• • ^ p s ^ t

jf

JOURNAL OF THE CHURCHILL CENTER &INTERNATIONAL CHURCHILL SOCIETIES

T H E C H U R C H I L L C E N T E RI N T E R N A T I O N A L C H U R C H I L L S O C I E T I E S

UNITED STATES • UNITED KINGDOM • CANADA • AUSTRALIA

PATRON: THE LADY SOAMES, D.B.E. • WWW.WINSTONCHURCHILL.ORG

The Churchill Center is a non-profit organization which encourages study of the life and thought of Winston SpencerChurchill; fosters research ahout his speeches, writings and deeds; advances knowledge of his example as a statesman; and, hy

programmes of teaching and publishing, imparts that learning to people around the world. The Center was organized in 1995 bythe International Churchill Societies, founded in 1968 to educate future generations on the works and example of Winston

Churchill. The Center and Societies jointly sponsor Finest Hour, special publications, symposia, conferences and tours.

JOINT HONORARY MEMBERSConrad M. Black OC PC • Winston S. ChurchillThe Lord Deedes KBE MC PC DL • Sir Martin Gilbert CBEGrace Hamblin OBE • Robert Hardy CBE • Yousuf Karsh CCThe Lord Jenkins of Hillhead OM PC • William ManchesterThe Duke of Marlborough JP DL • Elizabeth NelSir Anthony Montague Browne KCMG CBE DFCColin L. Powell KCB • Wendy Russell RevesAmbassador Paul H. Robinson, Jr.The Lady Thatcher LG OM PC FRSThe Hon. Caspar W. Weinberger GBE

THE CHURCHILL CENTERBOARD OF GOVERNORSRandy Barber • David Boler • Nancy H. CanaryD. Craig Horn • William C. Ives • Nigel KnockerRichard M. Langworth • John H. Mather MDJames W. Mullcr • Charles D. Platt • John G. PlumptonDouglas S. Russell

OFFICERSJohn G. Plumpton, President130 Collingsbrook Blvd., Toronto, Ont. Ml W 1M7Fax. (416) 502-3847Email: savrola@winstonchurchill.org

William C. Ives, Vice President77 W. Wacker Dr., 43rd fir., Chicago IL 60601Tel. (312) 845-5798 • Fax. (312) 845-5828Email: merivas@mbf-law.com

Dr. John H. Mather, Secretary12144 Long Ridge Lane, Bowie MD 20715Tel. 301-262-0430 • Fax. 301-352-0472Email: johnmather@aol.com

D. Craig Horn, Treasurer8016 McKenstry Drive, Laurel MD 20723Tel. (888) WSC-1874 • Fax. (301) 483-6902Email: dcraighorn@email.msn.com

Charles D. Platt, Endowment Director14 Blue Heron Drive West, Greenwood Village CO 80121Tel. (303) 721-8550 • Fax. (303) 290-0097Email: cdp31@email.msn.com

BOARD OF TRUSTEESWinston S. Churchill • The Hon. Jack Kemp • George A. LewisChristopher Matthews • Amb. Paul H. Robinson, Jr.The Hon. Celia Sandys • The Hon. Caspar W. Weinberger GBE

Richard M. Langworth CBE, Chairman181 Burragc Road, Hopkinton NH 03229Tel. (603) 746-4433, Fax. (603) 746-4260Email: malakand@conknet.com

BUSINESS OFFICESLorraine C. Horn, AdministratorDeborah Young, Membership Secretary8016 McKenstry Drive, Laurel MD 20723Tel. (888) WSC-1874 • Fax. (301) 483-6902Email: wsc_1874@msn.com

CHURCHILL STORES (Back Issues & Sales Dept.)Gail Greenly, PO Box 96, Contoocook NH 03229Tel. (603) 746-3452 • Fax (603) 746-6963Email: greengail@aol.com

WWW.WINSTONCHURCHILL ORGWebmaster: John Plumpton,savrola@winstonchurchill.org

Listserv: winston@vm.marist.eduListserv manager: Jonah.Triebwasscr, jonaht@juno.com

CHURCHILL CENTER ASSOCIATESWinston Churchill Associates:

ICS United States • The Churchill CenterThe Annenberg Foundation • David fit Diane BolerColin D. Clark • Fred Farrow • Mr. & Mrs. Anthony E. GillesMr. & Mrs. Parker H. Lee III • Michael & Carol McMenaminDavid & Carole Noss • Ray L. & Patricia M. OrbanWendy Russell Reves • Elizabeth Churchill SnellMr. &C Mrs. Matthew B. Wills • Alex M. Worth Jr.

Clementine Churchill AssociatesRonald D. Abramson • Winston S. ChurchillJeanette 8c Angelo Gabriel • D. Craig & Lorraine HornJames F. Lane • Barbara & Richard LangworthDrs. John H. & Susan H. Mather • Linda & Charles PlattAmbassador &£ Mrs. Paul H. Robinson Jr.James R. & Lucille I. Thomas

Mary Soames AssociatesSolveig & Randy Barber • Gary J. BonineDaniel & Susan Borinsky • Nancy Bowers • Lois BrownNancy H. Canary • Dona & Bob DalesJeffrey & Karen De Haan • Ruth & Laurence GellerFrederick C. & Martha S. HardmanMr. & Mrs. William C. Ives

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Drake Kambestad • Elaine KendallRuth J. Lavine • Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. LeahyCyril & Harrier Mazansky • Michael W. MichelsonMr. & Mrs. James W. Mullcr • Earl & Charlotte NicholsonBob &£ Sandy Odell • Ruth & John PlumptonHon. Douglas S. Russell " Shanin SpecterRobert M. Stephenson • Richard & Jenny StreiffPeter J. Travers • Gabriel Urwitz " Damon Wells Jr.Jacqueline &C Malcolm Dean Witter

BOARD OF ACADEMIC ADVISERSProf. Paul K. Alkon, University of Southern CaliforniaSir Martin Gilbert CBE, D. Litt., Merton College, OxfordProf. Barry M. Gough, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityProf. Christopher C. Harmon, Marine Corps UniversityCol. David Jablonsky, US Army War CollegeProf. Warren F. Kimball, Rutgers UniversityProf. Paul A. Rahe, University of TulsaProf. John A. Ramsden,

Queen Mary & Westfteld College, University of LondonProf. David T. Stafford, University of EdinburghDr. Jeffrey Wallin, President, The American AcademyProf. Manfred Weidhorn, Yeshiva University

Prof. James W. Muller, Chairman,University of Alaska Anchorage1518 Airport Hts. Dr., Anchorage AK 99508Tel. (907) 786-4740 • Fax. (907) 786-4647Email: afjwm@uaa.alaska.edu

AFFILIATEWashington Society for ChurchillCaroline Hartzler, PresidentPO Box 2456, Merrifield VA 22116

Tel. (703) 503-9226

Members of The Churchill Center also meet regularly inAlaska, California, Chicago, Detroit, Florida, New England,North Texas, Northern Ohio and Philadelphia.

INTERNATIONAL COUNCILOF CHURCHILL ORGANIZATIONSAmbassador Paul H. Robinson, Jr., Chairman208 S. LaSalle St., Chicago IL 60604 USATel. (800) 621-1917Email: phr661944@aol.com

ICS AUSTRALIARobin Linke, 181 Jersey Street, Wembley WA 6014

ICS CANADAAmbassador Kenneth W Taylor, Hon. Chairman

Randy Barber, President4 Snowshoe Cres., Thornhill, Ontario L3T 4M6Tel. (905) 881-8550Email: randybarber@cbs.gov.on.ca

Jeanette Webber, Membership Secretary3256 Rymal Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4Y 3C1Tel. (905) 279-5169

Charles Anderson, Treasurertanfield Drive, Oakville, Ontario L6L 3R2

The Other Club of OntarioNorman MacLeod, President16 Glenlaura Court, Ashburn, Ontario LOB 1A0Tel. (905) 655-4051

Winston S. Churchill Society of Vancouver (Affiliated)Dr. Joe Siegenberg, President15-9079 Jones RoadRichmond, British Columbia V6Y 1C7Tel. (604) 231-0940

ICS UNITED KINGDOMChairman:Nigel Knocker OBEPO Box 1257, Melksham, Wilts. SN12 6GQTel. & Fax. (01380) 828609Email: nigel@icsuksaf.demon.co.uk

TRUSTEESThe Hon. Celia Sandys, Chairman;The Duke of Marlborough JP DLThe Rt. Hon. Earl Jellicoe KBE DSO MC FRSDavid Boler • David Porter • Geoffrey Wheeler

COMMITTEENigel Knocker OBE, ChairmanWylma Wayne, Vice ChairmanPaul H. Courtcnay, Hon. SecretaryAnthony Woodhead CBE FCA, Hon. TreasurerJohn Glanvill Smith, Editor ICS UK NewsletterEric Bingham • Geoffrey Fletcher • Derek GreenwellMichael Kelion • Fred Lockwood CBE • Ernie Money CBEElisabeth Sandys • Dominic Walters

NORTHERN CHAPTERDerek Greenwell, "Woodstock"

6 Wilstrop Farm Road, York. YO2 3RY Tel. (01904) 702844Eric Bingham, Car Lane, Hambleton,

Blackpool, Lanes. FY6 9BB Tel. (01253) 701275Emai:l mafeking@blackpool.net

ICS UNITED STATESBoard of TrusteesAmbassador Paul H. Robinson, Jr., Chairman

George A. Lewis; Wendy Reves; The Hon. Celia SandysThe Lady Soames DBE; The Hon. Caspar W. Weinberger

The staff of Finest Hour, published by The Churchill Centerand International Churchill Societies, appears on page 4.

SPRING 2001 JOURNAL OF THE CHURCHILL CENTER AND SOCIETIES

12 Churchill and the IndiansInder Dan Ratnu

14 "Message, Passion, Spontaneity"Chris Matthews's Churchill Lecture

"Churchill and the Navy"

15 One Bell: Commissioning Day"There were tears in the eyes of many tough old men"Michael Richards

18 Two Bells: Underway"Thanks for your work, Bath Iron Works..."Kelley Bouchard

21 Three Bells: At Sea"The warrior heroes of the past may look down..."David Braun

21 Four Bells: Her Namesake SpeaksRemarks on Naval Affairs, 1912-1948Sir Winston Churchill

45691139

Despatch BoxDatelinesChurchill CalendarLocal & National NewsAround & AboutRiddles, Mysteries, Enigmas

40 Action This Day46 Churchilltrivia47 Ampersand48 Immortal WordsOther departments will return next issue.

26 Five Bells: The Churchills, A Naval HistoryThe Winston S. Churchill has interesting forebearsNeil Coates

28 Six Bells: "As Light as Air, as Strong as Iron"Burke's words remain as true today as 226 years agoAmbassador Sir Christopher Meyer KCMG

30 Seven Bells: "The Navy is Here!"GrafSpee, Altmark and the Battle of the River PlateSir Winston Churchill • Commentary by Chris Bell

36 Eight Bells: The Sheet Anchor of Human Freedom"Never imagine that such concepts as duty, honor,and love of country are outdated."Winston S. Churchill

BOOKS, ARTS & CURIOSITIES42 What did Alanbrooke really think of Churchill?....What are the Churchill Factors?....Is Rasor'sHistoriography better than we said?....How Secretivewith each other were Roosevelt and Churchill?....Cananybody get all of Curt ZoUer's Trivia questions right?

Cover:Reproduced from the Internet home page ofUSSWinston S. Churchill DDG81, whose commis-

sioning we were honored to attend in March.

"Churchill and the Navy":This issue o/Tinest Hour is devoted to the theme

of the upcoming International ChurchillConference in San Diego, California, November

4th to 7th. It is dedicated to the officers and crewof USS Winston S. Churchill DDG81, many of

whom are Churchill Center members, and all ofwhom we are proud to call our friends.

FINEST HOUR no/3

Number 110* Spring 2001ISSN 0882-3715www.winstonchurchill.org

Barbara F. Langworth, Publisher(b_langworth@co nknet.com)

Richard M. Langworth, Editor(malakand@conknet.com)

PO Box 385, Hopkinton,NH 03229 USATel. (603) 746-4433Fax. (603) 746-4260

• Address changes. USA: send tothe business office of The ChurchillCenter. In UK, Canada dr Australia,send to ICS business offices on page 2.

Senior Editors:Ron Cynewulf RobbinsJohn G. Plumpton

Associate Editor:Paul H. Courtenay

News Editor: John FrostFeatures Editor: Douglas J. Hall

ContributorsGeorge Richard, Australia;Randy Barber, Chris Bell,Barry Gough, Canada;Inder Dan Ratnu, India;Paul Addison, David Boler,Winston S. Churchill,Sir Martin Gilbert, Allen Packwood,Phil Reed, United Kingdom;Chris Hanger, Chris Harmon,Warren F. Kimball, Cyril Mazansky,Michael McMenamin,James W. Muller, Mark Weber,Manfred Weidhorn, Curt Zoller,United States

Finest Hour is made possible in part throughthe generous support of members of TheChurchill Center and Societies, and with theassistance of an endowment created by TheChurchill Center Associates (listed on page 2).

Finest Hour is published quarterly by TheChurchill Center and International ChurchillSocieties, which offer various levels of supportin their respective currencies. Membershipapplications should be sent to the appropriateoffices on page 2. Permission to mail at non-profit rates in USA granted by the UnitedStates Postal Service, Concord, NH, permitno. 1524. Copyright 2001. All rights reserved.Designed and edited by DragonwyckPublishing Inc. Production by New EnglandFoil Stamping Inc. Printed by ReprographicsInc. Made in U.S.A.

DESPATCH BOX

CHURCHILL LECTUREI watched and enjoyed the Churchill Lec-

ture (see page 14) on C-span. I do wonder,though, if someone should write a book devotedto correcting misperceptions about Sir Winston.It amazes me, nearly every time I discuss my in-terest in Churchill, that someone always feels theneed to relate some sloshy anecdote about hisdrinking or other such tripe. Last summer, at awedding in which I was Best Man, I sprinkled inseveral relevant Churchill quotes. An elderlygentleman approached me afterward to say thathis neighbor had worked with Churchill duringthe war and that he knew fora fact that Sir Winston had aperson assigned to carryingliquor around after him sothat it was readily available.He then explained that notmany people knew there wereadditional aides designated tocarry spare trousers, as he gotso drunk every day that theyoften needed changing. I wasdumbstruck, and had no ideahow to respond. Do such sto-ries attach themselves toeveryone of import, especiallypoliticians who may makemore natural enemies?

Lastly, I am disgustedthat Time magazine's sum-mary regarding Churchill's unsuitability overEinstein for "Person of the Century" has nowseemed to take root as fact (note the questionsfrom the student lecture audience as well as Mr.Matthews's comments specifically mentioningIndia and female suffrage). As one of the author-ities that everyone looks toward for fact, has theCC ever considered undertaking WinstonChurchill: Setting the Record Straight!

WILLIAM ROEDER (w_roeder@msn.com)

/ had a go at Matthews at the dinner after-ward and corrected a few points. Finest Hour con-tinuously records and punctures media exaggera-tions, and we certainly took care of Time in issue105 ("Timei Long March to Person of the Cen-tury. ") Unfortunately Churchill himself so exagger-ated his use of alcohol that it stuck like a limpet.Mr. Matthews did remark that Churchill changedhis tune on female suffrage. Regarding India, onbalance Churchill was wrong, but not all wrongand it was a grand fight. (See "Jaipur, India" in"International Datelines, "page 12.)

Mr. Roeder's letter (to our Listserv discussiongroup), prompted a number of suggestions for a listof common Churchill misconceptions; see ToddRonnei's suggestions in "Ampersand, "p. 47. —Ed.

OUR FIRST SWEDISH ASSOCIATEI received the other day the information yousent me regarding the opportunity to become aChurchill Center Associate. I just want to in-

"I do wonder ifsomeone should

write a book devotedto correcting

misperceptions aboutSir Winston....Has

The Churchill Centerever considered

undertakingWinston Churchill:Setting the Record

Straight?"

form you that I shortly will send you a check forUS$10,000. I think everyone including myselfhas Mr. Churchill to thank for the survival ofWestern civilization and the democratic system;and that we all therefore have an obligation tohelp pass on Sir Winston's statecraft to new gen-erations. I fully share your questions: "If notus—who? If not now—when?"

GABRIEL URWITZ, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

WHEN WINSTON MET WINSTONHaving just read "Errata" on page 10 of FH

109,1 hasten to advise that I was notoi the viewthat the American and EnglishWinston Churchills met in1903. In fact my book, TheChurchills: Pioneers and Politi-cians, attributes the same sourceas Mr. Ryan (the official biog-raphy) as to their meeting inDecember 1900. However, Iwas pleased that you wrote"That Other WinstonChurchill" (FH 106), althoughA. L. Rowse thinks they didmeet during the Great War (seeThe Churchills,-p. 182).

ELIZABETH C. SNELL,

DORCHESTER, DORSET, UK

ATROCITIESCould you explain for me why Churchill

didn't protest against the gruesome mass slaugh-ter of unarmed Jews conducted quite openly bythe "White" army he and London armed in1919 to fight and topple the Soviet regime? I seefrom a report in The New York Times that An-drew Bonar Law admitted on the floor of Com-mons in late 1919 that units of the White armyhad slain "hundreds" of Jews in Kiev itself on18-20 October, so Churchill and the govern-ment certainly knew what their favored army inRussia was up to.

F. Y. GABRIEL (FYGabriel@aol.com)

I'm afraid I cannot, and post Mr. Gabriel'sletter here in the hope that someone can. —Ed.

RASOR'S HISTORIOGRAPHYI found Mr. Bell's review of the Rasor His-

toriography rather bitter and unjust, though amasterpiece of erudition. I think that kind ofwork deserves respect, since omissions and er-rors may be corrected in later editions. On thecontrary, I believe that it should be very usefulto issue this work in a CD-ROM version withhypertextual linkage, updating on subscription.

PATRIZ1O R. GIANGRECO, NAPLES, ITALY

For further thoughts along these lines, pleasesee "Rasor's Edge" on page 44.

continued on page 46

FINEST HOUR 110/4

DATELINESQUOTE OF THE SEASON

"Tney combine in tne most deadly manner tne qualities or tne warrior and tne slave.

Tney do not value rreedom tnemselves, and tne spectacle or it in otners is naterul to tnem.

Whenever tney become strong tney seek tneir prey,

and tney will follow witk an iron discipline anyone wno will lead tnem to it."

—WSC (wko was not tken speaking of Ckina), HOUSE OF COMMONS, 21 SEPTEMBER 1943

WSC Survives Blitz of'01LONDON, MAY 1ST— Understandably reluc-tant to expend taxpayer funds cleaningup the messes of "pro-environment ac-tivists," who celebrated last May Day bydesecrating the Churchill statue andother London shrines, authorities builta protective box around the statue. Thememorial was untouched, despite nu-merous May Day citizens celebratinghuman rights by attacking the rights ofother human beings.

Apologies for LatenessWe are late with this Spring num-

ber, and we know it. My involvementin two major events, the commission-ing of USS Churchill in March and theChurchill Lecture in April, plus twoChartwell Bulletins, two fundraisingprojects, and working with Curt Zolleron his (great) new bibliography ofworks about Churchill, combined toclobber my schedule. Please be assuredthat normal frequency will be regainedand that you will receive your full ra-tion of four FHs per year and on time.That means a summer and autumn ontime, and the first issue of 2002 (win-ter), shortly after the New Year. Myapologies for the inconvenience. RML

Epstein to Oval OfficeLONDON, MARCH 28TH— In a highly un-usual diplomatic gesture, one of onlysix Epstein busts of Sir WinstonChurchill is being sent to Washington,for loan to President Bush in the OvalOffice. The idea of loaning the work,from the Government's art collection,

The Epstein Bust (Imperial War Museum)

came to British officials during PrimeMinister Tony Blair's visit to Washing-ton in February. Two years ago bothGeorge W. Bush and John McCain, hisrival for the nomination, namedChurchill as the most important figureof the 20th century, Bush describing SirWinston as "the best example of howindividuals can shape history." Down-ing Street said that the loan, which isexpected to last as long as PresidentBush wants it, was exceptional and thatno similar gesture was made to Mr.Clinton, despite his close personal rela-tionship with Mr. Blair. "WinstonChurchill was a great friend of theUnited States," said Sir ChristopherMeyer, British Ambassador to Washing-ton. "What better place for his bust tosit than in the Oval Office?"

Sir Jacob Epstein, son of Jewish

immigrants, was born in America butmoved to London and took up Britishcitizenship. He was commissioned toproduce several portraits of importantfigures during the war, although hisbest-known works are probably hismemorial tomb to Oscar Wilde, in thePere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, and hisnudes at the British Medical Associa-tion's headquarters in London.

Churchill could not spare the timeto sit for the artist during the war, sothe bust was sculpted and cast in 1946,during six "restless" sittings at HydePark Gate and Chartwell. In his autobi-ography Epstein recalls how during thefirst session Churchill sat down, dis-missed his plain-clothes bodyguard, hadhis secretary sit nearby for dictation andthen lit one of his favourite Cuban cig-ars. "[Churchill] was at all times ex-tremely genial and a most hospitablehost," Epstein said. "He showed me hispaintings about which I found himmodest to the extreme, laying no claimto professional status. His library, as Isaw it, seemed to consist of books onNapoleon and his celebrated ancestorthe first Duke of Marlborough."

2002 Churchill CruiseThe 2002 International Churchill

Conference will be hosted by ICS(UK), and will take the form of aChurchill cruise of the Mediterranean.Details are not yet available but the ten-tative schedule is to depart Barcelona inearly October, when the hot Mediter-ranean weather will have moderated,

continued overleaf

FINEST HOUR n o / 5

DATELINES

2002 Churchill Cruise...stopping at Monte Carlo, Rome, Sor-rento, Malta, Santorini and Athens. Wewill see Malta, Monaco, Italy andGreece, all of which figure prominentlyin the Churchill saga. WSC paid minorvisits to all the other places, includingSantorini, where he stopped briefly dur-ing one of his cruises aboard AristotleOnassis's yacht Christina. More detailsas available. Meanwhile, hold the datesand watch Finest Hour!

