May 8, 2015

Finest Hour 108, Autumn 2000

Page 04


THANK- YOU, JACK

Rita and I are extremely proud to have received the Blenheim Award, one of our nicest surprises in a long time. The beautiful personalised plaque is appropriately included in the “Blenheim” display case in our No. 1 room in the mansion and has drawn the attention of many recent visitors. We now have an average 1000+ visitors each open weekend, occasionally as many as 2500. Thank you so much.
JACK DARRAH, LUTON, BEDS.

SOFT UNDERBELLIES

In Churchill Online, FH 106, you quite correctly quote what I wrote in Forged in War regarding the the “soft underbelly” campaign in Italy. I do, in fact, believe it was a second front of far larger significance for the Soviet Union than was North Africa (which was crucial for protecting Suez, oil, and Britain’s position in the Middle East), even if it was not the massive Second Front that Molotov and Stalin described in 1942 and demanded thereafter—playing on Allied guilt if the Chuev interviews with Molotov are to be believed. However, I used, or perhaps misused, the phrase “soft underbelly” to include Churchill’s proposal for a thrust through the Ljubljana Gap. That was the strategic goal of the strategy, at least according to Churchill’s later description of the concept, although not what he described initially to Stalin. In any event, I would argue that I was not as inconsistent as the email might seem when compared to my book. I remain, “more measured” but still…
PROF. WARREN F. KIMBALL, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, NJ

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ALASKA CONFERENCE

Your Churchill Conference in Alaska is inspired. I know this because I myself made plans to go to Alaska in August which of course means that having just gotten back, I could not join you a few weeks later. And then you’ve invited Sir Martin Gilbert. As luck would have it, Sir Martin received an honorary doctorate from The George Washington University in May [see FH 107, pp. 6-7 -ed.]. Sorry I’m not going to be seeing you imminently but it’s wonderful to read your materials and know that you are cooking with gas, as always.
STEPHEN JOEL TRACHTENBERG, PRESIDENT
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON

WEBSITE PRAISE

We get lots of correspondence on our website, pro and con. One man asked who put me in charge of the website. Another attacked me for the typos and told me that it was a disgrace to the memory of Churchill and his mastery of the English language. Please forgive me for sharing this one with you. It makes up for the zingers.
-John Plumpton, Webmaster

Your website is superb. It would have been so easy to have assembled something that fell short of the mark, but you have produced a brilliant archive of Churchill’s life and legacy.
STUART GOODACRE, VTA INTERNET

WHAT PRICE CHURCHILL?

I really enjoyed your Woods Corner article in FH 107. I definitely fit into the category of trying to find Churchill at cheaper prices. The article also reinforced what I had thought about my collection which is that I have done very well in what I have found. For example, the article mentions the English WW2 series at $325. I was able to find a vg/nf set in similar jackets for $65 + $37 shipping from the UK. I think the key is being patient, waiting for a good deal to come along and also recognizing a good buy and jumping on it. It is amazing what you can find if you know what to look for.
BILL CRAWFORD

QUOTES GALORE ON USS WSC

Thank you for your generous gift of Czarnomski’s Wisdom of Winston Churchill, such a comprehensive compendium of our namesake’s wisdom—the Plan of the Day will never be the same again! It was a great pleasure to meet you on our Alpha Transit [see “Datelines” -Ed.] and I am pleased you enjoyed your tour.
LT. ANGUS ESSENHIGH, RN NAVIGATOR,
USS WINSTONS. CHURCHILL, BATH, MAINE

U.S. Defense Secretary Cohen provided for a Royal Navy officer on the crew of USS Winston S. Churchill, and Lt. Essenhigh is the present incumbent. The Plan of the Day, a daily bulletin for the crew, includes a Churchill quote, and Czarnomski is the best quote book yet published.

AMERICAN WINSTON

I enjoyed the article on the “other” Winston Churchill (FH 106). We all know about him, of course, but your commentary put everything in perspective. I once found one of his books and bought it on a fluke, not intending to read it. Your article caused me to check it, and I was pleased to discover that I have apparently a first edition of The Crisis. I think I paid all of $10 for it [too much! -ed.], which is certainly a lot less, as you documented in FH 107, for a first edition of “our” Winston’s books!
RONALD J. BROIDA, DARIEN, ILL., USA

HALLMARK CARDS WANTED

• WANTED FOR PURCHASE: Hallmark Christmas cards, circa 1950, illustrated by Churchill paintings. Please contact with details and price: M. S. Hofschneider, 1A Lancaster Road, Colonia NJ 07067 USA.

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