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Winston S. Churchill
The Churchill Project - Hillsdale College > Winston S. Churchill
How Arcadia Blueprinted History’s Greatest Wartime Coalition
18
Aug
2022
By RAYMOND A. CALLAHAN
Although it commands less historical attention than some of the war’s later “summits,” Arcadia was very important. It brought together for the first time the small group that, sustainably unchanged, would manage the largest, most complex coalition war in recorded history. It also shaped the Allies’ controlling machinery and grand strategy. Without it, effective Anglo-American cooperation and coordination would have been much harder, if not impossible.
Churchill on Amritsar: An Imperialist Speaks Out for Human Rights
12
Aug
2022
1
By Martin Gilbert
“What I mean by frightfulness is the inflicting of great slaughter or massacre upon a particular crowd of people, with the intention of terrorising not merely the rest of the crowd, but the whole district or the whole country. We cannot admit this doctrine in any form. Frightfulness is not a remedy known to the British pharmacopoeia.” —WSC
Winston Churchill, Algernon West and “Superfluous Millions,” 1898
11
Aug
2022
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
Churchill’s did tell West that “a philosopher,” not himself, might be unmoved by the loss of “superfluous millions.” That doesn’t altogether divorce him from what must seem a heartless remark today. In 1898 he was very young. Few of us would welcome hearing some of our words at age 24 represented as our lifetime philosophy. And Churchill is one of the most quoted historical figures.
Churchill and the Great Smog: Another Example of Artistic License
05
Aug
2022
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
Churchill has been depicted as indifferent to the Great Smog or the deaths and illnesses it brought. “In actuality, there’s little evidence for any of these dramatic interpretations, with most newspaper reports from the time mainly focusing on the effects of the fog itself and not the politicians in charge.”
Great Contemporaries: Anthony Eden (Part 3), 1939-1977
04
Aug
2022
By FRED GLUECKSTEIN
As war approached, Eden and Churchill developed an increasingly close friendship. Churchill Eden “was a devoted adherent of the French Entente…he was anxious to have more intimate relations with Soviet Russia. He felt and feared the Hitler peril. It might almost be said that there was not much difference of view between him and me, except, of course that he was in harness.”
Operation Mincemeat on Netflix: Dramatic, But Did It Matter?
28
Jul
2022
Great Contemporaries: Anthony Eden (Part 2), 1934-1938
21
Jul
2022
By FRED GLUECKSTEIN
“From midnight till dawn I lay in my bed consumed by emotions of sorrow and fear. There seemed one strong young figure standing up against long, dismal, drawling tides of drift and surrender, of wrong measurements and feeble impulses…. Now he was gone. I watched the daylight slowly creep in through the windows, and saw before me in mental gaze the vision of Death.” —WSC
“Why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?” Another Remark Churchill Never Said
16
Jul
2022
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
Wavell’s and Churchill’s actions to ease the Bengal Famine are explained elsewhere. We focus here only on a misrepresentation of Churchill based on Viceroy Wavell’s diary: “Winston sent me a peevish telegram to ask why Gandhi hadn’t died yet!” Wavell did write this but it was not a quote—and fairly peevish itself. Why don’t the critics publish what Churchill actually said? Here it is…
Great Churchillians: Antoine Capet, Tribute to a Friend
15
Jul
2022
2
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
One the brightest stars in the Churchill firmament was lost on June 2nd. Our colleague Dave Turrell speaks for us all: “One of the nicest, kindest men I ever met.” Writes Paul Rafferty, whose great book on Churchill’s Riviera paintings was translated by Antoine: “He was a joy to work with. He was precise, knowledgeable, questioned everything, and got it ‘right.’ My French edition has few to zero errors to my knowledge, and this is down to Antoine.”
“Getting to Know You”: First Dinners with Winston Churchill
14
Jul
2022
By CITA STELZER
Recently I wondered: How did Churchill introduce himself at first dinners with key people? What were the reactions of those at his table who had never met him before? Here are a few. They tell us much about the man.
Catherine Zoë Spencer Churchill, 1968-2022: Lost Too Soon
09
Jul
2022
2
“Superstitious Blood-poisoning”? Churchill on Smallpox Vaccination
08
Jul
2022