Sampson NominatedWASHINGTON, MARCH 19TH— T h e W h i t e

House announced today the nomina-tion of David A. Sampson, Presidentand CEO of the Arlington, TexasChamber of Commerce, as AssistantSecretary of Commerce for EconomicDevelopment. "I am humbled anddeeply honored by the Presidents confi-dence and if confirmed by the Senatewill work diligently to promote eco-nomic development and opportunity inevery region of the country," Mr. Samp-son said.

David Sampson chaired the firstmajor Churchill Conference, in Dallasin 1987, hosting Wendy Reves, Con-gressman James Courter, and longtimeChurchill secretary and Chartwell ad-ministrator Grace Hamblin. The con-ference produced our first set ofChurchill Proceedings and set the tonefor succeeding conferences at BrettonWoods in 1988, London in 1989 andSan Francisco 1990. Those of us whohave worked with David Sampson areproud to congratulate him on his ap-pointment.

Commercial WildernessNo sooner did we mention our re-

mastered videos of the famous "Wilder-ness Years" video starring Robert Hardyas Churchill than we learned that, atlast, the tapes have been commerciallyreproduced. The cost is $69.95 for afour VHS cassette set. Details are in thecurrent Churchill Stores catalog. CallGail Greenly at 603-746-3452. Thesetapes are sold with a small margin tobenefit the Churchill Center and, weappreciate your ordering from us.

CHURCHILL CALENDAR 2001All postings welcome; owing to our quarterly schedule, we need copy at least three months in advance.

•11 August: New England summer picnic and book discussion, Hopkinton, NH. Topic:William Manchester's The Last Lion. Contact: Suzanne Sigman (ssigman@mediaone.net),

42 Dudley Lane, Milton MA 02186, tel. (617) 696-1833.

• 24-26 August: Visit of USS Winston S. Churchill to Portsmouth, UK. Contact: NigelKnocker (nigel@icsuksaf.demon.co.uk), tel. (01380) 828609, full address on page 2.

• 28 September: Lansdowne Churchill Dinner. Contact: Gerald Dumont, Lansdowne ResortHotel, 44050 Woodridge Pkwy., Lansdowne VA 20176, tel. (800) 541-4801.

• 30 November: 127th birthday celebration, Kenneth Rendell Museum of World War II,Natick, MA. Contact: Suzanne Sigman (ssigman@mediaone.net) sec address above.

• 30 November: 127th birthday celebration, Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage AK. Contact:James Muller (afjwm@uaa.alaska.edu), tel. (907) 786-4740, address on page 2.

OUR PREMIER EVENTS FOR 2001

• 2-3 November: Student Seminar, RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA: "WinstonChurchill: A Leadership Model for the 21st Century." Contact: John Plumpton

(savrola@winstonchurchill.org), tel. (416) 495-9641, full address on page 2.Accommodations: Queen Mary, tel. (562) 435-3511. Mention the CC special rate of $149.

• 4-7 November: 18th International Churchill Conference, San Diego, Calif. Contact:Judith Kambestad (jammpott@aol.com), 1172 Cambera Lane, Santa Ana CA 92705,tel. (714) 838-4741. Accommodations: Hotel del Coronado, tel. (800) HOTEL-DEL.A registration packet will be mailed shortly, but you should reserve your room now.Call 800-HOTEL-DEL. Mention the preferred rates beginning at $220 per night.

There is a wide choice of alternative accommodation, including guest housesand B&Bs. For information contact the San Diego visitor center

(www.sandiego.org) or telephone (800) 872-6343.

Wilderness Years II?LONDON, MARCH 5TH— Ridley Scott, di-rector of "Gladiator" and horror movie"Hannibal," is to make a £5 millionfilm about Winston Churchill for theBBC. Entitled "The Lonely War," itwill focus on the 1930s, whenChurchill was out of power and fight-ing an isolated campaign to persuadeBritain of the threat posed by Nazi Ger-many. Actors Albert Finney (nominatedfor a "best supporting actor" Oscar forhis part in "Erin Brockovich") andMichael Gambon have been ap-proached to play the lead role. Gambonplayed lead in last year's successful WestEnd revival of Harold Pinter's "TheCaretaker." He will also appear laterthis year in Mel Smith's feature film"High Heels and Low Life."

The 90-minute drama is to bemade by the production company Scott

runs with his brother, director TonyScott. "Hannibal," a sequel to "Silenceof the Lambs," has made millionsworldwide, despite criticism that it glo-rifies violence. "The Lonely War" willbe broadcast on BBC1 in Britain earlynext year, and the BBC and the Scottbrothers hope that it will also be shownoverseas in cinemas.

David Thompson, head of BBCFilms, which is co-financing the ven-ture, said that the drama emphasisedthe human side of Britain's wartimeleader, by focusing on his relationshipwith his wife, Clementine, and his lovefor Chartwell, the house near Wester-ham, Kent, that they shared. It will alsofeature Churchill's great rival at thetime, Neville Chamberlain. Instead ofbeing portrayed as the weak appeasermany view him as today, he will beshown as a dynamic and intelligent

FINEST HOUR no /6

DATELINES

prime minister. The script was writtenby Hugh Whitemore, who has pro-duced a number of historical dramas,including "A Letter of Resignation,"about the Profumo scandal, and"Breaking the Code," about the com-puter genius Alan Turing. "The sense ofhistory informs everything I really enjoydoing," Whitemore says. "It has to dowith making sense of the passage oftime, whether it is a lifetime or an ageor a century." —Oliver Poole

Editor's note: It will be interestingto compare this production with theRobert Hardy "Wilderness Years,"which will be hard to top, despite theloose portrayal of Clementine by actressSean Phillips {FH 38). Whenever filmmakers say they will show us "thehuman side" we think in terms of am-bushes like BBC's "The Churchills" afew years ago, in which human failingsare built up to epic proportions and thebig things are missed or misrepresented."The sense of history" also no doubt in-forms Oliver Stone....We live in hope.

Speaking of Which...LONDON, FEBRUARY 2oTH— BBC Radio 4produced an interesting program docu-menting Churchill's approach to Euro-pean Union, which may still be avail-able on BBC's audio-video site:http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audio-video/default.stm. On Churchill's viewof European Union after the war, thewords "visionary" and "practical" werefrequently repeated, and many werepleased to hear the voice of Sir JohnColville. This very good account wasinevitably touched by BBC's pro-Eu-rope viewpoint. Churchill is "prescient"when he proclaims the need for unitedEurope, but he is a Victorian throwbackwhen he says Britain has her owndream. His 1946-50 speeches on unitedEurope are presented with few qualifi-cations, while his post-1950 reserva-tions about British integration areblamed on his Victorian upbringing.

The program accurately describedChurchill's "radical" call for rapproche-ment between France and Germanyafter the war, pointing up the ironies(postwar Labour wished that he wouldshut up, today's Labour is pro-integra-

tion; Churchill urged unity, MargaretThatcher didn't). But the programmissed the at least equivalent irony thatBritain has spent the last 400 yearsstriving to create a balance of power onthe continent, which has united suffi-ciently to absorb Britain.

Like much of Churchill's thought,his views on Europe were more com-plex than can be related in half anhour—or, we fear, represented evenly.FH welcomes a review of this programby a qualified scholar. Our quibblesaside, it is definitely worth hearing.

Firebombing DresdenIt is oft repeated that Churchill

"ordered" the firebombing of Dresden

as a "vicious payback" for the Germanbombing of Coventry (which Churchillis often accused of allowing to burnrather than reveal his access to the Ger-man codes—see FH 35). Who's rightabout Dresden? Before we get into that,let us remember that there was a waron, and who the enemy was. Had hethe means, Hitler would cheerfully haveflattened London and everyone in it.

Apropos Dresden, we referred toDr. Chris Harmon, a CC academic ad-viser and professor at the Marine CorpsUniversity, Quantico, Virginia, authorof the 1991 monograph "Are We Beasts?"Churchill on the Moral Question ofWorldWar II "Area Bombing. "The Naval War

continued overleaf

Color Prints Available1) Barrie Linklater

Readers who admired thecover and centerspread in FH109, featuring Barrie Linklater'spainting ofWSC "He revered ourpast, defended our democracy andinspires our future," may orderprints of this splendid work.These will be identical to the cen-terspread and on slightly heavierpaper, but blank on the reverse.

* In North America send US$20payable to "Churchill Center" to the Editor,PO Box 385, Hopkinton NH 03229.

• In UK and Europe send £15 payable to "ICS (UK)" to the Society, PO Box1257, Melksham, Wilts. SN12 6GQ, England.

Some members may prefer a much higher quality reproduction, in which casethey should notify respective organisation; the exact cost of this will depend on thescale of demand, but might be in the region of $120 in North America and £85 inUK; postage and packing extra. This version can be produced by a light-resistantphotographic process in a size rather larger than that in FH 109 (approximately20x14") and mounted on card with a margin, signed by the artist and ready forframing.—Paul Courtenay

2) USS ChurchillColor prints ofDDG81,

taken from the centerspread ofthis issue but without staple-marks or printing on the backand with a white border, areavailable from Churchill Stores.

To order send US$15 toChurchill Stores, PO Box 96,Contoocook NH 03229 USA.(UKmembers may order these

for £10 from ICS/UK, PO Box 1257, Melksham, Wilts. SN12 6GQ.)

FINEST HOUR no /7

DATELINES

Firebombing Dresden...College Review office in NewportRhode Island offers free copies. Seetheir website (www.nwc.navy.mil) orcontact Ms. Pat Goodrich, tel. (401)841-6583 (goodricp@nwc.navy.mil).

Dr. Harmon writes: "Since writingAre We Beasts? I've had a chance to reada few new things on the bombing, andmuch more on the war. And for whatit's worth, I've never been told there'sanything wrong with what I've pub-lished. So I'll summarize what I know.

"Churchill did not think well ofarea bombing but began to believe itcould be a grim necessity after (1) hewatched devastating German air attackson Warsaw, Rotterdam, and otherplaces full of noncombatants; and (2)he could see precious few ideas for hit-ting back. In the ever-lengtheningbuild-up to Normandy, the bomber of-fensive was about the best he had tohurt the Germans and their industrialwar effort. Later, when he saw Franceliberated, Germany's defensive linesbeing pierced, and the war being won,he quickly lost taste for it.

"Churchill's head of Bomber Com-mand, Air Marshal Harris, seemed tothink German morale might still bebroken by bombing, but Churchill re-buked him after Dresden, and again,just as strongly for bombing Potsdamshortly thereafter. His mind had alreadyturned to how the Allies would governand occupy Germany; the time for de-stroying it was passing.

"Harris had none of Churchill'smoral qualms about the strategicbombing campaign, or if he did, he hidthem well. He created a list of somefifty major target cities, usually selectedfor their size, war production, or criticallocation on transportation routes. Har-ris was grimly working through die list,complaining when the CombinedChiefs 'distracted' him with special tar-gets related to ground campaigns orspecial interests like oil or U-boat pens.

"Dresden was on another list atBomber Command—a short list ofearly 1945 targets that should be flat-tened to aid the Russian offensive.Churchill had frequently pressed Harristo use his bombers to aid the Russians,

but they never talked about Dresdenparticularly, to my knowledge. It wasone of several towns at the right timeand place whose bombing would helpthe Red Army's advance in that sector.Also, John Colville's memoirs record,there had been a report that Axis armorwas moving through the town. In short,Dresden was not a vengeance target,but a military one, and one more 'builtup area' that was to be destroyed likethe others in Germany."

Marigold Frances Churchill died in 1921, aged two yearsand nine months, of septicaemia, a minor ailment with

today's antibiotics. Her grave, with its beautiful monumentby Eric Gill, is in Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

Giving Away MarigoldLONDON, MARCH 25TH— The Sunday Tele-graph reported that ClementineChurchill offered in 1918 to giveMarigold, the Churchill's fourth child,to the family of General Sir Ian Hamil-ton (he of Gallipoli fame), who hadbeen unable to have a child. There is nosuggestion that Winston Churchill evenknew of the offer. The informationcame from Mrs. Hamilton's diaries, re-cently uncovered by Celia Lee, the wifeof John Lee, who has just published abiography of Hamilton. Apparently,there is also an article by Andrew

Roberts on the Churchills' financial dif-ficulties, and how this may have con-tributed to the offer. -Robert Courts

If Shakespeare,Why Not Churchill?How About This, Scholars?NEW YORK, MARCH 5TH— "Tradition rec-ommends that one study the Talmudnot in private, but with a teacher-com-panion at one's side," writes MichaelPotemra in National Review. "A similartradition has evolved with respect to thecentral works of the Western secularcanon." Potemra describes the latest ad-dition to this genre on Shakespeare, tostand alongside Mark Van Doren's edi-tion of Shakespeare: It is W.H. Auden'sLectures on Shakespeare (Princeton, 398pp., $29.95). This is a reconstruction,"from notes taken by students andamanuenses—of a course of twenty-eight lectures given by the great Britishpoet in 1946-47 at New York's NewSchool for Social Research. Auden ex-amines Shakespeare's texts from thepoint of view of a working poet, andthis keeps his erudition from succumb-ing to pedantry....Auden's lectures canbe read with profit not just as a com-mentary, but as an anthology of themost revelatory passages of Shakespeare.A 15-page appendix lists all the passagesAuden underlined in his copy of Shake-speare's complete works; to readthrough the underlinings of an insight-ful reader is an excellent way to deepenone's own second reading of a text."

What a boon such an approachwould be to Churchill! Imagine the lim-idess profit of being able to read whatLeo Strauss had to say about Churchill'sMarlborough to his students at the Uni-versity of Chicago, alongside underlinedpassages from Strauss's own copy; orMartin Gilbert on the "WildernessYears," coupled to his favorite passagesfrom Arms and the Covenant; or Man-fred Weidhorn's ruminations on justabout any Churchill title, with his un-derlinings from his copy.

If anyone would like to try some-thing like this for Finest Hour, theywould have the editor's instant atten-tion and enthusiasm.

FINEST HOUR n o / 8

DATELINES

Local & NationalLondonFEBRUARY 14TH— One hundred years agotoday the newly elected Member forOldham first took his seat in Parlia-ment. The centenary of this milestonewas marked by the InternationalChurchill Society (UK) on 15th Febru-ary 2001 with a reception in theChurchill Room at the House of Com-mons. Over 100 Society members andtheir guests attended, including LadySoames, the Duke of Marlborough, theHon Nicholas Soames MP, and theHon Celia Sandys. Also at the receptionwere Lord Jenkin of Roding who, asPatrick Jenkin, became MP forWanstead and Woodford in 1964 onChurchill's retirement and rose to be-come a Cabinet minister; and ICS(UK) member Eleanor Laing, MP forEpping Forest, the new name for SirWinston's old seat. Another guest wasPiers Brendon, who retired in Marchfrom the post of Keeper of theChurchill Archives Centre at ChurchillCollege, Cambridge.

Historian Andrew Roberts, an ICS(UK) member, gave a short talk onChurchill's election in October 1900,and went on to describe WSC's maidenspeech, delivered four days after takinghis seat, with some of the reactions toit. Mr. Roberts is author of EminentChurchillians (FH 85, p. 38, FH 95, p.4) along with biographies of Halifax(The Holy Fox) and Salisbury (VictorianTitan).

KentuckyL O U I S V I L L E ,

MARCH 29-30TH—

In cooperationwith TheChurchill Cen-ter and the In-tercollegiateStudies Insti-tute, the Mc-Connell Cen-ter for PoliticalL e a d e r s h i psponsored a Churchill mini-conferenceat the University of Louisville. Speakers

The McConnell Center

on March 29th were John Lukacs("Churchill and the Historical Problemof Vision and Character") and James W.Muller ("Winston Churchill asWriter"). A seminar discussion onChurchill's leadership was then held byLukacs, Muller and Stephen Hayward,author of Churchill on Leadership. Thenext day, Prof. Muller conducted a sem-inar on "The Education of WinstonChurchill," followed by a luncheon atwhich Mr. Hayward spoke on"Churchill's Lengthening Shadow: ThePermanent Traits of Leadership."

"Developing our own leadershipskills is, in part, about following the'glow worms' of the past—those extra-ordinary leaders who in their actionsand words teach timeless lessons ofleadership," stated the McConnell Cen-ter program. "As Churchill himself putit, 'The longer you look back, the fur-ther you can look forward.' Commem-orating the 100th anniversary of Win-ston Churchill first taking a seat in Par-liament, the McConnell Center ispleased to present this small conferencerevisiting the life, thought, and actionsof this sage thinker, prolific author, ac-complished artist, and extraordinarywartime leader...who may have savedWestern Civilization." Events like this

are what The Churchill Center is allabout, and we were pleased to be a part-ner in this excellent event.

Havengore NewsLONDON, MARCH 10TH— Progress contin-ues on the restoration of Havengore, theCity of London vessel which bore SirWinston's coffin in 1965, now being re-furbished by a trust for educational pur-poses. Early last year, as interior workproceeded, we requested suggestions fornames of Havengore's two aft cabins.Many very good suggestions were sub-mitted, including Walmer, Winston,Spencer, Marlborough, Malakand,Bladon and Spitfire. Chartwell andBlenheim were the most popular sug-gestions and the two aft cabins ofHavengore will be named in honor ofthese family and ancestral homes.

A founding member of TheHavengore Club and ICS (UK) mem-ber James Glibbery has very kindly of-fered to donate the brass nameplates forthe cabin doors. Also, we are pleased toannounce that the long anticipatedhotel next to Havengore's berth hasnow opened and, as promised, therestaurant is called "Havengore." A se-ries of photographs about Havengore

continued overleaf

REMEMBER WINSTON CHURCHILL

Will future generations remember?Will the ideas you cherish now be sustained then?

Will someone articulate your principles?Who will guide your grandchildren, your faith and your country?

There is an answer.

The Churchill Center Associates (page 2) are people who have committed $10,000or more, over five years, all tax-deductible, to the Churchill Center and Society

Endowment funds earning interest in the United States and Canada.

With their help—and yours—those earnings guaranteethat The Churchill Center will endure as a powerful voice,

sustaining those beliefs Sir Winston and you hold dear.Now. And for future generations.

If you would like to consider becoming a Churchill Center Associateplease contact

Richard M. Langworth, Chairman, Board of Trustees(888) 454-2275 • malakand@conknet.com

FINEST HOUR no /9

Havengore...and tributes to Sir Winston Churchillwill soon adorn this popular and stylishestablishment. —Sally Browne, TheHavengore Trust (unvw.havengore.com)

North TexasDALLAS, MARCH 3RD— Churchillians held adinner for about 25 people at the Lake-wood Country Club tonight. FinestHour contributor Chris Hanger spokeon the suspenseful five-day period inMay 1940 covered by Prof. John Lukacsin his recent book, Five Days in London,May 1940. Lukacs ably recounts thedays when Winston Churchill, as primeminister, convinced his cabinet col-leagues to continue the war againstGermany. His principal opponent wasLord Halifax, who favored contactingGermany regarding terms for cessationof hostilities. Mr. Hanger adaptedLukacs's findings with other material hehad researched, following a chronologyto show the increasing tension betweenChurchill and Halifax, which reached acrescendo on May 28th, whenChurchill prevailed. Chris also com-mented on the lack of "press leaks" ofthe question being debated, somethingthat might be considerably harder toprevent today. A spirited comment ses-sion followed.

Our crusading contributor in North Texas, ('hm Hanger,at work at McNeil High School, April 1 lth. In addition totaking the Churchill saga to young people in his commu-

nity, Chris prepares the article abstracts for our depart-ment, "Inside the Journals," and is an avid bibliophile toboot. He thus ranks as one of our Great Contemporaries.

AUSTIN, APRIL i iTH— Building a head ofsteam, Chris Hanger spent today atMcNeil High School, teaching threeclasses to seniors on the Battle ofBritain and the life of WinstonChurchill. McNeil is a nationally recog-nized facility, part of the Round RockIndependent School District. Over sixty

DATELINES

students attended the three lectures,which began with a short video tapepresentation. Chris then picked up thestory by detailing the strategy of thebattle, its several phases, and the aircraftinvolved, explaining the relevance ofthe outcome to the Second World War.

The Battle of Britain portion of thelecture began with a PowerPoint presen-tation that combined period Britishnewspapers with photographs and othermaterial. The second part of the presen-tation explained the highlights of SirWinston's life, his excellence as a leaderand historian, and ended with a discus-sion of his state funeral. The recentcommissioning of USS Winston S.Churchill was also described, along withother information concerning TheChurchill Center. The students, whoasked numerous good questions, weregiven two magazine articles onChurchill's life, and a CC "Study His-tory" poster was presented to theirteacher for use in future classes.

North Texas: Belated ReportAUSTIN, JUNE 21ST, 2000— William S. Liv-ingston, Professor Emeritus and SeniorVice President of The University ofTexas at Austin, spoke today about"The Politics and Wit of Sir WinstonChurchill" at the Ex-Students Associa-tion. The audience comprised 150 for-mer students and was part of the annualCampus Update program. The lecturebegan with a short history ofChurchill's early years, family history,military experience and entry into jour-nalism. It explored WSC's ability to in-ject humor into conversation and de-bate; Prof. Livingston also coveredWSC's extraordinary career as authorand journalist, from his early war corre-spondent days in India, the Sudan andSouth Africa, to his biographies, warmemoirs and histories.

A member of the faculty since1949, Prof. Livingston has held manyacademic and administrative positionsat the University. During the 1960s, hewas chairman of the Government De-partment, with a teaching emphasis onBritish government and politics. Hisengaging and clear lecture style madefor a most enjoyable talk.

Southern CaliforniaMARCH 18TH— Southern CaliforniaChurchillians were joined at a Sundaybrunch by members from San Fran-cisco, San Diego and as far away asToronto, the latter represented by Johnand Ruth Plumpton. John, President ofThe Churchill Center, gave a preview ofthe exciting events being planned as farahead as 2005. Judy Kambestad, whodirects the local organization for the up-coming International Churchill Con-ference in San Diego this November,told of the exciting activities plannedfor the affair. She thanked the manymembers who are assisting.

T h ehighlightof thegatheringwas a pre-sentationby Profes-sor DavidFreemane n t i t l e d"WinstonChurchilla n d Leo Leopolds. Amery in 1935.

