September 27, 2013

DATELINES: FINEST HOUR 102, SPRING 1999

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HEAR, HEAR…

WASHINGTON, MAY 3RD— Winston S. Churchill sparred over NATO operations in Yugoslavia with highly decorated retired Army Colonel David Hackworth on Chris Matthews’s “Hardball” on CNBC. Our honorary member said, “there can be no substitute for victory; NATO cannot afford to fail.” He called the present policy of air strikes without planning for a follow-up ground force “catastrophic.” Said Churchill: “…if the United States, the largest superpower today, and her 18 NATO allies can’t deal with a two-bit dictator in the Balkans and take over a country the size of greater Los Angeles, we might as well pack up the NATO alliance.” Unfortunately Hackworth saw fit to swat at Churchill’s grandfather at the end saying Kosovo had been screwed up “the same way your grandfather screwed up the Dardanelles.” Chris Matthews cut him off: “Churchill is the greatest man this century. I won’t stand for any cheap shots against him.” Well said, Chris. You receive Finest Hour’s Oscar for “keeping the memory green and the record accurate.” Very few of these are awarded.

2025 International Churchill Conference

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2025 International Churchill Conference

NOMINATIONS TIME

NEW YORK, MAY 10TH— Time magazine is actively soliciting nominations for “the remarkable person who, for better or worse, has had the most profound impact on the events of the past 100 years.” We have been working with Time on Churchill nominations. The first, published in the May 10th issue, was by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu (see page 51).

While we have little interest in popularity polls, the attendant publicity should our candidate receive this accolade will benefit all projects Churchill. We therefore strongly urge our readers to formulate their own letters.

There is a word limit on letters Time will publish. They prefer no more than 180 words in three to five sentences. Anything longer will not be accepted or may be edited out of recognition. We offer you our services in suggesting edits or condensations that will put your letter in contention. Feel free to communicate, preferably by email: [email protected].

Nomination letters should be sent to Person of the Century, Time Magazine Letters, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York NY 10020 or emailed to [email protected].

STRATEGY:

One good argument with Time was suggested by Ronald Cohen in a recent letter to Finest Hour. In 1950, Ron reminded us, Time named Churchill its “Man of the Half-Century”—ahead of Einstein, the other main contender, saying Churchill “launched the lifeboats.”

Presuming that Time should not revisit their decision for 1900-1950, Ron continued, the question becomes who, if anyone, surpassed Churchill’s achievement during 1950-2000. Well…by 1950, both Roosevelts had completed their contributions, while WSC still had another Administration and his History of the English-Speaking Peoples to deliver, not to mention his efforts for peace at the summit and his prediction of the demise of the Soviet Union.

A related angle: William Rusher, speaking to our 1996 Conference, mentioned the sheer breadth of Churchill’s prominence—over fifty years. For most statesmen, indeed anyone, twenty years is a stellar achievement.Consider that FDR had only thirteen years at the summit.

Finally, lest anyone believe that Churchill altered only the fortunes of Europeans and North Americans, consider what would have happened had Japan continued to possess much of China, Southeast Asia and the Pacific as part of the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis. While Churchill had a limited role in the Pacific War, diat war was brought to a successful conclusion because the Allies adopted the correct policy of settling the Hitler war first. This could not have been prosecuted as quickly as it was had Britain surrendered or reached an accommodation with Hitler in 1940.

PR WINS IN NEW YORK

NEW YORK, DECEMBER 31ST— The Wall Street Journal’s wine tasters, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, gave Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1986 top ratings in a pre-New Year’s Eve tasting of expensive Champagnes. P-R’s top label smartly outperformed Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grand Dame ’89, Moet’s Dom Perignon ’90 and Perrier-Joet’s Fleur de Champagne ’90, earning an unqualified “delicious” from the tasters: “great, nutty nose. Classy, with just the right balance of acid and cream, and real hints of vanilla. It was a perfect combination: light and approachable, enough to drink with abandon, but with so many
layers of restrained complexity that it would suddenly command your attention to its charms.”

Is a $90/£60 bottle of bubbly worth the money? “Special occasions call for special wines,” say the tasters. So if you’re going to celebrate something very special, Pol Roger remains the only choice.

