Just Finished Reading: Franklin and Winston – An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham (FP: 2003) [370pp]

It is more than arguable that the modern world would be a very different place indeed if either Franklin Roosevelt or Winston Churchill had either never existed or had failed to live long enough to gain great office. It is probably as arguable to contest that if their friendship had not been so close, or if it had not existed at all, that much of the post-1939 history we take for granted might not have happened. Looking back to those dangerous days from 1940-45 it is tempting to see the elevation of Churchill in Britain to the post of Prime Minister whilst Roosevelt sat in the Oval Office as something more than fortuitous. It was most certainly anything but ordained. Both incumbents followed a tortuous and often troubled path to those positions. Maybe this is one of the reasons that they became, in the most part, fast friends. But that was not always the case nor did the friendship go exactly smoothly during those dark days.

Roosevelt met Winston Churchill, then Minister of Munitions, towards the close of WW1 and took an instant dislike to him. Winston was, of course, known for his sometimes abrasive manner and his aura of superiority so any negative impression from short acquaintance is understandable. Reports of Churchill’s drinking habits (also notorious) worried Roosevelt when he was informed of his rise to PM but it quickly became apparent that the two men were on the ‘same page’ when it came to Britain’s stance with Germany. Despite confident assertions that Britain would fall shortly after France (assertions echoed by the US ambassador to the UK one Joseph P. Kennedy Sr, father of JFK) the British fought on. Desperate for American aid – not yet financial but military, political and psychological – and stymied by the US President’s hands being tied by the Neutrality Act(s) the early relations was strained with Churchill wooing and Roosevelt constantly having to resist his attentions. Only slowly, and sometimes behind the back of Congress, did aid start to flow. Fortunately, despite being too little, it did not end up being too late. With the attack on Pearl Harbor at the end of 1941 of course as well as the unnecessary misstep of Germany’s declaration of war on America the floodgates opened and Britain started to receive almost everything she wanted – at a cost. The US had become the ‘arsenal of democracy’.

Both men still had a long war ahead of them. Roosevelts was, as we know, shortened by illness and death but his growing incapacity failed to slow him appreciably as the two western leaders, later joined by the Soviet leader Stalin, planned the prosecution of the war as well as the future shape of the world post-victory. In many ways these were the golden years of their relationship – as Britain retained its place as a major player and as America slowly increased in power, experience and ability on the battlefield. Inevitably, with America’s economic might at its back it was only a matter of time before the US equalled and then surpassed Britain in almost every respect. Britain was, at least from the American viewpoint, looking backwards to her Empire whilst America was focused on the future – a world free from war, the fear of war and one bound together by free trade. Tensions grew between the great men especially when Churchill became increasingly side-lined in favour of Stalin who it now seemed would control a great and powerful ‘empire’ of his own.

Set against the backdrop of a global conflict this is a great ‘sideways’ look at the period focusing on the intimate relationship between THE western leaders of the age. Although I knew the rough outline of this story going in I was most impressed by the level of detail as well as the way the author managed to weave the lives of the two men together without losing any of the power of the overall narrative. Definitely a must read for anyone interested in either man (or both!) or for those interested in a very important aspect of the background to World War 2. Recommended.