Amery." He discussed the joint activi-ties of the two politicians, both gradu-ates of Harrow, where Amery excelledin his studies while Churchill tried toconvince us, in his My Early Life, thathe himself was a poor student. Bothwent to South Africa as correspondentsduring the Boer War, Amery for TheTimes and Churchill for the MorningPost. Both planned to be aboard on thefateful journey of the armoured trainbut, while Churchill boarded, Ameryoverslept and missed it. Both enteredParliament: Churchill in 1900, Ameryin 1910. Amery supported JosephChamberlain's "Imperial Preference"while Churchill supported Free Trade.Amery joined Lord Milner in the Colo-nial Office. After Milner left andChurchill headed the Colonial Office,Amery worked for WSC.

Dr. Freeman discussed the differ-ence in the two statesmen's attitudes to-wards India and their parallels in warn-ing England about the Nazi menace.Like Churchill, Amery opposed NevilleChamberlain's Munich appeasement

FINEST HOUR 110/10

DATELINES

policy and powerfully backed Churchillfor the leadership. After the evacuationof Trondheim, Norway, by the British,and during the Parliamentary debate of7 May 1940, Amery quoted OliverCromwell in addressing Chamberlain:"You have sat here too long for anygood you have been doing. Depart, Isay, and let us have done with you. Inthe name of God, go!"

Tragically for Leo Amery, his son Johnbecame enamored of the Hitler regimeand stayed in Germany during the war,broadcasting propaganda speeches.After the war he was convicted as a trai-tor and hanged in December 1945. LeoAmery never really recovered from thisfamily tragedy. He lost his seat in 1945and died in 1955.

Northern CaliforniaOAKLAND, MARCH 31ST— MichaelJacquemet-Barrington brought a largenumber of Churchillians together todayto discuss plans for future activities inthe Bay Area. He also contributed a dis-cussion on "Roosevelt, Stalin andChurchill: An Unlikely Wartime Al-liance," which will eventually be pub-lished in Finest Hour or Churchill Pro-ceedings. One of the most extraordinaryaspects of World War II, Michael said,"was the high degree of cooperation be-tween Great Britain and the UnitedStates, a relationship born out of friend-ship and necessity. As more and moreof the documents of the period becomeavailable it becomes increasingly clearthat this unique instance of cooperationresulted from the accident of historythat brought Franklin D. Roosevelt andWinston Spencer Churchill into promi-nence." He went on to comment on aneven more remarkable addition to thealliance, Marshal Stalin. Future meet-ings are planned. Contact: MichaelJacquemet-Barrington (majb7016@aol.com)34263 Eucalyptus Terrace, Fremont CA94555, telephone (510) 791-2305.

ChicagoAPRIL 24TH— CC Vice President Bill Iveswas the speaker at the Spring meetingof Chicago area Churchillians. Also pre-sent was CC Trustee and longtimechairman of the Council of Churchill

AROUND & ABOUT

The massive (and unexpurgated) Alanbrooke Di-aries—not the previously-sanitized ones pub-

lished in the late Fifties—were published in May,with extracts running in the Daily Telegraph, reportsGraham Robson. "It looks like dynamite to me."More grist undoubtedly for the Feet of ClaySchool—but a prominent member of the Churchillfamily tells FH: "We have broad backs"....The SirWinston Churchill Society of Calgary held its annualdinner on April 21st, with keynote speaker Lord Jellicoe, a tremendous speakerwhose remarks we know were enjoyed by our colleagues....Dwelling onChurchill's fortitude against constant disaster in the Second World War, honorarymember Lord Deedes wrote in the Daily Telegraph of a recollection from VicOliver, WSC's son-in-law. One evening in 1941, Churchill came down from hisstudy "looking inexpressibly grim." Scenting there had been a disaster but know-ing he would not reveal it, Mrs. Churchill quietly poured him a glass of port.Oliver went to the piano and, on reflection, began Beethoven's Appassionatasonata. Churchill rose to his feet and thundered: "Stop. Don't play that!" Oliverasked, "What's the matter? Don't you like it?" Churchill replied, "Nobody playsthe Dead March in my house." Knowing that Churchill was notoriously unmusi-cal, the company laughed. Oliver turned back to the piano: "But surely, sir, youcan tell the difference between this..." and he struck a few chords of the Appassion-ata "and..." Before he could finish Churchill thundered again: "Stop it! stop it! Iwant no Dead March, I tell you!" The next day it was announced that the battle-ship HMS Hood had been sunk after a shell from the German battleship Bis-marck passed through its light armour and exploded in the stern magazine. Of the93 officers and 1324 ratings, three had been saved....On March 22nd the HistoryChannel aired a program about how HMS Devonshire, after starting to pick upsailors from the sunken German battleship Bismarck, suddenly sailed away, leav-ing hundreds of Germans slowly freezing in the water. Lost in the dialogue wasone sentence about Devonshire receiving a warning of a U-boat in the vicinity. Noone speculated on whether the U-boat would have refrained from torpedoing De-vonshire while she was dead in the water, killing all the rescued Germans as well astheir comrades....Chris Dunford (chris@covesoftware.com) to the CC Listserv:There have been numerous discussions here and elsewhere about continuing ef-forts on the part of certain scholars to discredit Churchill using modern day sensi-bilities. Many members have made the point that individuals must be judged inthe context of their own time, not in the context of the observer's time. Whilereading, of all things, a science fiction novel, I came across the following passage.It is in reference to Christopher Columbus—another target of political correct-ness—remarkably apropos of Churchill: "His vices were the vices of his time andculture, but his virtues transcended the milieu of his life. He was a great man. Ihave no wish to undo the life of a great man." $

Organizations, Ambassador Paul H.Robinson, just back from Norfolk,where he had received the ChurchillCenter Blenheim Award. Bill Ives dis-cussed the forthcoming San Diego con-ference, and answered numerous ques-tions about the goals and projects of theChurchill Center. He was even able toinform several present that The

Churchill Center succeeded ICS USAfive years ago, and the reasons why itdid: mainly because of our greatly ex-panded scope and our educational pro-grams. Future Chicago meetings areplanned. Contact Phil or Susan Larson,email parkerfox@msn.com or telephone(708) 352-6825.

continued overleaf

FINEST HOUR no/11

DATELINES

Jaipur, IndiaLecturing Indians on the qualities

of Winston Churchill is a task compa-rable to lecturing Americans on thegreatness of George III. But Inder DanRatnu pursues his quest tenaciously.The author of two unique books, Lay-man's Questions about Churchill and Al-ternative to Churchill (reviewed in FH106, available from the CC New BookService), he has been giving his lecture,"Churchill and Freedom" to young peo-ple, where he reports progress:

"At one address to about 150 stu-dents, my listeners were very young in-deed, 4th and 5th standard; but thisturned out to be a very special occasion.I began by asking if anyone had heardthe name of Churchill. Only one raisedhis hand, and couldn't say whoChurchill was. When I asked if theyhad heard about Hitler, nearly 70% re-sponded! This made me realise how im-portant it was to keep talking....

"It was a good academic-social ex-periment to realise where I stood in re-spect to this work. Following my speechI was surprised when four very young

"I asked if anyone hadheard the name of

Churchill. Only oneraised his hand...

When I asked if they hadheard about Hitler, nearly

70% responded.This made me realisehow important it was

to keep talking...."

kids came forward and purchased Lay-man books. None of the schools hadever purchased more than one copy be-

fore. Now, wherever I go, Imake it a point to speak inpart or at important junc-tures in Hindi, even if theschool standard is English.This helps develop betterunderstanding. At Hindischools I give the entirespeech in Hindi, except forthe recitation of Churchill'soriginal words. In the near

future I will take my talk to rural areasas well as urban centers, and to othercities and other states including Gu-jarat, the home state of MahatmaGandhi himself."

Mr. Ratnu welcomes mail andemail from fellow Churchillians, andoffers many interesting perspectives (seearticle below for his addresses, and anexample of what he's up against).

New EnglandNATICK, MASS., APRIL 28TH— Over sixtymembers and friends today enjoyed acombination of Kenneth Rendell's in-comparable museum of World War II

continued >>>

CHURCHILL AND THE INDIANSINDER DAN RATNU

Trecendy had discussion with a senior state leader of Ra--Ljasthan, an old veteran who happens also to be a friend. Astaunch Gandhian, he has been thrice Member of Parliament,twice a member of his state legislature, and a respected ministerat both state and centre (federal) levels.

When I apprised him of my campaign of speeches aboutChurchill at educational institutions, a sarcastic smile crossedhis face: "You must know that Churchill was the foremostenemy of India; yet you are devoted to him. Why?" I replied,"If Churchill had not defended democracy, we wouldn't have ithere; people like me could never have the kind of life I amhaving, nor could you have become the leader you are." He de-nied this, saying, "Churchill's war with Hitler had nothing todo with that."

For a moment I wondered if I should invite him to one ofmy lectures on Churchill and Freedom, since a rebuttal righton the stage could be embarrassing, and confusing for the stu-

Mr. Ratnu is anxious to hear from readers who wish to "talk Churchill." Heparticularly seeks advice on how he might lecture abroad. Write him atC-7, Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, India, PIN 302-021. E-mail: id@datainfosys.net.

dents. But Churchill never avoided political arguments so,gadiering courage, I asked if he would attend one of my ap-pearances. "I am asking particularly because the gulf betweenyour ideas and mine is substantial," I said. "Why not?" hereplied, "differences are a part of democracy. If you invite me Ishall come."

I asked the editor of Finest Hour why he thoughtChurchill had been so silent on die question of India duringhis wartime premiership. He first directed me to Sir MartinGilberts official biography, Volume V, pages 617-19, onChurchill's overtures to Gandhi after the India Bill had passedin 1935. Sir Martin also reports a friendly exchange betweenChurchill and Gandhi in 1908, when Churchill supportedGandhis campaign for equal rights for Indians in South Africa.Churchill was totally absorbed by the war; also, Churchill hadsent die Cripps Mission to India, although some scholars thinkhe made its work difficult. In the 1950s, Churchill becamevery fond of Nehru, with whom he got on famously as a fellowold Harrovian. All this could be die subject of an interestingarticle.

Such facts underscore Churchill's basic magnanimity, evenin defeat, and suggest a more openminded attitude towardIndia than critics claim. Churchill's public refusal to opposeindependence after the war endorses his commitment to

continued »>

FINEST HOUR no/12

DATELINES

New England...and a lecture by Dr. John Mather,CC Associate and Governor, onmyths surrounding WinstonChurchill's health.

Dr. Mather deftly put to restnumerous canards, including thedate of Churchill's first stroke(later than you think), and his al-coholic consumption (much lessthan people imagine).

Ken Rendell, the eminent au-tograph dealer, has been collectingartifacts from World War II—German,Japanese, American, French, British—for forty years. But until his private mu-seum opened last November, no oneknew the extraordinary depth of hisholdings, or of the impression theymake on exhibit. Their extent is phe-nomenal, and the effect—especially ofthe Third Reich material—is colossal. Indesign and impact, the Nazi parapher-nalia, from Hitler's personal chinaware,pocket watch and spectacles to patrioticposters, banners and even toys, the ma-terial offers mute testimony to Nazi skillin what Rendell calls "the merchandis-

"Kem" in Le Petit Parisien, 6Apr44

ing of a war." In the beginning, racism isnot in evidence; instead smiling Ger-mans are exhorted to help a fatherlyFiihrer build a new, prosperous Ger-many. The evil rises gradually, buildingto the crescendo of 1939.

Being private, die museum is notheld to any standards of public display;some passageways are narrow, most ofthe items are out in the open. Childrenare discouraged from visiting, lest theybegin playing with swastika-emblazonedtoy tanks, planes and submarines, like

the Hitler Jugend did in the1930s, all according to the Naziplan of saturation-propaganda.You wander along, microphonesquietly providing background:The Horst Wessel Song andHitler's orations; the wail of sirensand Churchill's speeches of defi-ance; the bombs at Pearl Harborand Roosevelt's declaration;Eisenhower announcing the Nor-mandy invasion; air crew dis-cussing what they had just

dropped on Hiroshima. Here, asnowhere else, the greatest convulsion inhistory comes frighteningly alive.

Anyone able to be in Natick (out-side Boston) on November 30th maylike to save the date. We will gatherhere again that evening at a black tiebanquet celebrating Sir WinstonChurchill's 127th birthday. Our thanksto John Mather, to Ken Rendell and hisstaff, and to Suzanne Sigman, our NewEngland organizer. Can you help orga-nize future events? Email ssigman@me-diaone.net or phone (617) 696-1833.

continued overleaf

The author with his daughter Mumal.

the Adantic Charter, which hadbeen a bold step forward for an Im-perial prime minister in 1941, de-spite what he said about it not ap-plying to the Empire.

Such facts encourage my ef-fort to get people to think. The reallesson is die preciousness of democ-racy: precious enough for a small is-land nation to sacrifice everythingfor it. Democracy uplifts us all, as

reiterated by Churchill in his October 1940 broadcast toFrance: "Long live also the forward march of die common peo-ple in all the lands towards their just and true inheritance, andtowards the broader and fuller age."

Equally important in die life of democracies is the mainte-nance of decorum among elected officials. I like to emphasizehow Churchill respected democracy by gracefully acceptingelectoral defeat so many times, particularly in 1945 when hewanted so badly to win. In India this can serve as a great les-son. Young people are our inheritors, and will need to practicesimilar democratic decorum.

There is, finally, a need to understand the distinction be-

tween independence and freedom. Even if we in India had at-tained independence, which was die aim of Gandhi, the com-mon citizen would not necessarily have had freedom with it.Democracy had never existed in this country. It was intro-duced, rather imposed, by die British. Had it been destroyed inBritain, we would never have had it here. And Hider had quitesomething else in mind for India and die rest of Asia.

Recently I spokewith Indian militaryofficers who may or-ganise one of my talks.There I am likely tomention another cor-nerstone of democracy jwhich Churchill prac-ticed: the subordina-tion of the military tocivilian authority.The violation of this basic principle has led to derailment ofdemocracies in India's neighbourhood, and die disturbance ofpeace and prosperity. Thus I alter my messages based on dieaudiences involved. Of course, recitation of the war speeches islikely to be most interesting to the officer class, which haschanged dramatically from its oudook ten years ago. $

Sharing Churchill's humour with M.A.students, University ofRajasthan

FINEST HOUR no/13

DATELINES

"MESSAGE, PASSION, SPONTANEITY": CHRIS MATTHEWS'S CHURCHILL LECTURE

WASHINGTON, APRIL 19TH— Christopher

Matthews, host of "Hardball" onMSNBC and CNBC and a nationallysyndicated columnist, delivered the Sec-ond Churchill Lecture to an overflowaudience of George Washington Uni-versity students at GW's new Mediaand Public Affairs building.

The lecture was broadcast live byC-Span and twice repeated over theweekend. Video #163799 may be or-dered from www.c-span.org at $52postpaid; Churchill Stores will be sell-ing them for much less if you don'tmind waiting a few weeks. So far as weknow this was the first time a ChurchillCenter event has been broadcast to alive national television audience.

University Marshal Jill Kasle intro-duced our good friend Stephen JoelTrachtenberg, President of the Univer-sity, who had approved our proposaland set plans in motion.

Finest Hour editor Richard Lang-worth introduced our speaker: "Person-ally I find it fascinating to hear thethoughts of someone who happens tospeak to five million people a night.Anyone who watches 'Hardball' willknow Chris's style, which is more or lesslike Churchill's on the floor of theHouse—that is to say: in your face.James Carville famously defied him: 'Ifyou don't shut up and let me answeryour questions I'm just going to sit heresaying nothing, so then where's your in-terview?' Chris survives encounters likethat by adopting Churchill's cool phi-losophy: 'In war you can only be killedonce—but in politics, many times.'"

Matthews held his audience for 25minutes with a journalist's appreciationof Churchill, emphasizing WSC'snever-give-in philosophy and devotionto principle, contrasting the Churchillsaga with his own political experiences:"Maine Senator Edmund Muskie, forwhom I once worked, told me thatthere is only one reason to be in poli-tics: 'In order to be proven right aboutsomething when everyone thought youwere wrong.' That was Churchill's expe-rience."

Chris Matthews, left, with CC Vice President Bill Ives and Jack Kemp during commissioningceremonies for USS Winston S. Churchill, March 10th. Messrs. Matthews and Kemp are The

Churchill Center's newest Trustees. Matthews spoke at a CC dinner on the evening of the com-missioning. Unlike his well-prepared lecture, his dinner remarks were completely ad libbed.

"There are three things thatmake a politician great: message,passion and spontaneity.Churchill had all three. Lackingany one of them prevents a politi-cian from gaining the top rank.Clinton had passion and spon-taneity, but no galvanizing mes-sage, and fell short. The jury's stillout on the present incumbent.Churchill was often wrong—sometimes badly wrong—but hewas right about the big things: theNazis and the Communists. Andthat in the end was what mat-tered—what made him great."

After the lecture Matthews was en-gaged by his student audience, whofired a battery of challenging questionsranging from the sinking of the Lusita-nia (did Churchill set the ship up? an-swer: no), to whether today's China isreminiscent of yesteryear's Germany.Much discussion centered around thelack of Churchills today.

One student complained about hiscongressman. "What's his name?"

Matthews asked. The student didn't re-member. "Well, if you can't rememberhis name he can't be worth much. Whydon't you run?" "Who, me?" asked theyoung man. "Why not?" Matthewsreplied. "If you want to make a differ-ence you must be in the fight. Youmight not win the first time; the secondyou'll come closer; the third time you'llbeat him. That was Churchill's greatquality—he never quit."

The purpose of the Churchill Lec-ture is to illustrate Churchill's exampleof leadership, statesmanship and citi-zenship to a student audience. Lecturersare expected to discuss aspects ofChurchill's life, times, failures and suc-cesses, but are encouraged to speak pre-dominantly on modern themes, againstthe background of Churchill's wisdomand experience. They may discussChurchill's views on any subject, butmay not speculate as to how Churchillwould view a specific modern issue.

The First Churchill Lecture wasdelivered by former U.S. Ambassadorto Britain Raymond Seitz, before an au-dience of students from the College ofWilliam and Mary in Williamsburg,Virginia in 1998. (See FH102). $

FINEST HOUR no/14

ONE BELL: INTRODUCTION

COMMISSIONING DAY

USS WINSTONS. CHURCHILL DDG81"There were tears in the eyes or many tough old men"

They came from around the world, the people atNorfolk March 10th, many of them wearing capsand badges with the names of ships, wars and

generations past. Emotions overflowing, they watched asthe crew of USS Winston S. Churchill ran aboard andbrought her to life. "It was the most moving experience Ican remember," wrote Richard Raffauf of Philadelphia."There were tears in the eyes of many tough old men."

One hundred fifty member of The ChurchillCenter and Societies were among thousands of guests atthe commissioning of the American warship bearing anEnglish worthy's name: proof positive that the Anglo-American "special relationship" lives on. As Lt. AngusEssenhigh RN set the first watch, being handed the"Long Glass" by his father, Britain's First Sea Lord, onecould only imagine Churchill himself, cigar glowingbrightly, viewing the proceedings with satisfaction.

Perhaps he was. We recalled his words atHarvard in 1943: "Twice in my lifetime the long arm ofdestiny has reached across the oceans and involved theentire life and manhood of the United States....The longarm reaches out remorselessly, and everyone's existence,

environment, and outlook undergo a swift and irre-sistible change....The price of greatness is responsibility."

On the following pages, in eight articles orderedaccording to the eight bells of a naval watch, we bringyou remembrances of that impressive day.

In Norfolk were our Patron, Lady Soames, our entireBoard of Governors, and six of our eight Trustees:Winston Churchill, Celia Sandys, Jack Kemp, Paul

Robinson, Chris Matthews and Richard Langworth.Commanding Officer Michael Franken had kindly invit-ed this party to lunch and a board meeting aboard ship,and at noon Sunday we boarded DDG81 for a sumptu-ous selection of Sir Winston's favorite dishes in the offi-cers' and petty officers' wardrooms.

The time, energy and expense our Governorsand Trustees put in on behalf of the Center and Societiescertainly justified such a marvelous invitation. Still,nobody could believe where we were. Chief Gary Bowlesand his team had prepared a meal worthy of ChartwelFsMrs. Landemare; we were "Bowled" over.

continued overleaf

FINEST HOUR 110/15

Above: Lt. Angus Essenhigh RN camu ilii. Long Glass aboard to set the first watch, proudly observed by his father, Great Britain's First Sea Lord,Adm. Sir Nigel Essenhigh (far right). Seated with Adm. Essenhigh is Adm. William Crowe USN, who spoke on the USS Wisconsin prayerservice. Below: Color guard bearing the flags of Virginia, Navy, USA and UK and DDG81; and Royal Marine Band at the Sunday services.

Following the ceremonies, The Churchill Centerorganized a dinner for some 130 attending members andfriends. CC Trustee Chris Matthews, host of "Hardball"on MSNBC and CNBC, himself preparing for theChurchill Lecture five weeks later, was the speaker. CeliaSandys introduced him with a distinctive testimonial:"Being interviewed by Chris Matthews is like getting adrink of water from a fire hydrant." Armed with six keywords he had scrawled on a scrap of paper, our speakerheld us for a 40-minute appreciation of Churchill'sgreatness and never-give-in philosophy.

Mr. Matthews particularly admires Churchill'swillingness to say things he knew to be unpopular. "I'veoften asked my young audiences if there was anyonewilling to stand up and say something in which theybelieved, but knew to be unpopular with the majority ofthose present. In the beginning, there were few takers;today there are more. To me, this is a good thing."

Official ceremonies ended with a prayer serviceSunday morning aboard USS Wisconsin, the sole Iowa-class battleship still in commission, a veteran of WorldWar II and naval actions as recent as the Gulf War. Sheis now a floating exhibit, though still in readiness. There

was a moving speech by Admiral William Crowe, andthe Royal Marine band played "Amazing Grace" inhonor of those who served and did not return.

What struck everyone on this grand and movingoccasion was the enthusiasm and morale ofofficers and crew, and the degree of their

interest in the ship's namesake. Memberships are offeredat half price to crew members; there are already sevenindividual members, and twenty-five copies of every-thing we produce are sent to the ship. The name andfame of the "Former Naval Person" is well and trulylaunched again on the high seas.

