August 26, 2013

Finest Hour 110, Spring 2001

Page 47

Todd Ronnei ([email protected]) asks us to compile and puncture the most common Churchill falsehoods, some of them galloping over the Internet. Todd offers the following (some of which we’ve tackled—see parentheses). We will hack away at this weed growth in this space in future editions. Will readers who know where to find this stuff in FH or elsewhere please help!

Personal: • Churchill was an abuser of alcohol. • His father died of syphilis (refuted FH 93 p. 23). • He had a learning disability/stutter/dyslexia/attention deficit disorder (refuted Churchill Proceedings 1996-97, p. 83). • He was a poor student in school (refuted FH 98, p. 28). • Alexander Fleming saved him from drowning as a boy (refuted FH 102 p. 47). • Jack Churchill was not Lord Randolph’s son (refuted FH 93 p. 25). • Winston’s American ancestors included Iroquois Indians and Mayflower passengers (refuted FH 104 p. 31).

Historical: • An actor read Churchill’s wartime speeches over the radio (refuted FH 92 p. 23). • Churchill (and FDR) knew of the impending Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor but did nothing so as to draw the United States into the war (refuted FH 101, p. 37). • WSC crushed striking Welsh miners by sending in troops (refuted FH 35 p. 8). • He opposed the India Bill out of hopelessly Victorian views of the Empire. • He had knowledge of the Holocaust during the war but did nothing about it (refuted FH 93 p. 33). • He let Coventry burn rather than reveal his knowledge of German codes (refuted, FH Al p. 10).