CONNOISSEUR’S GUIDE SOLD OUT

LONDON, APRIL 15TH— Batsford-Brassey’s Ltd. reports the editor’s Connoisseur’s Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill has sold out of its first edition. We are happy to report that The Churchill Center came out “in the black” on the project, earning an increment on the 400 books the Center bought and sold to support publication. The Center will also receive 50% of the royalties. We are campaigning for a revised second edition including all additions and corrections received to date, but there is no word on this yet. Our New Book Service has a limited number of copies left; when they are gone, there will be a gap of unknown length before you see another. Price is $35 postpaid from The Churchill Center, PO Box 385, ContoocookNH 03229.

CHURCHILL FIRST IN “TOP 100”

NEW YORK, MAY 10TH— Earlier this year, Random House announced that it would release a list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century. National Review beat them to the punch with their own list, including Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago, von Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom, C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Relativity by Albert Einstein.

But at the top of their list is The Second World War by Winston S. Churchill: “The big story of the century, told by its major hero,” according to NR’s senior editor. We couldn’t agree more. Now let’s see what Random House does….

MR. SULLIVAN RISETH

NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 23RD— We harken to a report that former New Republic editor Andrew Sullivan has conducted a “drive-by smear” of Rev. Richard John Neuhaus in a recent cover story for The New York Times Magazine. What astonishes is that reporters seem to believe such behavior is atypical of Mr. Sullivan who, they say, “has a reputation for fairness and thoughtfulness.” Twelve years ago this little bushwhacker oiled his way around our Churchill Conference in Dallas, conducting numerous friendly interviews. He then concocted a New Republic smear containing two dozen lies, distortions and misquotes—so many indeed that we reprinted his article with footnotes to correct them (Finest Hour 58). Consider the source, folks.

WELSH MEMORIES

DALLAS— CC member Nathan Hughes has published Reminiscences of Wales 1924-1941, a spiral bound work describing his Welsh youth. There are several mentions of Winston Churchill in his chapters describing life during the Second World War in a small village in Wales. Nathan offers copies to members at $28.50 postpaid from him at PO Box 830427, Richardson TX 75083-0427.

DAVID NOSS

HOMINY, OKLAHOMA, MARCH 16TH— Longtime member and supporter David Noss died today aged 65. A native of Oklahoma, David was an attorney and rancher. Carol, his wife of 27 years, tells us he still had many books he wanted to read by and about Churchill. She requested donations in lieu of flowers to two charities, of which The Churchill Center was one. We thank her for her thoughts at this grievous time and join her in mourning for our friend David.

EMPTY MONTY

LONDON— Recently released documents reveal that British commanders, including Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, blocked the formation of a Jewish army brigade for most of World War II for fear of creating a force that would fight for a Jewish state in British-administered Palestine, reports Dateline World Jewry for January 1999. “A Jewish Brigade, launched in September 1944, won support of the British War Cabinet only after Prime Minister Winston Churchill intervened.”

LOCAL & NATIONAL

Edinburgh

Members may be interested in a new and exciting programme of cultural holidays in Edinburgh this summer with a Churchill theme, introduced by the University of Edinburgh in association with its Centre for Second World War Studies. For a week, you can sign up for a course entitled “Churchills at War,” a unique and stimulating look at the Churchill family during the Second World War that explores how the dynamics of its family life interacted with the strains and stresses of war, giving an unusual human dimension
to the Churchill wartime story.

The course leader will be Dr. Paul Addison, a distinguished academic adviser to The Churchill Center, author of the Farrow Award-winning Churchill on the Home Front, and Director of the Centre for Second World War Studies.