After the flags and bunting are put away wemust never forget, as an officer reminded us, that theprimary mission of DDG81 is to fight and win wars. Allhope that this capacity will never be needed. Yet her mis-sion hasn't changed from the days when her namesakeexhorted his countrymen in Biblical phrases:

"Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and bein readiness for the conflict, for it is far better to perish inbatde than to look upon the outrage of our nation and ouraltars. As the will of God is in heave, even so let it be." M>

FINEST HOUR 110/16

COMMUNICATIONS: DDGSI

LIVING HISTORYThank you for the opportunity to

experience living history. My husbandand I were deeply moved by the "ActionThat Day." The continuation of all thatSir Winston represented and fought foris much needed for future generations.You must feel pride in seeing your vi-sion of The Churchill Center touchinglives and preserving history.TERESA SCOTT WOODSIDE, ALEXANDRIA, VA. USA

NEVER SO IMPRESSEDFrom the arrival of platform guests,

the march on the Colors, the NationalAnthem, the invocation and addresses,the speakers were clear, concise andshort from that point on I have neverbeen so impressed. Cdr. Franken's plac-ing the ship in commission and assum-ing command were the most movingexperiences I can remember. Chargedwith emotion and full to overflowingwe watched as the young men andwomen ran to the ship to set the firstwatch. As the crew disappeared up thegangway the funnels issued steam, bellsand whistles sounded, and the shipcame alive. There were tears in the eyesof many tough old men.RICHARD RAFFAUF, PHILADELPHIA, PENNA. USA

FAIR WEATHER, GOOD HUNTINGAs a past crew member of HMS

Churchill (SSN04), may I extend to theCaptain, officers and crew of USS Win-ston S. Churchill (DDG81) all the bestfor her commissioning. My Churchilltook good care of me for many yearsand it brought a tear to my eye when Iwatched her go. It is only recently that Ibegan to close down on my old friendsand I was pleased to see the great namecarried forward. I wish the crew fairweather and good hunting.

M. A. WEBSTER (mwys09301@blueyonder.co.uk)

THE BIG GUNI am proud that while employed at

the Naval Ordnance Station in

Louisville, Kentucky, I was one of the"founding engineers" of the AdvancedGun Weapon System. So it was with nosmall measure of satisfaction that I readin Finest Hour that the fruit of our labor,the advanced naval gun, would be thedeck armament on DDG81. I like tothink the great man would be pleased

BART NUSS, FISHERV1LLE, KY. USA

WINSTON IS BACK!We witnessed with immense pride

and admiration a momentous and emo-tional occasion, more so for the exuber-ant crowd present. Whether this war-ship is a replacement or an addition tothe U.S. Navy I cannot tell; but the an-cient axiom "If you want peace, preparefor war" has been taken unreservedlyinto account. A warning now goes forthto all those infidels far and wide, whoflourish with evil intent and hostile de-signs. Beware: the mighty Churchill hasjoined the fleet. Winston is Back!

ARMIDO I. VALORI, NORWICH, UK

Mr. Valori, ofICS/UK(at right with Cdr.Franken), initiated the successful effort toadd the "S" to the ship's official name.

COMMAND RESTS EASILYTo Commanding Officer DDG81:

On behalf of the Canadians pre-sent, Solveig and I would like to thankyou for your wonderful hospitality andfor inviting us to be a part of a "life ex-perience." Even you, who do what youdo every day, must have felt pride andemotion with the historic significance

of bringing this ship to life. Being thefirst Barber male not to have fought orserved with the forces in generations, Iwas particularly mindful of how fortu-nate we are to have the freedom otherswon. We were in awe of the sheer sizeof the physical plant, the superstruc-ture, the building and pieces of theship, ably brought to our attention byyour ratings. The crew is exemplary,and the responsibility of commandseems to rest easily on your shoulders.Your personal graciousness, calm andcompetent demeanor, and patiencewith hundreds of friends, family anddignitaries shone through as a stellar ex-ample of the wisdom of those who havegiven you command. May you and allwho sail this gallant warship always findpeace in the Seven Seas.

RANDY BARBER, PRESIDENT, ICS CANADA

TO THE HONOR OF THE FLEETIt is a sad day when the last page is

read in a good novel. Let me assure you,though, the sense of loss in finishing anenjoyable yarn like Pilpel's To the Honorof the Fleet is worth it. Thank you forsharing it with me. If you don't mind, Iwill pass it around the wardroom.

The operational side of this busi-ness is well underway. We are now inMayport, Florida, preparing for shocktrials. I have yet to dig from beneath thelaurels of commissioning. The most vis-ible reminder is a stack of unansweredletters on the desk waiting for some at-tention. Maybe during our transit tothe UK I will get caught up.

What a pleasure it was to have TheChurchill Center involved in the com-missioning. Your group added an auraof learned sophistication that is some-times lacking from the harried navalfolk. Please pass along a thank you fromallofusinDDG81.

CDR. MICHAEL T. FRANKEN USN

COMMANDING OFFICER

We sent Cdr. Franken To the Honorof the Fleet, a World War I novel featuringChurchill, Fisher, and FDR, by ChurchillCenter member Bob Pilpel, author ofChurchill in America 1895-1961. &

FINEST HOUR 110/17

TWO BELLS: DEPARTURE

UNDERWAY

"Thanks for your work,

BIW; thanks for your work..."

BATH, MAINE, FEBRUARY 7TH— At Bath IronWorks, shipyard of her birth, two tugboats let goand USS Winston S. Churchill was underway,

headed for the mouth of the Kennebec River and the At-lantic Ocean beyond. As the Navy destroyer passed thedocks at Bath Iron Works, Cdr. Michael Franken issued aheartfelt farewell over the loudspeaker: "Thanks for yourwork, BIW; thanks for your work."

Wednesday's voyage was the ship's first with a Navycrew. By nightfall, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missiledestroyer had traveled 105 miles to the Portsmouth NavalShipyard in Kittery, Maine. Later she was bound for NewYork and then Norfolk, Virginia for her formal commis-sioning ceremony. In August she heads across the Atlanticfor a three-month goodwill tour of the United Kingdom.

The $1 billion destroyer is named for the Britishprime minister who distinguished himself as a statesmanfor an unprecedented sixty years and as a leader duringWorld War II from 1939 to 1945. Churchill is the fourthBriton to become a namesake of a U.S. warship. The oth-ers were all Revolutionary War vessels, the armed mer-chantman Alfred and the frigates Raleigh and Effingham.

Churchill won the Nobel Prize for Literature in1953, and President John E Kennedy named him an hon-orary U.S. citizen in 1963. A copy of one of Churchill'spaintings, the Impressionistic "Goldfish Pond atChartwell," hangs in the ship's wardroom, donated byChurchill's daughter, Lady Soames. Naming the ship forChurchill impressed its crew, which includes severalMaine natives. "I think it's a great choice, consideringwhat the ship's mission is, as a deterrent and a power pro-tector, and what Churchill's policies were," said CarlFolmer, 34, a chief petty officer who grew up in WestGouldsboro and who has served sixteen years in the Navy.

To honor U.S. military ties with the United King-dom, a British sailor has been permanently assigned toserve as navigator of the Winston S. Churchill. Lt. AngusEssenhigh will fill the position for two years, while anAmerican sailor serves with the British on the HMS Marl-borough. "I was quite pleased when I found out it wasgoing to be me," Essenhigh said.

This article, which first appeared in the Portland Press Herald on 8February 2001, is reprinted by kind permission of the newspaper.

BY KELLEY BOUCHARD

Launched in April 1999, Winston S. Churchill is the31st of 51 Arleigh Burke destroyers to be built inBath and Mississippi. BIW is currently building

three others. It took nearly two years fully to equip andtest the Churchill after her launching. The ship will returnto Bath in about a year for a warranty checkup.

The ship left BIW at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday withlittle fanfare. The only visible send-off came from mem-bers of the Hyde School girls' basketball team. EnsignJulie Graham, 23, played basketball at the U.S. NavalAcademy. While stationed in Maine during the past sev-eral months, she shot hoops at Hyde, a private highschool in Bath, to keep fit, and ended up being drafted tocoach the girls' team. About fifteen members lined theSagadahoc Bridge to bid farewell to Graham. "It's prettytouching," she said. "I'm going to miss them."

With a crew of 350, including 55 women, WinstonS. Churchillhugged the Maine coastline 25 miles offshoreand traveled at a top speed of 34 knots. Sea spray from therear flight deck formed a "rooster tail" that plumed 35 feetin the salty air. The dull-gray ship is 513 feet long and 66feet wide. It is never silent, what with the grind of turbineengines and the hum of a massive ventilation system.Below deck, the ship is a series of passages, airlocks andladders that sometimes confound even experienced crew.

FINEST HOUR no/18

Heavy-latching doors, raised thresholds and mazelike hall-ways turn walking into a regular workout. Everywhere areexposed pipes, plugs, vents, hoses, valves, dials and rivets.Most everything is labeled and numbered with militaryefficiency, even windows. But labels don't help muchwhen trying to understand Navy terminology and lingo.

A "scuttle" is a circular hatch. "Sliders" are ham-burgers, served every Wednesday for lunch in the mess,which is better known as Sir Winston's Royal Cafe. A"helo" is a helicopter. A "decon station" is where sailorswould go to rinse off if they were hit by chemical or bio-logical weapons. A "CHT system" is the ship's collection,holding and transfer system, better known as the onboardseptic system. A CIWS, pronounced "see-whiz," is a close-in weapons system, which fires depleted uranium bulletsat 4,500 rounds per minute to disable inbound missiles.The VLS is the ship's vertical launch system, which sendsup Tomahawk missiles. (This is nothing compared to

what Lt. Essenhigh had to learn: "buoys" are pronounced"boys" in English-English; there is an entirely differentterm for CIC, Combat Information Center, the heart ofthe ship's data and fighting control, and so on. -Ed.)

Despite close quarters, stacked bunks and some-times-difficult living conditions, crew members find timefor normal, everyday activities. A sailor bows his head inprayer before eating lunch. Two crew members chat whileleaning at a 60-degree angle as the ship completes a 360-degree turn. An automatic teller machine, post office, reg-ular news bulletins and laptop computers offer links tohome. A bottle of balsamic vinegar and a pepper mill addgourmet touches to the salad bar.

But crew members never forget that Winston S.Churchill is a warship. Sailors move quickly and commu-nicate with military precision about the simplest tasks, sothey are prepared for battle at all times. Crew members inCIC process radar and other information with help frommassive video screens. Sailors on the bridge constantlyscan the horizon because, even in the 21st century, theyare still the eyes of the ship. On the forward deck, knownas the forecastle, is a 5-inch, .62-caliber gun, the first of itskind to be mounted on an Arleigh Burke class destroyer.It fires extended-range, guided munitions that spout finsand glide to targets as far as 68 miles away.

Even as Winston S. Churchill met another pair oftugboats in Portsmouth Harbor and came to rest at thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard on Wednesday night, herpurpose remained clear. "The mission of this ship is tofight wars and win," said Lcdr. James Morrison, 34, ofChicago. "That's what she's built for." M>

Ckurckill Center Members, DDG81Above, left to right:

CDR Michael T. Franken, Sioux City, Iowa, Commanding OflPicerLCDR Joe Voboril, Dwight, Nebraska, Executive Officer

MC Kevin J. Knievel, Tilden, Nebraska, Command Master ChiefLT Garry Ehlers, Syracuse, New York, Operations Department Head

LT Elnora E. Winn, Beaumont, Texas, Supply Department HeadBelow, left and right:

< LT Angus Essenhigh, London, England, NavigatorMSC (SW) Gary Bowles, Sikeston, Missouri, Leading Mess Specialist >

FINEST HOUR no/19

FINEST HOUR no /20

THREE BELLS: EN ROUTE

AT SEA

"The warrior heroes of the past

may look down without any reeling

that the examples they set in hygone

centuries have faded." —WSC, 1948

BY DAVID BRAUN

The Winston S. Churchill, billed by the Navy as"the most sophisticated, capable combatant everbuilt," is the only active U.S. warship named

after a foreign national, and the only one with an offi-cer from Britain's Royal Navy permanently on board—a nod to the ship's name and a strengthening of the spe-cial bond between the steadfast Atlantic allies.

The first British officer assigned to the new de-stroyer is the ship's navigator, Lt. Angus Essenhigh, 27-year-old son of First Sea Lord Sir Nigel Essenhigh, profes-sional head of the Royal Navy.

Born in Portsmouth, England, Angus Essenhighjoined the Royal Navy when he was 18. "It is very excit-ing for me to join this ship," Essenhigh said during theWinston S. Churchill's recent maiden voyage from NewEngland, where she was built, to Norfolk, Virginia, hernew homeport. This writer was invited to join the shipfrom New York City to Norfolk, to experience what lifeon board is like for the vessel's crew of 350.

Essenhigh guided Winston S. Churchill to herberth in Norfolk, taking time from his bridge duties tosay that the naming of the ship after one of Britain'sgreatest heroes is "a clever choice by the Americans."Churchill held dual citizenship in both countries after1963, when President Kennedy gave him honorary U.S.citizenship, Essenhigh said. "He was a great transatlanticstatesman. It is a very apt name for this ship."

Winston S. Churchill builds out its Churchilliantheme in numerous ways. The crew's mess hall, for ex-ample, is called the Royal Cafe. The ship's store sellsboth the Stars and Stripes and the Union Flag, andthere are plans to stock it with cigars, one of Churchill's

Mr. Braun is a writer for National Geographic News. Copyright 2001National Geographic Society. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.

passions. Each morning the ship posts a Churchillquote of the day, and the vessel's coat of arms includes atrident that is divided to suggest a "V" emphasizing vic-tory in war, the prime minister's famous rallying sign.

As the warship becomes known to the public,Essenhigh says, people are sending in Churchill memo-rabilia such as letters and books. In the officer's ward-room is a replica of one of Churchill's paintings and aphotograph of the British leader boarding a World WarII destroyer for his historic summit meeting with Presi-dent Roosevelt. Cdr. Michael T. Franken, commandingofficer of the Winston S. Churchill, said there are a lot of"closet Churchillians" on board, "but there were alsomany youngsters joining and not knowing who Win-ston Churchill is."

It is difficult to imagine what Winston Churchillwould have made of a 21st-century warship namedafter him. On the one hand, the prime minister was

a technophile and pushed for the development of many20th century military inventions, including the tank,radar, computerized code-breaking, and the earliest"smart bombs." U.S.S. Winston S. Churchill certainlywould be a thrilling experience for him, crammed asshe is with the most advanced weaponry, machinery,and electronic surveillance equipment.

At the same time, Churchill was a Victorianwho clung to dated social views well into the 20th cen-tury. What would he have thought of the fact that 55 ofthe 350 people serving on the Winston S. Churchill axe

continued overleaf

FOUR BELLS: HER NAMESAKE SPEAKS

"The spectacle which the navalarmaments of Christendom affordat the present time will no doubt

excite the curiosity and the wonderof future generations."

—Commons, 18 March 1912

"I have always thought that the union ofthese two great forces [the British andAmerican navies], not for purposes ofaggression or narrow selfish interests,

but in an honourable cause,constitutes what I may call the sheet-

anchor of human freedom and progress."—Cambridge, 19 May 1939

FINEST HOUR no/21

"The ultimate strategy of the navyconsists in basing contented sailorsupon prosperous and healthy homes

from which the children,generation after generation,

can return to the ships which their fathershave taught them to honour."

—WSC, Commons, 26 March 1913

women, some in the most arduous roles such as fire-fighting and combat positions? This change is not anissue for Franken, who regrets not having more womenin senior positions. "There is no difference betweenmale and female sailors," said Franken. "Nobody cares.It's a bit like those space movies: we have humanoidsfunctioning, gender irrespective. Everyone is on thesame level professionally. We all do what we can to thelimits of our strength, mentally and physically."

The crew may function like a well-oiled ma-chine when it comes to duties, but a few days aboardWinston S. Churchill quickly demonstrated that thefighting women and men of the 21st century aretreated as human beings accustomed to certain mini-mum standards of comfort. The quality of the facilitiesand the user-friendliness of the ship would likely aston-ish any World War II veteran.

Living quarters for sailors remain cramped, ofcourse. The enlisted crew sleeps in "racks," which arelittle more than tightly packed shelves, although longenough to stretch out properly. Bedding is comfortableand includes thick, cozy comforters and crisp sheets.The gender-segregated berthing areas are fully heatedand air-conditioned. Bathrooms are intimate and thor-oughly modern with plenty of warm, fresh water forshowers and flushing.

"The homely old tale of thebundle of sticks, each of which

could be snapped separately, but whichbound together were unbreakable, is the

last word in the naval strategy."—Commons, 26 March 1913

"The nose of the bulldog has been slantedbackward so that he can breathe withoutletting go!" —After sinking six German

cruisers at Heligoland Bight in 1914

"Kindly explain the reasons which debarindividuals in certain branches from risingby merit to commissioned rank? If a cook

may rise, or a steward, why not an ord-nance rating? If a telegraphist may rise,

why not a painter? Apparently there is nodifficulty about painters rising in Germany!"

—The Gathering Storm, 1948

The biggest improvement since Churchill's timemay be the quality and quantity of the cuisine. The en-listed crew's mess hall is bright and well supplied by alarge galley that offers three full meals a day as well assnacks in the early hours for those pulling all-nighters.At breakfast there are always eggs cooked to order and awide range of sides, fresh fruit, and juices. Lunch anddinners include choices of entrees and a ubiquitoussoup-and-salad bar. The galley churns out cookies andoccasional treats such as ice cream for sailors to enjoyduring evening screenings of videos in the mess hall. Apost office receives and dispatches the crew's mail like

Captain J. W. Cuthbert:"I hope, Sir, that while you are with us we

shan't have to open fire...if we are asked togive supporting fire I must do so."

WSC: "Pray remember, Captain, thatI came here as a cooing dove of peace,

bearing a sprig of mistletoe in my beak—but far be it from me to stand in the way

of military necessity."Aboard HMS Ajax,

Athens, December 1944

FINEST HOUR no / 22

"I should like the word 'destroyer' to coverships formerly described as 'fast escortvessels'....the word 'whaler' is an entire

misnomer, as they are not going to catchwhales....What is, in fact, the distinction

between an 'escorter,' 'patroller' and a'whaler' as now specified?"

—The Gathering Storm, 1948

any land-based counterpart. The medical center has twocorpsmen who can attend to most dental and medicalnecessities that occur. A library offers a limited range ofmaterials. The ship is equipped with two small gymnasi-ums and there is a barber on board.

Despite a dearth of venues to relax during off-duty hours, two nights in the enlisted crew's berthingquickly demonstrated that life at sea is essentially aboutworking and sleeping. The nights are filled with the gen-tle beeping or buzzing of alarm clocks and a constantmuffled shuffling as crew members come and go. Thedestroyer tears along at speeds of up to 30 knots and its

"The more we force ourselves topicture the hideous course of a

modern naval engagement, the moreone is inclined to believe that it will

resemble the contest betweenMamilius and Herminius at the battle ofLake Regillus, or the still more homelyconflict of the Kilkenny cats. That is a

very satisfactory reflection for thestronger naval power."

—Commons 18 March 1912

"If we assert our claim...to the supremeposition on the seas, it is also our duty soto conduct ourselves so that other nations

will feel that great power and that greatresponsibility which are a necessity to usshall be used in such a manner as to be amenace to none, and a trust held for all."

—Commons, 20 March 1912

many systems and lookout stations need to be managedon a 24-hour basis, requiring elaborate shift scheduling.

W Tinston S. Churchilh crew is much like themodern face of America. The ship captain,Commander Michael T. Franken, is a civil

engineering graduate from the University of Nebraskaand a native of Sioux Center, Iowa. According toFranken, the men and women on board come fromforty-five states and more than a dozen countries (for-eign-born permanent U.S. residents or naturalizedAmericans). As many as twenty languages are spoken onthe ship. Age ranges from youngsters starting their navalcareers to those who have been in service for more thanthirty years. "It's a melting pot with a capital 'M,'" saidFranken, "and the most precious thing about it is that itworks." Each person on board has a personal e-mail ac-count and access to at least one of many on-board com-puters. Near land, many of the crew use personal cellphones. The days of being isolated while at sea fromfamilies, friends—and the stock markets—are over.

Winston S. Churchill will embark on a three-month goodwill tour of the United Kingdom in thesummer, visiting British ports and working in joint ex-ercises with the Royal Navy. The ship will take up a po-sition in a U.S. Navy battle group in October 2002. $3

"It would have been better for us to havesaid to the United States, 'Build whatever

you will; your navy is absolutelyruled out of our calculations,except as a potential friend.'"

—WSC, Commons, 13 May 1932

"The spirit of all our forces servingon the salt water has never been more

strong and high than now."—Guildhall, 23 February 1940

FINEST HOUR no/23

M.l

•-#?

FIVE BELLS: PREDECESSORS

IHE CHURCHILLS.- A NAVAL HISTORYTke Winston S. Churchill Has Interesting Forebears BY NEIL COAXES

Above: HMS Churchill, named for Churchill, Gloucestershire, acquired by the Royal Navy underLend-Lease in October 1940. Below: Valiant Class nuclear submarine HMS Churchill, S-104,launched 1968, decommissioned 1991. Right: The Sail Training Association's 152-foot schoonerSir Winston Churchill, launched 1966. Below right: Percy Coverdale's yacht Winston Churchill, firstto bear the Prime Minister's name, launched in 1942, foundered in theTasman Sea, 1998.

The first vessel unequivocally named (with his per-mission) for Churchill was the cutter WinstonChurchill, built by Percy Coverdale at Battery

Point, Hobart, and launched in 1942. During World WarII the sailboat served as a lighthouse tender off southernTasmania. She competed in the first Sydney to HobartYacht Race in 1945 and in many subsequent races carry-ing sloop, cutter or yawl rigs, until she foundered with theloss of three lives off the east coast of Australia in 1998.(See Finest Hour 99, p. 47; 100, p. 6; 101, p. 7.)

The first ship named with Winston Churchill "firm-ly in mind" was HMS Chequers, a "C" Class destroyer.

Mr. Coates (nmcoates@bigpond.com) is a member of ICS Australialiving in Rose Bay, Tasmania. A copy of this history has been filedwith the Commanding Officer, USS Winston S. Churchill DDG81.

This nomination was made in 1944 by the First Lord ofthe Admiralty, A. V. Alexander, Chequers being the offi-cial residence of the Prime Minister.

