October 5, 2013

CHURCHILL ONLINE: FINEST HOUR 102, SPRING 1999

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LISTSERV WINSTON:

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In the spirit of The Other Club, The Churchill Center has established an Internet Forum on all matters Churchill through a “Listserv,” an automatic copy service. One joins by following the instructions above. One then receives all messages from Listserv Members, and may himself or herself address the same community by sending an email to [email protected]. The Rules of Listserv Winston, which are patterned after and in some cases (Rules 8-12) identical to the Rules of The Other Club, are as follows:

1. The name of this Listserv shall be “[email protected].”

2. The object of the Listserv is to communicate on Winston Churchill.

3. The mission of Listserv is to encourage study of the life and thought of Winston Churchill; to foster research about his speeches, writings and deeds; and to advance knowledge of his example as a statesman.

4. The Listserv shall consist of any number of Members.

5. Subscriptions to the Listserv shall be free of charge.

6. Membership in The Churchill Center (USA) or International Churchill Societies (Canada, UK, Australia) shall be encouraged but not required.

7. Members of liberal and conservative dispositions shall, to the extent possible, be paired in their communications.

8. The Executive Committee shall settle all outstanding questions with plenary powers.

9. There shall be no appeal from the decision of die Executive Committee.

10. The names of the Executive Committee shall be wrapped in impenetrable mystery.

11. The Members of the Executive Committee shall nominate the Secretary, who shall receive no remuneration and shall be liable for all unforeseen obligations.

12. Nothing in the rules or intercourse of the Listserv shall interfere with the rancour or asperity of party politics.

SINKING LUSITANIA

An old red herring, that Churchill conspired to set up RMS Lusitania to be sunk by a German submarine in 1915, recently surfaced on Listserv Winston. In response we posted Harry Jaffa’s 1980 article, “Churchill and the Lusitania,” which shoots this notion full of holes. (You’ll find it in the “opinion” section of our website.)

No sooner had we exploded the Lusitania theory than someone insisted, “but what if Churchill was presented with the option to set her up (to bring America into the war)? Wouldn’t he have taken the gamble?” Toronto student Graham Taylor put this hypothetical to rest so deftly—with such relevance to Churchill’s entire philosophy—that we thought readers would like to see his words. -Ed.

The concept that Churchill might have accepted a ‘painful-but-necessary’ option to influence America to go to war by sinking RMS Lusitania rests on five ideas that are both repulsive in themselves, and entirely contrary to the principles for which Churchill stood: (1) Allies can be manipulated and misled if the manipulator’s goals are right. (2) The right of free nations to choose their own course can be set aside in wartime if a benevolent foreigner knows better. (3) “Neutrality” is an abstract concept created by lawyers and diplomats far removed from the realities of war. (4) American civilians are fair game if their deaths can advance political
ends. (5) Civilian deaths are acceptable if they serve a higher strategic purpose.

I unequivocally reject the first three, and I think the reason should be self-evident: honesty, national freedom, and the rule of law cannot be set aside, even in war. Finally, if Churchill had caused Lusitania to be sunk, he would have been consenting to the sacrifice of human lives in the interests of perverting honesty, law and freedom. –Graham Taylor