journal of the churchill center and societies - Winston Churchill

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• / • • ' ! • " ' • • . CASSANDRA TO HERO... belligerent was not enough. 15 At the end of 1940, Churchill was named "Man of the Year" by Time. 16 By 1941, articles portrayed him as the personification of all that was good: "there are no neutral hearts, Winston Churchill, except those that have stopped beating." 17 One of the most a strident critics of American isolationism was Henry Luce, chairman of the board and editor-in-chief of Time Inc. Disturbed by what he believed was widespread indifference to the war, Luce used his magazines to bring it to the forefront of public debate. Time was among the first to label the conflict "World War II," in part to heighten public concern. 18 In July 1940, Luce sent a confidential memo to his senior executives that stated the company's position on WINSTON cni Rcnn i ' \\\R SP1 KIHS the world crisis. This memo reads like a mission statement: 1) continue to sound the danger signal; 2) cultivate martial spirit; 3) demonstrate that America is worth fighting for; 4) criticize delays and mishandlings of preparedness; 5) develop a sense of foreign policy among as many readers as possible. 19 After traveling to Europe following France's fall in 1940, Luce called for increased aid to Britain. He so admired Churchill that the wartime Prime Minister became a favorite of both Time and Life, two of the most powerful publications in the United States. In June 1941, Churchill received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Rochester. This was the first such honor awarded to him by a university in the United States. Churchill could not accept the degree in person, but the ceremonial message and his reply were broadcast on both sides of the Atlantic. Churchill was honored for "his distinction as a historian, his position as the elected leader of a great and friendly democracy, [and] the courage, candor, and effectiveness with which he is leading his nation." The presentation was made by the university's president, Alan Valentine, a Quaker and close friend of arch-isolationist Charles Lindbergh, who in 1939 and 1940 had campaigned to prevent the United States from joining Britain in war. 20 Media coverage of the Atlantic Conference in August 1941 confirmed Anglo-American cooperation, as newsreels and magazines carried images that symbolized agreement between Churchill and President Roosevelt. The most potent images were of the Anglo-American church service on the quarterdeck of HMS Prince of Wales. The Sunday meeting affirmed Christian unity, with Churchill BLOOD SWEAT and TEARS and Roosevelt sitting together, singing the same hymns and praying together, while war planes circled the sky above, armed boats patrolled the surrounding waters, and the batdeship's massive guns stood ready. The service, conveying not only unity of purpose but unity of strength, gave the impression that the two nations were already bound together for a mighty undertaking. 21 Immediately following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and Germany's declaration of war on the United States, Churchill resolved to meet Roosevelt again in order to coordinate strategy. With war enthusiasm rampant in Washington, the media had a field day with Churchill's visit. It was the first by a British premier during wartime, the second time that a British prime minister had addressed Congress, and the first British mission at the White House since the one that arrived for an entirely different purpose in 1814. 22 Churchill's primary aim was to convince the United States that the Atlantic and Europe were the most vital theaters of war. He so successfully achieved his goal that there was an impression that he could have had whatever he wanted at the end of 1941. On the afternoon of December 23rd, Churchill and Roosevelt conducted a joint press conference for Churchill's first volume of war speeches, edited by his son Randolph, was published in America as Blood, Sweat, and Tears (right). Sales overwhelmed those of the English edition (lefi). The most successful title until his war memoirs, it paid off all his bills, and most of Randolph's as well. FINEST HOUR 108/32
about 200 journalists and broadcasters in the Presidents executive office. Churchill, seated in the back of the room, could not be seen very well by the crowd of reporters. When the President introduced him, he suggested that the Prime Minister stand to give his audience a better view. After Churchill climbed on his chair to be seen better, "loud and spontaneous cheers and applause rang through the room." Although Churchill had some difficulty hearing, his wit charmed everyone. He quipped, "If we manage [the war] well, it will only take half as long [to win] as if we manage it badly." Later he was asked if he considered the U.S. entry into the war as one of its "great climacterics." Churchill smiled and answered in his best Texan drawl, "I sho' do." 23 Newsweek reported that the spontaneous and "lusty cheers" were the first in the annals of presidential press conferences. 