Why not HMS Churchill?. Alexander had to circum-vent a contemporary custom which was to allow a decentinterval to elapse between the death of any naval worthyand the naming of a ship after him. This precluded thePrime Minister's name, as well as "Chartwell," whichwould have been too closely identified with him.

The first warship named for WSC was thus theValiant Class nuclear submarine HMS Churchill, S-104.The vessel was ordered from Vickers Ltd. ShipbuildingGroup, Barrow on 21 October 1965, laid down 30 June1967, launched 20 December 1968, and commissioned15 July 1970. She was decommissioned in 1991. (See"Communications: DDG81," page 17.)

FINEST HOUR no/26

The Churchill best known to the British public is theSail Training Association schooner Sir Winston Churchill,launched 1966 and still in service, instilling an apprecia-tion for traditional sailing among young people.

But the first vessel to carry the Churchill name pre-ceded all of these. She was a destroyer, acquiredfrom the United States in the destroyers-for-bases

arrangement in 1940—and, at least theoretically, she wasnamed not for WSC but for a village in Gloucestershire!

In 1940, one of Churchill's priorities was obtainingsurplus destroyers from Roosevelt to protect British con-voys. The loan of 50 U.S. destroyers in exchange for leas-es on bases in Western Hemisphere British colonies wasapproved in September 1940. They were obsolete WorldWar I flush-deck, four-stack destroyers, once considered aradical departure from their high-forecastle, broken-deckpredecessors. In his Flush Decks and Four Pipes, John D.Alden writes that their design gave "added strength amid-ships while still keeping the customary draft and free-board forward and aft." Two hundred seventy-three werebuilt, many going straight to mothballs upon completion.By 1939 Jane's Fighting Ships listed 153 survivors.

These ships were mostly named for U.S. naval officers,some of whom had been rather too successful in the War of1812 for their names to be retained by the Royal Navy!According to T.D. Manning's The British Destroyers,Captain H. Taprell Dorling DSO, a World War I destroyerman (and prolific author under die pseudonym "Taffrail")"hit upon the idea of renaming them with town namescommon to both Great Britain (and the Commonwealth)and the USA." The ships became known as "Town" Class.

Despite the custom of not naming a ship after a livingperson, lead ships of destroyer flotillas were usually given adistinguished officer's name. It must have been with no litdesatisfaction that the Ship Names Committee setded on vil-lages, mosdy in England and, diat the leader of the first flotil-la, commissioned 9 September 1940, was HMS Churchill—ostensibly christened for a village southwest of ChippingNorton, Gloucestershire, not far from Blenheim Palace.

HMS Churchill had started life as USS Herndon,DD-198, launched in Newport News, Virginia in 1919,and commissioned in September 1920. She was namedfor Cdr. William Lewis Herndon (1813-1857) who hadcommanded USS Iris in the Mexican War, had led anAmazon River exploration trip in 1851-53, and had gonedown with his ship in a storm after saving the women andchildren and many others.

Herndon was placed in reserve in November 1920and decommissioned in June 1922, but she served in theCoast Guard on the Rum Patrol during 1930-34. One of63 destroyers activated in September 1939 for theNeutrality Patrol, she was recommissioned and operatedin the Caribbean until transfer to the Royal Navy.

These new additions to the British Fleet were cele-brated in a Daily Express cartoon on 20 September 1940:a caricature of Churchill and a destroyer with the caption,"Give a ship a good name. The first of the AmericanDestroyer flotilla is named HMS Churchill. "*• This clearlyendorsed the serendipitous use of "Churchill" by the ShipNames Committee, suggesting that the public knew verywell for whom she was named!

Though he had taken an active role in naming bat-tleships before World War I and appointed a committeeto investigate destroyer names in 1913, Churchill himselfdid not, or pretended not to, know the origin of thename. He wrote to Commander G. R. Cousins DSC, theship's new commanding officer, on 25 September 1940:"Am delighted that your ship should be named after thegreat Duke of Marlborough, and I am sending you one ofhis handwritten letters for your Ward Room for luck."This misconception continues to the present.2

HMS Churchill served in transatlantic convoys and onpatrol duties, including the famous hunt for the Germanbattleship Bismarck. In The Grand Alliance, Churchillrecords addressing "representatives of the crews of theBritish and American ships in the anchorage, including thedestroyers Hecla and Churchill," in Iceland following hisArgentia Conference with Roosevelt in August 1941.

One night in June 1942, while on convoy duty offVenezuela, HMS Churchill sighted what appeared to be aU-boat on the surface. The destroyer fired starshells andlobbed depth charges. These seemed to make no impres-sion on the U-boat, so Churchill prepared to ram. After aviolent last-minute alteration of course, Churchill missedher target by six yards. In the nick of time the "U-boat"had been recognized as the uncharted island of La Sola—a rock 200 feet long and 10 feet high!

HMS Churchill later served as an escort for the pre-and post-invasion buildup for the Allied invasion ofNorth Africa. She changed nationality again in 1944,when on 30 May she was handed over to the SovietNorthern Fleet as part of a compromise with Stalin forRussia's share of the defeated Italian fleet. CommissionedJuly 1944 as Dyeyatieny or Deiatelnyi ("Active"), she per-formed local defence duties before being sunk on 16January 1945 by a homing torpedo launched by a U-boat,60 miles east of the Kola Inlet, Northern Russia.

Notes and Recommended Reading1 Sir Martin Gilbert, The Churchill War Papers, vol. II,

"Never Surrender" May 1940-December 1940, p. 841.2 Ibid., p. 870 and p. 870, note 2.See also T. D. Manning, The British Destroyers, 1961; John

D. Alden, Flush Decks and Four Pipes, 1965; T. D. Manning andC. F. Walker, British Warship Names, \959;Who Was Who inAmerica, 1607-1896, 1963; Dictionary of American NavalFighting Ships, vol. Ill, 1968; and Philip Goodhart, Fifty ShipsThat Saved the World: The Foundation of the Anglo-AmericanAlliance, 1965. M>

FINEST HOUR no/27

SIX BELLS: PRINCIPAL ADDRESS

"As LIGHT AS AIR, AS STRONG AS IRON'Burlee's words remain as true today as tney were 226 years ago

BY SIR CHRISTOPHER MEYER KCMG, HM AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES

Ithink Sir Winston Churchill wouldbe enjoying himself if he were heretoday. I hesitate to speak for the great

man, especially when his daughter andgrandson are here to correct me. But Iam confident he would revel in this mag-nificent Anglo-American occasion. And Iam sure he would be moved and de-lighted to have his name associated withthis extraordinary ship. Mr Secretary,naming it for Sir Winston is a great trib-ute to his lasting memory, and it is aprivilege for the people of the UnitedKingdom. So, I am going to risk beingcorrected later by the formidableChurchill family, to offer you three rea-sons why I think Sir Winston would beimmensely proud of what we are doing here today.

First, like so many British heroes, Churchill knewa thing or two about the Navy. He twice led the RoyalNavy as First Lord of the Admiralty: from 1911 to 1915,and again in 1939-40. So he had an eye for a good ship.Before the First World War he championed the techno-logical generation shift from coal to oil power. He wantedfast, powerful battleships. There can be no doubt that hewould approve of the breathtaking technological achieve-ment of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyer. The USSWinston S. Churchill is a powerful ship. Its capabilities forland attack warfare and air defence are amongst the bestin the world.

Second, Winston Churchill knew the importanceof marshalling military strength and determination in thecause of freedom. He himself saw action as a young officerin Africa and India. Almost half a century later Churchillled the British people in the most complete wartime mo-bilisation in our history. Long before other people woketo the danger in 1930s Europe, Churchill was urging thenation to prepare, if freedom were to be defended. As hesaid in the bleak days of February 1941, "Give us thetools, and we will finish the job." He would understandthe strength of purpose with which the U.S. Navy is todayequipping itself to defend freedom in a new century.

Third, Churchill was a passionate believer in the

Ambassador Meyer with Cdr. Franken

fundamental friendship and partnershipof the British and American peoples. Hewas the son of an Anglo-American family.On the day in 1941 when it became clearthat the United States would add itsmight to the war effort, Churchill an-nounced that he went to bed and "sleptthe sleep of the saved and thankful."Churchill above anyone else forged theunique British-American partnershipwhich turned the course of history in theSecond World War. And I believe thatChurchill, with his strong sense of thesweep of history, would be proud and im-pressed to see the way that this enduring

alliance still flourishes today.

Around us we have the evidence of a rich and en-during partnership as friends and allies in theworld. It is a partnership of shared purpose: the

United States stood with Europe through the long years ofthe Cold War. Today, Britain and the United States areworking together still, where our shared values and inter-ests are at stake around the world. In Europe, our alliancein NATO is, and must remain, the cornerstone of our se-curity. In the Persian Gulf, British and American pilotsare working together in the perilous skies above Iraq. Inthe Balkans our troops work together to prevent the hor-ror of war from returning to the European continent.

Our alliance is also, and must remain, a partner-ship of common equipment and ways of working.Churchill himself laid the foundations for sharing tech-nology across the Atlantic: sonar, radar and nuclear tech-nology. These mutual transfers still bind our forces today.The Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy, and our submarineservices, have enduring ties, built on the 1958 nuclearagreement.

Using common equipment is vital for the futureof our combined operations. For both sides it is good mil-itary policy and it is good economics. Over the last sixmonths Britain has committed to nearly $4 billion of U.S.defence systems ranging from aircraft to missiles.

Lastly our partnership, United States and United

FINEST HOUR no/28

Kingdom, is a partnership of shared service. Our armedforces work together on a daily basis. Some 57 Britishnaval officers serve with the U.S. Navy, acting as U.S. offi-cers under U.S. command. A total of 142 British person-nel serve in this way across the United States services. Asimilar number of American men and women serve withUK forces. I am delighted that navigating officer Lt.Angus Essenhigh RN, is with you serving on the USSWinston S. Churchill. We are privileged to have his oppo-site number serving on HMS Marlborough. We trust Lt.Essenhigh will be the first in a long line of British officersserving in this ship.

Cdr. Franken, you have an outstanding shipnamed for an outstanding man. We all owe Winston S.Churchill a debt for his leadership, for his advocacy of astrong transatlantic alliance in defence of freedom. Wehave all inherited the cause of freedom that Churchill pro-claimed, and the partnership Churchill helped to build.All of you on this ship should be proud to sail in that tra-dition.

In 1775—a slightly fraught year for British-American relations—the great English parliamentarian,Edmund Burke (who had a lot of sympathy for thecolonists' cause) described the transatlantic relationshiplike this: "It is as light as air; and as strong as iron." Thatremains as true today as it was 226 years ago. $

Bow to bow: HMS Sheffield, representing the Royal Navy as the cere-mony, faced USS Winston S. Churchill as Ambassador Meyer spoke.

Members and FriendsA random sample or the many Cnurchillians

present, from photos we were sent.

Above: Chris Hanger with the CO. Below: Gov-ernors, Trustees meeting. L-R: Nigel Knocker,Chuck Platt, Jim Muller, John Mather, NancyCanary, John Plumpton, Randy Barber, CeliaSandys, David Boler. (Whispering: Bill Ives.)

Above: Chris Matthews and CC President John Plumpton. Aboveright: Randy Barber, President, ICS Canada, aboard Wisconsin.Left: Judy Kambestad, Chairman, 2001 International ChurchillConference, with Trustee Jack Kemp. Below center: CC Vice Pres-ident Bill Ives presents a well-deserved Blenheim Award to Am-bassador Paul H. Robinson, Jr. Below right: Judy Kambestad out-lines conference at Board Meeting, Wardroom, DDG81. To herleft are Paul Robinson, Winston Churchill, and Lady Soames.

FINEST HOUR no/29

SEVEN BELLS: RETROSPECTIVE

"THE NAVY IS HERE!"Graf Spee, Ajtmark, and the Battle or the River Plate

BY SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL • COMMENTARY BY CHRISTOPHER M. BELL

' CUMBERLANDDec.Lj

OCfQ Falkland Is.

IntroductionT T / T ^ ™ Winston Churchill be-1 J | / c a m e First Lord of the Admi-V Y ralty in September 1939, the

Royal Navy faced the U-boat threatwith confidence. It seemed unlikely thatGermany would once again adopt apolicy of unrestricted submarine war-fare, which would risk alienating neu-tral states and possibly bring the UnitedStates into the war on Britain's side, asit had done in 1917. But even if Hitlerproved willing to accept this danger, theAdmiralty was certain that the combi-nation of convoy and sonar would en-sure the defeat of Germany's still rela-tively small U-boat force. The threatfrom this quarter seemed manageable.

Surface ships were another matter. During World War IGermany's large and powerful High Seas Fleet had remainedconcentrated in its home waters, posing a constant menace tothe British Grand Fleet but failing to achieve significantstrategic results. In 1939 the greatest threat to Britain's mar-itime communications came from the dispersal of Germany'ssmall force of modern, powerful surface ships to prey onBritish shipping. As the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir DudleyPound, noted, "Nothing would paralyse our supply systemand seaborne trade so successfully as attack by surface raiders."

These raiders came various forms, but potentially themost dangerous at this stage were Germany's three "pocket bat-tleships," conceived under the restrictions imposed by theTreaty of Versailles. Designed to operate as powerful commerceraiders, built for endurance and armed with 11-inch guns,these vessels significantly outgunned the six- and eight-inchgun cruisers that protected Britain's far-flung maritime trade.

In September 1939 two pocket battleships, Graf Speeand Deutschland, were already in the Atlantic awaiting thecommencement of hostilities. Graf Spee, commanded by Cap-tain Langsdorff, was the more aggressive of the two raiders.

Dr. Bell is an Associate Professor at the U.S. Naval War College, New-port, RI. He is author of The Royal Navy, Seapower and Strategy Betweenthe Wars (reviewed FH109). Churchill's text from The Grand Alliance(1948), reprinted by kind permission of Winston S. Churchill.

I fntthovm

FORCE KREXOWNARK ROYAL

RetrownrARK norAL

to RioarrivedDecij

South Atlantic

FORCE-aCUMBERLANDEXETER,AJAVi

ACHILLES

EXETBR,AJAXACHILLES

in action withORATSPEC

Dec. 13

SUSSEXSHROPSHIRE

Dtc.FORCEUSussexSHROPSHIRE

Trlltan da Cunha

HUNTING GROUPSIN SOUTH ATLANTIC

DORSETSHIRETo R.Plate .

! to CapetownFORCES Hc^K\^U^-patrolled this tinNov. ZB to Dec 2FORCt H. to Wall

ami DecsFORCE K toPernambuco

Graf Spee's first victim was the British liner Clement,sunk off the coast of Brazil on 30 September. Within a monththe pocket battleship had claimed five more ships in the SouthAtlantic. Her practice, Churchill later noted, "was to make abrief appearance at some point, claim a victim, and vanishagain into the trackless ocean wastes."

In response, the Admiralty formed nine separate "huntinggroups," comprising all of the "available aircraft carriers, sup-ported by battleships, battle cruisers, and cruisers." No fewerthan twenty-three allied warships scoured the vast sea lanes forthe two German raiders. "This disproportion between thestrength of the enemy and the counter-measures forced upon uswas vexatious," Churchill observed. "It recalled to me the anx-ious weeks before the actions at Coronel and later at the Falk-land Islands in December, 1914, when we had to be preparedat seven or eight different points, in the Pacific and South At-lantic, "for the arrival of powerful German commerce raiders.

As in 1914, Churchill and the Admiralty waited anx-iously for news of the enemy's movements. On 15 November1939 the Graf Spee suddenly appeared in the Indian Ocean,sinking a British tanker in the Mozambique Channel. Cap-tain Langsdorff then confounded his pursuers by doublingback around the Cape of Good Hope and returning to theSouth Atlantic, where he claimed more ships in early Decem-ber. The nearest hunting group, "Force G," consisted of theBritish cruisers Cumberland, Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles. Itscommander was Commodore Henry Harwood.

—CMB

FINEST HOUR no/30

The Hunt for Graf SpeeWinston S. Churchill

From the beginning of the war Commodore Har-wood's special care and duty had been to cover Britishshipping off the River Plate and Rio de Janeiro. He

was convinced that sooner or later Graf Spee would cometowards the Plate, where the richest prizes were offered toher. He had carefully thought out the tactics which hewould adopt in an encounter. Together, his 8-inch cruisersCumberland and Exeter, and his 6-inch cruisers Ajax andAchilles, could not only catch but kill. However, the needsof fuel and refit made it unlikely diat all four would be pre-sent "on the day." If they were not, the issue was disputable.On hearing that the Doric Star had been sunk on Decem-ber 2nd, Harwood guessed right. Although she was over3,000 miles away he assumed diat the Spee would come to-wards the Plate. He estimated with luck and wisdom thatshe might arrive by the 13th. He ordered all his availableforces to concentrate there by December 12th. Alas, Cum-berland was refitting at the Falklands; but on the morningof the 13di Exeter, Ajax and Achilles were in company at thecentre of the shipping routes off the mouth of the river.Sure enough, at 6.14 a.m., smoke was sighted to the east.The longed-for collision had come.

a RAFSPEE

Diagram 1

\ 6:zo a.m.EXETER opens fireGRAF SPEE opened/ire

3 minutes earlier

v ACHUXtS > y•. knett f,' AJAJAX

S

Harwood in the Ajax, disposing his forces so as toattack the pocket battleship from widely-divergent quar-ters and thus confuse her fire, advanced at the utmostspeed of his small squadron. Captain Langsdorff thoughtat the first glance that he had only to deal with one lightcruiser and two destroyers, and he too went full speedahead; but a few moments later he recognised the qualityof his opponents, and knew that a mortal action im-pended. The two forces were now closing at nearly 50miles an hour. Langsdorff had but a minute to make uphis mind. His right course would have been to turn awayimmediately so as to keep his assailants as long as possibleunder the superior range and weight of his 11-inch guns,to which the British could not at first have replied. He

would thus have gained for his undisturbed firing the dif-ference between adding speeds and subtracting them. Hemight well have crippled one of his foes before any couldfire at him. He decided on the contrary to hold on hiscourse and make for Exeter. The action therefore began al-most simultaneously on both sides.

Commodore Harwood's tactics proved advanta-geous. The 8-inch salvoes from Exeter struck the Speefrom the earliest stages of the fight. Meanwhile the 6-inchcruisers were also hitting hard and effectively. Soon theExeter received a hit which, besides knocking out B turret,destroyed all the communications on the bridge, killed orwounded nearly all upon it, and put the ship temporarilyout of control. By this time however the 6-inch cruiserscould no longer be neglected by the enemy, and the Speeshifted her main armament to them, thus giving respite tothe Exeter at a critical moment. The German battleship,plastered from three directions, found the British attacktoo hot, and soon afterwards turned away under a smoke-screen with the apparent intention of making for theRiver Plate. Langsdorff had better have done this earlier.

continued overleaf

Diagram Z

6:36 a.m.GRAF SPEE turnsaway under smoke

screen

ATACHILLES S 0

Diagram 3

\ GRAF SPEE6:46 a.m.

AJAX turnsto pursue

ACHILLES '/

) EXETER.jf 2 TUrrets out

of action

FINEST HOUR no/31

Diagram -4

GRAF SPEE

n

7:30 a.m.GRAFSPEE screened by-smoke. AJAX turns, towardsthe enemy. Two turretsout of action at 7.25

To Falkland Is.IOOO mitesi, /• EXETER, turning away

\ S at 7.40 a.m.

7:4-0 a.m.AJAX breaks off

the action

Diagram S

ACH1LLES\ I

V " " 9.000J&..-J^- " 1

to Montevideo300 Miles

7:52 a.m. AJAX turns to continue the pursuing \

GRAFSPEE /

After this turn the Spee once more engaged the Exeter,hard hit by the 11-inch shells. All her forward guns wereout of action. She was burning fiercely amidships and hada heavy list. Captain Bell, unscathed by the explosion onthe bridge, gathered two or three officers round him inthe after control-station, and kept his ship in action withher sole remaining turret until at 7.30 failure of pressureput this too out of action. He could do no more. At 7.40Exeter turned away to effect repairs and took no furtherpart in the fight.

The Ajax and Achilles, already in pursuit, continuedthe action in the most spirited manner. The Spee turnedall her heavy guns upon them. By 7.25 the two after-tur-rets in the Ajax had been knocked out, and the Achilleshad also suffered damage. These two light cruisers were nomatch for the enemy in gun-power, and finding that hisammunition was running low, Harwood in the Ajax de-cided to break off the fight till dark, when he would havebetter chances of using his lighter armament effectively,and perhaps his torpedoes. He therefore turned awayunder cover of smoke, and the enemy did not follow. This

fierce action had lasted an hour and twenty minutes. Dur-ing all the rest of the day the Spee made for Montevideo,the British cruisers hanging grimly on her heels with onlyoccasional interchanges of fire. Shortly after midnight theSpee entered Montevideo and lay there repairing damage,taking in stores, landing wounded, transhipping personnelto a German merchant ship, and reporting to the Fuehrer.Ajax and Achilles lay outside, determined to dog her toher doom should she venture forth. Meanwhile on thenight of the 14th the Cumberland, which had been steam-ing at full speed from the Falklands, took the place of theutterly crippled Exeter. The arrival of this 8-inch guncruiser restored to its narrow balance a doubtful situation.

It had been most exciting to follow the drama of thisbrilliant action from the Admiralty War Room, where Ispent a large part of the 13th. Our anxieties did not

end with the day. Mr. Chamberlain was at that time inFrance on a visit to the Army. On the 17th I wrote to him:

If the Spee breaks out as she may do to-night we hopeto renew the action of the 13th with the Cumberland, an8 in.-gun ship, in the place of the six-gun Exeter. The Speeknows now that Renown and Ark Royal are oiling at Rio,so this is her best chance. The Dorsetshire and Shropshirewho are coming across from the Cape are still three andfour days away respectively. It is fortunate that the Cum-berland was handy at the Falklands, as Exeter was heavilydamaged. She was hit over a hundred times, one turretsmashed, three guns knocked out, and sixty officers andmen killed and twenty wounded. Indeed the Exeterfought one of the finest and most resolute actions againstsuperior range and metal on record. Every conceivableprecaution has been taken to prevent the Spee slippingout unobserved, and I have told Harwood [who is nowan Admiral and a K.C.B.] that he is free to attack heranywhere outside the three-mile limit. We should preferhowever that she should be interned, as this will be lesscreditable to the German Navy than being sunk in ac-tion. Moreover a battle of this kind is full of hazard, andneedless bloodshed must never be sought.