Morning lectures and discussion will be followed in afternoons and evenings by a programme of tours and cultural visits to such places as Loch Lomond and St. Andrews. Accommodation will be in Salisbury Green, a baronial residence in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat, and all meals are provided. This course runs for the week of 1-7 August, and will be repeated for 8-14 August, immediately prior to the opening of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Two other courses will run simultaneously, also in association with the Centre for Second World War Studies. “Behind Enemy Lines” will explore the heroes and heroines of the shadow war in occupied countries, and will be given by Dr. David Stafford, author of Churchill and Secret Service and other books on wartime intelligence. Like Dr. Addison, Dr. Stafford is a member of ICS UK and has spoken at International Churchill Conferences. “Remembering the Home Front,” the third course, will be given by Dr. Diana Henderson, a military historian who served for over thirty years in the Territorial Army and is Research Director of the Scots at War Trust. As Scotland enters a new era with the creation of a Scottish Parliament, it will provide a timely insight into life in Scotland during the Second World War. ICS United Kingdom is pleased that two of its most prominent scholars are helping produce the course.

For further information and a booking form please apply direct to Claire Collins, Classic Cultural Break, The University of Edinburgh, St. Leonard’s Hall, Pollock Halls of Residence, 18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh EH 16 5AY, Scotland, UK. Telephone: (44) 131-651-2189 Fax: (44) 131-667-7271. Email: [email protected]

Dallas

FEBRUARY 11TH— Churchill Center members and the Dallas Branch of the English-Speaking Union held a joint meeting tonight at Northwood Country Club. The speaker was Dr. James Hopkins, Professor of History at Southern Methodist University, who introduced his newly published book Into the Fire: The British in the Spanish Civil War (Stanford University Press, 1998).

Dr. Hopkins described his research of archives in Britain, Russia and Spain, which allowed the voices of British Volunteers to be added to his book, and gave a fascinating interpretation of Churchill’s loss to Attlee in 1945. While acknowledging that many factors contributed to Attlee’s triumph, he noted that Attlee, along with Labour’s International Solidarity Fund and the Dependent’s Aid Committee, had supported the British volunteers in the International Brigade. By contrast, Churchill had argued against intervention on the side of the Republic since he felt that its victory would imperil British economic interests and threaten the Empire. Many Labour members remembered Churchill’s support of Mussolini in a speech in Rome in 1927. Hopkins cited A. J. P. Taylor, the British historian who said, “At the time of the Spanish Civil War, Churchill failed to become the champion of democracy against Fascism as many British people wanted.”

Churchill’s attitude later changed, as the book goes on to elaborate.

An interesting question and answer period followed with Nathan Hughes presenting the speaker with a complimentary membership in The Churchill Center.

CHANDOR EXHIBIT

WETHERFORD TEXAS, APRIL 24TH— Commencing today and through June 27th, an exhibit entitled “Chandor’s Art and Gardens” will be open to the public at Chandor Gardens here and several of Douglas Chandor’s portraits of Winston Churchill will be on display. (Chandor’s art was the subject of a feature in Finest Hour 87, along with proofs for his incomplete “Big Three at Yalta” painting and his famous painting of Churchill in RAF uniform, which now hangs at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.)

New England

BOSTON, MAY 6TH— At the invitation of CC and Athenaeum member Dick Leahy, Richard Langworth, editor of Finest Hour, spoke tonight before a capacity audience of 250 at the Boston Athenaeum on “Winston Churchill: The Art of the Statesman-Writer.” Accompanied by slide illustrations, Langworth outlined Churchill’s literary career and how he went about writing. He then discussed three Churchill books: The River War, The World Crisis and My Early Life; Churchill’s article “If Lee Had Not Won the Battle of Gettysburg”; and WSC’s short story, The Dream, reading brief excerpts from his favorite passages. A lively Q&A session followed in which the Editor incredibly failed to muff a question, which Dick Leahy said made the evening. The talk was repeated May 27th at the Hopkinton (NH) Town Library. Both were delightful experiences for the Editor. The text (minus the “Lee” story, which runs in full in our next issue) is published as an article in this issue. -Michael Richards

Tennessee

MACKENZIE, TENN., APRIL 15TH—- John David Marshall of Murfreesboro, longtime member and bibliophile, delivered the 1999 Holmes Lecture at Bethel College’s Dickey Fine Arts Building. His subject was “The Wit and Wisdom of Sir Winston Churchill.” University Bibliographer and Professor Emeritus at Middle Tennessee State University, J.D. was elected a Churchill Fellow of Westminster College in 1982. He is the author or editor of eighteen books on history and literature.

