsburg, 5-8 November(you need to stay the nights of the 5th-7th minimum).The best rooms go fast, so we advise you to call now—

you can always cancel later. These low rates alsoapply three days before and after our conference, if

you wish more time to explore and enjoy the uniquerestored Colonial Capital and surrounding area.

Standard Rooms: Williamsburg LodgeMain/East/South Wing $147 Tazewell/West Wing $183

Luxury Rooms: Williamsburg InnMain Building $325, Providence Wing $220Economy Rooms: The Woodlands, Williamsburg

Guest Room $95, Suite $105Far all reservations call 1-800-H1STORY

FINEST HOUR 97/23

Send your questions (and answers) to the Editor

Riddles, Mysteries, Enigmas

, I have'an audio

ook entitled"Crossing byNight" byDavid Aron,about ElizabethPack, anAmerican-bornBritish diplo-mat's wife whohelped Britainbreak the ciphercode used by theGermans dur-ing World WarII. Churchill isportrayed asone of the"irregulars"who worked to

uncover Hitler's true plans, while NevilleChamberlain and Parliament ("regu-lars?") contented themselves with hopingHitler would contain communism.According to the inside cover of the audiobook, Ian Fleming based his James Bondcharacter on Elizabeth Pack's adventures.Quotes throughout the book reference herdiary, said to be in the ChurchillArchives. I have searched the Internet forinformation but have found none. Cananyone guide me to it?

A Amy Elizabeth Pack (neeThorpe) was one of the most

outstanding agents who served theAllied cause, not only during WW2but in the crucial period immediatelybefore it. "Cynthia" was the codename under which she worked, forSir William Stephenson's "BritishSecurity Co-ordination." Manyauthorities agree that her most suc-cessful coup, obtaining the navalciphers from the Vichy FrenchEmbassy in Washington in 1942, dra-matically improved Allied prospectsfor victory. She is the subject of abook, Cynthia—The Spy Who Changedthe Course of the War, by H.Montgomery Hyde, published inBritain by Hamish Hamilton, 1966.The Churchill Archives Centre hasmaterial collected by Hyde for thebook, including correspondence with

and about "Cynthia" and her child-hood diary. —Alan Kucia, ChurchillArchives Centre, Cambridge

Q Did the fact of Churchill's beinghalf American have any specific or

even general influence on American par-ticipation in World War II? What I amlooking for is insight into whatAmericans thought of him at all levels ofsociety at that time. (It is different fromours because of his peacetime reputation.)I especially ask this because the great manstill seems to hold a special place inAmerican hearts judging by U.S. mem-bership. -Chris Toplis, ICS/UK

A lt is doubtful that his Americanheritage influenced American

participation in the war, which afterall occurred with a certain unstatedcondition: Roosevelt clearly had aproblem with the British Empire andwanted to see it dismantled. (Manywondered why FDR, a political real-ist, was so stuck on this and consid-ered it a potential cause of strife,given the various other causes withwhich he was wrestling.) Churchillcertainly took advantage of hisAmerican connections when speakingand traveling in the United States.But surely it was his heroic defiancein 1940 that made his reputation inthe USA; for example, Blood Sweat andTears, the American edition of his firstvolume of WW2 speeches, had anenormous sale which dwarfed its saleeven in Britain.

The American fascination withhim, which as you say has alwaysbeen much more overt than theBritish, may have more to do with thefact that to Americans he alwaysappeared a statesman, not a partypolitician. He was careful to say noth-ing that might offend his hosts in anycountry he visited; likewise, he leftBritish politics at the water's edgeand never criticised the oppositionwhen abroad, at least not publicly.Thus he never managed to offendAmericans who sympathised with thepostwar Labour Government—andthere were many of them. The onlytime he came close to alienating a

fairly wide American public was afterthe Fulton speech, but it soon tran-spired that he'd been right all along,and the grumblers drifted off.

All of this may suggest why ourjob is easier in America (and Canada)than in Britain!

I've never seen a good, brief'explanation of the Dardanelles-lipoli episode and Churchill's role in

it. I certainly feel that Churchill had aplan for success which was perverted byforces beyond his control; but I knowthat, because of the complexity of it, a lotof the public gets the wrong impression.

[N.B.: The episode was the planto send an Allied fleet through theDardanelles in 1915, across the Sea ofMarmora, to appear off Constan-tinople, cowing the Turks into surren-der. This would have deprived theCentral Powers of a strategic ally andsuccoured the Russians via the BlackSea. The original plan to force theDardanelles "by ships alone" failedwhen the Admiral in charge turnedback just as the Turkish forts wererunning out of ammunition; later acombined operation involving a landinvasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula •also failed because it was delayedlong enough to allow the Turks tofortify the peninsula, and after theinitial landing failed to make good itsposition. Although Churdiill did notconceive of the operation, he was itsgreatest champion and was generallyblamed for the failure, which in-volved huge losses among British,Australian and New Zealand troops.]

A Churchill himself said that whatJL\ he learned from the Dardan-elles/Gallipoli operation was never topursue a supreme military enterprisewithout complete plenary authority.Many authorities believe this waswhy he made himself Minister ofDefence upon assuming thePremiership in 1940. F. B.Czarnomski's excellent Wisdom ofWinston Churchill (London: Allen &Unwin 1956, still the best quotebookaround, neatly organized alphabeti-cally by topic) goes as usual to theheart of the subject with the followingmaterial under "Gallipoli"...

"I will not have it said that thiswas a civilian plan, foisted by a politi-cal amateur upon reluctant officers >

FINEST HOUR 97 / 24

Riddles, continuedand experts...! am concerned to makeit clear...that this enterprise was pro-foundly, maturely, and elaboratelyconsidered, that there was a greatvolume of expert opinion behind it,that it was framed entirely by expertand technical minds, and that in nocircumstances could it have beenregarded as having been undertakenwith carelessness or levity....

"It seems to me that if there wereany operations in the history of theworld which, having been begun, itwas worth while to carry throughwith the utmost vigour and fury,with a consistent flow of reinforce-ments, and an utter disregard of life,it was the operation so daringly andbrilliantly begun by Sir Ian Hamiltonin the immortal landing of April 25."

-WSC, House of Commons,15 November 1915

Under the "Dardanelles" head-ing, Czarnomski offers:

"The light of victory was shiningclearly before us, and the path wasclearly illuminated, yet we could notget the strength, the power, and thedriving force to follow it. We couldnot get the strength and the resourceswhich were needed to carry itthrough. It will always be incredibleto future ages that every man in thiscountry did not rally to an enterprisewhich carried with it such immensepossibilities, and which required suchlimited resources to carry it intoeffect....for the sake of a dozen oldships and a half a dozen extra divi-sions, more or less, and a few hun-dred thousand rounds of high explo-sive shells, we failed to gain a prizespecially adapted to our Orientalinterests and our amphibious power,and which, by cutting Turkey out ofthe war, and uniting in one federationthe states of the Balkan Peninsula,would have brought us within mea-surable distance of lasting success."

-WSC, Commons, 20Marl7

These quotes are Churchill's andhighly partisan, but recent scholarsdo not rank the Dardanelles episodeprimarily as a Churchill blunder.(See, for example, Wallin's By ShipsAlone, Carolina Academic Press 1981.)

Considering Sir Winston'saccomplishments, why was he

'''only" knighted?

A He turned down a knighthood,the Order of the Garter, in 1945,

saying he could not accept it after theelectors had just given him the"Order of the Boot." He turned downa Dukedom upon his retirement, butso admired the Queen that he accept-ed the Garter in 1953. At least duringhis active years, his refusal of a peer-age was probably because it wouldsend him to the Lords and out of theCommons. Good references areColville, Fringes of Power (1985) andGilbert, Never Despair (the OfficialBiography, 1988). . $

It has often been said that forChurchill, monarchy was a reli-gion. I was wonder ing if you

could supply me with some Churchillquotations dealing with the Crown asan institution. Did he ever make anygreat pronouncements about consti-tutional monarchy being preferable torepublicanism?-Rafal Heydel-Mankoo, Ottawa, Ont.

Canada (kmankoo@sprint.ca)

Here are some notes from the FHquotes database on Filemaker Pro: %

• "In our island, by trial anderror, and by perseveranceacross the centuries, we havefound out a very good plan.Here it is: The Queen can dono wrong. Bad advisors canbe changed as often as thepeople like to use their rightsfor that purpose. A great bat-tle is won; crowds cheer theQueen. What goes wrong iscarted away with the politi-cians responsible. What goesright is laid on the altar ofour united Commonwealthand Empire."

-Westminster Hall,27 May 1953

• A recent bookremarked that one of Churchil l 'sproblems was that he didn't under-stand how the American systemworked. Yet former Senator Harry F.Byrd, speaking to the 1991 ChurchillConference in Richmond, Virginia,recalled this from his meeting withWSC in 1951.

"There was much dissatisfactionin the United States with PresidentTruman. He was at a low point in hispresidency. This prompted me to sayto Mr. Churchill that it seemed to me

that the British Parliamentary system,where the leader of governmentcould be changed within a short timespan of a few weeks, had much tocommend it over the American sys-tem of a fixed Presidency.

"I shall never forget Mr.Churchill's reply: 'Ah yes, Mr. Byrd,but don't forget this—that the greatstrength of the American system isthat the forty-eight states, actingthrough their own legislatures, can, toa very considerable degree, deter-mine their own affairs.' Then headded: 'You in America are not cen-tralized like we are in England.'

"Never had I heard such an elo-quent appraisal of States Rights. I wasfascinated that a great world states-man three thousand miles from ourshores should recognize and proclaimwhat so many Americans at that timedid not, and even now do not realize:the danger of a government too high-ly centralized, something ThomasJefferson warned against 150 yearsearlier."

-PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATION-AL CHURCHILL SOCIETIES 1990-91.Published 1993; available fromChurchill Stores, PO Box 96,Contoocook NH 03229 USA, emailgreengail@aol.com). $3

FINEST HOUR 97 / 25

ACTION THIS DAY BYJGHNGPLUMFTON

One hundred years ago:Winter 1897-98 • Age 23His First Book

COLONIAL LJB*$ftf i

The Colonial Edition, 14 March 1898

As the year ended, Winston'smother informed him that Long-

man's had agreed to publish The Story ofthe Malakand Field Force. He was hopefulthat the publicity would improve hisprospects for earning money. He quotedDr. Johnson: "No one but a blockheadever wrote except for money."

But he also hoped it would advancehis political career as well: "the publica-tion of this book will certainly be themost noteworthy act of my life. Up todate (of course). By its reception I shallmeasure the chances of my possible suc-cess in the world."

He also knew that he had thepotential to get better: "...on a largersubject and with more time I am capa-ble of a purer and more easy style andof more deeply considered views—yet itis a sample of my mental cast." Learn-ing was still very important to him. "Iam still reading—though I prefer towrite. The novel [Saurola] lies still unfin-ished and I am longing to take up thethreads. But the balance between Inputsand Exports must be maintained."

Reflecting on his own character andprospects, he insightfully wrote to hismother: "In Politics a man gets on not somuch by what he does, as by what he is.

It is not so much a question of brains asof character and originality. It is forthese reasons that I would not allowothers to suggest friends - a name -good advice well followed - all thesethings count - but they lead only to acertain point. As it were they mayensure admission to the scales. Ulti-mately every man has to be weighedand if found wanting nothing can pro-cure him the public confidence."

Nevertheless he did not hesitate topromote his connections. He asked hismother relentlessly to pursue an assign-ment for him in Egypt and he went toCalcutta to lobby for himself. There hedined with the Viceroy and the Com-mander-in-Chief. Not exactly the nor-mal social activity of a subaltern!

For recreation he played polo anddistinguished himself with the 4^ Hus-sars in the Regimental Polo Tourna-ment, although he could not prevent aloss in the finals to the Durham LightInfantry, the only Infantry Regimentever to win the tournament.

Seventy-five years ago:Winter 1922-23 • Age 48"The World Crisis"

When Churchill was defeated inthe general election and had surgery hequipped that he was "without an office,without a seat, without a party andwithout an appendix." Declining offersto run in other constituencies, heplanned to work on his war memoirs,and to paint. Leaving his home at 2 Sus-sex Square, he went to the Villa ReVed'Or near Cannes for six months, withperiodic returns to England.