The whole of the Canadians came in safely this morn-ing under the protection of the main fleet and [are] beingwelcomed by Anthony, Massey, and I trust a good part ofthe people of Greenock and Glasgow. We plan to givethem a cordial reception. They are to go to Aldershot,where no doubt you will go and see them presently.

There have been ten air attacks today on individualships along the East Coast from Wick to Dover, andsome of the merchant ships have been machine-gunnedout of pure spite, some of our people being hit on theirdecks. I am sure you must be having a most interestingtime at the Front, and I expect you will find that changeis the best kind of rest.

From the moment when we heard that action wasjoined we instantly ordered powerful forces to concentrate

FINEST HOUR no/32

off Montevideo, but our hunting groups were naturallywidely dispersed and none was within 2,000 miles of thescene. In the north, Force K, comprising the Renown andArk Royal, was completing a sweep which had begun atCapetown ten days before and was now 600 miles east ofPernambuco, and 2,500 miles from Montevideo. Farthernorth still, the cruiser Neptune with three destroyers hadjust parted company with the French Force X and werecoming south to join Force K. All these were ordered toMontevideo; they had first to fuel at Rio. However, wesucceeded in creating the impression that they had alreadyleft Rio and were approaching Montevideo at 30 knots.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Force H was re-turning to the Cape for fuel after an extended sweep upthe African coast. Only the Dorsetshire was immediatelyavailable at Capetown and was ordered at once to join Ad-miral Harwood, but she had over 4,000 miles to travel.She was followed later by the Shropshire. In addition, toguard against the possible escape of the Spee to the east-ward, Force I, comprising Cornwall, Gloucester and theaircraft-carrier Eagle from the East Indies station, which atthis time was at Durban, was placed at the disposal of theC.-in-C, South Atlantic.

* * * * *Meanwhile Captain Langsdorff telegraphed on De-

cember 16 to the German Admiralty as follows:

Strategic position off Montevideo. Besides the cruisersand destroyers, Ark Royal and Renown. Close blockade atnight; escape into open sea and breakthrough to home wa-ters hopeless....Request decision on whether the shipshould be scuttled in spite of insufficient depth in the Es-tuary of the Plate, or whether internment is to be preferred.

At a conference presided over by the Fuehrer, atwhich Raeder and Jodl were present, the following answerwas decided on:

Attempt by all means to extend the time in neutralwaters. ...Fight your way through to Buenos Aires if possi-ble. No internment in Uruguay. Attempt executive de-struction, if ship is scuttled.

As the German envoy in Montevideo reported laterthat further attempts to extend the time-limit of 72 hourswere fruitless these orders were confirmed by the GermanSupreme Command.

Accordingly during the afternoon of the 17th theSpee transferred more than 700 men, with baggage andprovisions, to the German merchant ship in the harbour.Shortly afterwards Admiral Harwood learnt that she wasweighing anchor. At 6.15 p.m., watched by immensecrowds, she left harbour and steamed slowly seawards,awaited hungrily by the British cruisers. At 8.54 p.m., asthe sun sank, the Ajax's aircraft reported: "Graf Spee hasblown herself up." The Renown and Ark Royal were still athousand miles away.

The pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in flames off Montevideo,where she'd been trapped by the Royal Navy, 17 December 1940.

Langsdorff was broken-hearted by the loss of hisship. In spite of the full authority he had received from hisGovernment, he wrote on December 19:

I can now only prove by my death that the Fightingservices of the Third Reich are ready to die for the honourof the flag. I alone bear the responsibility for scuttling thepocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. I am happy to paywith my life for any possible reflection on the honour ofthe flag. I shall face my fate with firm faith in the causeand the future of the nation and of my Fuehrer.

That night he shot himself.Thus ended die first surface challenge to British trade

on the oceans. No other raider appeared until the spring of1940, when a new campaign opened, utilising disguisedmerchant ships. These could more easily avoid detection,but on the other hand could be mastered by lesser forcesthan those required to destroy a pocket battleship.

The Search for Altmark

Avivid episode now sharpened everything in Scandi-navia. The reader will remember my concern to, capture the Altmark, the auxiliary of the Spee.

This vessel was also a floating prison for the crews of oursunk merchant-ships. British captives released by CaptainLangsdorff according to International Law in Montevideoharbour told us that nearly three hundred British mer-chant seamen were on board the Altmark. This vessel hidin the South Atlantic for nearly two months, and then,hoping that the search had died down, her captain made abid to return to Germany. Luck and the weather favouredher, and not until February 14th, after passing betweenIceland and the Faroes, was she sighted by our aircraft inNorwegian territorial waters.

continued overleaf

FINEST HOUR no/33

First Lord to First Sea Lord. 16.2.40.

On the position as reported to me this morning, itwould seem that the cruiser and destroyers should sweepnorthward during the day up die coast of Norway, not hes-itating to arrest Altmark in territorial waters should she befound. This ship is violating neutrality in carrying Britishprisoners of war to Germany. Surely another cruiser or twoshould be sent to rummage the Skagerrak to-night? TheAltmark must be regarded as an invaluable trophy.

In the words of an Admiralty communique "certainof His Majesty's ships which were conveniently disposedwere set in motion." A destroyer flotilla, under the com-mand of Captain Philip Vian, of H.M.S. Cossack, inter-cepted the Altmark but did not immediately molest her.She took refuge in Josing Fiord, a narrow inlet about amile and a half long surrounded by high snow-clad cliffs.Two British destroyers were told to board her for exami-nation. At the entrance to the fiord they were met by twoNorwegian gunboats, who informed them that the shipwas unarmed, had been examined the previous day, andhad received permission to proceed to Germany, makinguse of Norwegian territorial waters. Our destroyers there-upon withdrew.

When this information reached the Admiralty I inter-vened, and with the concurrence of the Foreign Secretary,ordered our ships to enter the fiord. I did not often act so di-rectly; but I now sent Captain Vian the following order:

February 16, 1940, 5.25 p.m

Unless Norwegian torpedo-boat undertakes to convoyAltmark to Bergen with a joint Anglo-Norwegian guardon board, and a joint escort, you should board Altmark,liberate the prisoners, and take possession of the shippending further instructions. If Norwegian torpedo-boatinterferes, you should warn her to stand off. If she firesupon you, you should not reply unless attack is serious, inwhich case you should defend yourself, using no moreforce than is necessary, and ceasing fire when she desists.

Vian did the rest. That night in the Cossack withsearchlights burning he entered the fiord through the icefloes. He first went on board the Norwegian gunboat Kjelland requested that the Altmark should be taken to Bergenunder a joint escort, for inquiry according to InternationalLaw. The Norwegian captain repeated his assurance thatthe Altmark had been twice searched, that she was un-armed, and that no British prisoners had been found.Vian then stated that he was going to board her, and in-vited the Norwegian officer to join him. This offer waseventually declined.

Meanwhile Altmark got under way, and in tryingto ram Cossack ran herself aground. The Cossackforced her way alongside and a boarding party

sprang across, after grappling the two ships together. A

sharp hand-to-hand fight followed, in which four Ger-mans were killed and five wounded; part of the crew fledashore and the rest surrendered. The search began for theBritish prisoners. They were soon found in their hun-dreds, battened down, locked in storerooms, and even inan empty oil-tank. Then came the cry, "The Navy ishere." The doors were broken in and the captives rushedon deck. Altogether 299 prisoners were released and trans-ferred to our destroyers. It was also found that Altmarkcarried two pom-poms and four machine guns, and thatdespite having been boarded twice by the Norwegians, shehad not been searched. The Norwegian gun-boats re-mained passive observers throughout. By midnight Vianwas clear of the fiord, and making for the Firth of Forth.

Admiral Pound and I sat up together in some anxi-ety in the Admiralty War Room. I had put a good screwon the Foreign Office, and was fully aware of the technicalgravity of the measures taken. To judge them fairly it mustbe remembered that up to that date Germany had sunk218,000 tons of Scandinavian shipping with a loss of 555Scandinavian lives. But what mattered at home and in theCabinet was whether British prisoners were found onboard or not. We were delighted when at three o'clock inthe morning news came that 299 had been found and res-cued. This was a dominating fact.

Afterword

T "f he British people, who expected great things fromthe Royal Navy, were jubilant over the destruction ofthe Graf Spee and the rescue of British sailors from

the Altmark. Churchill basked in the Navy's glory andwasted no time in publicizing these events. On 18 December,he announced to the world that the pocket battleship GrafSpee "had met her doom, and throughout a vast expanse ofwater peaceful shipping of all nations may, for a spell at least,enjoy the freedom of the seas."

Churchill was clearly delighted that the enemy raiderhad been ignominiously chased into a neutral harbour, "inspite of her far heavier metal and commanding range," by aweaker and battered British force. This was the sort of battlethat fired Churchill's imagination, and seemed to confirmthat the Royal Navy could still be counted upon to outstrip itsrivals in the qualities that mattered most: aggressive spirit,tactical skill, courage, and determination.

The Graf Spee, in contrast, was castigated for emergingfrom Montevideo "not to fight, but to sink herself in the fair-way of a neutral State from whom she had received such shel-ter and succour as international law prescribes." Casting fur-ther aspersions on German honour, Churchill claimed (incor-rectly) that "the Graf Spee knew that the British heavy shipsRenown and Ark Royal were still a thousand miles away"when she emerged from harbour. "All that awaited her out-side, " he revealed, "were the two six-inch gun cruisers, Ajaxand Achilles, who had chased her in, and the eight-inch gun

FINEST HOUR I I O / 3 4

wCC'X'XTThenyou came up the river...there were

other spectators in the great shades of

the past, carrying us back to the days of Drake and)

Raleigh, to the great sea dogs of the olden times....

And to Nelsons immortal signal of 135years ago,

'England expects that every man will do his duty'...

cruiser Cumberland, which had arrived to take the place ofthe damaged Exeter."

Churchill was later on hand to greet Exeter when shereturned to Plymouth on 15 February 1940. In an address tothe ship's company, he proclaimed that the Battle of the RiverPlate "will long be told in song and story."

When you came up the river this morning, when you en-tered the harbour and saw the crowds cheering on the banks,one may almost think that there were other spectators in thegreat shades of the past, carrying us back to the days of Drakeand Raleigh, to the great sea dogs of the olden times. If theirspirits brooded on this scene you would be able to say to them"We, your descendants, still make war and have not forgottenthe lessons you taught.'

The victors of the River Plate had become national he-roes and Churchill was eager to lead the nation's tribute. Onthe morning of 23 February, the companies of Exeter andAjax assembled at Waterloo station and proceeded throughLondon amid "tumultuous cheering," The Times noted, tothe Horse Guards Parade, where they were inspected by KingGeorge VI. Churchill was present along with other membersof the Cabinet and Board of Admiralty, and spoke later that

... there may now be

added last week's not

less proud reply:

'The Navy is here.'"

—WSC, GREETING HMS EXETER,

PLYMOUTH, 1 5 FEBRUARY 1 940

day at a luncheon in their honour at the Guildhall. Onceagain, the First Lord invoked Britain's long and gloriousnaval history in praising the ships' companies:

The warrior heroes of the past may look down, as Nelson'smonument looks down upon us now, without any feelingthat the island race has lost its daring or that the exampleswhich they set in bygone centuries have faded as the genera-tions have succeeded to one another.

To the glorious action off the Plate there has recently beenadded an epilogue—the rescue last week by the Cossack andher flotilla under the noses of the enemy and amid the tanglesof one-sided neutrality—the rescue of British captives takenfrom the sunken German raider. Their rescue at the very mo-ment when those unhappy men were about to be deliveredover into indefinite German bondage proves that the longarm of British sea power can be stretched out, not only forfoes but also for faithful friends.

"And," he concluded, "to Nelson's immortal signal of135 years ago, 'England expects that every man will do hisduty,' there may now be added last week's not less proud reply:'The Navy is here.'" —CMB M>

FINEST HOUR no/35

EIGHT BELLS: GOD SPEED

THE SHEET ANCHOR

OF HUMAN FREEDOM"Never imagine that sucn concepts as duty,

honour, and love or country are outdated."

WINSTON S. CHURCHILL TO THE CREW OF USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, NORFOLK, 10 MARCH 2001

Cdr. Franken, officers, members of the crew of theUSS Winston S. Churchill, distinguished guests: Iam sorry to disappoint you. I am not Tom Hanks

who, I understand, was expected to be here to address youtoday. I cannot even claim to be Private Ryan's kid brother.However I do happen to be the grandson, and have thegreat privilege of bearing the name, of the man in whosehonour your ship is named. And I can tell you what avery proud day this is for me and all my family.

As you travel the globe, you bear my grandfa-ther's name, not only on your great ship, but also embla-zoned on your uniforms. You will be amazed at thewarmth of welcome it will bring you, not just when youvisit Great Britain, as you will be doing this summer, butin so many parts of the world. You cannot imagine whatthe name Winston Churchill means to so many people, inso many lands—none more so than to those who lived inEurope during the Nazi Occupation.

By way of example, let me tell you that, ten yearsago, I had the privilege of addressing a meeting in Londonto mark the 50th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Up-rising of 1941, when the tens of thousands of Polish Jews,realizing what fate the Nazis intended for them, armedonly with Molotov cocktails and whatever weapons theycould lay their hands on, tried to defend themselvesagainst several divisions of S.S. troops. After the meeting,one of the guests, a fine looking lady of about 60, cameup to me and said, "I was a girl of just 12 years of age atthe time of the Uprising. I want to tell you that every timeyour grandfather was speaking on BBC radio, we wouldlisten to his every word.

"I could not understand English, but I knew thatany hope I and my family might have of surviving the wardepended on that man. The Nazis put me and my familyinto the concentration camp of Bergen Belsen and thenBuchenwald. I was the only member of my family to sur-

Mr. Churchill is a London-based journalist and author, Sir Winston'sgrandson, and a Trustee and Associate of The Churchill Center.

vive, and was eventually liberated by British forces, in factby this man here, who is now my husband."

It is a high honour, indeed one that is almostwithout precedent, that a great and proud nation like theUnited States should pay tribute to a foreigner in this way,by naming one of its major warships in his memory. Butlet me tell you something of the man for whom thismighty ship is named.

Winston Churchill was aptly described as "half-American but wholly British." Through his mother, Jen-nie Jerome of Brooklyn, New York, he had American, in-deed Revolutionary blood in his veins. He was proud tocount among his forebears at least four ancestors who hadfought against the British in the War of Independence.

If anyone should ask you why your ship bears thename of a British Statesman, you can tell them: "Becausemore than anyone else, Winston Churchill saved theworld from Hitler."

In those desperate four months, in the summer of1940, it was above all thanks to him that Britain did notsurrender in the face of Hitler's onslaught. Had that comeabout—and, as the great Duke of Wellington said of theBattle of Waterloo, "It was a damn close run thing"—allpossibility of eventual liberation for the nations of Occu-pied Europe would have been extinguished. There couldhave been no question of the United States's launching aD-Day invasion from more than 3000 miles away acrossthe Atlantic, and we would all be living in a very differentworld, dominated by the heirs of the Nazis. Churchill'sachievement, which was crucial, was to ensure that thewar was not lost, thereby making it possible for theAnglo-American alliance, once America joined the fray inDecember 1941, to go forward to Victory, together withour ally Soviet Russia.

It is easy, perhaps, to visualize in Churchill thevaliant wartime statesman who, in the memorable wordsof Edward R. Murrow, quoted by President Kennedy,"mobilized the English language and sent it into battle."Or as a rotund, elderly figure puffing on a large cigar,

FINEST HOUR no/36

which is my childhood memory of him in the postwaryears. But there was another Winston Churchill, and hewas someone you should also know. That was the Win-ston Churchill of 50 years before, when he was your age:Winston Churchill the man of action, the young soldierwho saw action across four continents, seeking fame andglory in the cannon's mouth.

Young Winston saw his first action in 1895, whenhe visited Cuba to observe the Cuban revolutionagainst Spain. It was there, on his 21st birthday,

that he had his baptism of fire, when a bullet passed be-tween him and a chicken-leg he was poised to eat,prompting him to observe: "There is nothing so exhilarat-ing as to be shot at, without result!" Two years later, as acavalry officer, he took part in fierce fighting on theNorth-West frontier of India. Then, in 1898, he contrivedto get to the Sudan, where he participated in one of thelast great cavalry charges of history, with the 21st Lancersat the Battle of Omdurman.

Yet again, just a year later, he was to be found inthe thick of the battle in South Africa, where he went to

report the Anglo-Boer War as a war correspondent. In afamous incident involving an armoured train, he wastaken prisoner by the Boers. Undaunted, within fourweeks he made a dramatic escape, which made him thehero of the hour. Thus, at the young age of 26, on theback of his fame as a soldier, he launched his career inParliament, which was to span more than 60 years.

There is yet another Winston Churchill of whomyou should know. That was the Winston who referred tohimself, in correspondence with his wartime comrade-in-arms, Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a "Former Naval Person."For Churchill, when just 36 years old, had been chargedwith political responsibility for Britain's Navy. Amazinglynot once, but twice—in 1914 and again, a quarter of acentury later, in 1939—he had the task of preparing theNavy for war against Germany. On his return in 1939,the signal was flashed to the fleet: "Winston is Back!"

At the Admiralty he was in his element, drivingforward a major shipbuilding program and pressing on pi-oneering new developments, which included naval avia-tion. He became an enthusiastic pilot himself. Although

continued overleaf

"Man the Ship and Bring Her to Life"

At this command 350 crewmembers ran aboard and lined the rails. It was a sight to catch at the heartstrings of the most hardened spectator.

FINEST HOUR 110/37

Army matters were definitely not his responsibility, heplayed a key part in pressing forward the development ofthe tank, at a time when officers of the General Staff re-mained firmly committed to the concept of horses on thebattlefield.

At that time the Royal Navy, as the U.S. Navytoday, ruled supreme on the oceans of the world. But hewas the first to recognize that with such power comes theneed for responsibility. Soon after taking charge of the Ad-miralty, on 20 March 1912, he declared to Parliament inwords that apply every bit as much to the United Statestoday: "If we assert our claim, as we intend to do, to thesupreme position on the seas, it is also our duty so to con-duct ourselves, that other nations will feel that greatpower and great responsibility, which are a necessity to us,shall be used in such a manner as to be a menace to none,and a trust held for all."

In a perceptive remark about the vulnerabilityeven of the greatest warships, something that is even moretrue today, he told the House of Commons on 17 March1914, just six months before the outbreak of the FirstWorld War: "The offensive power of modern warships isout of all proportion to their defensive power You mustnot think of [a naval engagement] as if it were two men inarmour striking at each other with heavy swords. It ismore like a battle between two egg-shells striking eachother with hammers....The importance of hitting first,and hitting hardest, and keeping on hitting really needsno clearer proof."

This is an exciting time for each of you. Indeed, forsome it will be your very first tour of duty with thefleet at sea. The months of training and prepara-

tion, during which you have worked the ship up to a highpoint of efficiency, are now behind you. You are about toput into practice all you have learnt.

We live in a volatile world, set about with manyunforeseeable dangers. Who can tell what challenges willconfront you or what emergencies may come your way?Whatever they may be, and however great the danger, Iknow that you will rise to meet the occasion with courageand with fortitude, as did the man whose name your shipso proudly bears. Never imagine that such concepts asduty, honor and love of country are old-fashioned or out-dated. They are not. I am sure, should the need arise, you,the young men and women of the U.S. Navy, will showthat same devotion to duty, that same spirit of courageand daring, that inspired the heroes of your Navy andours, and which made them the two greatest navies of thelast four centuries.

We stand here, on the banks of the river namedafter King James I who, 400 years ago, united the crownsof England and Scotland. Indeed, it was in his reign thatthe very first British colonial settlement in the New Worldwas established in 1607 at Jamestown, just a few miles

from here. It stood on these shores of the state of Virginia,named in honor of his predecessor, Queen Elizabeth I,Good Queen Bess, whose mariners under Sir FrancisDrake ensured that America became a British colony,rather than Spanish like Mexico.

May I say to you that, as you travel the globe, up-holding the interests of western democracy and of the FreeWorld, your fortunes will be followed, not only by yourown families and fellow countrymen, but also by those ofBritain and of her Commonwealth around the world. Toquote my grandfather one last time, speaking at Cam-bridge, on 19 May 1939, six months before the SecondWorld War: "I have always thought that the union ofthese two great forces [the British and American navies],not for purposes of aggression or narrow selfish interests,but in an honourable cause, constitutes what I may callthe sheet-anchor of human freedom and progress."

Those words stand as a fine tribute to our twoNavies, and are as true today as they were then, when theworld stood poised on the brink of Armageddon. Howproud my grandfather would be to know that this fineship of the United States Navy will carry his name withhonour across the seven seas. We look forward to welcom-ing you to Britain this summer, and I wish you all Godspeed and a safe return. $S

Photographs on pages 15-38 byGerard Dumont, Virginia Ives & Richard Langworth.

DDG81 photographs on cover, centerspread, page 20 and abovecourtesy U.S. Navy Press Office & Lcdr. James Morrison.

FINEST HOUR no /38

RIDDLES,

MYSTERIES,

ENIGMASSend your questionsto the editor

MORE CATS

Further to Lynda Presley's request fora roster of Churchill cats in this

space last issue, Lady Soames informsus that Number Ten had a resident catwhen her father moved in as PrimeMinister. A leftover from the Cham-berlain administration, he was named"Munich Mouser." His replacementwas a black cat named "Smokey." Nextin succession came "Nelson," whomwe mentioned. At Chartwell, in addi-tion to "Cat" and the three "Jocks,"there were two earlier inhabitants:"Tango," a marmalade torn said to beWinston's; and "Mickey," a tabby cat.The last two are mentioned in the pro-logue to Volume II of William Man-chester's The Last Lion.

Were Franklin Roosevelt andChurchill related?

A: According to Cornelius Mann's"Two Famous Descendants of

John Cooke and Sarah Warren," NYGenealogical and Biographical RecordLXIII:3, July 1942, pp. 159-66,Churchill and Roosevelt were eighthcousins, once removed. More recent re-search has shown that WSC was notdescended from their daughter, Eliza-beth Cooke (second wife of DanielWilcox), but from Daniel Wilcox's firstwife. So it's not true.

