Mr. Churchill in the White House

May 1, 2024
A respected historian finds new things to say about the relationship between Franklin Roosevelt and Churchill. In this well-researched book, Schmuhl, chair of the American studies and journalism programs at Notre Dame, focuses on the numerous periods when Churchill stayed in the White House as a guest of the president. The author points out that these were not mere photo-op sessions: Churchill's longest stay was 24 days, up to January 14, 1942. He was constantly working, writing speeches, papers, letters, and cables, and regularly meeting with members of Congress and generals as well as the president. Roosevelt gave him copious amounts of his time, but Eleanor was not so taken with their guest, and the White House staff were bemused by Churchill's habit of wandering the hallways in the early hours wearing only a dressing gown. Pearl Harbor had drawn the U.S. into World War II, and powerful voices were arguing that the effort should concentrate on the Pacific. Churchill pushed to ensure that there was sufficient American attention given to Europe, and he was largely successful. But as the tide of war turned, his views became less important. The U.S. became the dominant player, and Eisenhower was the man running the war in Europe. When Eisenhower became president, he invited Churchill to stay in the White House, but it was largely a measure of his personal respect. Britain was a declining power, and Churchill could do little about it, except for emphasizing the "special relationship" between the countries. Schmuhl delves into a trove of records and correspondence, although he warns that Churchill's recounting of events was often more colorful than reliable. It adds up to a fresh approach to an important piece of history. An educational recollection of an era when geopolitics was based on respect, mutual understanding, and friendship.

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May 27, 2024
Historian Schmuhl (The Glory and the Burden) takes a novel approach to exploring mid-20th-century diplomatic relations between America and Britain in this winning history of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s many visits with presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. These frequent, weeks-long stays are without historical parallel, especially the 113 total number of days Churchill and FDR spent under the same roof. Schmuhl tracks how Churchill’s relentless but charming advocacy for America to align itself with British interests forged intimate, if complicated, friendships between the leaders that brought the two nations together into a “special relationship” (a phrase coined by Churchill, which he was also relentless in promulgating). The character portraits Schmuhl draws are vivid and transfixing as the leaders by turns cozy up and butt heads, especially FDR and Churchill, whom Schmuhl describes as each “a star of brightness which needed its own unimpeded orbit.” Both were storytellers (Churchill’s daughter Mary observed that this quality made FDR a perplexing combo of fun and tedious: “I must confess he makes me laugh & he rather bores me”), and Schmuhl effectively shows how yarn-spinning between friends and political myth-making blurred together in their relationship (both men particularly enjoyed recounting an anecdote about how FDR burst in on Churchill in the bath to tell him he’d come up with a name for the “United Nations”). WWII history buffs will be delighted.