The diary of his friend Victor Caza-let gives interesting insights intoChurchill's activities and views on peo-ple and issues:

"Winston has taken to gamblingwith terrible earnestness. He plays twicedaily and is now 20,000 francs up after amonth's play. He does not play veryhigh. He works very hard all day, from11 pm to 1 am. I roused him on FreeTrade. We had discussed Lloyd Georgeand his last Cabinet. Lloyd George, he

said, had made one howler after anoth-er during the past eighteen months,especially in foreign policy. Winstonhad disagreed with him on all.

"Apropos of the Versailles Treaty,Winston told me he said at the time toLG that he would not put his name to itfor 1,000 pounds. It was cruel andrelentless and spelt chaos. But he stillmaintains that we could not have gotthrough the four critical years after thewar except under a Coalition. The year1919 when there was nearly a revolu-tion was, he thought, the dangeryear.. .If he can keep quiet for anothersix months and bring out this greatwork [war memoirs] the future stillholds unlimited scope for his genius."

At the end of January Churchillreturned to London, where he stayed atthe Ritz Hotel. He visited Chartwell andwrote Clementine a detailed outline ofthe changes he was making. He joinedthe Artillery, which had replaced theold Oxfordshire Hussars. A few dayslater he wrote his wife that he had beenso busy that he hardly left the Ritz,except for meals. He seldom dinedalone. Among his guests were LadyLondonderry, Millicent Fanny, HarryChaplin, Jack Wodehouse, Lord Hal-dane, Freddie Guest, the Prince ofWales, Maude Burke, Austen Chamber-lain, Sir George Younger and VenetiaMontagu.

He planned another trip toChartwell and promised his wife that hewould not proceed with any more alter-ations without her approval—not apromise he would be able to fulfill, atleast in the long run!

He had come to end of his first vol-ume of war memoirs: "We have reachedthe moment when one must say 'As thetree falls, so shall it lie.'" But the title ofthe projected work had not been decid-ed upon. Geoffrey Dawson, the neweditor of The Times, which would seri-alise the book, wanted to call it The GreatAmphibian. Churchill himself liked"Triphibian." But Thornton Butterworthand Scribner's, who would publish thevolumes, didn't approve. They consid-ered Sea Power and the World Crisis andSea Power in the World Crisis before set-tling on The World Crisis.

FINEST HOUR 97/26

Fifty years ago:Winter 1947-48 • Age 77The War Memoirs

Lord Moran describes Churchill ina restless state of mind brought on bybeing out of office and the knowledgethat some of his colleagues wanted himto step aside as Leader of the Opposi-tion. Churchill told Moran that he didn'tneed a rest but "psychologically oneneeds change from time to time." Hedecided to take a vacation in a warmerclimate, but currency restrictions pre-vented him from taking sufficient fundsout of the country.

Churchill accepted an offer fromTime-Life to stay at the Hotel Mamou-nia in Marrakech. Sarah Churchill, whoaccompanied him, described the visit ina letter to her mother: "So far he has notleft the hotel, he paints from a high bal-cony of the new wing of the hotel—andas it has till now been cold, I am glad.But today a sortie is planned—just asmall one—to the pink walls. He isinclined to work a little too late."

Churchill himself described his rou-tine to Clementine: "Wake about 8 a.m.,work at Book till 12:30, lunch at one,paint from 2:30 till 5, when it is cold anddusk, sleep from 6 p.m. till 7:30, dine at8, Oklahoma with the Mule [cards withSarah]... .At 10 or 11 p.m. again work onthe Book. Here I have been rathernaughty; the hours of going to bed havebeen one o'clock, two, three, three, two,but an immense amount has been doneand Book II [of The Gathering Storm] ispractically finished. I am not going to situp so late in future. The pa|nting hasnot gone badly but I only h'lave thesetwo and a half short hours d igoodlight."

Literary aide Bill Deakin gave hisversion of the events to Martin Gilbertin 1975: "He liked excursions. Theywere working sessions. Sometimes hewould write a piece of his own, withoutany documents. When I got to Mar-rakech I found an awful piece about theSpanish Civil War. I said: 'But theseweren't your views at the time.' Heshouted at me; 'you God-damn, damnyou, you always think you're right.'

"His mind was fixed on the con-duct of the war. Occasionally, late atnight, we might talk about the Dard-anelles.... He didn't do very much work.He wanted company. He painted mostof the time."

Churchill had a different percep-tion. He had written Clementine that "Icame here to play, but in fact it has onlybeen Work under physically agreeableconditions."

This holiday also gave him a breakfrom the English political scene, and itappears he was in great need of thisrespite. He wrote Clementine that "Eng-land and politics seem very differenthere. I continue to be depressed aboutthe future. I really do not see how ourpoor island is going to earn its livingwhen there are so many difficultiesaround us and so much ill-will and divi-sion at home."

In early January Deakin returned toEngland with twelve chapters of thebook. At the same time Lord Moran andClementine arrived to tend to Churchill,who was feeling ill. Moran found thatChurchill did not have pneumonia andhis patient was in fine form very quick-ly. Moran wrote a long entry in his jour-nal about his visit to Marrakech. Hedated it 7 December 1947, but MartinGilbert points out Miat the correct datingis 3 January 194S.

Moran suggests that Churchill wasintolerant of criticism. If that was true,this was a very difficult time for theauthor of The Second World War. Amongthe people who gave very detailed criti-cism of his drafts were Isaiah Berlin,Edward Marsh, Clementine and, espe-cially, Emery Reves. The significance ofReves's comments was that the textwould have to be largely rewritten.Reves had shown the manuscript to thejudges of the Book-of-the-Month Club(Henry Seidel Canby, Dorothy CanfieldFisher, Christopher Morley, John P.Marquand and Clifton Fadiman). Theywere impressed with the work butagreed with Reves's recommendations.Churchill made enough changes toplease both Reves and himself.

Once again discussions ensuedregarding the title of Volume I.Churchill first considered Downward

Path; Reves suggested Gathering Clouds,or The Brooding Storm and the eventualwinner, The Gathering Storm. It was thebest possible choice.

In February Churchill returned toEngland to face a new gathering storm:aggressive Communist political andmilitary activity. Most ominous was theCommunist takeover in Czechoslovakiaand the mysterious death of Churchill'sfriend the non-Communist foreign min-ister, Jan Masaryk.

Twenty-five years ago:Autumn 1972"Little upstart Winston "

Dalton Newfield wrote his farewellas editor of Finest Hour and welcomed"a fine new editor," Stephen King, wholasted three issues, most of them ghost-written by Dal. No details were given asto why he had to relinquish the job.

Finest Hour reprinted the followingstory from The Glitter and the Gold byConsuelo Vanderbilt who had marriedChurchill's cousin "Sunny," the NinthDuke of Marlborough: "The Duchesswas seated in an armchair in the draw-ing-room of her house at the corner ofGrosvenor Square where she had livedsince her widowhood. Dressed inmourning with a little lace cap on herhead and an ear-trumpet in her hand,she bestowed a welcoming kiss in themanner of a deposed sovereign greetingher successor. After an embarrassinginspection of my person, she informedme that Lord Rosebery had reportedfavourably on me after our meeting inMadrid. She expressed great interest inour plans and made searching inquiriesconcerning the manner of life weintended to live, hoping, she said, to seeBlenheim restored to its former gloriesand the prestige of the family upheld.

"Then fixing her cold grey eyesupon me she continued, Tour first dutyis to have a child and it must be a son,because it would be intolerable to havethat little upstart Winston becomeDuke. Are you in the family way?'"

Fortunately Consuelo was—andthe little upstart remained available tobecome Prime Minister. $5

FINEST HOUR 97/27

BOOKS, ARTS

& CURIOSITIES

Two Halves of the Same WalnutWARREN F. KIMBALL

C hurchill As Peacemaker—the titlesuggests that these essays havetaken a discrete chunk of Win-

ston Churchill and put it under a micro-scope. Fortunately, that is not the case.Churchill the relentless, ebullient,engaged geopolitidan is not that easilybottled—or buried. This collection ofessays, taken from papers prepared forthe First Churchill Center Symposiumin 1994, might better be titled Churchilland the Politics of Empire.

Certainly there are essays for thosewho view Churchill as someone whotranscended his role as a British politicalleader to become an important politicalthinker, perhaps philosopher. "He wasnever simply a partisan for his owncountry and its way of life," writes onecontributor. (116) There is even a de-fense of Churchill's (and Britain's) com-mitment to "the Peaceful Purposes ofEmpire," a curious sort of Nietzscheanargument that the promotion of "politi-cal and cultural excellence" is the objectof empire. (81) As unpersuasive as I findsuch arguments, they offer useful piecesin the construction of an intellectualbiography.

But the bulk of the essays adopt, inone form or another, the position sowell laid out by Paul Addison of theUniversity of Edinburgh in his essay onChurchill and the Irish question:

More than any other British statesman ofhis time, Churchill saw the world in termsof conflicts that had to be confronted andresolved; if in his view there was no alter-native, he was prepared to resolve themby force or the threat of force. (186)

Warren Kimball is Robert Treat Professor ofHistory at Rutgers University. His latest book,Forged in War, is reviewed opposite.

Churchill as Peacemaker, edited byJames W. MullerCambridge & NewYork: CambridgeUniversity Presswith the Wilson andChurchill Centers,344 pages, $59.95.New Book Serviceprice $45 (shipping $5first book, $1 each

addl.) do the Editor.

Perhaps the way to read this book,which any Churchill scholar will findfascinating, is to begin with ManfredWeidhorn's intriguing attempt to recon-cile Churchill the warlord (not "war-monger") with Churchill the peacemak-er. The author, ever aware of his sub-ject's "Herculean efforts to cope with thechallenges presented by the two bloodi-est tyrants in history," finds thatChurchill's "realism" ensured that the"sentimental, naive peace lover" wouldbe set aside for the practical, hard-nosedman of the world—albeit a Britishworld, I might add. (41, 53) That themeof practicality (invariably mislabeled"realism") characterizes most of theother essays, on subjects as varied asChurchill's life (Churchill and...Zionism,Ireland, South Africa, the aftermath ofWorld War I). Even Martin Gilbert's sadnarrative of Churchill's ineffectuakiessin trying to arrange a summit betweenhimself, Stalin's successors, and Eisen-hower presents the Englishman as thepractical (realistic) idealist. Almostinvariably, Churchill appears as aBritish rather than a transnational states-man, which is, after all, what Crownand Parliament (and Churchill)required.

FINEST HOUR 97/28

But what about Churchill-as-Real-ist? Was he without ideas or ideals? Didhe not have strong views of how societyshould be structured (what Marx calleda political economy)? Was he wrong indismissing idealism (if he did)? Did heassume that the "realism" of the Euro-pean leaders—whatever their mis-takes—was the only rational way tomake peace?

Answering such questions requiresmore than a man's words as evidence,especially with a man of action likeChurchill. In fact, while he thoughtabout peace (and war) and frequentlyobserved the making of peace (andwar), he had his own chances to "make"peace only twice in his long career. Onehe either rejected or failed to perceivewhen, amidst the hot-house atmosphereof the Second World War, he had theopportunity to lead Britain towardpeaceful and positive devolution of theempire. The very concept provedunthinkable for him and instead hebecame an obstacle to the inevitable.

But, during World War II, he didseize his other opportunity to play therole of peacemaker. Churchill himselfclaimed that all his life before he becamePrime Minister in 1940 had been but apreparation for that conflict. He evadedand avoided structured planning forpeace, but no one expended more ener-gy than he in trying to construct a settle-ment that would meet the needs andhopes of both Britain and, necessarily,the other Great Powers. Yet the story ofthat effort is absent from this collection,beyond a few general references inessays written on other subjects.