S: / was reading Manchester's 1995introduction to the recent editionarly Life and saw with delight and

admiration his reference to your researchon Churchill's relations with his mother.Has this been published?

Manchester asked me to vet hisintro to My Early Life—which is

er, interesting. I suggested he tonedown the point that Winston was ig-nored by his parents. I believe it was noworse for WSC than for most upper-class Victorian children, though Win-ston's sensitive nature reacted morestrongly to it. WSC's nephew Peregrinehas all of Jennie's diaries and showedme numerous entries recording howshe read to, played with, took walkswith, and was concerned about, Win-ston and Jack. Some of this appeared inour "Jennie" number, #98, and all willappear when the Jennie diaries are putup on the Internet by SouthamptonUniversity. —Ed.

Q: Lord Randolph Churchill was apeer who served in the House of

Commons? I thought peers could notserve in the Commons, and that this waswhy Winston Churchill refused a peerage.

A : Lord Randolph was not a peer.-tVLater sons of Dukes are called"Lord" as a courtesy title, but they arestill commoners.

Q: Was Lord Randolph Churchilltechnically Lord Randolph Spencer-

Churchill, in the same way in which hisson was really Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, as his school records attest(and as he admits in My Early Life,)?And was it remarked at the time, to ei-ther Winston or Randolph, that it waspretentious to drop the Spencer in orderto highlight the descent from JohnChurchill First Duke of Marlborough?

A : His full name was Randolph.Z lHenry Spencer-Churchill butWinston says in his biography of hisfather that he was "commonly called"Lord Randolph Churchill. Winstonmoved the "Spencer" to his middlename so that he would appear higherup in the alphabetical Harrow rolls. Ifanything, the double-barreled"Spencer-Churchill" was more preten-tious than the plain "Churchill."

My mother has an English bust ofChurchill with a cigar in his

mouth, given as a gift to her in 1971.She was told it was one of only two

made. Markings include "Tallent" on theback of base and "vbvpl" on the shoulder.The finish is gold on a bronze base.

A : The common Tallent bust is an-tJuelaborate cigarette lighter made ofplaster. The head is full of cottonwadding which is soaked with lighterfluid through a metal screw cap in theback. The "cigar" is removed andstruck against a horizontal flintmounted in the front of the base. Yoursis clearly of a different order but wedon't know how many were made.

i: Can you identify this quotation,'from the Gallipoli campaign of

19157 "Lhear Winston [Churchill] hasarrived, and suppose we will see him inthe next few days. He certainly is aplucky fellow, and I think ought to begiven a VC and then taken out and shot.I wonder what sort of reception he willget if he comes among the troops, andwhether they will cheer, or shoot him. /think the former."

A : The statement comes from a let-_Z~Y.ter written by Major-General SirAlexander Godley to Ronald Graham,the New Zealand Minster of the Inte-rior, in July 1915. It is cited byNicholas Boyack in his book aboutNew Zealanders at Gallipoli. Godleycommanded the Anzacs.

—Rafal Heydel-Mankoo

Q: / own a set of medallions, each de-picting an event or phase in

Churchill's life, with a short narrative onthe reverse. The medallions are sterlingsilver covered in gold foil. What are they?

A : If they're round and 24 in num--tVber they are probably the PinchesMint Churchill Centenary Medals, pro-duced in 1974 to mark his 100th birth-day. Each measured 44mm and had720 grains of solid sterling silver. Yourssounds like the limited Vermeil edition,coated in 24 ct. gold, a process devel-oped centuries ago for French kings.The medals usually came in a book-holder, with a text by Martin Gilbert.The last set we know of was a Vermeiledition which recently sold for$750/£540. $

FINEST HOUR no/39

100-75-50 YEARS AGO

Michael McMenamin

One hundred years ago:Spring 1901 -Age 26"Rising Political Star"

The Spring of 1901, William Man-chester wrote, was when Churchill

"established himself as a rising politicalstar." In the House in March, he spokein support of the Government againstan amendment seeking to appoint aCommission to enquire into the Army'sdismissal of Major-General Sir HenryColville as Commander-in-Chief ofGibraltar. Colville had been dismissedwhen official enquiries into his conductin South Africa disclosed he had failedto attempt to relieve beleaguered Britishtroops despite being in a position to doso. Colville refused to go quietly, andappealed to supporters in Parliament,claiming that he had not been criticizedat the time in official dispatches.

Churchill came to the rescue of agovernment described by his son, Ran-dolph, as "hard-pressed to resist" theamendment, helpfully explaining to theHouse that "those who have not them-selves had any actual experience of warmay have some difficulty in understand-ing" why Colville was not criticized atthe time. The reason, Churchill contin-ued, was that the military in wartimetypically did not tell the truth: "I saythat I have noticed in the last three warsin which we have been engaged a ten-dency among military officers...to husheverything up, to make everything lookas fair as possible, to tell what is called

the official truth....all the ugly facts aresmoothed and varnished over, rottenreputations are propped up, and officersknown as incapable are allowed to hangon and linger in their commands in thehope that at the end of the war theymay be shunted into private life withouta scandal."

Nevertheless, Churchill went on,politicians must rarely, if ever, interferewith the War Department's promotionand dismissal of officers because thatprocess—Selection—is "the only hopefor increased efficiency in the army."Secretary of State for War St. John Bro-drick, expressed his gratitude in a noteto Churchill: "May I say you will nevermake a better speech than you madetonight....It was a great success and uni-versally recognized."

Mr. Brodrick's comments on thenext Churchill speech in the House onmilitary matters were not so kind, ex-pressing the hope that one day "thehereditary qualities he possesses of elo-quence and courage may be temperedalso by discarding the hereditary desireto run Imperialism on the cheap."Churchill had attacked Brodrick's planfor Army Reform, featuring th~ cre-ation of three regular army corps. OnMay 13th, Churchill spoke trenchantlyagainst "Mr. Brodrick's Army": "I con-tend that [it] ought to be reduced bytwo army corps, on the ground that oneis quite enough to fight savages, andthree are not enough even to begin tofight Europeans....A European war can-not be anything but a cruel, heartrend-

ing struggle, which, if we are ever toenjoy the bitter fruits of victory, mustdemand, perhaps for several years, thewhole manhood of the nation, the en-tire suspension of peaceful industries,and the concentrating to one end ofevery vital energy in the community...aEuropean war can only end in the ruinof the vanquished and the scarcely lessfatal commercial dislocation and the ex-haustion of the conquerors. Democracyis more vindictive than Cabinets. Thewars of peoples will be more terriblethan those of kings." In the event,Churchill's views prevailed, with thesupport of the Liberal opposition, andMr. Brodrick did not receive his threearmy corps.

Seventy-five years ago:

Spring 1926'Age 51

"Tomorrow, Magnanimity"

Churchill played no part in theBaldwin governments negotiations

with the miners and the coal ownerswhich led to the General Strike of1926. The coal owners locked out theminers on Saturday, 1 May 1926 afterthe miners had again rejected a proposalfor an immediate reduction in wages. Anational strike in support of the minerswas announced for Monday, 3 May.Government negotiations continuedwith both sides on Sunday, 2 May, until11 PM, when word came that printersat The Daily Mail had stopped its pub-lication because they did not approve ofthe lead editorial critical of the impend-ing strike. Baldwin believed that a na-tional strike was an unconstitutional at-tempt to undermine parliamentarydemocracy and, in response, he brokeoff negotiations, a move that receivedthe unanimous support of the Cabinet.

The next day, Churchill spoke inconciliatory fashion in the House, ac-knowledging that the miners had a le-gitimate right to strike: "But that is anentirely different thing from the con-certed, deliberate organized menace of aGeneral Strike in order to compel Par-liament to do something which other-

FINEST HOUR no / 40

100-75-50 YEARS AGO

I THM COFY OR DISPLAY

The British Gazette

GENERAL STRIKE OFFxDJnmuL 'vmnnOTNOnCESBVT.UC.

1HVWIMT MAY • » n *

W*c, « - : „ -..,-, "BRITISH GAZETre*

',11^1***w S5SSry<&a=Si nor w nowmsED i m v i m

'

eral Strike and theresumption of thecoal negotiations.The first tonight—the second to-morrow. But noth-ing simultaneousand concurrent.That will I am surebe fatal....Tonightsurrender. Tomor-row magnanim-ity...."

wise it would not do." Churchill saidthat once the threat of a national strikeis withdrawn, "we shall immediatelybegin, with the utmost care and pa-tience with them again, the long and la-borious task which has been pursuedover these many weeks of endeavouringto rebuild on economic foundations theprosperity of the coal trade. That is ourposition."

The strike commenced on 4 Mayand Baldwin diverted Churchill to thesecondary role of supervising publica-tion of a daily government newspaper,The British Gazette. The first issue ofthe paper came out on 5 May andChurchill wrote the leading, unsigned,article on the front page in which he ex-plained why a government newspaperwas necessary during the strike: "Nearlyall the newspapers have been silencedby violent concerted action. And thisgreat nation, on the whole the strongestcommunity which civilisation canshow, is for the moment reduced in thisrespect to the level of African nativesdependent only on the rumours whichare carried from place to place."

The first issue of The BritishGazette printed a total of only 230,000copies but six days later, the last day ofthe General Strike, over a million copieswere printed and distributed. Churchillwrote that day to Baldwin offering hisadvice on how to proceed next: "Thepoint to which I wish to draw yourmind is that there must be a clear inter-val between the calling off of the Gen-

Fifty years ago:Spring, 1951-Age 76"A duster of lion-hearted limpets"

On 10 April Churchill spoke in re-sponse to the first budget intro-

duced by the Labour Party's HughGaitskell, who had succeeded the ailingSir Stafford Cripps the previous fall.After praising Gaitskell for "the evidentlack of hatred or malice" in his propos-als, Churchill turned to the attack:"Those who hold that taxation is an evilmust recognize that it falls upon thiscountry in a most grievous manner atthe present time, continually burdeningthe mass of the nation and continuallyclogging—or, at any rate, hamperingour efforts....If we take the whole pe-riod of the rule of the Socialist Party, Ithink it is fair to say that the misman-agement of our finances over the wholeperiod tells the same tale, or almost thesame tale in different terms, as the mis-management of our defences."

In April two Labour ministers re-signed in protest over the introductionof Health Service charges in the budget.One of them was future Prime MinisterHarold Wilson, who had became Presi-dent of the Board of Trade at age 31,three years younger than Churchillwhen he had held that post. Churchill,recalling his own experience at the Ad-miralty during the World War I, ex-pressed sympathy to Wilson through

Brendan Bracken, saying that he knewit was even more difficult on the resign-ing minister's wife.

Wilson conveyed this to his wifeand later wrote in his memoirs: "Twodays earlier, I had been a minister of theCrown, red box and all. Now I was re-duced to the position of a messengerbetween [my wife] and WinstonChurchill, each of whom burst intotears on receipt of a message from theother."

"Mr. Attlee combines alimited outlook with strongqualities of resistance..."

By the end of April, Churchill wasback on the attack, speaking to thePrimrose League at Albert Hall, wel-coming Prime Minister Attlee's returnfrom hospital and chiding the Socialistson their reluctance to schedule a gen-eral election: "Mr. Attlee combines alimited outlook with strong qualities ofresistance. He now resumes the direc-tion and leadership of that cluster oflion-hearted limpets...who are unitedby their desire to hold on to office at allcosts to their own reputations and theircountry's fortunes, and to put off byevery means in their power to the lastpossible moment any contact with ourdemocratic electorate."

In June, Harold Macmillan wrotein his diary of a recent display ofChurchill's vigor and stamina: "Con-scious that many people feel that he istoo old to form a Government and thatthis will probably be used as a cryagainst him at the election, he has usedthese days to give a demonstration ofenergy and vitality. He has voted inevery division, made a series of brilliantlittle speeches; shown all his qualities ofhumour and sarcasm; and crowned allby a remarkable breakfast (at 7.30 a.m.)of eggs, bacon, sausages and coffee, fol-lowed by a large whisky and soda and ahuge cigar. This latter feat commandedgeneral admiration." $

FINEST HOUR no/41

& CURIOSITIES

Alanbrooke on Churchill:"/ thank God from the hottom of my heart for having been allowed

to work for him for 4 1/2 long and momentous years..."

Graham Robson

Alanbrooke, by David Fraser. London:HarperCollins 1982, paperback reprint1997, 552 pages, £9.99

What a fascinating book this is!What a marker for military his-

tory; what an authoritative story of theway that Alan Brooke, in particular, andhis top aides, kept British military strat-egy on the right path for so long. (I'd bet-ter make it clear he was Alan Brooke,later General Alan Brooke, finally FieldMarshal Brooke, who chose the title ofLord Alanbrooke when raised to thepeerage in 1945.)

From Christmas Day 1941 untilChurchill was booted out by an ungrate-ful electorate in 1945, career soldier AlanBrooke was Chief of the Imperial Gen-eral Staff. No other brass hat—notMonty, not Mountbatten, not Tedder,not even Eisenhower—could outrankhim, and none could out-think him.

More than anyone else duringWorld War II, the man WinstonChurchill immediately nicknamed"Brookie" was the Prime Minister's sheetanchor. Whenever die great manplunged off on another flight of strategicfancy or anodier romantic master plan,Brooke was there to haul him back intoline. "Yes, Prime Minister, but...." musthave been one of his frequent openinglines in a discussion.

Mr. Robson is a motoring writer from Dorset,UK and co-author, with the editor, of TriumphCars and The Complete Book of Collectible Cars.

It wasn't easy. Though Brooke wasCIGS, Churchill was Prime Minister andMinister of Defence, and fought a con-stant battle for strategic supremacy.Brooke might have been backed by hismilitary colleagues but Churchill haddestiny on his shoulder. Brooke was prac-tical, but Churchill had "The Prof,"Beaverbrook and Bracken to divert him.

No wonder that blazing rows, incommittee, came regularly. No wonderthat Brooke regularly complained to col-leagues about Churchill's methods—yethe always came back for more. This, inso many ways, was a bare knuckle fightwithout end.

This is the official biography, whichmeans that author David Fraser, himselfonce a senior general in the British army,has been able to dig deep. Not only doeshe know his military history, but some-how he has also got into Alanbrooke'smind. Here in a thick and comprehen-sive biography is the story of Alan-brooke's career, especially where it dove-tailed so closely with that of Churchill.

It confirms everything we knew, orthought we knew, about Churchill's wayof making war, of his dreams of defeatingHitler, and of the way that he realisedthat he, and only he, could bring thatabout. It also confirms how illogical hecould be. Brooke, like many other ofChurchill's associates, could be infuriatedby the PMs caprice, by his impish shrug-ging off of the practicalities, by the sheergusto of his working methods, and hisoften bizarre working timetable. There

was a fundamental difference betweenthe two. Churchill imagined how a vic-tory could be achieved, and ignored thedetail. Brooke, for his part, rarely imag-ined anything, but made sure that everycampaign was feasible.

Like his associates, though, Brookecame to love Churchill. That feeling, itseems, was reciprocated. According toFraser, "Churchill loved Alan Brooke,and to others often said so. He had im-plicit trust in him. Where others wouldbe tongue-tied or resentfully inarticulatebeneath the bludgeoning of Churchillianinvective or exhortation, Brooke was elo-quent, cogent, persuasive. Alanbrooke'swas a dissective, Churchill's a romanticmind...."

Alanbrooke himself wrote, just ashe completed his job as CIGS: "As forWinston, I thank God from the bottomof my heart for having been allowed towork for him for 4 1/2 long and mo-mentous years...." How many more of uscould have wished for that?

Applied ChurchillRichard M. Langworth

The Churchill Factors:Creating Your FinestHour, by LarryKryske. Victoria,B.C.: Trafford, 2000.Trade paperback, 230pp., published at$17.95. Memberprice $16

Winston Churchill said, "I washappy as a child with the toys in

my nursery; I have been happier eachday since I became a man." With thesole exception of the Dardanellesepisode, when his wife "thought hewould die of grief," Churchill was, ashis daughter has said, "a supremelyblessed and happy human being."

There was no doubt about hishappiness and, for the most part, hisoptimism. How blessed he was is a rel-ative question. Churchill had no inher-ited wealth, no apparent academic pro-ficiency. When he switched from a mil-

FINESTHOUR no/42

CHURCHILL CENTER BOOKCLUB MEMBER DISCOUNTS:

To order: list books and prices,add for shipping ($6 first booK, $ 1each additional, surface post any-where in the world; airmail extra).Mail with cheque to Churchill Cen-ter , PO Box 385, Contoocook NH03229 USA. Visa or Mastercard wel-come; state name, numbers and expi-ration date and sign your order.

itary career to politics, he found himselflaboring to conquer a lisp, and on oneearly occasion lost his train of thoughtin the middle of a speech and had to sitdown. What he did inherit was a tastefor living like a grandee, but with nofamily money labored hard, particularlyafter he fell in love with a money pitnamed Chartwell.

Writing is not easy. It is almost al-ways hard work, and most writerswould rather face the dentist than getstarted on the next piece. Churchill wasa self-starter, and his methods for get-ting one and one-half or two days outof one are well known.

Larry Kryske, a former naval offi-cer, joined the Churchill Society nearly20 years ago, served on its board of di-rectors and was master of ceremonies atits 1988 conference at Bretton Woods.He spoke of walking through Londonafter being detached from USS Golds-borough, drinking in the shrines. Kryskecame face to face with the demands ofleadership in his own career; his knowl-edge of Churchill showed him how toapply Sir Winston's precepts.

"While there have been manybooks about Churchill, and a few booksabout Churchill's leadership, until nowthere have been few 'how to' or self-help books that used Churchill's prac-tices," Kryske writes. "My book on 'ap-plied Churchill' has immediate applica-bility to people of all ages—college stu-dents or mid-lifers planning their ca-reers, executives expanding their busi-nesses, homemakers looking towardtheir future after their children leavehome, government decision-makers setting a new policy course.

"I give practical suggestions andcustomized questions to ponder, involv-ing how a person can devise a vision,generate the courage to take that firststep, and follow through with determi-

nation until they achieve their vision.All of this simple formula for success isinterwoven with examples fromChurchill's life and is reinforced withover 120 quotations by Churchill andother prominent leaders. The ChurchillFactors is more than a book on leader-ship. It is a book on how to lead joyful,productive, successful life: theChurchill way."

This self-help manual is dividedinto six parts: "Changing Your Destiny,In the Wilderness, A Grand Alliance,The Landscape of Leadership, Mobiliz-ing the English Language and Applyingthe Churchill Factors." There is also agood appendix on the author's favoriteChurchill books, audiotapes andvideos—I wish more authors who in-clude bibliographies would actually saywhich books they liked}.

"There is a special time in eachperson's life," Kryske writes, "when allof his or her past preparations becomeperfectly aligned with some significantopportunity"—May 1940, of course, inChurchill's case. You must recognizeyour time when it comes. To do so, youneed to engage in self-analysis.

Kryske classifies people into fourgroups: Drivers, Influencers, Support-ers, Conceptualizes. Drivers are fast-paced, mission-oriented people. Influ-encers are fast-paced, people-oriented.Conceptualizes are slower-paced andmission-oriented. Supporters areslower-paced and people-oriented.

Kryske lays out a course of actionfor each. Aside from the beginning andend of his book, if you are a Driver, youread Part Two; if an Influences PartThree, and so on. The Driver learnshow Churchill was energized by thechallenge of Hitler, how he applied"three proven principles for success: vi-sion, courage and determination."Churchill had a vision of victory, thecourage to say what he thought, andthe determination to see the businessthrough, with little prospect of success.As Lady Soames has often ruefully re-marked, reading how this or that younghistorian would have done things dif-ferently in her fathers shoes:

"You have to remember that at thetime there was no guarantee that we weregoing to win."

FINEST HOUR no /43

Take the example of Churchill andthe Hitler challenge and forge yourown counterpart, Kryske tells the Dri-ver. What are your greatest challengesin life? What are you committed to ac-complishing over the next five years?What qualities do you use to controloutcomes? Has there been any cost tothem in the past? What alternativesmay secure the same results withoutthe cost? Finally, "what words do youwant on your tombstone?" Few of usthink about that, but we should.Churchill quoted something to the ef-fect that when one is about to behanged, "it concentrates the mindwonderfully."

The Churchill Factors, Kryske says,"are simple, but not easy....their applica-tion requires intention, discipline, anddedication. You can use them any timeyou want—but failure of imagination,of will, or to use your time effectively,can thwart you. The Factors enable usto overcome the first two failures. Thethird only an individual can conquer.Among the Churchill and other quotespeppered usefully throughout this bookis one by actor Michael Landon:"Somebody should tell us, right at thestart of our lives, that we are dying.Then we might live life to the limit,every minute of every day. There areonly so many tomorrows."

Only one previous self-help work,Steven Hayward's excellent Churchillon Leadership, has arrayed Churchill'sguiding philosophy so broadly. LikeHayward, Kryske offers something thatshould be required reading—not neces-sarily by students, but by teachers, it isnot Politically Correct: it doesn't shrugoff failure. Kryske adheres rather to theMacArthur maxim that there is no sub-stitute for victory.

History's greatest leaders did notaccept that no one would be "judg-mental" if they turned out second-rate. Each of them reacted vehementlyto some great challenge: Joan of Arc tothe plunderers of France, Roosevelt tothe Depression, Gandhi to the Raj,Reagan to the Soviets, Martin LutherKing to racism. Mr. Kryske offersas his teacher the greatest example ofthem all.

continued overleaf

Rasor's EdgeRe-review by David Freeman

Winston S.Churchill, 1874-1965: A Com-prehensive Histo-riography andAnnotated Bibli-ography, by Eu-gene L. Rasor.Bibliographies ofWorld Leaders,No. 6. Westport,

CT, Greenwood Press, 706 pages,published at $115, member price $95.

Professor Rasor's book (reviewed lastissue by Christopher M. Bell, page

38) is most definitely not suited to thedealer and collector of books. Neither isit intended to be. This is a scholar'stool, of the sort in which its publisherspecializes. In this respect the book suc-ceeds admirably. The bibliography mayindeed be filled with errors, but it existsto support the historiographic surveythat makes up the first, and by far themore important, half of the book. Eachtitle in the bibliography is assigned anumber which is used as a cross-refer-ence in the historiography. Factual er-rors exist in both halves of the book,but these are not significant enough todetract from the fact that Rasor hasproduced an indispensable guide.

