Roosevelt and Churchill: Men of Secrets
David Stafford
An intriguing look behind the congenial façade of Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, revealing how each jealously guarded knowledge from the other in pursuit of separate national interests. Theirs was a unique relationship, based on linked national histories and partially-shared nationality- Churchill was half-American-similarities in class and education, a special love for the navy, and a common belief in the superiority of Anglo-Saxon institutions. Above all, it was cemented by shared enemies: Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. On these foundations Roosevelt and Churchill constructed a fighting alliance unlike any other in history.
At the heart of this special relationship, hidden by layers of secrecy, was an extraordinary and far-reaching – although far from complete- sharing of intelligence and a fascination for clandestine operations. This was the most sensitive touchstone of their mutual trust, and a responsive barometer of both suspicion and discord.
Book Details:
- Author: David Stafford
- Published Year: 1999
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Rights Sold
- UK: Little Brown
- US: Overlook Press
David Stafford
David Stafford is an historian and former diplomat who has written extensively on espionage, intelligence, Churchill, and the Second World War. The former Project Director at the Centre for The Study of the Two World Wars at the University of Edinburgh, he is now an Honorary Fellow of the University and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, where he and his wife now live. He has frequently acted as a TV and radio consultant, has written radio documentaries for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC, and his latest book, Ten Days to D-Day, formed ...
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Book Reviews
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"Much of this book upsets accepted views; all of it is thoroughly based on sources, part in print and part in archive. Stafford has the precious gift of making technical subjects easy to follow; he writes clearly, and maintains a strong narrative flow. This is most readable history."
M.R.D Foot, Sunday Times -
"The author has emerged as one of our leading historians on the intelligence aspects [of the Second World War] and his latest book does not disappoint."
Trevor Royle, Glasgow Herald -
"Stafford is a superb researcher and has a feel for when ‘secret’ meant ‘significant’ and when it did not… David Stafford’s fascinating book is, among other things, a useful reminder of how complicated the Grand Alliance actually was."
New York Times -
"An intriguing book which makes a very good read"
Irish Independent