October 6, 2022

Welcome by the ICS Board of Directors

Welcome to the thirty-ninth annual International Churchill Conference! We are grateful for your participation in the first

North American conference since 2019. This year the International Churchill Society and America’s National Churchill Museum have partnered with the National WWI Museum and Memorial to create a unique experience, one that takes place in two different Missouri cities: Kansas City and Fulton, both rich in Churchill connections.

2022 has already proven to be a historic year, one in which events have shown the continuing relevance of the example of Winston Churchill’s leadership. When Andrew Roberts delivered the inaugural Stephen and Jane Poss Distinguished Churchill Lecture at last year’s conference in London, he spoke about the kaleidoscopic nature of Churchill’s policy towards Russia. Little did we know that in the following months after Roberts’ lecture, Russia would invade Ukraine and reinvigorate the Western Alliance in the process.

Churchill: War and Peace is the theme of this year’s conference and it will provide both historical and contemporary perspectives. Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, a longtime and staunch critic of Vladimir Putin, will deliver the Enid and R. Crosby Kemper Lecture in the historic Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury on the campus of Westminster College in Fulton. The London church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was destroyed in the Second World War during the Blitz and painstakingly rebuilt in the place where Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946. appeasement policies pursued by the West before 1939, will deliver this year’s Stephen and Jane Poss Distinguished Churchill Lecture. Dr. Sean McMeekin, author of Stalin’s War: A New History of World War II, provides additional perspective, and our keynote speech will be made by Professor Angela Stent of Georgetown University and recognized authority on contemporary Russian foreign policy. Chartwell Property Curator Katherine Carter will provide a look into how Churchill’s portraits reflected times of war and peace. Actor Christian McKay will bring a fresh viewpoint into the relationship between the two great wartime leaders, Churchill and Roosevelt, and he will detail his research in order to portray them on television and radio. 

2024 International Churchill Conference

Join us for the 41st International Churchill Conference. London | October 2024

More

Leading from the front is our honorary master of ceremonies, author Candice Millard, who is ecstatic to be welcoming the conference to her hometown of Kansas City. We are grateful for the hospitality of Dr. Matthew Naylor, Lora Vogt, and the incredible staff at the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

Our two museum venues provide the opportunity for in-depth study of Churchill’s world. We will understand both the tragic consequences of leadership failure and the inspirational examples of leaders like Churchill and the millions of people who sacrificed and struggled to provide for a better world. This will be a conference that reminds us of the importance of our mission to keep Churchill’s spirit alive and relevant in a challenging and changing world.

We are confident you will enjoy the conference and we are thankful to have your support!

Sincerely,

The International Churchill Society
Board of Directors