To begin with, Rasor identifiesand provides contact information forall major archival institutions withholdings relevant to Churchillian re-search. No errors here, and even thisexperienced researcher is grateful tohave this knowledge brought togetherfor easy reference. But Rasor providesmuch more: He catalogues other bibli-ographies, in addition to guides, in-dexes, encyclopedias, and periodicals,which supply Churchill-related infor-mation. There is an entry for theChurchill Center website, and guidesto virtually every significant political,

Mr. Freeman earned his Ph.D. in modernBritish History from Texas A&M University, andteaches at California State University, Fullerton.

military, royal and family personalitywith whom Churchill ever interacted.

The heart of the work considersChurchill's career from a variety of the-matic perspectives with chapters focus-ing on Churchill as a leader, politician,writer and artist as well as his role inmajor events such as the world warsand Russian or American relations.One chapter guides readers to booksassociated with major controversies.Another outlines areas for future re-search. Rasor even considers biogra-phies of Churchill by listing titles in aspectrum format that ranges from thehagiographic to the malicious.

What we have then is a startingpoint that encourages people to thinkby providing a kaleidoscope of ways forapproaching Churchill studies. There issomething here both for the beginnerand the specialist. Sure there are mis-takes and omissions. A work of thistype is subjective by nature, and goodscholars always check their facts againstother sources before producing a fin-ished product. Rasor's book, neverthe-less, belongs in the libraries of institu-tions and of individuals serious aboutstudying Churchill.

Editors response:As both a dealer and collector of

books I find Rasor's work extremelyuseful: in describing volumes I am cat-aloguing, and in guiding me to worksof which I am unaware. But will some-one please explain to me why a bookrife with errors, omissions and red her-rings is more acceptable to a scholarthan to a dealer or collector? Goodscholars should indeed check their factsagainst other sources before producinga finished product.

Prof. Bell respondsI never suggested that Professor

Rasor's new bibliography was withoutmerit. I said it is an important andvaluable work, containing "a wealth ofuseful information for scholars, stu-dents and Churchill enthusiasts," andcurrently "the best reference bookavailable on the vast literature aboutWinston Churchill." Indeed, becausethe book is very good in many respects,I felt it necessary to draw attention to

its shortcomings. To have done other-wise would have been to fail in myduty as a reviewer.

I think Professor Freeman is wrongabout Rasor's section on archives,which I did not find particularly use-ful, even if there were no outright er-rors in it (which only means he got allthe addresses correct—given all theother errors, I think I would want toverify those addresses). He does list theobvious archives, but he rounds it outwith places that either have little onChurchill or little that is archival. I wasgoing to mention this in the originalreview, but would have had to verifythe holdings of many of the places helists to be able to state with confidenceexactly what they have.

In my opinion the book's errorsand omissions are so numerous as todetract significantly from its value as ascholarly tool. That should not deterpeople from buying it, much less fromusing it. My review was meant to en-able readers to decide whether this is abook for them—and, more impor-tantly, whether they can accept itsrather hefty price tag (albeit at a $20CC discount). I agree with Mr. Free-man that Rasor's book belongs in thelibraries of institutions and individualsserious about studying Churchill. I alsowant them to know what they are get-ting for their money, and where theyneed to use the book with caution.Caveat emptor.

Secretive WarriorsKirkus Reviews

Roosevelt and Churchill,Men of Secrets, by DavidStafford. Woodstock,NY: Overlook Press, 360pp., illustrated. Pub-lished at $32.50, mem-ber price $27.

This is a behind-the-scenes analysisof the relationship between a pres-

ident and a prime minister—"a power-ful personal link that bridged the At-lantic and helped win the war."

continued on page 47

FINEST HOUR no /44

DESPATCH BOX

continued from page 4...

ICELANDIC HEATING SYSTEMI mention Churchill in my classes,

which are basically on political theory, andam involved in a television documentaryabout Iceland during 1940-49. I wrote thescript, and showed some photos of his visit,where he met the Governor and reviewedBritish troops in Reykjavik.

One thing is rather amusing. WhenChurchill was in Iceland, he saw some glass-houses warmed by water from our hotsprings. In his memoirs of the war he sug-gests, although he does not directly claim,that he himself got the idea to use the hotwater to heat up our houses and that Ice-landers took up his idea. In fact this hadlong been planned in Iceland, and was onlydelayed because of the war. However, I be-lieve Churchill facilitated our utilization ofthe hot springs. As you may know, allhouses in Reykjavik are heated up by hotwater, running through the ovens and leddirectly from hot springs. Here is whatChurchill wrote:

"I found time to see the new airfieldswe were making, and also to visit the won-derful hot springs and the glass-houses theyare made to serve. I thought immediatelythat they should also be used to heat Reyk-javik, and tried to further this plan evenduring the war. I am glad that it has nowbeen carried out." —The Grand Alliance(1950), Book II, Chapter 4.

PROF. HANNES H. GISSURARSON,

UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND, REYKJAVIK

CHURCHILL ON POWERPOINTAs a member of my local Rotary Club,

I provide an annual program for one of theclubs weekly luncheon meetings. I see thisas an opportunity to enlighten my fellowRotarians on some aspect of Churchill's life.For the last program I prepared a Power-point show on the planning and strategy forOperation Overlord (D-Day), andChurchill's role in it. My story began withthe fall of France, continued through theearly invasion planning by Mountbatten,Operation Round-Up, the Roosevelt-Churchill meetings, American resolve andBritish uncertainty about the dates,Churchill's invasion worries and finally H-Hour on June 6th. I tied about sixty pic-tures into my narration, with four record-ings, including part of Churchill's speech of26 March 1944: "The Hour of Our Great-est Effort is Approaching."

Churchill-style, I closed with emotion,with a D-Day account by Charles Colling-wood recorded that day on Omaha Beach,showing pictures of the action. It was a hit!

An impromptu 20-minute discussion en-sued on Churchill and the invasion. As themembers left, many congratulated me andone said that he had learned more historysince he joined our club dian he had in allhis school years. As with my other programson Churchill, I learned a great deal, too.

FRED HARDMAN, SPENCER, W.V.

AUSSIES NAME RESIDENCESThere are two new housing estates in

Melbourne called "Winston Green" and"Churchill Green Estate." Two roads inChurchill Green Estate are called "WinstonWay" and "Churchill Close." The residents

Lullenden, No. 10,Morpeth Mansions, Hoe

Farm, Eccleston...The list is endless!

of Churchill Green Estate, known collec-tively as the "Churchill Greeners," are keento name their houses in honor of WinstonSpencer Churchill. Essentially we wouldvery much like to hear suggestions for suit-able names besides, of course, "Chartwell."

URSULA REMBACH, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

We referred the Greeners to "Riddles, Mys-teries, Enigmas" in FH 103, containing a com-plete list and details about Churchill residences,which offers numerous possibilities: The LittleLodge, St. James's, Great Cumberland, Eccle-ston, Admiralty House, Morpeth Mansions,Hyde Park Gate, Number Ten, Lullenden, PearTree Cottage, and Hoe Farm. Additional ideas

from Churchill's travels and adventures includeMarrakesh, Monte Carlo, Nassau, Casablanca,Yalta, Argentia...the list is endless!—Ed.

IMPEACHED BY WARRENIn the light of your having invited me

to speak at Fulton colloquium in 1996, andhaving published my essay in WinstonChurchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech Fifty YearsLater, I was disappointed when, a year ago,you had no interest in considering the arti-cle I wrote criticizing Time magazineschoice of "Person of the Century." My dis-appointment turned to astonishment anddisgust when you ran the Chris Matthewsarticle, "The Very Model of a DemocraticStatesman" {FH 106). You are an elegantwriter, and I could not understand whatyou saw there; it has nothing original and isdevoid of depth or substance, written in thepedestrian, slovenly style familiar to anyonewho can sit through his drivel on television.My article was the product of the years ofwork I put into my book chapter. You pre-

ferred the shoddy piece of journalism.I was also surprised to find, in FH 105,

your taking at face value Truman's favorablereference to Stalin when the President intro-duced Churchill at Fulton. Paul Rahe and I,with references to the Fraser Harbutt book,explain that Truman was already hardeningpolicy toward Russia. Truman was merelybeing politic at Fulton.

On another level entirely is the ridicu-lous assertion by Craig Horn, in his FH 105review of Joseph Shattan's Architects of Vic-tory, that "neither Truman nor his successor[sic] was prepared to follow" Churchill'slead at Fulton. Such historical ignorance hasno place in Finest Hour. Even worse is thestatement in the preceding paragraph ofthat review that Truman and Eisenhowersought to "appease" Russia. Containment isappeasement? Shattan's book does not makesuch an assertion and Mr. Horn vastly over-simplifies his point.

SPENCER WARREN, ANNANDALE, VA.

Suggesting that I "preferred" Mr.Matthews's piece to Mr. Warren's is like argu-ing that we spend $1 billion to build a de-stroyer when the same amount would feed amillion starving children. Mr. Warren's piececriticized Time magazine; by the time he of-fered it, FH had already done that.

What I saw in Mr. Matthews's articlewas the view not of a scholar but of someonewho speaks to five million people every night,and whose origins are other than the rightwing, which thinks erroneously that it holdscopyright to Winston Churchill. —Ed.

Mr. Horn responds:Please note that I am taken to task for

Joseph Shattan's own words! Shattan in Ar-chitects of Victory, and David McCullough inhis Truman, show that President Trumanprevaricated following Churchill's 1946 "IronCurtain" warning in Fulton, inviting Stalinto deliver a counterpart of Churchill's speech,even offering to pick him up in the USS Mis-souri. "Politic" or not, Truman at that timeappeared to lack a clear policy toward the So-viets. True, appearances may be deceiving;Truman soon came round, and played a sub-stantial role in protecting western Europefrom Soviet domination. But Shattan stateson page 76 of his book tliat "neither HarryTruman nor his successor [sic] was preparedto follow [Churchill's] lead."

Was containment appeasement? Well,Shattan thinks so, comparing it to the ap-peasement of Hitler on page 77: "...the U.S.policy of containment was little more than acontemporary version of appeasement." Mr.Warren should read Mr. Shattan's book; andI will read Mr. Warrens essay. ^

FINEST HOUR no/45

CHURCHILLTRIVIA

By Curt Zoller (zcurt@earthlink.net)

rESTyour knowledge! Most questionscan be answered in back issues of

Churchill Center publications but it's notreally cricket to check. Twenty-four ques-tions appear each issue, answers in the fol-lowing issue. Categories are Contemporaries(C), Literary (L), Miscellaneous (M), Per-sonal (P), Statesmanship (S) and War (W).

1129. Who was the "grocer" who becameChurchill's "shadow" in 1939? (C)

1130. What book did Sir Martin Gilbert,Churchill's biographer, write about his30-year quest for data on his subject? (L)

1131. What is the name of the publisherwho will put all the Churchill papers onmicrofilm? (M)

1132. Who was the artist who createdthe Churchill statue situated at Westmin-ster College, Fulton, Missouri? (P)

1133. In one of his early messages toChurchill (18Jul4l), Stalin urgedChurchill to open a second front. Hesuggested two areas. One was in France.What was the other? (S)

1134. Which company built the USSWinston S. Churchilli (W)

1135. When Churchill proposed, theyoung actress told him she "would notbe able to cope with the great world ofpolitics." Who was she? (C)

1136. Churchill wrote, "It may be in fu-ture years...under just laws andpatriotic administration, [this countrywill be] throwing open her portsto the commerce of the world, sendingher ponies to Hurlingham and hercricketers to Lord's..." What was thecountry and where may the quotation befound? (L)

1137. Who was Secretary of State for theDominions in Churchill's wartime coali-tion government? (M)

1138. After Churchill escaped from theBoer prison he made a speaking tour ofthe United States, starting 8Dec00 andlasting through 2Feb01. How much washe paid? (P)

1139. In October 1942 Churchill wroteto Anthony Eden, "I hope these

speculative studies will be entrustedmainly to those on whose hands timehangs heavy, and that we shall not over-look Mrs. Glasses Cookery Book recipefor jugged hare - 'First catch your hare.'"What studies did Churchill refer to? (S)

1140. The British provided the Sovietswith supplies during World War II, eventhough the convoys experienced signifi-cant losses. What percentage of losses didChurchill consider acceptable? (W)

1141. How did Churchill characterizethe difference between Arthur Balfourand H. H. Asquith? (C)

1142. Churchill's mother contractedwith the Daily Telegraph for Winston tosend them letters about the action at theNorthwest Frontier. What signature didthose letters carry when published? (L)

1143. Where was Churchill going whenhe was hit by a car on Fifth Avenue inNew York City? (M)

1144. When Churchill entered Parlia-ment he did not receive a salary. Whendid MPs begin being paid? (P)

1145. In July 1943 Churchill remarkedof the Yugoslav partisans, "What wewant is a daring ambassador-leader withthese hardy and hunted guerrillas." Whomdid he select for the assignment? (S)

1146. What was the code-name for theoperation Churchill wanted to open inNorway? (W)

1147. When Churchill became UnderSecretary of State for the Colonies hepicked Edward Marsh as his private sec-retary. Where had Marsh workedbefore his selection by Churchill? (C)

1148. Churchill wrote, "But very consid-erable misgivings must necessarily arisewhen a campaign to attack the monetaryproblem becomes intermingled with, andhampered by, the elaborate processes ofsocial reform and the struggles of classwarfare." What campaign was he refer-ring to? (L)

1149. Who joined Churchill in foundingThe Other Club in 1911? (M)

1150. What was Churchill's favoritehotel in Marrakesh, Morocco? (P)

FINEST HOUR no/46

1151. What was "Operation Culverin"?(S)

1152. How did Churchill keep the Do-minion governments informed on theprogress of the war? (W)

ANSWERS TO CHURCHILLTRIVIAIN FH109 (1105-1128)

(1105) Dean Acheson, Truman's Secre-tary of State, said Britain had "lost anEmpire and failed to find a role." (1106)Churchill wrote a foreword to All ClearAft: Episodes at Sea, published for theSeamen's Hospital Society by Cassell in1936. (1107) The author of "Churchill:The Last Hero" was John Keegan. (1108)The name of the motor launch whichcarried Churchill's coffin up the Thameswas Havengore. (1109) To Tonypandy,Churchill agreed to send police, but heldthe troops in reserve and did not usethem. (1110) Bernard Baruch was Chair-man of the U. S. War Industries Boardwhen Churchill was Minister of Muni-tions in WW I.

(1111) Stalin called Churchill a warmon-ger in response to WSC's speech at Ful-ton, Missouri. (1112) The copyright toSir Winston's literary material is theproperty of his grandson, Winston S.Churchill. (1113) Churchill's favoritescotch was Johnny Walker Red. (1114)Pretending to be his valet, Churchill re-sponded on the telephone: "Mr.Churchill is a man of simple tastes; he isquite easily satisfied with the best ofeverything." (1115) Churchill selected asChief of the Air Staff Sir Hugh Tren-chard. (1116) Scapa Flow was thewartime anchorage for the British fleet.

(1117) When referring to "the greatwhite eagle," Churchill meant WilliamEwart Gladstone during the reading ofthe Home Rule Bill. (1118) Americaneditions of The Second World War lack allthe folding plates, and the maps whichwere printed are only in one color.(1119) The only child who accompaniedChurchill into the Prime Minister's resi-dence was Mary. (1120) Churchill wasinitiated into the Freemasons on 24 May1901 at the age of 26. (1121) Churchillproposed to govern Mesopotamia bymeans of "aeroplanes and armouredcars." (1122) Eligibility for discharge

continued opposite >»

AMPERSAND

Todd Ronnei (tronnei@mn.rr.com) asks us to compile andpuncture the most common Churchill falsehoods, some ofthem galloping over the Internet. Todd offers the following

(some of which we've tackled—see parentheses). We will hack away at this weedgrowth in this space in future editions. Will readers who know where to find thisstuff in FH or elsewhere please help!

Personal: • Churchill was an abuser of alcohol. • His father died ofsyphilis (refuted FH 93 p. 23). • He had a learning disability/stutter/dyslexia/atten-tion deficit disorder (refuted, Churchill Proceedings 1996-97, p. 83). • He was apoor student in school (refuted, FH 98, p. 28). • Alexander Fleming saved himfrom drowning as a boy (refuted FH 102 p. 47). • Jack Churchill was not LordRandolphs son (refuted FH 93 p. 25). • Winston's American ancestors includedIroquois Indians and Mayflower passengers (refuted FH 104 p. 31).

Historical: • An actor read Churchill's wartime speeches over the radio(refuted FH 92 p. 23). • Churchill (and FDR) knew of the impending Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor but did nothing so as to draw the United States into thewar (refuted FH 101, p. 37). • WSC crushed striking Welsh miners by sending introops (refuted FH 35 p. 8). • He opposed the India Bill out of hopelesslyVictorian views the Empire. • He had knowledge of the Holocaust during the warbut did nothing about it (refuted FH 93 p. 33). • He let Coventry burn rather thanreveal his knowledge of German codes (refuted, FH Al p. 10).

Secretive Warrors (from page 44)

Stafford's previous book, Churchilland Secret Service, begins and ends thisengrossing story on a bronze bench onLondon's New Bond Street—the life-size sculpture of Roosevelt andChurchill unveiled in 1995 as part ofthe 50th anniversary celebrations forV-E Day. Much in the same manner,the author attempts to capture thisclose but often contentious partnershipbetween two leaders, both of whom"played an active and crucial part inwaging secret war."

Stafford argues convincingly thatChurchill (who had a "fascination withcloak and dagger") and Roosevelt(whose prewar background was innaval intelligence) forged throughfriendship "the most important intelli-gence alliance in history." The storymoves back and forth between the nu-merous meetings of the leaders (theyspent more than 120 days in eachother's company during the war) andthe clandestine field operations orga-nized and executed by such celebratedintelligence agents as William ("Wild

Bill") Donovan of the American OSSand William Stephenson of British Se-curity Coordination.

The author does not retreat fromsome of the most controversial aspectsof the Anglo-American alliance. In hisown history of the war, Churchill"laundered completely from therecord" any reference to the $ 120 mil-lion bribe intended to keep Franco andSpain from supporting Hitler. There is"no convincing evidence" that eitherFDR or Churchill knew in advance ofthe attack at Pearl Harbor. MacArthuremployed "tireless self-promotion andbrilliant publicity" to cover up his fail-ure in the Philippines. FDR's closestaide, Harry Hopkins, was a "pro-foundly loyal servant" of American in-terests, not a Soviet agent. Stafford alsodeals with recent critics of both leaders,observing that Roosevelt was forced bywartime contingencies to ignoreChurchill's colonialists policies, just asChurchill was angered by FDR's naivebelief that he could handle the Soviets.A swift, well-documented book, Roo-sevelt and Churchill illustrates the rela-tionship's "volatile mix of friendship,rivalry and resentment."

Personal adverts (free to members)

HALLMARK CARDS WANTED:Christmas cards published in the 1950sillustrated with Churchill paintings. Wishto purchase individual copies or boxed sets.Please contact with details and price. M. S.Hofschneider, 1A Lancaster Road, ColoniaNJ 07067 USA.

WANTED: ICS commemorative covers,especially #1, 2, 3, 5, 14, 17, 23, 24, 24a,25b, 28, 33a, 33b, 35a, 37, 39b, 39c, 39d.Trade Finest Hour from 1981 to date. ArthurBraver, 10837 W Clairmnot Circle, TamaracFL 33321 USA

"Send for Churchill":The 1951CampaignPinThe WashingtonSociety for Churchilloffers this finely enam-eled replica of the pinChurchill's supporters worein the election which made him PrimeMinister again in 1951. The craftsmanshipis a significant improvement on the origi-nal—crisp, clear and bright. US $10 or theequivalent postpaid. Cheques to WSC, c/oDan Borinsky, 2080 Old Bridge Road#203, Lake Ridge VA 22192.

FOR SALE: The Times 1953-63 in 40bound volumes. Alfred James, 65 BillyardAvenue, Wahroonga, NSW, Australia2076, a.james@reschols.usyd.edu.au

Churchilltrivia concluded

after WW1 was at first limited to menwho had fought more than two years andwas based on age, length of service andwounds.

(1123) Colonel the Lord Sydenham ofCombe commented on Churchill theHistorian, in The World Crisis by WinstonChurchill: A Criticism. (1124) Churchillconsidered Gibbon and Macaulay his"Literary Gods." (1125) Churchill calledhis daughter Marigold "Duckadilly."(1126) The secretary to whom Churchilldictated "Never in the field of humanconflict was so much owed, by so many,to so few" was Mrs. Kathleen Hill.(1127) The "spheres" assigned to theBritish in support of the White Russianswere Armenia, Kazakhistan and the Cau-casus. (1128) Churchill wrote this mem-orandum saying "Russia is a long wayoff" at the end of 1918. M>

FINEST HOUR no/47

IMMORTAL WORDS

1 he spirit of all our forces serving on salt waterhas never been more strong and high than now.

The warrior heroes of the past may look down,as Nelson's monument looks down upon us now,

without any feeling that the island race has lost its daring,or that the examples they set in bygone centuries

have faded as the generationshave succeeded one another.

It was not for nothing that Admiral Harwood,as he instantly at full speed attacked an enemy

which might have sunk any one of his shipsby a single successful salvo from its far heavier guns,

flew Nelson's immortal signal,of which neither the new occasion,

nor the conduct of all ranks and ratings,nor the final result were found unworthy.

1 o the glorious tale of the action off the Plate,there has recently been added an epilogue—

the rescue last week by the Cossack and here flotilla,under the nose of the enemy and amid the tangles

of one-sided neutrality,of the British captives taken from the sunken German raider.

Their rescueat the very moment when these unhappy men

were about to be delivered over to German bondage,proves that the long arm of British sea power can be stretched out,

not only for foes but also for faithful friends.And to Nelson's signal of 135 years ago,

"England expects that every man will do his duty,"there may now be added last week's not less proud reply:

"The Navy is here!"

WSC, GUILDHALL, 23 FEBRUARY 1940