To understand the essentialChurchill on making peace we mustexamine his actions; examine what hedid during the Second World Warwhen he was finally a peacemakerrather than a minor player or an histori-cal observer. A few examples of issuesto examine:

1. During World War II, as in 1919,Churchill was unable and often unwill-ing to choose between overwhelmingforce and a balance of power (cordonsanitaire) to deal with what he called theBolsheviks;

2. He firmly supported a greatpower settlement imposed, howevergently, upon the so-called lesser »

states (although he occasionally seemedto realize that Britain was in danger ofbeing relegated to that "lesser state" sta-tus—something that is happening onlynow, with the end of the Cold War andthe increasing insignificance of being anatomic power);

3. What Churchill liked and recom-mended—what made him comfort-able—was a kind of narrow, geopoliticalParker Brothers Monopoly board gameapproach to a peace settlement, whetherat Paris in 1919, or in Moscow in Octo-ber 1944, with his percentages proposalto Stalin;

4. Then there is the question of Wil-son's ghost. History cannot repeat, but itsurely imitates, parodies, and parallelsitself. Woodrow Wilson initially offeredthe world (that is, Europe) a choicebetween the old order, which bred warand violent revolution, and a differentway: a choice between reaction, as hecalled it, and liberalism.

With two of the great symbols ofthe old order, the emperors of Germanyand Austria-Hungary, gone from thescene, only America's erstwhile allies,Britain and France, remained to occupythe "reactionary" right. But the 1917Bolshevik Revolution presented a third,frightening, seductive option. Instead ofmoderate, progressive change that per-mitted the oppressors (entrepreneurs) toretain some if not all of the fruits of theirworks; in lieu of progressive change thatdid not throw the baby out with thebath water; rather than moderate reformthat harnessed the benefits of modernindustrialism to serve the majority(phrasing reminiscent of the 1912 Amer-ican presidential campaign). Why not,asked the Bolsheviks, turn society up-side down? Why not have change fromthe bottom up? Hoping to forestall bothextremes, Wilson's Fourteen "Pointswere aimed as much at Lenin as theywere at Clemenceau.

By the time of the Teheran confer-ence twenty-five years later, that trio ofchoices had reappeared, though insomewhat camouflaged form. Hitlerwas sui generis—neither reaction norrevolution—or perhaps a mix of both.Anyway, he was about to disappear.For the postwar world, reaction took theform of Britain, its empire, and Euro-pean colonialism. (That image was sym-

bolic as much as real, but before snortsof dismissal are heard, remember thatAlgeria, Vietnam, and the fifty years ofconflict in Africa after World War II areattributable, at least in significant part,to European colonialism, the legacy ofwhich is far from benign.) liberalism—the middle way, the golden mean—remained seated (at least in Roosevelt'smind) in the United States.

Revolution still resided in Moscow,even if the Soviet regime was deeplysoiled by the brutality of everythingfrom the purges to the persecution ofany and all opponents of collectivism.That presence became overwhelming asthe Soviet Union first survived, thenturned back the German onslaught, andthen began to occupy eastern Europe.

More frightening, revolution couldspread by the very political means thatRoosevelt and Churchill professed tosupport—free elections. The initialround of elections in liberated and occu-pied nations after the war could wellbring to power the left—socialists andcommunists.

Churchill faced such issues at atime when he had some influence ontheir outcome, and without a full dis-cussion of how he thought and acted,the picture of him as peacemaker isincomplete. Consider this my recom-mendation for the next Churchill Centersymposium—and book. In the mean-time, this is a serious, worthwhile dis-cussion of the prologue (and a little ofthe aftermath) to Churchill as Peacemaker.

Unity on theMain AgendaRICHARD M. LANGWORTH

Forged in War: Churchill, Roosevelt andthe Second WorldWar, by Warren F.Kimball. NewYork: WilliamMorrow & Co.,$25. FH New BookService price $20 +shipping, c/o theEditor, FH.

As editor of the seminal Churchill-Roosevelt Correspondence, Profes-sor Kimball is well qualified to

review the key relationship of WorldWar II, and he begins by dismissingdivers off-the-wall theses with whichChurchill's wartime role has been tarred(or maybe peppered) in recent years:

Perhaps, some have argued loudly,Churchill led Britain down the primrosepath by placing his faith in an alliance withthe Americans. Chamberlain's appease-ment policy could have worked, the argu-ment goes, for it would have set the Ger-mans against the Soviet Union.... Regard-less of self-respect, which governmentsmay not have but a people do, regardless

of what that would have meant for thepeoples of Europe, particularly WesternEurope, regardless of how little Britain hadto gain and how much it had to lose insuch a gamble, it was Chamberlain, notChurchill, who declared war on Nazi Ger-many....British strategic assumptions weresimple—and simply wrong. (29)

The relationship between Rooseveltand Churchill was intricate, full ofnuances and endlessly debatable.Robert Sherwood began an examinationwith Roosevelt and Hopkins (1948), JosephLash added Roosevelt and Churchill(1976). John Charmley's Churchill'sGrand Alliance (Finest Hour 88) and KeithSainsbury's Churchill and Roosevelt atWar (FH 87) added critical dimensions.David Stafford's Churchill and Secret Ser-vice (FH 96) produced important knowl-edge on how WSC and FDR shared (orrefused to share) intelligence. Ongoingreleases of official documents guaranteea continuing historical rexamination(see next review). There is nothingwrong with revisionist history, provid-ed a legitimate case for it can be made,preferably without accompanyinghistrionics.

Except among the sensationalists,Kimball's main thesis seems hardlyarguable: Churchill and Roosevelt haddifferent agendas in many areas, but onone thing they were united: Hitler hadto go. Churchill hoped that in the pro-

CONTINUED OVERLEAF »>

FINEST HOUR 97/29

The Finest Hour New Book Service isoperated at cost for the benefit of read-ers. We buy books in quantity andpass savings along. Order from theEditor or Churchillbooks, PO Box 385,Hopkinton NH 03229 USA. Shipping:$5 for first book, $1 each additional.

Forged in War, continued-cess he could use Roosevelt to shore upthe sagging British Empire (which manybelieve was headed for history's grave-yard long before the war). Rooseveltconsidered the Empire obsolete andreactionary, viewing Britain as a minorplayer in the postwar settlement, whichhe expected to dictate with Stalin.

In their secondary agendas bothChurchill and Roosevelt were disap-pointed. America acted in her owninterests, not Britain's (big surprise);Stalin proved no peacetime partner,although far fewer people died in theCold War than in WW2, and none withthe precision of Hitler's Final Solution,or Stalin's cruder, but greater, massgenocide in the 1930s. Nor were thelessons of war lost on the architects ofthe Marshall Plan and NATO, as theywere lost on the architects of Versailles.But on the main agenda, FDR andChurchill were united.

Now, if you believe that a worldcontaining any vestige of NaziGermany would have been

infinitely preferable to the world weinherited in 1945, then you may takeissue with Kimball's approach. But ifyou believe that what we got was thebest available outcome in an array ofunpleasant alternatives, you may agreewith Kimball, and Churchill, and thebulk of scholarly opinion: Hitler had togo. All out war "we may very welldeplore when we have time to thinkabout it," William Buckley told the 1995Churchill Conference in another context,"but Churchill was telling his country-men, and indirectly Americans, that anyscruple, at that time of peril to thenation itself, was an indefensible andunbearable distraction." ^-

There is much in this book to pon-der, and challenge: the notion, for exam-ple, that Churchill, of the two, alwaysplayed the bull in a china shop. Roo-

sevelt seems here always to heed hislieutenants, who are widely quoted; andStalin seems always prescient and wise(the first criticism of him is on page 185).But Churchill seems to operate in a vac-uum—and each slip puts him under thehistorical gun.

In March 1942, for example,Churchill's longstanding faith in Balticindependence suffers apostasy: hewrites Roosevelt that perhaps Stalinshould be allowed to keep Estonia,Latvia, Lithuania (and parts of Finland,Poland and Rumania)—and Rooseveltpromptly pins his ears back. This isoffered to the reader as an example ofChurchill's willingness to sacrifice prin-ciple for expediency (138-46). But it does

Der Sturmer, Nuremberg, 4 September 1941,after the Atlantic Charter conference.

not fully coi ivey Churchill's prevailingattitudp toward Baltic freedom (see"Churchill and the Baltic," FH 54); thedesperate military posture in March1942; the urgings of Beaverbrook andHalifax that Stalin be placated; andChurchill's evident relief when FDRsays no, we cannot grant Stalin his 1941borders. Ironically, this was the onlytime Roosevelt stood firm on Baltic free-dom. Never, Kimball rightly notes, didRoosevelt view Stalin's reconquest "as acritical moral or ethical issue." (But theBaits did.)

During the battle for Singapore,Churchill goes over the heads of hisgenerals, telling them to "fight to thelast man." The author says this showsChurchill's lack of deference to andinterference with field commanders. Butwas this typical, or the desperate prod-uct of what Churchill viewed asBritain's most shameful defeat? WhenChurchill takes Roosevelt to Marrakech

in 1943, we are told that the Prime Min-ister was hoping for "a seduction" in an"intimate setting." (195) Could it be thatChurchill simply wished to show FDRthe place he loved? Surely they had noshortage of intimate settings.

There are in this book a lot ofmaybes: "Perhaps Churchill hoped..."(And perhaps he didn't...) There is anoccasional shocker-sentence, given whatwe know in hindsight: "...if the Ameri-cans were skeptical of the [atomic]bomb's utility, why not share the secretwith the Soviets and promote a sense oftrust?" (280). There are also minor dis-tractions. The photo captions (the BigThree: "We've got the whole world inour hands...") are curious attempts athumor. Jennie Jerome was born inRochester, not Baltimore. Dunkirk wasless Churchill's "manipulation" (133)than what Churchill said it was: a"deliverance." In no sense did Japanwin the Battle of the Coral Sea. (148)

More evidence is wanted for thecontention that Roosevelt's "uncondi-tional surrender" policy was agreed tobeforehand by Britain, although Kimballlambastes the notion that it made a dif-ference: "That was just what the worldneeded: a strong, armed Germany ledby the same wonderful cast of militaryleaders..." (188) But Germany couldhave been controlled in any case—onequestion that remains to be asked is: did"unconditional surrender" postponeHitler's demise?

The British Empire gets short shrift,along Rooseveltian lines (314,334). Thuswe find FDR's stopping at Bathurst,Gambia, which he describes as an"awful, pestiferous hole" (193)—butsuppose FDR had stopped instead inGibraltar? Clearly the two leaders hadgreat differences over Empire, but thissubject deserves more plumbing. It hasalways been a mystery to me why Roo-sevelt could see all the faults of Britain'sEmpire, but so few of the Soviet's. Wasit because Stalin was much more power-ful, less likely to knuckle under?

There is room to criticize Chur-chill's ideas of "spheres of influence,"notably at the TOLSTOY conference in1944; but can we really equate British"influence" with Soviet? In the former, atrade concession might be imposed; inthe latter, well... Prof. Kimball >»

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believes "Churchill got tough overGreece because he concluded thatBritain's Great Power status had to betested." (297) Might Churchill havetoughened over Greece because he hada commendable, if romantic, view ofGreek democracy and a green lightfrom Stalin to save it?

Argue as we may over these inter-esting issues, Forged in War offers muchto encourage Churchill's admirers.WSC's "soft underbelly" proposals forinvasion via Italy were apparently notso silly after all: "The threat of a secondfront in Italy achieved what Stalin hadbeen asking for since 1941: the divertingof significant German forces away fromthe Russian front." (218) The problemsraised by Chiang Kai-shek (236), therealities of Teheran (239), and thetragedy of the Warsaw uprising (274)are deftly summarized. Kimball hasmoved away from his earlier contentionthat Churchill was an alcoholic: "noalcoholic could drink that much." (22)But that judgment may rely on theunschooled impressions of colleagues,before whom Churchill performed his"getting more out of alcohol" routines.The descriptions of Churchill's and Roo-sevelt's health are convincing, thoughKimball does not believe it significantlyaffected their policies.

