Roosevelt and Churchill

Reviews

“Explore[s] the intersections between the grand narrative of the Roosevelt and Churchill relationship and the activities of Allied spymasters and secret go-betweens.”

“Stafford demonstrates that the alliance of these two cunning leaders was the product of need and hard bargaining, not sentiment. He further contends—quite rightly—that the complex relationship between the two was mirrored by the actions of their intelligence operatives.”

“Former diplomat Stafford…brings to bear his vast knowledge of the British secret service during the war and combines it with fresh archival research of the American wartime intelligence services…Stafford’s synthesis of new and old sources makes this one of the best works to come out on this well-worn topic in many years. Highly recommended.”

“A swift, well-documented assessment of the relationship’s ‘volatile mix of friendship, rivalry, and resentment.’”

“In a forceful narration Richard McGonagle produces near lifelike imitations of the two men—the urbane, upper-Hudson Roosevelt and the gravelly, sardonic Churchill—that at times brim over with their delight in each other and their work. Underneath, however, boils a tension that always threatens to break out, as the two try to balance the competing demands of their intelligence services against common strategic interests. In a voice familiar to those of us who cut our teeth on TV documentaries like Victory at Sea, McGonagle recreates those tense moments between Allies whose secret interests were worlds apart yet who nonetheless assembled the most effective spy network in the history of the world.”

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