One Christmas in Washington

A pivotal moment in history with a dynamic cast of characters. The authors present a riveting portrayal of the meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill a few weeks after Pearl Harbor. Each day brings new challenges that set the course for the conduce oof the war. Although his visit was an imposition, Roosevelt new that it was essential that they meet face to face to iron out the details for the future. It is fascinating to see how the tenure of the meetings changed over the course of the days and how the British and americans gained respect for on another. I couldn't put it down and after it was over I wanted more.

This book is a gem. It gives a fascinating behind the scenes insight into the little known ARCADIA conference just after Pearl Harbor. Included are brief biographies of over a dozen major British and American war leaders plus some highly entertaining vignettes of Churchill raising havoc in the White House and dazzling the American public. The authors give a fascinating appraisal of FDR's opaque management style made moreso by the fact that he deliberately kept few written records.

A wonderfully written, engaging narrative of a crucial time in the 20th century when a lack of unity and focus could have been the downfall of western democracy. You can't help but be drawn in by the personalities and events that shaped the management of the WW II. From the bombastic personality of Prime Minister Churchill to a president who was trying to feel his way into leadership of a waring nation, deals, power plays and compromise are drawn. Two dynamic staffs of political and military leaders work through issues, lines of authority and battlefields to be fought on. This comes with a backdrop of the first Christmas in Washington DC after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The chill of the winter air is certainly balanced by the heated discussions in and out of the White House. Even if you are not a WW II history afficianado, you can't help but appreciate this book.

Christmas 1941 was at the same time the nadir and the foundation for the final success of the Allied powers in World War II. The British had just experienced the defeat at Dunkirk. The Americans had just suffered their biggest defeat at Pearl Harbor. But now they were about to be united, and as the final statement in the movie 'Tora, Tora, Tora' said, they were filled with a terrible resolve. Both leaders were at their prime, and both needed the other. Both had staffs that were, at the best, distrustful of the abilities of the other country. Some like Admiral King, Chief of Naval Operations were very anti-British. The result of the conference was to form the 'Grand Alliance' or the 'Special Relationship' between England and the United States that has continued until this day. This book draws a very good balance between the personal touches that remind us that there were people, and the broader implications of the decisions they were making.

A nicely written book that captures momentous events of over 60 years ago. The atmosphere of the meetings are brought out well. The authors do a good job of presenting the other participants besides the two primary leaders - Churchill and Roosevelt. There was Beaverbrook, Marshall, Hopkins and of course Eleanor - all offering their opinions and having a hidden agenda. For example Eleanor was dead-set on continuing the `New Deal' policies. A subtitle to this book could have been `How to get your new partner to enter the war'. The American side is initially confused and disorganized at the start of these meetings. Towards the end of the meetings in January General Marshall sets a stronger organizational or management style platform for future operations. The structure is set for war production and allocation and for increasing the size of the merchant fleet. Transportation was required to bring all these supplies across the treacherous Atlantic to England and North Africa to bring the Americans directly into the war. The Americans knew in the long run that they would be providing most of the materiel and troops, so they began to take a more aggressive role to set-up the structure that met their requirements. The results of this conference, called `Arcadia', set the pattern for Anglo-American cooperation for the rest of the war. Churchill may not have succeeded in getting all he wanted - he was hoping for a bigger role for British planning and direction; but he did succeed in his overall aim which was to apply the main focus on the destruction of Nazi Germany first ( Japan being secondary). Although Churchill is eloquent and flamboyant, Roosevelt is seen as having a greater world vision. Both were determined to win the war, but Roosevelt was looking ahead - to the United Nations and, much to the chagrin of Churchill, to the end of British colonialism and the new world emerging from this. Roosevelt had to be very careful to avoid giving the American people the impression that their boys were going overseas to rescue the British Empire. It must also be remembered that it was only the traumatic disaster of Pearl Harbour that brought the American population out of it's hibernation from world events - up to Pearl Harbour a significant portion of Americans wanted nothing to do with the cataclysmic events in Europe. Also Roosevelt used more subterfuge than Churchill. Churchill was more open and honest which left him susceptible to attack from opponents. All this and more is brought out well in this detailed study of this monumental meeting in Washington during Christmas, 1941.