Another reviewer suggests that theauthor's immersion in the Churchill-Roosevelt relationship blinds him intoexaggerating its importance, an interest-ing point. How much did the two Titansactually cause to happen, and howmuch did they affect by their reaction tothings they couldn't control? Lend-Lease, wrote John Charmley in hisreview, was a bad bargain for Britain:"The disposal of British Caribbean basesin exchange for redundant Americanbattleships" [Charmley means "cfestroy-ers"] was hardly an equal bargain." Butif you read Churchill's telegramsproposing that deal to FDR, you get arather different view of why thosedestroyers were so vital. I am remindedof Lady Soames's crisp remark: "At thetime, it was not at all clear that we weregoing to win." If you consider howmany American military ventures sincedepended on ex-British Caribbeanbases, you may decide that the deal wasa pretty good one—for Britain, when

the terror of extinction flickered.Warren Kimball understands and

capably relates the imperatives of thetime. In the 1990s, he concludes,"Britons and Americans have focusedon all that went wrong with the resultsof the Second World War, forgettingthat few, if any, of those 'mistakes'could have been made if Hitler's Ger-many and militaristic Japan hadwon....Had Churchill and Rooseveltchosen to fight the war solely for post-war advantage against Russia, commu-

nism, and the left, they could not havewon the struggle....They could not solveall the political, social and economicproblems of the world, but they couldlead their nations to victory and preventa far worse set of problems. And theydid." (337)

Kimball has blended a sound viewof the war with a barrage of sources andhis own challenging opinions, giving usa thoughtful book that furthers ourunderstanding of "the partnership thatsaved the west."

TurkishOverturesDAVID STAFFORD

Churchill's Secret War: DiplomaticDecrypts, the For-eign Office andTurkey 1942-44, byRobin Denrriston.New York: St.Martin's Press1997, illus., 208pp,$39.95. FH NewBook Service price$32 + shipping, c/o

the Editor, FH.

As a participant in frontier warsbetween empires and rebelslong before he entered politics,

Churchill learned the value of goodintelligence. Later, as a minister, he wasrarely without it. When Britain estab-lished its Secret Service Bureau (forerun-ner of MI5 and MI6) he eagerly support-ed it, first as President of the Board ofTrade, then as Home Secretary and FirstLord of the Admiralty. In 1914 he per-sonally wrote out the founding "Char-ter" of Room 40, the Admiralty's topsecret decoding centre, and daily readthe intercepts that landed on his desk.He repeated this pattern as Prime Min-ister a World War later. By personalorder raw intercepts produced byBletchley Park—wartime HQ of the

David Stafford is an Associate of the Centre forSecond World War Studies at the University ofEdinburgh. His most recent book is Churchilland Secret Service (reviewed last issue).

Government Code and Cipher School(GCCS), the successor of Room 40—were delivered to him daily in DowningStreet. "Ultra," as the material is nowgenerally called, Was the single mostimportant source of all wartime intelli-gence. It meant that of the Big Threewartime allies, Churchill was the bestinformed about the thinking of theenemy.

This much is now general knowl-edge. What has only recently beenlearned, through the 1994 release to thePublic Record Office in Kew of the so-called DIR/C papers, the nearly 4,000top secret intelligence files sent daily toChurchill that were discovered almostby chance at Chartwell after his death—is that a high percentage of the inter-cepts he so hungrily consumed consist-ed of diplomatic, not military, material;and that it came not from enemy butfrom neutral and even allied powers.Historians are only beginning to gettheir teeth into this archive. Robin Den-niston is one of the first.

He is remarkably well equipped todo so. His father, Alastair Denniston,rose from being one of the stars ofRoom 40 to directing GCCS between thewars, running it until 1942 at BletchleyPark, then taking charge of its diplomat-ic and economic section based in Berke-ley Street, London. His son, a publisherby profession, has made himself anexpert on signals intelligence andlearned much from his father's papers.Now he has immersed himself in theDIR/C and other wartime documentsto tackle one of the great mysteries ofthe Second World War: What explainedChurchill's obsession with Turkey, and

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FINEST HOUR 97/31

Secret War, continued-why did he persist in disregarding allhis professional advisers in vainattempts to persuade Turkey to aban-don neutrality and join the allied cause?(Vain, that is, until its declaration of waron Germany in late February 1945,made to establish its status as a foundermember of the United Nations.)

The core of the book is Denniston'srecent University of London PhD thesisand his assiduous researches revealnothing materially new about the histo-ry of the Second World War. After all,why should they? Churchill knew every-thing in his DIR/C file, kept it besidehim after the war, and built the knowl-edge into his history—his "case," as hedisarmingly acknowledged—which hasever since formed the dominating narra-tive of events. What it does do, howev-er, is forcibly illustrate Churchill's pen-chant for reading raw intelligence mate-rial, the way WSC used it, and thepotent mix of hope and desperation thatoften informed his political/strategicthinking.

Churchill, Turkey, and interceptshad been inextricably linked since 1915,when products of Room 40 ledChurchill to believe that Turkey, an allyof Germany, was running short ofammunition, and helped fuel his beliefin the Dardanelles campaign. He alsoread Turkish intercepts during theChanak crisis of 1922. In the 1930s, outof office, he was deprived of them,which perhaps explains his optimisticbelief when he became Prime Ministerthat Ankara might become a friendlyally. Had he been privy to them, hewould have learned that PresidentIsmet Inonu, who succeeded the greatKemal Ataturk after his death in 1938,was determined to do nothing thatwould risk his country.

Instead, in 1940, Churchill sentLieutenant-General James Marshall-Cornwall—the only high-rankingBritish officer with a Turkish inter-preter's certificate—to Ankara getTurkey on to the allied side, and twicedespatched Eden there on the samefruitless mission. No wonder Edendeveloped ulcers, for from carefulscrutiny of the intercepts the ForeignOffice experts had told him that the

Turks had no intention of jeopardisingtheir security by making themselvesvulnerable to German attack.

What kept Churchill trying was hisbelief that he personally could persuadethem otherwise, as well as an ingrainedsuspicion of the pro-Greek sympathiesof the classically-trained Foreign Officeelite. As any reader of his historyknows, he placed enormous hopes onthe meeting in January 1943 after theCasablanca Conference that he finallymanaged to contrive with Inonu in atrain at Adana, a town on Turkey'sMediterranean seaboard. "This is bigstuff," Churchill said when Inonu final-ly agreed to meet him.

But Churchill came away empty-handed, and in the months that fol-lowed Turkish decrypts were low onthe priority of the codebreakers inBerkeley Street. Even a military missionto Ankara under General Sir Henry('Jumbo') Wilson achieved none of itsmain objectives of getting agreement onthe weapons training of Turkish soldiersby the British and the building of run-ways and harbours.

Italy's surrender, and with it theelimination of her threat to Turkey, onlyencouraged Churchill further in hishopes for Turkish intervention, whichformed part and parcel of his Dode-canese campaign whose failure he dis-tressingly tells in the chapter "IslandPrizes Lost" in his Closing The Ring. Yethere again, Denniston argues, Churchillignored the evidence, apparent from theintercepts, that Hitler would strongly

resist. To which Churchill wouldreply—rightly—that policy should beinformed but never be driven, by intelli-gence. He was also, of course, ham-pered by the refusal of the Americans tosupport him. (See review of MichaelParish's Aegean Adventures in FH 82,page 38.)

Denniston's researches also throwfascinating light on one of the mostbizarre spy episodes of the SecondWorld War—the Cicero affair, in whichthe Germans successfully planted a spyin Britain's embassy in Turkey in theform of the ambassador's personal valet.Such was British embarrassment overthe affair that it led to a thorough weed-ing of the relevant files after the war.

Now, DIR/C provides an impor-tant primary source. The details are fartoo complex to tell here, but what itreveals, ironically, is that while Ciceroenabled the Germans to read a hugeamount of valuable British material, thecoup also backfired by eventually giv-ing British codebreakers data enablingthem to break the German diplomaticcode ("Floradora") in 1944.

Churchill, for all his obsession withintelligence, always believed that itshould be an aid to policy, not a substi-tute; his intelligence advisers were justthat—advisers, not policy makers. Den-niston's detailed examination of theTurkish intercepts confirms the point.The monograph, dense in parts, isunlikely to appeal to the general readerbut it provides a valuable addition toChurchill studies.

Older Titles: Another LookReaders are invited to comment on older books by or about Churchill which they have readrecently. Please try to restrict your review to 500 words.

The Last Lion: Winston SpencerChurchill, Vol. II "Alone 1932-1940," byWilliam Manchester. New York &London: 1988,1200pp, illus.

REVIEWED BY JOE SRAMEK

When I first read this book, Iwas struck by its rhetoricalbrilliance. This was exhilarat-

ing at first, but later on it became trou-bling. I asked myself: could Manchester

be trying to oversell his product? Idecided to take a closer look at Manch-ester's work, particularly its many his-torical inaccuracies.

For example, Manchester describesthe 1932 London hunger riots as playing"...a role in the formation of the mostdisastrous foreign policy in the historyof Britain and its empire." (40-41).Manchester offers no footnote to hisassertion. By contrast, A. J. P. Taylor's »

FINEST HOUR 97/32

English History, 1914-45, (New York:Oxford University Press, 1965) states:"....Unemployment was the spurtowards a more aggressive socialist poli-cy. It also provided an opening throughwhich Communist influence broke intothe middle classes....The Communistsstepped eagerly into the vacant place.Wai Hannington, their nominee forleadership, hit on the device of "hungermarches"—an echo of the old Blanke-teers. Select bands of unemployed fromthe depressed areas marched on Lon-don, where they demonstrated to little pur-pose...." (italics mine).

A second example: in 1933 aLabour candidate at a by-election inEast Fulham turned a Conservativemajority of 14,000 into a Labour majori-ty of 5,000, which Manchester ascribesto pacifism among the voters. (46) HereManchester takes the position of CharlesLoch Mowat in Britain Between the Wars,1919-40, (Chicago: The University ofChicago Press, 1955): "In 1932 and 1933pacifist sentiment, a vague belief in theLeague as the guardian of peace, a dis-belief in the possibility of a Europeanwar were still dominant among theBritish people....More portent in influ-encing policy was the by-election in EastFulham in October 1933. The Conserva-tive candidate, advocating an increase inthe strength of the army, navy, and airforce, was defeated by the Labour can-didate who accused him of preparingfor war." (422)

Mowat, like Taylor, is a respectedhistorian of the era, but on this questionhe and Manchester are in a distinctminority. Taylor, writing ten years laterwith the benefit of more scholarship onthe period, suggests that their view"was probably mistaken....E|ectors, asdistinct from politicians, were interestedin housing and unemployment,*'not inforeign affairs. In any case, there was anatural swing back to Labour after thefreak results of 1931 (when they wentfrom 289 to 46 seats)." (367) John W.Young's Britain and the World in the 20thCentury (New York: St. Martin's, 1997)supports Taylor: "The October Fulham

Mr. Sramek, an undergraduate at BinghamtonUniversity, New York, is writing a senior hon-ors thesis entitled "Labour and Appeasement:Lansbury, Attlee, Bevin, and their changing atti-tudes toward Nazi Germany, 1933-39."

by-election, which the Conservativeslost to a pacifist Labour candidate on aswing of 19,000 votes, was not simplyfought on the peace issue [emphasis mine],but it shook Conservative leaders andpointed out the need for a popular edu-cation campaign before rearmamentwas undertaken." (105) So does Carl F.Brand's The British Labour Party (Stan-ford: Hoover Institution Press, 1974):Labour's candidate was "no pacifist,"Brand writes; his victory "proved thepopularity of collective security." (179)

No one will deny that pacifism wasa factor in this key by-election. Yet intrying to oversell Churchill, Manchesteressentially argues that it was the onlyfactor—which I must assume is anattempt to magnify Churchill even moreagainst his time period.

Winston Churchill is, indeed, the"Last Lion," but does he need to be lion-ized? This, unfortunately, is what Man-

chester has done. His book fawns overChurchill's lonely stand against Hitler—although WSC was not alone—andignores or fabricates history to provethat Churchill was a great man, which,on the evidence, is superfluous.

On the whole, William Manchestermakes a good, although flawed, contri-bution to Churchill scholarship. There isnothing wrong with popular history, or"historical literature," per se, so long asthe reader knows the basic story already.Thus I would recommend reading TheLast Lion only after reading Gilbert,Rhodes James, Rose, and others. As aperson who is serious about history, Ifear that the ordinary reader, the so-called "history buff," will read Manch-ester's book before the others, and comeaway with erroneous impressions of the1930s. This would be a disservice to ourunderstanding of Churchill and histime-period.

Television: Why "Hero"?"Walden on Heroes: WinstonChurchill," narrated by Brian Walden.Aired 6 January 1998 on BBC2 .

