Mr. Churchill In The White House (the Untold Story Of A Prime Minister And Two Presidents)

By (author) Schmuhl Robert
Short description/annotation:
Winston Churchill’s frequent stays at the White House inform this illuminating account of America and Britain’s “Special Relationship” during the Second World War and the 1950s
Description:
Scores of biographies have been written about Winston Churchill, yet none examine his frequent, sometimes furtive, trips to the White House, where he resided for weeks on end—the (often unclothed) visitor who “dropped out of the sky.” These extended visits during his two terms as prime minister were spirited, even entertaining, occasions. Yet, in retrospect, they take on a new level of diplomatic significance, demonstrating just how influential a foreign leader can become in shaping American foreign policy. Drawing on years of research, Robert Schmuhl not only contextualises the days Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower spent together, but also vividly portrays the individual characters, from Churchill himself—a devoted fisherman who never stopped “angling”—to a resentful Eleanor Roosevelt. Evoking an era far different from today, Mr. Churchill in the White House becomes an insightful work for our own fractious times.
Review quote:
"Mr. Churchill in the White House showcases an essential point about the great Englishman''s visits to the United States. Common history and shared intentions will move nations in the same direction. Yet sometimes it takes the force of personality to bind them together.""
Review quote:
"Robert Schmuhl, author of Mr. Churchill in the White House, has annoyed me. What was meant to be a casual week-long read transformed into a captivating all-nighter flipping through the pages of a book I never knew I needed."
Review quote:
"[Mr. Churchill in the White House] tells the story of how collaboration helped bring victory… Schmuhl’s book is thoroughly researched… and sets out an unvarnished truth"
Review quote:
"Intelligent and insightful... [Mr. Churchill in the White House] show[s] that familiar material can still be moulded into striking new shapes. "
Biographical note:
Robert Schmuhl is the Walter H. Annenberg–Edmund P. Joyce Chair Emeritus in American Studies and Journalism at the University of Notre Dame. He’s the author or editor of fifteen books, including The Glory and the Burden about the US presidency.