Layout 8 - Winston Churchill

D A T E L I N E SWhether or not he ultimately succeeds,he has established that there is a largeaudience for truth and reason—perhaps a larger one than for theircheaply appealing opposites.—JOHN O’SULLIVAN IN NATIONAL REVIEW¡VIVA CHILE!LONDON,OCTOBER18TH— Baskingin the glory ofthe Chileanmine rescue,Chile’sPresidentSebastian Piñera began a state visit toBritain with a tour of the ChurchillWar Rooms. Sr. Piñera refrained fromrepeating the words “blood, toil, tearsand sweat” from his boyhood hero’s1940 speech, which he had kept at hisside during the miners’ ordeal. But hesat in Churchill’s wooden chair andpulled from a suit pocket a sack containinga lump of rock taken from theSan José mine, from which thirty-threeminers were freed after sixty-nine daysbelow ground. He also offered as a giftto the War Rooms’ director Phil Reed afacsimile of the first, red-lettered notesaying “Estamos bien en el refugio, lostrente-tres” (“We are doing well in ourrefuge, the thirty-three.”) In return,Mr. Reed gave the President a book ofChurchill’s quotations.Overseen by Piñera in a 22-houroperation, at the end of which hehugged each miner as he emerged fromthe emergency chute bored 622 metresunder the Atacama desert, the extraordinaryrescue lifted his poll ratings andChile’s international standing, providingthe ideal springboard for hislong-planned tour of Europe.A billionaire businessman, theHarvard-educated economist hoped hisvisit would underline Chile’s transitionfrom an insular dictatorship to a democraticeconomic power, and attractinvestment. He is also hoping to banishany lingering memories of AugustoPinochet, the last Chilean head of stateto make headlines in the UK duringhis arrest twelve years ago for murderingcivilians during the 1970s.President Piñera gave HM TheQueen and Prime Minister Cameronfragments of the mine in bags bearingthe legend: “In your hands are rocksfrom the depths of the earth and thespirit of thirty-three Chilean miners.”He later brought similar gifts to FrenchPresident Nicolas Sarkozy and GermanChancellor Angela Merkel. But hechose the War Rooms for his first dayin Europe.The 60-year-old, who said he wascurrently re-reading Churchill’s TheSecond World War, was shown theCabinet Room, the Map Room,WSC’s private quarters and theChurchill Museum. He also metChurchill’s granddaughter, CeliaSandys, 67. “Chile,” Piñera said, “hasgiven a good example of the realmeaning of commitment, courage,faith, hope and unity. We did itbecause we were united. We did itbecause we were convinced. We did itbecause we would never leave anyonebehind, which is a good principle forChile and for the world.”—MARTIN HICKMAN IN THE INDEPENDENTSOMERVELL AWARD 2010CHICAGO, OCTOBER 15TH— NevilleBullock’s “Eye-Witness to Potsdam”(Finest Hour 145) was selected by theFH editorial board for the 2010Somervell Award, for the best articleappearing over the past year (numbers#144-47).There were many strong contendersamong those four issues,including Martin Gilbert’s “A Plan ofWar Against the Bolsheviks” andWarren Kimball’s “The Real ‘Dr. Winthe-War.’”But Bullock’s recollection ofhis time at Potsdam impressed ourboard with its insight.“It is always good to hear aworm’s-eye view from an intelligentand observant worm,” wrote senioreditor Paul Courtenay. David Freemanadded: “I found it to contain a gooddeal of strong, impressionable materialthat could be incorporated into my lectures.”Said Terry Reardon: “I liked thearticles on Ed Murrow and HarryHopkins. But I give my vote to thisfirsthand account: informative andhighly entertaining.”The Somervell Award, formerlythe Finest HourJournal Award, wasrenamed at the suggestionof DavidDilks for the Harrowmaster who taughtyoung ChurchillEnglish. PreviousSomervellwinners were: PaulAlkon for the Lawrence of Arabia features,FH 119; Larry Arnn for “NeverDespair,” FH 122; Robert Pilpel for“What Churchill Owed the GreatRepublic,” FH 125; Terry Reardon for“Winston Churchill and MackenzieKing,” FH 130; David Dilks for “TheQueen and Mr. Churchill,” FH 135;Philip and Susan Larson for“Hallmark’s Churchill Connection,”FH 137; and David Jablonsky for “TheChurchill Experience and the BushDoctrine,” FH 141.STALIN CORRESPONDENCEMOSCOW, APRIL 15TH— Russian historianVladimir Pechatnov has received majorfunding from the Russian governmentto support a new annotated edition ofStalin’s correspondence with Rooseveltand Churchill, using archival memosand papers that indicate what Stalinand company were really thinking. Heclaims full access to dig out the kind ofmaterial that Oleg Rzheshevsky producedin an initial way in his War andDiplomacy. Petchatnov is also workingto arrange an English translation. Oneof FH’s contributors had a long talkwith Petchatnov in Moscow about thisproject. It will be helpful to have a newcollection to replace various editions ofthe correspondence compiled withoutaccess and/or references to Russianarchival material.THE YOUTH VOTEWe were asked recently what we’vebeen doing to promote interest inWSC among young people. A trollthrough the past two years of FinestHour and the Chartwell Bulletin providesa list of events and peopleresponsible, though there are more:First Teacher Institute with NEHgrant support, Ashland University,Muller/Lyons/Sigman, 2007.Churchill in Advance PlacementFINEST HOUR 149 / 8