Former MP Brian Walden deliv-ered an interesting talk onChurchill in his "Heroes" series,

which hammered home many pointswell known to graduate Churchillians:that Britain in the 1930s would do any-thing to stop Hitler, except fight him(Alistair Cooke said that to the 1988Churchill Conference); that the notion of"Britain having peace while that chaoticfigure Hitler rampaged through Europe...is absurd (Finest Hour 78, and manyothers before and since, have said muchthe same). However, at least one ofWalden's observations about Churchillis new and novel: "...he thought so wellof us [that] it seemed shameful to disap-point him."

Walden offers some debatablethemes. He says WSC was "deeplyflawed" (really?) and a "bad strategist,"particularly over Singapore. (Surely tobe a great strategist you have to havesomething to strategize with, and therewasn't much left for Singapore after ayear alone.) He says Dresden, so terribly

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bombed in 1945, had no military signifi-cance (the military thought otherwise)and that the postwar Tory BeveridgeReport was the beginning of the WelfareState. (He omits Lloyd George andChurchill circa 1910, let alone Attlee.)But Walden balances his criticism with akeen analysis of just why Churchill waswho he was—and still is, to people whoare conscious of history:

"If Britain had made peace in 1940,Hitler would have conquered all ofEurope, including Russia. Churchill hadtaken a very great gamble, and as a heroshould, I'm sure he would have madethe supreme sacrifice himself if in factthe gamble hadn't succeeded....Ofcourse, that runs counter to modernman's view that peace is the highest ofall good...

"Peace is a wonderful prize tosecure. But it has to be secured in a waythat makes it meaningful. It was a Ger-man, Gollo Mann, the son of ThomasMann, who said that Winston Churchillgave the war meaning and moral great-ness because Britain's stand ensured thesurvival of human rights. There can beno greater tribute, and that's whyChurchill was a hero." -RML %

Rescuing the HavengoreBy Douglas J. Hall

On Saturday, 30 January 1965, thePort of London Authority's sur-vey launch Havengore was called

upon to perform its most solemn duty.Following a State Funeral Service in St.Paul's Cathedral, the coffin of Sir Win-ston Churchill was taken in processionthrough the heart of the City of Londonto Tower Pier. In the shadow of Williamthe Conqueror's 900 year-old fortressthe coffin was lifted from its gun-car-riage by a bearer party of GrenadierGuards, piped aboard Havengore andplaced on a bier on the afterdeck.Draped with the Union Flag, andtopped with a velvet cushion on whichrested Sir Winston's insignia of Knightof the Garter, the coffin was to make afifteen minute journey along the RiverThames to Festival Hall Pier, from

Mr. Hall is FH's Features Editor .

whence it would continue by motorhearse to Waterloo Station and specialtrain, hauled by the Battle of Britainclass steam locomotive "WinstonChurchill," to Handborough, Oxford-shire and the churchyard at Bladon.

This short river journey was writ-ten into the arrangements for theState Funeral as a fitting tribute to theman who had such great affection forall things maritime. Twice First Lordof the Admiralty; famously, in hiswartime correspondence withPresident Roosevelt, a "Former NavalPerson"; an Elder Brother of TrinityHouse; Lord Warden of the CinquePorts; proud wearer, when on boardHM ships, of the Royal YachtSquadron cap and reefer jacket;Winston Churchill had long consid-ered himself a sailor. So he would begiven a sailor's farewell with a water-

borne procession matching that pre-viously accorded to Lord Nelson in1805.

As the Havengore proceeded up-river, close family mourners installedbelow in the spacious plotting cabin,a Royal Marines band played RuleBritannia; a nineteen-gun salute wasfired, riverside cranes dipped insalute and a fly-past of sixteen RoyalAir Force Lightning jet fightersroared overhead. The flag of the LordWarden of the Cinque Ports flew atthe bow of the Havengore and the BlueEnsign of the Royal Naval Auxiliarystreamed at the stern. Proudly, ifsomewhat nervously, captainingHavengore on this special occasionwas Commander G. V. Parmiter, thePort of London Authority's RiverSuperintendent and Harbour Master.

The BBC was broadcasting theState Funeral to an estimated televi-sion audience of 350 million world-wide. As the boom of the guns andlow-flying aircraft reverberatedaround the riverside buildings anddied away, the voice of WinstonChurchill's wartime friend and col-league, former U.S. President DwightEisenhower, was heard over the pic-tures of the Havengore making its wayupstream, in a eulogy none whoheard it shall ever forget:

/ / T Tpon the mighty Thames,\-s a great avenue of

history, move at this moment totheir final resting place the mor-tal remains of Sir WinstonChurchill. He was a great makerof history, but his work done,the record closed, we can almosthear him, with the poet, say:

'Sunset and Evening Star,

And one clear call for me!

And may there be

no moaning of the bar

When I put out to sea...

Twilight and evening bell,

And after that the dark!

And may there be

no sadness of farewell

When I embark...'"

FINEST HOUR 97 / 34

LEFT, June 1997: Owen Palmer surveys the dilapidation of the plank-ing above Havengore's plotting cabin. BELOW LEFT, August 1997:Starboard foredeck has now been rescrewed, recaulked, reseamed,sanded smooth and treated to a first coat of varnish. Restoration ofthe forward superstructure has commenced. ABOVE, October 1997:Deck planking has now been restored to pristine condition; goodprogress has been made on cleaning and repainting superstructure.New starboard rails are being fabricated to the design of the origi-nals. BELOW, 13 November 1997: Palmer, learning that the RoyalYacht HMS Britannia was making her farewell trip to London, wasdetermined that Havengore, although only partly restored, should bepart of the escort flotilla. Here tugs ease Britannia beneath the raisedTower Bridge, with not too much by way of clearance.

Havengore was built in 1956 byTough Brothers Ltd. of Teddington toundertake hydrographic surveys forthe Port of London Authority. Eighty-seven feet long, 18 feet in the beam,with a draft of almost six feet, the 89gross ton vessel had been built to anextravagant specification for anessentially workaday role. Her dark-blue hull was made of flush-jointedteak planks over an oak frame andher superstructure was of clear-var-nished natural hardwood. The spa-

cious wheelhouse and plotting cabingleamed with polished wood andburnished brass. Powered by twinGardiner 150 hp engines, Havengorehad a service speed of 12 knots. ThePLA came under the jurisdiction ofboth the Government and the LondonCounty Council and thus Havengorehad often been pressed into servicefor prestigious events such as theState Visit of President Kekkonen ofFinland, the Lord Mayor's Show andwreath-laying ceremonies on Remem-

FINESTHOUR97/35

brance Day. But this, without doubt,was Havengore's finest hour.

Thirty-two years later, in theearly summer of 1997, AustralianOwen Palmer discovered that Haven-gore, long unused, was available forsale. The vessel presented a sorrysight with its peeling paintwork, flak-ing varnish, sprung and leaking deckboards, broken ports, missing fittingsand rails; but a survey pronouncedher essentially sound and without

CONTINUED OVERLEAF >»

TOP: Havengore peels off from duty with theBritannia escort flotilla and heads for St.Katharine Dock.

MIDDLE: Aboard Havengore in the dock lock.Temporary acting unpaid crew membersJack Darrah (left) and Mary Hall (right) con-template the steep descent to the crew'squarters below deck.

BELOW: The drawbridge is raised to allowHavengore to enter St. Katharine Dock. Whenthe dock was closed for commercial shippingin 1968, the 19th century Thomas Telfordwarehouses were restored and adapted for avariety of purposes, including a busy marina,a large hotel, shops, pubs, restaurants andapartments.

Havengore, continued

major defects. Aware of the historicalsignificance of Havengore, Mr. Palmeracquired the vessel, formed theHavengore Trust, and set about rais-ing the finance to carry out a fullrestoration.

The main objective of the Trust isto make Havengore available to takedisadvantaged children on river andcoastal voyages; and to enable themto participate in maritime festivalsand events, acquiring a sense of iden-tity and a feeling of pride. At berthHavengore will provide a meetingplace and accommodate special func-tions of a relevant and appropriatekind.

The restoration is making goodprogress. The first priority was toremedy the leaking deck, whichinvolved rescrewing, recaulking andreseaming, using over 6000 stainlesssteel screws and 4500 feet of seaming.Externally the hull and superstruc-ture are being thoroughly cleaneddown; the hull will be repainted in itstraditional dark blue and the super-structure finished in natural varnish.Below decks some structural changeswill be needed to modernise andupgrade the accommodation and pro-vide toilet and bathroom facilities,but so far as is possible the pro-gramme will be one of general refur-bishment aimed at preserving theoriginal interior.

When restoration is complete it ishoped to find a permanent berth onthe Thames for Havengore and, whilst

^5XiZS%S^M^M

FINEST HOUR 97 / 36

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THE AUTHOR • PHOTOGRAPH BELOW RIGHT: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, 1965

LEFT: Havengore at berth in St. KatharineDock. The starboard rail has still to bereplaced but the hull gleams under a freshcoat of dark blue paint. The wheelhouse andengine room are now functional but in boththose areas, and elsewhere below decks,much refurbishment still needs to be done.

BELOW LEFT: Ship's dog, "Churchill" hasacquired such a taste for life on the oceanwave, that he is reluctant to set foot on dock!

BOTTOM LEFT: Churchill (his patriotic waist-coat incorporates a lifejacket) retires to thewheelhouse, where he is ready to repel unin-vited boarders.

BOTTOM: The fly-past and crane salute dur-ing Havengore's finest hour, 1965.

the vessel is not engaged in its prima-ry role with disadvantaged children,to open it for visits by the generalpublic and make it available to suit-able organisations for meetings, semi-nars and intimate banquets. It isplanned to install a permanent show-case illustrating the history of the ves-sel and, in particular, its finest hour.The Havengore Trust will welcomeassistance with the restoration projectand ongoing running costs. Practicalhelp in the form of engineering andwoodworking skills, administrativeand secretarial assistance or just plainenthusiasm will be very acceptable.Financial contributions will be grate-fully received. For further informa-tion contact: Sally Browne, TheHavengore Trust, PO Box 167,Gillingham, Kent, ME7 4RD, UK. M>

FINEST HOUR 97/37

W O O D S C O R N E RA BIBLIOPHILE'S COLUMN NAMED FOR THE LATE BIBLIOGRAPHER, FRED WOODS

WHAT SHOULD I READ....?

THE GREAT GAMEI'm doing a short paper for my class at

the U.S. Army War College on Churchill asa strategic leader. I'm looking for leads onenvironment, strategic leader concepts andmethods he applied. What should I read?-Michael Davis, Carlisle, Penna.

Col. David Jablonsky of your WarCollege wrote an excellent book whichyou should look at: Churchill: The GreatGame and Total War (Frank Cass:1991). Agood recent critical work is RichardLamb, Churchill As War Leader (London:Bloomsbury: 1993, U.S. paperback 1993).Earlier works worth researching areIsmay, Memoirs of General The Lord Ismay(London: Heinemann 1960, which ispro-Churchill), and Thompson, Gener-alissimo Churchill (NY: Scribner 1973, acritical work). Finally, The Proceedings ofthe Churchill Societies 1992-1993 containstwo important papers, "The Prime Min-ister and the Army" by Prof. RaymondA. Callahan, and "Churchill and HisGenerals" by Prof. Eliot A. Cohen, bothof which are most ilium jiating. -RML

THE FIGHTING LINEWhile reading the Vol. 3 Companions

to the Official Biography I came across acouple of references to a Churchill publica-tion I'd never heard of: a pamphlet of two ofhis 1916(1) speeches entitled The Firingline. Have you ever stumbled across a copyor is it one of those super-rarities like ForFree Trade? —David Turrell

I have looked at the Companions toVol. 3 but have seen no reference exceptto The Fighting Line, which is, of course,the well-known but scarce pamphletpublished by Macmillan in July 1916(Cohen A44, Woods A25). The first ref-erence in the Official Biography is infootnote 4 on page 1503, which men-tions "a policy which would enable allable-bodied men to take their place inthe fighting line," the subject ofChurchill's speech of 23 May in the

House. The pamphlet itself is referred toin footnote 1 on page 1513, whereGilbert notes that the speeches of 23 and31 May were together published as TheFighting Line. Since there is no pamphletI have ever seen or heard of by the titleof The Firing Line, I can only assume thatyou are thinking of The Fighting Line.That pamphlet is certainly scarce buthardly the scarcest of the various speechpamphlets; 5000 copies were printed. Ihave personally examined five copiesand a sixth in microform. Sadly, theNew York Public Library a number ofyears ago (perhaps in the interests ofresolving space problems) began a poli-cy of microfilming First World War andearlier pamphlets and pulping the origi-nals. This was the fate of their copy ofThe Fighting Line. -RONALD COHEN

