The most complete portrait ever drawn of the complex emotional connection between two of history’s towering leaders
Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the greatest leaders of “the Greatest Generation.” In , Jon Meacham explores the fascinating relationship between the two men who piloted the free world to victory in World War II. It was a crucial friendship, and a unique one — a … crucial friendship, and a unique one — a president and a prime minister spending enormous amounts of time together (113 days during the war) and exchanging nearly two thousand messages. Amid cocktails, cigarettes, and cigars, they met, often secretly, in places as far-flung as Washington, Hyde Park, Casablanca, and Teheran, talking to each other of war, politics, the burden of command, their health, their wives, and their children.
Born in the nineteenth century and molders of the twentieth and twenty-first, Roosevelt and Churchill had much in common. Sons of the elite, students of history, politicians of the first rank, they savored power. In their own time both men were underestimated, dismissed as arrogant, and faced skeptics and haters in their own nations — yet both magnificently rose to the central challenges of the twentieth century. Theirs was a kind of love story, with an emotional Churchill courting an elusive Roosevelt. The British prime minister, who rallied his nation in its darkest hour, standing alone against Adolf Hitler, was always somewhat insecure about his place in FDR’s affections — which was the way Roosevelt wanted it. A man of secrets, FDR liked to keep people off balance, including his wife, Eleanor, his White House aides — and Winston Churchill.
Confronting tyranny and terror, Roosevelt and Churchill built a victorious alliance amid cataclysmic events and occasionally conflicting interests. Franklin and Winston is also the story of their marriages and their families, two clans caught up in the most sweeping global conflict in history.
Meacham’s new sources — including unpublished letters of FDR’s great secret love, Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, the papers of Pamela Churchill Harriman, and interviews with the few surviving people who were in FDR and Churchill’s joint company — shed fresh light on the characters of both men as he engagingly chronicles the hours in which they decided the course of the struggle.
Hitler brought them together; later in the war, they drifted apart, but even in the autumn of their alliance, the pull of affection was always there. Charting the personal drama behind the discussions of strategy and statecraft, Meacham has written the definitive account of the most remarkable friendship of the modern age.
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Great historical account of two world leaders fighting the oppressive regimes of of axis powers. Favorite line describing this relationship: “In French, there is a saying where one does the kissing and the other is kissed” Churchill did the kissing while FDR got kissed.
I love history and I thought I new a lot about these two famous people….but what I learned here helped me understand the real importance of human interaction and trust in how well world affairs turn out. I HIGHLY recommend this book! Although it’s really history, I couldn’t put it down.
An interesting and detailed read about the mechanics of a personal relationship that shaped the outcome of WW2 and thus a good portion of the remainder of the 20 th century.
Despite the cold political calculations each made when dealing with each, You are left with the sense that there was a true friendship between the two. Great examples of …
A wonderful delineation of the main characters. I learned so much I didn’t know before. I am in awe of the language spoken and written by these world leaders. No tweets! A beautiful and even spiritual book. I admire Jon Meachem’s prose and extensive research behind this masterpiece.
A great read into the unique relationship and personalities of the friendship between these two great men. It depicts their strengths and weaknesses and how their relationship changed the outcome of the darkest times of our modern civilization …. Without either one of them we may not be here today to witness the results t that saved us all.
The best book I have read on World War II. A real page turner, easy to read, informative, and above all, inspirational.
This book shows you how important Churchill and FDR were in their time!
Very interesting book-tied in all aspects of the war in a chronological order along with the personalities of the two men.
Great book on interaction between Churchill and Roosevelt and Stalin.
A history making pair that saved the world
I have been a student of World War II for many years. My father, a medic in the Pacific during WWII, had helped fuel my interest in this terrible war. Reading about FDR and Winston Churchill was a book I wanted to read. It is an excellent read and shed new light on the relationship between these two leaders during World War II. This is a great …
Confirmed most facts I had heard or read previously. Great story.
Probably more of interest for devoted history buffs.
Franklin and Winston provides a rare glimpse into the personal relationship between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. It places the reader within their relationship as these two individuals save and ultimately change the Western World. What makes this book great is the wealth of personal-primary information that illustrates the true …
Good to discover more about the leaders’ relationship and about their friendship.
A clear and engaging picture of two of the most important people of their time, by one of my favorite authors
Great way to review WW II history through the relationship between two of the great figures of the time.
Loved it. I was born the day FDR was elected and he was the only President I knew for quite a while. Love reading about the Roosevelt marriage too.
This is the very best historical account I have read. It is a page turner. Reading it kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. Meacham vividly portrays the personalities of Rossevelt and Churchill. At the same time he presents a comprehensive view of of World War II.
history is my favorite books