What kind of a People do they think we are? - Winston Churchill

eappear in compliance withclocks and protocol. Mistsshrouding the hills could notmar the grandeur of the vista.The bay is over 50 miles wide. Indie half-light of early morning,visiting crews admired the endlessshoreline and shadowysplendour of trees crowding thehills. Hitler, a self-confessedcoward in any ship, would havereceived daunting reaffirmationof his sea-fear had he glimpsedthe assembled might of warshipssummoned to protect Rooseveltand Churchill on their outwardand homeward journeys.divert to Russia some of the American materiel previouslyearmarked for Britain. Churchill welcomed Hopkins'soptimistic assessment of Soviet military capability, a derisivecontradiction of the dark pessimism of Sir StaffordCripps, Britain's gloom-and-doom ambassador toMoscow. Cripps had lofty political ambitions, whichalmost always exceeded his prescience and performance.Hopkins was intrigued to discover that the Britishhad undermined Churchill's agreement with Rooseveltthat no journalists would be present to witness their meeting.Brendan Bracken, Churchill's confidant and Ministerof Information, had been guilty of extreme rationalizationin providing berths for H. V. Morton and Howard Spring,two prominent British authors. (Both of them, in theiryounger days, had been journalists.) Spring was fond oftelling former newspaper colleagues how he had been officiallycontacted in a hush-hush manner and invited to goat once on an overseas trip that would last three weeks,destination undisclosed. Nobody believed him. "Haven'tyou heard? There's a war on, old chap," he was told by aWhitehall bureaucrat. Spring's dentures were with hisdentist for repairs, but fame as a novelist had not deadenedhis news instinct. Sans teeth, he rushed aboardPrince of Wales. Those voyaging alongside him have relatedthat he was undeterred by the inconvenience he wasforced to endure at mealtimes!On Saturday, 9 August 1941, under escort now byCanadian destroyers, HMS Prince of Wales drewclose to Argentia, on Placentia Bay alongNewfoundland's south coast. A former fishing settlement,Argentia had been occupied in January 1941 by U. S.marines, who set up the first Lend-Lease base granted byBritain. (Not until 1970 was the base shut down.) Owingto a mistake in time zones, Prince of Wales was 90 minutesahead of schedule. Churchill expressing acute displeasure,compelled the ship to turn about, patrol for a while, thenIn a poignant reminder of which nation was at war,Prince of Wales emerged from the mists in wartimecamouflage, in stark contrast to the sleek Americanvessels arrayed in their peacetime livery of light grey. Withan exchange of salutes and the playing of nationalanthems, Augusta and Prince of Wales anchored alongsideeach other, towering symbols of Anglo-American unity.Churchill boarded Augusta to join Roosevelt. Handshakesand smiles were sunny preambles to more serious matters.Never before had two men commanded such power.Roosevelt invited Churchill to review "off the cuff"the latest developments on the war front for the benefit of25 American key personnel. FDR, the renowned speechmakerand master politician, had looked forward to seeingChurchill in action, so he deliberately presented WSCwith opportunity to display his legendary oratory. The oldcampaigner bolstered confidence with his knack of simplifyingcomplex issues. His sweeping overview spoke ofthe sacrifices called for in pursuit of victory.In the next few days the leaders and their teamstackled a massive agenda. Decisions were wrought thatwould reshape millions of lives. The Far East, and particularlyJapan, had to be dealt with in depth. The MiddleEast and Africa claimed a large share of attention along,including ways to handle Vichy France and the bestmeans of keeping French warships out of German hands.Assistance for Russia was a priority. Churchill hadrecruited the ebullient Canadian, Lord Beaverbrook, totake charge of expediting deliveries to the Soviets. Stalinwas to be informed that ships loaded with supplies werealready at sea and many more could be counted on to provideevery possible aid. Anglo-American representativeswould go to Moscow and collaborate with Stalin'sappointees. A most friendly message, signed by Rooseveltand Churchill, was dispatched to Stalin. It explained policyand stressed that Moscow could rely on unstintedcooperation. >»FINEST HOUR 112/21