THE SECOND WORLD WARI have come across Cassell's six vol-

umes of the First English Edition of TheSecond World War. Can you tell me howmany copies of this edition were actuallyprinted and whether I should insure themagainst loss or damage? -Allen Fowler

<allen@four_counties.webscape.co.uk>

Quantities for firstimpressions were:Vol. 1,221,000;Vol. E, 276,000;Vol III, 300,000;Vol. IV, 275,000;Vol. V, 275,000; VolVI, 200,000. Insur-

„. . , , ,. ance cover for thisFirst and second edi-tions of The Gathering t i t l e is u n i m p o r -Storm clearly show the tant. The followingthickness added by is an excerpt fromlater, larger type. my b o o k / A C o n .

noisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir WinstonChurchill, to be published this year:

"Since our author insisted that theEnglish Edition was the definitive ver-sion, this is clearly the set to own if youplan to own only one. Fortunately, it isin plentiful supply, though it's best tobuy all six volumes as a set rather thantry to piece them together: Volume VI isharder to find than the others. The enor-

ADDENDA: THE "THIRTY BEST"My thirty favorite books about

Churchill (this column last issue, page37) omitted my picks of the top fivememoirs by associates, which are:1. Fringes of Power, Colville2. Action This Day, Wheeler-Bennett (ed.)3. Mr. Churchill's Secretary, Nel4. The War and Colonel Warden, Pawle 'J

5.1 Was Churchill's Shadow, ThompsonReaders may wish to challenge my

list and substitute their own favorites.Remember that we welcome 500-word"re-reviews" of your favorite (or mosthated) older titles. -Ed.

mous press runs make first edition setsrelatively inexpensive. For many years$30 or £20 would buy a nice set in jack-ets, but prices for genuinely fine setshave now risen to as high as $200/£120.To be truly fine, books should displayno spotting on page edges, good colouron the top page edges, pristine boardsand unspotted contents; jackets shouldbe as bright on their spines as on theirfaces, and the red spine type, which isliable to fade, should be clean andbright. Scruffy jacketed sets are notworth half the above price, and unjack-eted sets or later impressions not morethan one-quarter. Jackets with the redand white promotional bands com-mand a premium." -RML

NORTON'S MALAKAND

I have a Norton edition of The Story of theMalakand Field Force. How closely does itmatch earlier editions? Is it an abridgement?

Like its identical English counter-part published by Leo Cooper, this edi-tion is offprinted from the 1974 Collect-ed Works edition, which was based on(but not identical to) the 1899 SilverLibrary (second) Edition. The SilverLibrary was the first edition with a textfully corrected by Churchill, from themany typos and mispellings in the FirstEdition. Thus Norton's book does notcarry the first edition text, but omits allthe typos and errors that so upsetChurchill. The catch is, it was reset andedited for the Collected Works, so it isnot a "true text." >»

FINEST HOUR 97 / 38

Flawless examples of the earliest River Wars. Left: The 1902 AbridgedEdition, whose text has been used in every edition published since, righton up to the present day. Middle and right: The 1899 First Edition, themost beautiful trade edition of any of Churchill's works and the only oneto contain the unabridged original text. First Editions sell for up to $7500nowadays, though a reading copy recently went for $700. There weretwo later impressions, not often seen. Photo: Patrick Powers collection.

MORE ON ORIGIN OF TEXTS• I do not currently have a River War

but I have Frontiers and Wars which con-tains it. Is this an abridgement? What is tlieleast expensive (but decent) quality versionof this available?

Frontiers and Wars contains a verybrief abridgement. Unfortunately, theoriginal two-volume 1899 edition wasreprinted only twice and replaced in1902 by a-one-volume edition in whichChurchill excised 25 percent of the origi-nal text, some of it most interesting—criticisms of Kitchener, his tour of thebattlefield at Omdurman after the battle(reprinted in Finest Hour 86), and so on.The 1902 text has been used over andover again, right up to the new Priorpaperback (FH new book service price$16). So the only way to get the full textis to buy a first edition (whichjhad threeimpressions). And these as y^u knoware expensive. x •,

The Churchill Center has recentlycommissioned James Muller to preparea New Edition, containing the 1899 and1902 texts (the latter also had someadditional material), with the additionsand deletions identified by explanatorynotes; in this endeavor we have had thekind assistance of the Claremont Insti-tute, who scanned the texts, and ofMark Weber, who supplied copies fordisassembly and scanning. But we havenot yet found a publisher ready and

i .-a** i - rf.* ' ^ . -

River War paperbacks, all with the 1902 text. Left to right: Award Books(1964), Four Square Books (1960), Sphere (1964) and New English Library(1985) editions. Lying flat is the Sceptre (New English Library) edition of1987, with its unique introduction by Sir John Colville. A new jumbopaperback is available from the FH new book service (c/o editor) at $16.

There is always high collector interest in the now very scarce American Editions of Churchill's post-war speeches, which usually sell for $100 /£60 and up in fine jacketed condition today. L-R TheSinews of Peace (3000 published), Europe Unite (2500), In the Balance (2000), Stemming the Tide (1750).

willing to produce it. Is there a publish-er reading this who can help us?

• I have the Dorset House edition(1991) of The Boer War, containing Lon-don to Ladysmith via Pretoria and IanHamilton's March. How closely does it fol-low the originals?

The Dorset House is reprinted fromthe Cooper/Norton editions (see noteon their Malakand, page 38). like the lat-ter, its text is again from the 1974 Col-lected Works. That text in turn wasbased on the originals, but was resetand probably somewhat edited.

• I have 1952 Houghton Mifflin editionof In the Balance in very good conditionwith one exception: the top of the spine is

becoming ratty (about 1/8 inch). There is nodust jacket. Is this of any value in trade-intowards a better version?

You have a First American Edition;the true first is the English edition, pub-lished 1951. The American Edition usedEnglish sheets, so the texts are identical.It is also somewhat scarcer than theEnglish, but both are scarce. Near-finejacketed copies sell for over $100/£60,often for much over; unjacketed copiesin "vg" condition without ratty spinesrun around $50-75/£30-45. Wear onspine tips is a common malady of theHoughton Mifflin edition; as a book-seller specializing in Churchill, I usuallypay $20/£15 wholesale for such a copy,but much more for fine examples.-RML »

FINEST HOUR 97 / 39

DOUGLAS HALL'S C H URC HILLIANA

Churchill Commemoratives Calendar Part 7:1966-73Toward the Churchill Centenary

Between the prodigious peaks ofthe memorial year and the cente-nary year the flow of Churchill-

iana continued at a very respectablelevel. Many medallists were late withtheir memorial tributes and these issuesran on until 1968. A particularly finepair of medals celebrated the 25thanniversary of the Atlantic Charter in1966. Designed by Michael Rizzello andstruck by John Pinches, they were intwo sizes, in platinum, gold and silver,in a total edition of 2420, depicting, onone, a seated Churchill and, on theother, a seated Roosevelt. The reverseside of both medals showed the battle-ship HMS Prince of Wales. Chartwellopened to the public in the summer of1966—the admission charge was twoshillings (10p)!—making a unique col-lection of memorabilia accessible to anappreciative audience.

In 1967 Spode brought out "TheChurchill Plate," matching their beauti-ful covered vase issued two years earli-er, in a limited edition of 5000. (See backcover.) In the same year BEL Productsof Birmingham produced three items insolid brass—a bust to Pikering's original1949 design, a door knocker and anexceptionally fine full-length figure ofChurchill seated in a chair. Very few of •the latter were cast and it is consequent-ly now extremely rare.

Medals were very popular. ArnoldMachin designed a 44mm diametermemorial medal in silver for the mem-bers of the Britannia CommemorativeSociety, Philadelphia—a very smallnumber were struck in a larger size inplatinum and gold for sale to the gener-al public. A small edition of 29mmdiameter bronze medals was struck inthe USA by Bates & Klinke in 1967 witha picture of the Churchill Memorial atFulton on the reverse. In 1968 the flowof memorial medals continued fromCanada and the UK. Turner, Simpsonproduced a nice silver teaspoon. Theofficial medal commemorating the dedi-cation of the Fulton memorial wasstruck by the U.S. Mint, Philadelphia in1969:40mm diameter, 5000 in silver,8000 in bronze and a single gold exam-ple which was presented to LadyChurchill. >»

LEFT TO RIGHT: A solid brass door knocker and Pikering-based bust with varnished wood plinth byBEL of Birmingham as memorial pieces, 1967 continuing to about 1970. The door knocker was onsale at the Blenheim Palace gift shop as late as 1974, when the editor bought his. The bust is based onPikering's 1949 bronze after his original Registered Design protection had lapsed. Next, a small ash-tray and a glazed white china bust using the same mould for the head of a smiling Churchill, c.1970,pottery unknown. The quotation on the plinth of the bust is a combination of the "Never Surrender"speech in June 1940 and the "Never Give In" speech at Harrow in October 1941.

TOP ROW: A set of four medals commemorating the 25th anniversary of VE-Day, 1970, by JohnPinches. One of 300 sets in silver-gilt. SECOND ROW: One of 300 sets of Pinches medals in bronzeshowing reverses with speech extracts. THIRD ROW: The 25th anniversary of the Atlantic Charter,1966, from John Pinches, who struck 1000 sets this size (60mm) in silver. The reverse of both medalshas the battleship HMS Prince of Wales. They flank the United States Philadelphia Mint's official"Iron Curtain" speech medal, commemorating the dedication of the Winston Churchill Memorial inFulton, Missouri in May 1969 (reverse shown), of which 8000 were struck.

FINEST HOUR 97 / 40

LEFT: A pair of 3 3/4-inch-diameter pin trays from Coalport of Fenton, 1971 (after they became partof the Wedgwood Group), depicting the Westerham statue by Oscar Nemon, and a view of thehouse and gardens at Chartwell, which had opened to the public five years before.

^~~ ""*• •*• -*° *"•"'mABOVE LEFT: Ezra Brooks bourbon bottle marked the opening of the Fulton Memorial in 1969; andanother use of the smiling Churchill mould depicted opposite: a bottle stopper. This example appearsto have had a cigar instaUed at one time. ABOVE RIGHT: A real oddity, circa 1970, is this set of "ArmyLeaders World War U" produced in HO model railway size by Ro Co., West Germany (set #271). Itincludes Mussolini, Rommel, Goering (.twice!), De Gaulle, Eisenhower, Churchill, Stalin and Hitler!

LEFT: One piece ofChurchilliana you'll neverencounter at the fairs is thisindividual bronze commis-sioned in the 1970s by Don-ald Carmichael. The image isbased on the famous photo-graph of Churchill and hisfive-year-old daughter Maryat Chartwell in the 1920s.(Unfortunately, Mary is notpresent!) This very beautifulpiece is now in the collectionof Dr. Gordon S. Cohen.

FINEST HOUR 97/41

Oscar Nemon had not beenentirely happy with his designfor the 1965 British crown; he

felt he had been rushed to meet thedeadline set by the Royal Mint and him-self much preferred the design he didfor the International Numismatic Agen-cy, New York, in 1969. This medal—64mm in silver and bronze—commem-orated the 25th anniversary of D-Daywith a typical Nemon portrait ofChurchill and the Churchill family coat-of-arms on the reverse.

Nineteen sixty-nine was a goodyear for Oscar Nemon. His statue ofChurchill on the Green at Westerhamwas unveiled in July, and in DecemberLady Churchill unveiled the superbstatue in the House of Commons.

Nineteen seventy saw Harry Fen-ton's ubiquitous Royal Doulton tobyenter its thirtieth year still selling strong-ly. David Cornell designed a set of fourmedals, struck by John Pinches in plat-inum, silver-gilt, silver and bronze, com-memorating the 25th anniversary of VE-Day. The total edition was only 854numbered sets and it is therefore veryrare. The obverses have four differentportraits of Churchill and the reversesfour different extracts from his speeches.

