November 14, 2016

Dear Members and Friends of The International Churchill Society:

Writing in his memoirs, Sir Winston Churchill observed of the American people that “their national psychology is such that the bigger the Idea the more wholeheartedly and obstinately do they throw themselves into making it a success.” Nearly fifty years ago, a small group of enthusiasts came together to compare notes on postage stamps bearing Churchill’s likeness. Only a few months before he died, Sir Winston’s son Randolph gave his blessing to this newly formed organization. Thus the International Churchill Society (ICS) was born.

In the depth of the global economic crisis that began in 2008, I developed a plan for the future of ICS to be accomplished by 2015, the fiftieth anniversary of Churchill’s death. I presented this ambitious but much-needed plan to our Patron, the wonderful and wise Lady Soames and to her nephew, the always uplifting Winston.

Last week, we held our 33rd International Churchill Conference in Washington, D.C. to great acclaim. At the conclusion of the conference, I was delighted to officially open our National Churchill Library and Center (NCLC) on the campus of the globally respected George Washington University (GWU).

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We have come a long way, and we have reached an important milestone. To mark this time of change, we are making some name changes as well. From this moment, The Churchill Centre shall once again be known as the International Churchill Society (ICS). To increase our name identification with non-members, the Chartwell Bulletin will be renamed the Churchill Bulletin beginning with this month’s issue.

It also gives me enormous pleasure to announce that Randolph Churchill has graciously and selflessly taken on the added responsibilities of becoming president of the ICS. I am also pleased to announce that Randolph’s siblings are also keeping alive the family tradition. Jennie, Marina and Jack Churchill as well their cousins Celia, Edwina, Jonathan and Duncan Sandys and Sir Nicholas Soames are all committed to assisting ICS wherever possible.

ICS will now be based in our purpose-built facility, the NCLC. There we will welcome readers, writers, researchers, and scholars to explore the life and legacy of Sir Winston Churchill using a growing archive of documents, books, and electronic media. The collection will expand. Exhibitions and high-profile events will be organized. From here our flourishing journals will continue to be published. The NCLC will make meaningful and original contributions to Churchill studies. Symposia, lectures, and debates will always be happening. Links to our sister institutions in Britain and Fulton will provide opportunities for sharing exhibitions and events. In short, the NCLC will be the epicenter for all Churchill-related activities throughout North America and situated in the very heart of the most important of all the world’s capitals.

In Washington, the NCLC is surrounded by venerable and venerated institutions of study including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Brookings Institution, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Enterprise Institute.

We are passionate in our commitment that within five years the NCLC will stand tall amongst these institutions and be globally recognized and respected as a facility that supports research, discussion, and new thinking in methods of leadership, global citizenry, statesmanship, and the resolution of conflict.

With the example of the last century’s supreme statesman as their guide, the fellows of the NCLC will have a growing and influential impact in these fields. Policy makers will come to the NCLC for guidance and advice, and we will promote the healthy exchange of ideas through forums and even presidential debates. As we have seen again and again in the many crises that have beset our still young century, in times of trouble people look to the example of Winston Churchill.

Importantly, we have made it possible for high school students around the world to have free access to the Churchill Archives online and to use the related and constantly updated, bespoke learning modules through the Churchill Archives for Schools project. Already some 1,000 schools worldwide have signed up—and we are only just beginning. If you have contacts whether at the local or national level, please get in touch so we can get the Churchill Archives into your community, state, or province. Concurrently, we continue to promote the teaching of Churchill’s legacy in schools both through locally organized seminars free to teachers and students and by making attendance at our conferences free to these same eager minds.

Fundraising is a permanent fact of life in growth organizations such as ours. Although we have raised millions thus far from many generous and supportive donors, we constantly need to be reaching further afield for more funds to support both specific and general programs. Your help, connections, and ideas are always welcome – in short we need your support in general and for specific programs and plans and will always be both appreciative and grateful for all that you have done, can, and will do.

Now you may ask, what are our aims? They are of course victory—victory at all costs. And, this is what our victory will look like:

• We will establish the NCLC/ICS as THE authority on the life, lessons, legacy, and relevancy of Sir Winston Churchill
• We will make the NCLC/ICS THE place to go to for research into leadership, statesmanship, strategy, national and international purpose, and the protection of democracy and freedom
• And finally, we will continue to carry out the mandate given to us by Churchill’s daughter and our late Patron: that the memory of Sir Winston Churchill be kept green and the record of his achievements accurate.
• After a long and thorough search, GWU and ourselves selected from a field of wonderful candidates for the leadership of this new institution. Michael F. Bishop “ticks all the boxes” and has taken on the dual challenge of serving as the first Director of the NCLC and succeeding Lee Pollock as Executive Director of the ICS.

Michael is a long-time member of the Churchill Centre and comes to us from Strategic Investment Group, an institutional asset management company in Arlington, Virginia, where he served as chief of communications.

Until the opening of the NCLC in Washington last month, The National Churchill Museum of the United States (NCM) at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri was the only site in the U.S. dedicated to preserving the memory of Winston Churchill. Now, thanks to the hard work, creativity, and persistence of both Jean-Paul Montupet and Dr. Benjamin Akande, ICS is at long last rightfully merging with the NCM. Our combined membership reaches nearly 5,000 members and we will be joining forces for conferences, dinners and events. We have already begun discussions on joint exhibitions, loans of paintings and interesting artifacts.

The Churchill 2015 initiative, chaired last year by the renowned Sir David Cannadine, was a tremendous success not only in commemorating the 50th anniversary of Churchill’s death but in forging closer ties among all of the significant Churchill institutions across the globe and bringing these institutions into closer alignment. We intend to build upon this success by the further strengthening of these bonds with a new website called simply “CHURCHILL” which we will be launching early next year. This new site will be the authoritative source on the internet for information about Churchill.

A summary of these historic announcements:

1. The NCLC officially opened on October 29, 2016, in Washington, D.C.
2. The Churchill Centre (TCC) has once again become the International Churchill Society (ICS).
3. Randolph Churchill takes up the role as President of ICS.
4. Michael F. Bishop is on board as the Director of the NCLC and Executive Director of ICS.
5. ICS is moving from Chicago and will be headquartered at the NCLC in Washington, D.C.
6. ICS will be the international membership organisation, and current members of TCC will automatically become members of the new ICS.
7. ICS and NCLC have merged with the National Churchill Museum, Fulton.
8. The title of the Chartwell Bulletin will be changed to the Churchill Bulletin.
9. ICS will continue to publish the monthly email newsletter Churchill Bulletin and the digital and print quarterly Finest Hour each of which will be included in your membership.

The NCLC is already receiving some great press. You can find excellent articles here at the Washington Post and here at the Weekly Standard.

If you would like to see the presentation that I gave at the at the conference, you can find that here, and my remarks in their entirety are here. We were pleased that each of the conference sessions in Washington, D.C. was broadcast live on C-SPAN, and you can watch them from the archive here.

There would be no ICS, NCLC, or NCM without you, our loyal members and friends. We feel that are now on a solid foundation upon which to build and are well positioned for the next leap forward–but we need your ideas, thoughts and support. Please feel free to get in touch with me or Michael Bishop with any insights you may have on our road ahead.

We hope that you will stand with us in supporting the future of the National Churchill Library and Centre; The National Churchill Museum, Fulton and the International Churchill Society and carry forward the lofty ideals and great wisdom of Sir Winston Churchill into the 21st century and beyond.

Laurence Geller CBE, Chairman
The International Churchill Society