Speakers’ Bureau

FT. LAUDERDALE, MARCH 5TH— Douglas Russell reported to The CC Board of Governors that arrangements are complete to start a Churchill Speakers’ Bureau and details will be in place shortly.

Established speakers will be available to address CC or ICS meetings for expenses only, their schedules permitting. Speakers include but are not limited to:

Douglas S. Russell: “Lieutenant Churchill, 4th Hussars,” on Churchill’s military career (with slides).

Dr. John H. Mather: Physical and health factors in Churchill history, including Marlborough, Lord Randolph, WSC.

Richard M. Langworth: “The Art of the Statesman-Writer,” with readings from selected passages of Churchill’s books (with slides).

For details, or to offer your services, contact Mr. Russell, Treasurer, Churchill Center (see page 2).

Coming up: Atlanta, Ga.

SEPTEMBER 3RD NEXT—The Churchill Center will sponsor a panel, Churchill and the Second World War, at the American Political Science Association meeting in Atlanta, which is on 3 September 1999 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and the Atlanta Hilton. Papers will be presented by Professors Robert Eden of Hillsdale College, John Ramsden of Queen Mary and Westfield College, and James W. Muller of the University of Alaska Anchorage. The discussant will be Dean Raymond A. Callahan of the University of Delaware, returning for this event to scholarship from the rigors of academic administration.

The panel will be held from 1:30 to 3:15 PM. It will be accompanied by a Churchill Center dinner, with Professor John Ramsden speaking on “Churchill and the English-Speaking Peoples.” The dinner will be at the Commonwealth Club, 34 Broad St., NW. The time is 8:00 PM Cost is $60 including wine (The panel discussion is free.) For reservations, telephone The Churchill Center at (888) WSC-1874 after August 1 st.

OLD VICTORY’S PRIDE USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL DDG81

BATH, MAINE, APRIL 17TH— The christening and launch of the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), before 8000 onlookers at Bath Iron Works, had everything its namesake unabashedly enjoyed: military bands playing British and American airs, a platform full of notables quoting his words, intermingled uniforms of U.S. and Royal Navy officers. Many of them, including the Churchill’s Commanding Officer, were wearing little pins with a crossed Stars and Stripes and White Ensign. It seemed as much a joint celebration as anything since 1941 in Argentia Bay, where sailors of these same two navies joined for divine services on HMS Prince of Wales. In the words of Churchill, writing about that time, “it was a great hour to live.”

Mistaking our mood, a non-participant suggested, “It was clear you were highly excited about the event.” “Highly exhausted” would be more accurate. Preparing for our little role in events involved months of communications, plans and counter-plans between the shipyard, two navies and two capitals, which in the end was so very rewarding. We provided photographs and a 1200-word Churchill biography for the programme, a special first day cover to mark the event (thanks, Dave Marcus), new Churchill Center windshirts to wear on the day (now selling fast; order yours from Churchill Stores). We headed off a rival Champagne company and made sure the bubbly broken on the hull was Sir Winston’s favorite, Pol Roger. On behalf of the Churchill Center and Societies and the Easton Press, we presented leather-bound editions of The World Crisis and The Second World War for the ship’s library. And John Plumpton is working to establish links between our website and the USS Winston S. Churchill’s.

We are grateful to CC member Fred Koch of Maine, for keeping us informed through every stage of the ship’s construction; and to ICS UK member Armido Valori, who a year ago urged us to add Sir Winston’s middle initial to the ship’s name—which proved more complicated than buying an extra letter for the stern! We passed Mr. Valori’s letter to Amb. Robinson, who passed it to the Secretary of the Navy, who asked Lady Soames, who endorsed it. After the launch she wrote: “Thanks so much for the very important ‘S.,’ which I wouldn’t have thought of, but which is absolutely right.”

Churchill Center Associates Fred and Martha Hardman were among the sizeable delegation of CC and ICS members. “We decided to take along our 11-year old son, even though he would miss two days of school,” Fred writes. “But that was the smart thing to do. He has learned much from our Churchill travels over the years and he will therefore have an advantage that few other young people will have. The ceremony started on time with an introduction by Alan Cameron, President of Bath Iron Works. The ship was magnificent and bigger than I expected: about 500 feet long.”