An unknown pottery used thesame mould of Churchill's head to pro-duce a five-inch-tall glazed white bustwith "We shall never surrender never,never, never" inscribed on the plinth;and a small triangular shaped black ash-tray and bottle stopper.

An unusual oval plaque, five inchestall, in black painted cast-iron with anice bas-relief of Churchill came fromthe Salop Iron Works in Shropshire. In1971 Bekky's eight-foot-tall bronze stat-ue of Churchill was unveiled at Fultonto mark the 25th anniversary of the"Iron Curtain" speech. Coalportbrought out a pair of 3 3/4-inch diame-ter bone china pin trays, one with atransfer of Chartwell and the other thestatue on Westerham Green. The nextyear saw the unveiling of anotherNemon statue at St Margaret's Bay,Kent, and the making of the film"Young Winston." In November 1973,as a very fitting prologue to the eventsto come, HM the Queen unveiled IvorRoberts-Jones's statue of Churchill inParliament Square (see cover). M>

Douglas Hall is compiling for eventual publica-tion by The Churchill Center a complete cata-logue of Churchilliana, and is always happy tohear from collectors. His address is on page 2.

Churchill in Stamps:Laden With Honor

BY THE EDITOR

Pages 253-258: RETIREMENT AT LASTCatalogue numbers are Scott (#) and Stanley Gibbons (sg). Aslash mark (/) indicates a set with a common design from whichany value is usable. Cams and Minkus catalogue numbers aresometimes used, and identified by name.

Churchill's second Premiership saw him active chiefly in foreignaffairs, attempting to unify Europe and to seek a settlement withthe Soviets; only one of these goals was to prove successful.Churchill preferred to leave domestic affairs to subordinates; yetwhen he retired in April 1955, he still had much to do.

253. Second-guessing the Allied decision to withdraw from thetine they had reached in 1945 was the subject of an importantspeech in 1953. It was fortunate that West Germany had devel-oped into a stable democracy under Konrad Adenauer, who is cel-ebrated by this overprint on a 1968 German souvenir sheet alsohonoring Churchill, de Gasperi and Schuman.

254. Churchill's Nobel Prize for Literature is commemorated by aGrenada Nobel Winners set issued in 1995, which depictsChurchill in a single stamp and within a souvenir sheet. Belize#364 (sg 397) shows Churchill with his Williamsburg Bell. Isle ofMan noted Churchill's Freedom of Douglas twice on commemo-ratives: in 1990 set (left) and in its 1974 Churchill Centenary set,#51 (sg 57, right).

255. So many philatelic items group Churchill with other greats(or near-greats) & xi I took advantage of Winthrop Rockefeller'selegant speech ;u the Williamsburg Award presentation to accom-pany Bardsey's "locals," overprinted for the 1987 Canadian Phi-latelic Exhibition (with Nelson, Lloyd George and Mountbatten),and Guyana's gold foils produced for the Geneva 1992 PhilatelicExhibition (with Martin Luther King Jr., Kennedy, Lincoln andRoosevelt).

256. Churchill saying farewell to the Queen following a dinner forHer Majesty at Number Ten the night before his retirement isshown on Haiti #607 and #C321 (sg 1117, 1121). An earlier photoof Churchill in the garden of Number Ten is on Umm al QiwainMinkus 62/62a(sg 61,137).

257. De Gaulle's presentation of the Croix de la Liberacion isnoted by Ras al Khaima Minkus M429, and Fujeira Minkus 398(Cams 490). The locomotive "Sir Winston Churchill" is from aNevis "world leaders" series. The sail training yacht "Sir Win-ston Churchill" was pictured by Bermuda (1976) and British Vir-gin Islands (1973), among others.

258. Churchill being cheered at Woodford in 1955 is shown onAitutaki #114 (sg 140) and Umm al Qiwain Minkus 69/69a (sg68/144). Busts and statues are shown on Monaco #912 (sg 1121),Luxembourg #548 (sg 928) and St. Christopher #293 (sg 310).

(To be continued)

FINEST HOUR 97 / 42

253.

254.

VALEDICTION

THE GEHMAN PROBLEM

"If our advice had been taken by the United States after the:Armistice with Germany the Western Allies would not hav.: WLI.dravrn from the line which their armies had reached !.:o the -J^occupation lines until and unless agreement had been reach&nwith Soviet Ku^sia on the many points of difference about inoccupation of enemy territories...

"...Our view -.;«s not accepted and a wiU ur«a ol"handed ovor to uhtr Soviet occupation v;ithout anysettlement among the three victorious powers,"

Valediction

NOBEL PRIZE AND OTHER HONORS

On 16 October 1953. Churchill learned that he had been awarded theNobel Prize for Literature—not, as is commonly believed, for The SecondWorld. War, but for the totality of his output including his great life ofMarlborough. The World Crisis and his other books. Churchill was withEisenhower at the Bermuda Conference for the award ceremony inStockholm in December, where he was represented by his wife.

The monetaryvalue of theNobel Prize wasa handsome£12.500. but toChurchill It wasa disappoint-ment: he hadhoped to qualifyfor the NobelPrize for Peace.

His role as astatesman wasbetter recog-nized In Decem-be 1955, whenthe Trustees ofColonialWllllamsburgpresented himwith the firstWllllamsburgAward In theshape of a slivertown crier's bell.

He also receivedthe Freedoms ofmany cities,IncludingDouglas, Isle ofMan.

255.

Valediction

•YOU ARE OF THE GREAT COMPANY"

"It ts not a twentieth-century Williamsburg which speaks throughThe Williamsburg Award. This is a salute across time. It is greatmen—of your blood and ours—who speak across nearly twocenturies to say to the recipient of this Award: "You are of the greatCompany.' -Wlnthrop Rockefeller, Chairman, Trustees of Colonial WUltamsburg

I1'

Il.1

: viTttf?

BARDStY 12P

257.

Valediction

AN ACTIVE RETIREMENT

By the time he stepped down as Prime Minister, Churchill had publishedeleven postwar titles including his six-volume memoir. The Second WorldWar, and was reviewing galley proofs for his magisterial four-volumeHistory of the English Speaking Peoples. His early retirement days werehardly without interest, as he still remained a Member of Parliament.

Receiving theCroix de laLiberation fromPresident deGaulle In Paris.1958.

The Battle ofBritain Class4-6-2 steamlocomotive "SirWinstonChurchill,'which wouldhave the honorof drawing hiscoffin to Bladon.ten years hence.

The sail trainingyacht "SirWinstonChurchill.'whichparticipated In"Op Sail" duringthe Americanbicentennialand at manyevents sincerepresentingGreat Britain.

mmBBISI

256.

VALEDICTION

RETIREMENT

ii ~u .411 nns-ed his 80th birthday en 30 November 195s still^.hur.nill pas-ea master or Britain's destiny. Only

Prime Minister and SLI ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^Falmerstonton ^ d

B ^ | n , s nuclear plans was delivered 1 KarenShiShWSC announced the gval of a British capability)

"Just a monthlater he and LadyChurchill enter-tained ^ueenElizabeth II andPrince Philip at10 Downing streetAs it turned out,it was the PrimeMinister's ^re-well to the sixthmonarch he had-served.

"On 5 April heresign^- ..theend of a nobleof Britishstatesmanship.

--N.Y. Timeo

258.

VALEDICTION

STILL THE POLITICIAN

When the Conservatives were returned with another majority inthe generaJeLctlon of May 1955, Woodford naturally returnedSir Winston. Members would often watch,him, waiting for anoutburst of the old fire. But mainly he was content in his oldseat below the gangway to watch others carry on the fray.

Paintingsand sculpturehad alwaysbeen made ofChurchill;now they be-gan toincrease;his storywas complete.

Sl-OtHstophcrNcv.sAiiguilla

DESPATCH BOX

CHURCHILLCENTER

My com-pliments on avery attractive

website for The Churchill Center and ICS.This is my first time to view "www.win-stonchurchill.org" and I think it is a veryfine product. I was impressed by how upto date the content is (always a failing of somany other sites). It should contribute wellto preserving the contributions andspreading the word about WinstonChurchill.

In that regard, I was impressed by theeditorial ("Amid These Storms") of Mr.Langworth in Issue 96. As a writer and inpublications work myself, I was pleasedby the straightforward discussion aboutthe role of the Center and the difficultiesthat face ICS as older individuals die offand the younger audience may not appre-ciate Churchill's contributions. I had notthought of that before [I am 58 myself],but it is a real concern, I can see. Theemphasis that Dr. Mazansky put on strate-gic planning for the organization was wellsaid.

I am afraid I am one of those "check-book members" willing to belong butfinding so little time to be furtherinvolved. You have certainly brought theSociety along splendidly and, being inassociation management, I understandhow much effort has been required tobuild an organization of this kind. I want-ed to say thanks for what I know is muchwork, but it has borne much fruit.

RON KEENER, NORTH AURORA, ILL.

I am one of the passive members ofICS United Kingdom and furthermore notone to put pen to paper very often. How-ever, I felt so strongly about your views inissue 96 that I had to write to you and saywhat an inspiring and perceptive editorialit is. It must be of concern that as those of acertain age pass on, the memory of SirWinston may diminish, and like you I feelthis should never be allowed to happen.The Churchill Center is the way forwardand as an ICS member I endorse every-thing you have said.

I also want you to know how much Iappreciate what you have done, and con-tinue to do, to carry the torch and pour somuch enthusiasm and time into ensuringthat Sir Winston's name is always remem-bered. Without people like you, peoplelike me would not have access to what

must be a unique international forum ded-icated to a past statesman. I always lookforward with much pleasure to FinestHour. I feel it keeps me in touch withfriends around the world who have acommon interest in "keeping the memorygreen and the record accurate." With bestwishes and thanks to all who help andassist in so many different ways in keep-ing me in touch.

J. GLIBBERY, ILMINSTER, SOMERSET, UK

Editor's Response: Many thanks, gentlemen,for the kind words, always hard to come by.The many people responsible are listed on ourinside front cover and page 4, but it also takes"passive" members and your support is thebest salary one can have. The website and list-serv efforts are chiefly owed to John Plumpton,Beverly Carr and Jonah Triebwasser. TheseInternet functions are keeping us supplied withmany new, younger members.

GENERAL GRANT'S MEMOIRSI am convinced that Churchill did.

read General Grant's memoirs. Sir Win-ston wrote his mother on 15 November1887: "Perhaps you would not mind mehinting that my Birthday is drawing near.I am looking forward to a visit from youthat day. I should rather like GeneralGrant's History of the American War(Illustrated)." (Winston S. Churchill by R. S.Churchill, Companion Volume I, Part 1,page 147, Houghton Mifflin Co.)

I cannot say with any certitude thatLady Randolph complied with her son'srequest; the ensuing correspondence doesnot acknowledge his birthday gifts. Thereis a letter, however, written to his mother,6 December 1887, in which there is the fol-lowing postscript: "I have only read 1book and 1/2 of another. I have still 2fresh ones. WC" Grant's memoirs werepublished in two volumes, so it is tantaliz-ing to infer that the postscript alluded tohis work (which was widely available inEngland for a modest sum).

Churchill's essay, "Cartoons and Car-toonists," (reprinted in Thoughts andAdventures / Amid These Storms (1932)explains that his "great interest" in theAmerican Civil War could be traced to thecartoons of Sir John Tenniel (Punch, et al;see page 13, Cooper/Norton Edition). Hehad access to these cartoons at Brighton,right at the time he made his birthdayrequest.

The extent of Sir Winston's interest inthe American Iliad is deeper than one

might imagine. It was an interest thatspanned seventy-five years. He once toldSenator Harry F. Byrd, Jr., of Virginia(during the second premiership, seventyyears after his birthday request) that hehoped to have the opportunity of studyingStonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley Cam-paign before he died. (USGPO, ChurchillMemorial Addresses and Tributes, page 212,Washington 1965).

I also think Churchill read Col. G. F.R. Henderson's seminal biography, Stone-wall Jackson (1898, with an introduction byViscount Wolseley). From Bangalore, SirWinston wrote his mother on 25 April1898, expressing his desire to write "Ashort & dramatic History of the AmericanCivil War." (Companion Volume 1, Part 2,page 922.) What could have stimulatedhim to express that desire? GeneralGrant's autobiography? Col. Henderson'sbiography of Jackson, then "hot off thepress"? Interestingly, on Churchill's visitto Richmond, Virginia, in 1946, he re-marked that he had known Col. Hender-son very well.