24 The most dramatic event of Churchill's three-week visit was his appearance before a joint session of Congress in the Senate chamber on December 26th. The contents of the speech were less revealing than the media's coverage of the address and its enthusiastic reception. Newsweek reported that the chamber was packed with senators, representatives, Supreme Court justices, cabinet members, diplomats, reporters, congressional secretaries and citizens. When Churchill entered the room, he received a standing ovation. Amid the cheers, he slowly walked onto the rostrum, situated his shell-rimmed glasses, adjusted his notes, and began to speak. He "made eyes glisten with his tender reference to his American mother." He made his audience laugh when he joked that if his father, instead of his mother, had been an American, it might not had taken him so long to address Congress. "He entwined himself still further in the American tradition by offering allegiance to the Gettysburg idea of government of the people, by the people, for the people." 25 Life commented how Churchill had triumphantly "uncovered some of the most telling oratory that ever echoed within the Senate walls," as "he held erstwhile isolationists spellbound with the power of his prose." 26 Time, wondering whether the gallery had ever before heard "such a moving and eloquent speech," believed "it was not so much the speech as the personality that put it over." 27 When Churchill ended, he signaled "V" for Victory. As cameras flashed, Chief Justice Harlan E Stone replied with his own "V." Newsweek concluded that Churchill had received "the greatest ovation which has been accorded to any person in that chamber in living ,,90 memory... z ° Right: Time's second Churchill cover of the war, 30 Septembt > 1940, as Luce's magazine reported Britain's successful resistance to the London Blitz. "In Parliament, "Time reported, "his position was stronger than ever." He was "a noble man. " The next morning, the front page of The New York Times featured Mr. Churchill in various poses during his address with the headline: "British Prime Minister Speaks and Members of Congress and Cabinet Listen." 29 Time, the following week, beneath the photo of "Churchill Before Congress," had a caption that simply stated, "This was a man Americans liked." The accompanying article maintained that Churchill's arrival had been like "a breath of fresh air, giving Washington new vigor, for he came as a new hero." 30 Life summed it up by concluding: "... Churchill sold Washington on die war and on Britain. And he sold America on himself." 31 The first wartime visit contributed much to the Churchillian folklore that has been preserved over the decades. One of the best and most often told stories is how Churchill appeared "stark naked and gleaming pink" before the president. 32 Walter Thompson, Churchill's personal bodyguard, recalled that shortly after Churchill arrived at the White House, he went upstairs to his suite to unpack and bathe. While Churchill was splashing about in the tub and inspector Thompson was checking over the room, there was a knock at the door. Thompson opened the door and was surprised to find President Roosevelt in his wheelchair all alone. Thompson remembered the President looking "curiously beyond me, not with fright but with something very unlike approval." Thompson turned around to see Churchill standing in man's most natural state, smiling cordially, a drink in one hand, a cigar in the other. When Roosevelt tried to excuse himself, Churchill insisted that he come in. In Thompson's words, "the Prime Minister posed briefly and ludicrously before the President," then said, "you see, Mr. President, I have nothing to hide." 33 Much of the Churchill folklore that took shape during the war involved tales of his smoking and drinking. In October 1943, James Reston of The New >» FINEST HOUR 108/33
Page 1 and 2: JOURNAL OF THE CHURCHILL CENTER AND
Page 3 and 4: AUTUMN 2000 JOURNAL OF THE CHURCHIL
Page 5 and 6: DATELINES QUOTE OF THE SEASON "...I
Page 7 and 8: DATELINES Trust has a dual responsi
Page 9 and 10: Local and National... keep the Yank
Page 11 and 12: DATELINES Franta Belsky 1921-2000 B
Page 13 and 14: Churchill's Greatness (4) EXPLODING
Page 15 and 16: 'Serious thought ousts Einstein and
Page 18 and 19: 100-75-50-25 YEARS AGO One hundred
Page 20 and 21: Churchill s World HOTEL LA MAMOUNIA
Page 22 and 23: i IIaa I aa^a a Designed in 1922 by
Page 24 and 25: Winston S. Churchill to Clementine
Page 26 and 27: 2000 Heritage Fund Appeal: A Specia
Page 28 and 29: Wit& Wisdom / LUCE LUCID ON LEONARD
Page 30 and 31: FROM BRITISH CASSANDRA TO AMERICAN
Page 34 and 35: CASSANDRA TO HERO... York Times, wr
Page 36 and 37: Watch Tkis Space! CABINET WAR ROOMS
Page 38 and 39: Succeed Admirably, Fail Anyway Rich
Page 40 and 41: Light Souffle... celebrity as Presi
Page 42 and 43: JUST PUBLISHED Bibliophiles are roy
Page 44 and 45: The Second World War... that had li
Page 46 and 47: CHURCHILLIANA "IN WHAT SHAPE THEY C
Page 48 and 49: INSIDE THE JOURNALS "I passed out o
Page 50 and 51: CHURCHILLTRIVIA By Curt Zoller (zcu
Page 52: IMMORTAL WORDS The Japanese onslaug

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