Speakers at the flag-bedecked dais included U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen, who iced the cake by announcing, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, that a Royal Navy officer will be permanently assigned to the Churchill, raising the officer complement to twenty-four; we have since learned that this officer will serve as Navigator. Cohen was joined by British Secretary of Defence the Rt. Hon. George Robertson, MP; U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig; the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce; and U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jay Johnson. Robertson, a droll speaker, complimented his fellow Scot, Alan Cameron, over the precision with which everything had come off: “The Scots are much better running things in other people’s countries than their own!”

The most excited participant seemed to be Janet Langhart Cohen, wife of the U.S. Secretary and the ship’s official sponsor. Nicholas Soames, alarmed lest an inadvertent “oh gawd” (or worse) be uttered over live mikes if a christening bottle didn’t break on first try, deftly warned of the danger. But Lady Soames, honorary sponsor for the United Kingdom, directed the operation: “Just give it a good whack, Janet!” Two Pol Roger bottles exploded simultaneously with a cascade of foam, streamers shot through the air, and DDG 81 slid into the sea as the band played “Anchors Aweigh.”

USS Winston S. Churchill is the thirty-first Arleigh Burke class destroyer delivered to the Fleet and the eighteenth to be built by Bath Iron Works. Construction of this state-of-the-art warship began in the spring of 1997, with DDG 81 scheduled to join the Fleet in 2000. As a multi-mission ship, she is equipped with the Navy’s Aegis combat weapons system, which combines space-age communications, radar and weapons technologies in a single platform for maximum flexibility.

Arleigh Burke class destroyers are replacing older, less capable ships that are being taken out of service as the Navy reduces spending while maintaining quality. These versatile ships are designed to operate independently as a multi-threat offensive platform or in support of aircraft carrier and amphibious operations.

Cmdr. Michael T. Franken, a native of Sioux Center, Iowa, will command Winston S. Churchill. With a crew of 348, DDG 81 will be homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship is 505 feet long, has a beam of 66 feet and displaces 9000 tons fully loaded. Four gas-turbine engines power her to speeds in excess of 30 knots. We asked Cmdr. Franken how he plans to keep up with the galloping technology of the next century: “I have a rule. No new system comes aboard unless an old one goes.” Makes sense to us!

The Churchill is the fourth American warship to be named in honor of a Briton. The armed merchantman Alfred went into commission in December 1775 as the first ship of the Continental Navy, named after Alfred the Great, the English king who has been called “Father of the Royal Navy.” During the Revolutionary War, the frigate Raleigh was named in honor of Sir Walter Raleigh, while another frigate was named Effingham in honor of the Earl of Effingham, who resigned his commission rather than fight against the American colonists.

Official events concluded with a reception for Mrs. Cohen and Lady Soames at Brunswick Naval Air Station, where the latter presented the ship with an oil replica of her father’s painting of the Fishpond at Chartwell and Winston Churchill presented a wonderful enlarged photograph of intermingled U.S. and British sailors at one of his grandfather’s wartime conferences.

Later at Tenants Harbor, a few miles to the north, the Churchill Center Board of Governors held a dinner for Cmdr. and Mrs. Franken; Lady Soames; Mr. & Mrs. Churchill; Winston’s children, Jack, Marina and Jennie; Jennie’s husband James Repard; and Trustees Caspar Weinbergerand, Paul Robinson and their families and friends. We toasted the ship by reminding our guests of all the other parties Mike and Jordan Franken could have attended that night! We were so very honored that they chose ours. The CO. talked about a possible sail around Britain after commissioning, and mused that he might even allow Churchillians to accompany the ship on trials in the Caribbean, leading Winston Churchill to wonder if he was going to organise “Franken Tours
Ltd.” But we were all very tired….

There were no speeches at the end of this memorable day, but we could not help suggesting to our guests (with prior agreement from the copyright holder) that this was an event of which Sir Winston would have exclaimed: “Let us command the moment to remain.” ‘