RICHARD H. KNIGHT, JR., NASHVILLE, TENN.

There is further evidence thatChurchill knew Grant's Memoirs: Hequotes from them in his History of theEnglish-Speaking Peoples, Vol. IV, p. 145sq.(New York: Dodd Mead 1958):

The American advance was rapidly gath-ering momentum. The Mexican army ofthe North was twice beaten by GeneralZachary Taylor, a future President. Aforce under General Winfield Scott waslanded at Vera Cruz and marched onMexico City. The capital fell to the Ameri-cans after a month of street fighting inSeptember 1847. On this expedition anumber of young officers distinguishedthemselves. They included Captain RobertE. Lee, Captain George B. McClellan, Lieu-tenant Ulysses S. Grant, and Colonel Jef-ferson Davis. Mexico sued for peace, andby the treaty which followed she wasobliged not only to recognise the annexa-tion of Texas, but also to cede California,Arizona, and New Mexico....LieutenantGrant confided his impressions to hismemoirs: 'I do not think there was ever amore wicked war than that waged by theUnited States on Mexico. I thought so atthe time, when I was a youngster, only Ihad not moral courage enough to resign.'

As far as Churchill's interest in the U. S.Civil War is concerned, there is a furtherdetail worth mentioning: When First Lordof the Admiralty during World War I henamed several monitors after Civil War >

FINEST HOUR 97/44

Recipes From Number TenEdited and Annotated for the Modern Kitchen

"My idea of a good dinner is, first to havegood food, then discuss good food, and afterthis good food has been elaborately discussed,to discuss a good topic—with myself as chiefconversationalist." -WSC

POTAGE BONNE FEMMESERVES SIX:

A hearty soup for a winter's night,this "good wife soup" is a classic combi-nation of potatoes and leeks. The lettuceprovides added color and the egg yolk abit of thickening. Make your own chick-en broth from any standard recipe ifyou have the time, or use the readilyavailable canned (tinned) variety.

4 leeks, minced4 potatoes, peeled and minced4 leaves of lettuce, finely shredded30 oz chicken broth2 egg yolks beaten with a little cream1 tablespoon butterSeasoning (salt and pepper)

by Barbara R Langworth

A food processor (unavailable toMrs. Landemare, the Churchill cook)makes short work of mincing the veg-etables. Wash the leeks well, cut off thetough part of the green tops, and cutinto thick slices. Process until mincedfine, but not mushy. Melt butter in souppot and cook leeks until soft, but notbrowned.

Quarter potatoes and process untilminced fine. Add to leeks with brothand seasonings. Cook slowly for 35minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add seasonings to suit your taste.Add the shredded lettuce.

Just before serving add smallamounts of the hot liquid to the eggmixture until it is warm. Stirring briskly,add the mixture to the soup. (If youpour the egg into the hot soup you'llhave hard boiled egg bits.)

More soup for the Navy: the First Lord's NavalEstimates, Westminster Gazette, 4 March 1914.

Pieces of French roll, cut thinly andbrowned in the oven, or fried croutons,can be served with the soup.

WINE NOTES: With this soup we did some-'thing Churchill would never have done—selected a red, and, indeed, one he probablynever heard of: a Zinfandel, Rosenblum'sCuvee XV. This California varietal has beeneclipsed by more trendy Merlot, but a good"Zin" has a wonderful raspberry nose andcomplex character. Rosenblum defies fashionby refusing to vintage date their wine, blend-ing it from several cuvees to produce one ofthe best in the world. $10-12 in USA. -RML

DESPATCH BOX, continued...

generals: Grant, Jackson and Lee. AndChurchill's wonderful alternate history,' IfLee Had Not Won the Battle Of Gettys-burg" (1930), Collected Essays Vol. IV, p. 73-84) is situated in a "parallel world" wherethe Confederates won the Civil War.

I. D. K. G. SCHON <IDKGSchon@aol.com>

FH 95 COVERIt is always with pleasure and interest

that I receive Finest Hour. I looked at thecover of #95 for some time andfcould notwork out what it was that puzzled meuntil I read your "erratum." (The paintingwas reversed by the printer. -Ed.) I wasamused to notice that such an error alsooccurred recently to mighty Marks &Spencer, as you will see from the enclosedcutting from the Daily Telegraph.

Again there was something niceabout my dear Eddie (Det. Sgt. EdmundMurray, Sir Winston's bodyguard 1950-65,described in Martin Smith's letter, page25) in your journal. Many thanks for giv-ing Eddie so much space. I have had thepleasure in passing the various numberson to my three young families.

BERYL MURRAY, COMBE DOWN, SOMERSET UK

BAR NONE: WSC AS PUB THEMEI know readers will enjoy knowing

that Sir Winston's presence is felt even inthe far reaches of the former Soviet Union.The Churchill Bar is a fine restaurant inKiev, Ukraine, where I have lived for thepast four years working on a parliamen-tary development project. I am sure SirWinston would not be offended by havinghis name and image applied to an estab-lishment that serves spirits!

CLIFF DOWNEN, COLUMBIA, MO. USA

A colleague of mine brought backphotos of the handsome WinstonChurchill Pub in Babbacombe, Devon. She

FINEST HOUR 97 / 45

LEFT: The Churchill Bar,spotted by Cliff Downenin Kiev, Ukraine. RIGHT:Handsome pub sign forChurchill's bar and Win-ston's restaurant, Babba-combe, Devon, England.

stopped on the road to take the photos.She gave no report of the quality of thefood nor, more important, of the drink!

JONAH TRIEBWASSER, RED HOOK, N.Y. USA

Editor's Response: Douglas Hall and RonaldSmith have both made efforts to record some ofthe many bars and pubs named for WinstonChurchill. Perhaps someone is interested inmaking a concerted effort? The task, however,seems endless! " ^

CHURCHILLTRIVIABY CURT ZOLLER

841. What did Churchill say about hisfather's speeches? (C)

842. Lady Randolph Churchill negotiat-ed with the Daily Telegraph for Win-ston's early articles from the Indianfrontier. How much was he paid? (L)

843. How many tries did it takeChurchill to get into Sandhurst? (M)

844. When did Churchill attend his firstAmerican football game? (P)

845. To whom did Churchill write on 7July 1922: "...The prize is so great thatother things should be subordinated togaining it. The bulk of the people areslow to take in what is happening andprejudices die hard."? (S)

846. Who accused Churchill of plottingwith Jewish financiers to manipulatestock exchanges by issuing false com-muniques on the battle of Jutland inWorld War I? (W)

847. Name the artist of "Profile for Vic-tory" in FH 75. Don't look! (C)

848. Where can you find Churchill's arti-cle "How to Stop War"? (L)

849. When was Michael Collins assassi-nated? (M)

850. When did Churchill comment thathe found himself "without an office,without a seat, without a party andwithout an appendix"? (P)

851. The Yalta Agreement provided thatthe Eastern frontier of Poland follow acertain line. What was it called? (S)

852. In his despatch from Inayat Kila,Churchill describes a British infantryattacking with Lee-Metford rifles. Whatwas their (approx.) effective range whenoutfitted with a dial sight? (W)

853. Who attacked Churchill on 26November 1910 with a whip, when hereturned on the evening train fromBradford to London? (C)

854. In Savrola, what was the name ofthe President of Laurania? (L)

855. When and at what age didChurchill make his maiden politicalspeech? (M)

856. What did Sir Ernest Cassell provideChurchill for his new house in SouthBolton Street in 1905? (P)

857. Who wrote the following aboutChurchill, and when? "...He showedhimself to be a statesman who wellunderstands the nature of war." (S)

858. Who notified Churchill of Ger-many's unconditional surrender? (W)

859. Which future Secretary of State forWar wrote the following about Chur-chill: "...He is absolutely untrustworthy,as was his father before him..."? (C)

860. What was the financial arrange-ment Churchill personally negotiatedwith Harrap for the publication of Marl-borough? (L)

861. What was the name of the steamerwhich transported Churchill fromDelagoa Bay to Durban on 21-23December 1899? (M)

862. What is the significance of 15September 1922 in Churchill's life? (P)

863. What did Churchill refer to whenhe wrote in a note to F. W. Deakin onMay 19, 1947, "It showed where westood unmistakably and convinced theworld that Germany had to face anindefinitely long war." (S)

864. What was Operation CATAPULT?(W)

Answers to Churchilltrivia FH 96:

(817) John Foster Dulles "carries hisown china closet with him." (818) LordFisher wrote a letter to Gerard Fienneson 8 February 1912, praising Churchill'saudacity and thoroughness. [GerardFiennes (1864-1926) was a well knownnaval journalist and strong supporter ofAdmiral Lord Fisher]. (819) Gladstone'sopinion was, "There never was aChurchill from John of Marlboroughdown that had either morals or princi-ples." (820) The cat at Churchill's Admi-ralty was named "Nelson." (821)Churchill joined the Liberal Partybecause of his opposition to the imple-mentation of the policy of tariff imposi-tions in defense of British trade. (822)The new dreadnoughts had 15-inchguns, replacing the previous designusing 13.5-inch guns.

(823) Andrew Bonar Law became PrimeMinister in November 1922, replacingLloyd George. (824) Churchill consid-ered that the British edition of his writ-ings was to be the definitive one. (825)Famous actor Robert Hardy playedWinston Churchill in the film "TheWilderness Years." (826) The sculptor ofthe Churchill statue in Washington wasWilliam M. McVey. (827) "There is onlyone thing worse than fighting with alliesand that is fighting without them."

(828) Churchill recognized that the Bro-drick proposal would significantly re-duce the importance of the Navy andcould strategically influence futureBritish foreign policy. (829) Frank Salis-bury (1874-1962) painted the famousChurchill portrait in Mrs. Thatcher'soffice, which was borrowed fromChartwell. (830) The Churchills weremarried for 57 years. (831) Lord Ran-dolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome meton 12 August 1873 at a reception anddance in honor of the Prince andPrincess of Wales and the Grand Dukeand Grand Duchess Cesarevna aboardHMS Ariadne. (832) Churchill's lastbodyguard was Edmund Murray, whoserved from 1950 to 1965. (833)Churchill commented about Chamber-lain: "An old town clerk looking atEuropean affairs through the wrongend of a municipal drainpipe."

(834) Professor R. V. Jones, Head of Sci-entific Intelligence on Britain's Air Staff,was the man responsible for breakingGermany's new bomber navigationalbeam system, which was able to directLuftwaffe aircraft with devastating accu-racy.

(835) The Roberts-Jones bronze statue islocated on Parliament Square, London,gazing at St Stephen's Tower. (836) Thecomment, "There but for the grace ofGod goes God" was made about SirStafford Cripps. (837) Churchill creditsLord Rosebery and Arthur Balfour withthe inspiration to write the Life of Marl-borough. (838) Lord Birkenhead com-mented, "When Winston is right he isunique. When he is wrong—Oh MyGod!" (839) The two international prob-lems Churchill addressed during hissecond Premiership were the ^threatsand challenges of the hydrogen bomband the potential for a summit meetingwith the new Russian leaders after Stal-in's death. (840) Eisenhower wrote, "Iam the first to admit that a war is wagedin pursuance of political aims." $5

FINEST HOUR 97/46

IMMORTAL WORDS

PEARL HARBOR

"Silly people, and tkere were many, not only in enemy countries,

migkt discount tke force of tke United States....But I kad studied tke American Civil War,

fougkt out to tke last desperate inck. American mood flowed in my veins

Being saturated and satiated witk emotion and sensation,

I went to ked and slept tke sleep of tke saved and tkankful

"On Decemker 8tk I sent tke following letter to tke Japanese Ambassador:'Sir: ...In view of tkese wanton acts or unprovoked aggression...

His Majesty's Amkassador at Tokyo kas keen instructed to informtke Imperial Japanese Government in tke name of His Majesty's Governmentin tke United Kingdom tkat a state or war exists ketween our two countries.

I kave tke konour to be, witk kigk consideration, Sir,Your okedient servant, Winston S. Ckurckill....'Some people did not like tkis ceremonial style.

But after all wken you kave to kill a man it costs notking to ke polite."—Winston S. Ckurckill, The Grand Alliance (1950) • Plate Ly Spode, 1966