Great product!Product DescriptionThe acclaimed author of Troublesome Young Men reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how the United States forged its wartime alliance with Britain?? told from the perspective of three key American players in London: Edward R. Murrow?? the handsome?? chain-smoking head of CBS News in Europe; Averell Harriman?? the hard-driving millionaire who ran FDR??s Lend-Lease program in London; and John Gilbert Winant?? the shy?? idealistic U.S. ambassador to Britain. Each man formed close ties with Winston Churchill?so much so that all became romantically involved with members of the prime minister??s family. Drawing from a variety of primary sources?? Lynne Olson skillfully depicts the dramatic personal journeys of these men who?? determined to save Britain from Hitler?? helped convi"us Franklin Roosevelt and reluctant American public to back the British at a critical time. Deeply human?? brilliantly researched?? and beautifully written?? Citizens of London is a new triumph from an author swiftly becoming one of the finest in her field.Amazon.com ReviewAmazon Best Books of the Month?? February 2010: Citizens of London is the story of the American firebrands who broke rank with popular opinion and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with England during the bleak infancy of World War II. Author Lynne Olson more than lives up to the critical acclaim of her last book?? Troublesome Young Men?? by exploring the origins of an Anglo-American alliance that helped turn the tide during the most widespread conflict in history. Although other " rallied against the hesitancy of their isolationist government before Pearl Harbor?? few matched the impact of U.S. ambassador John Gilbert Winant?? businessman Averell Harriman?? and broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. Each recognized the insidious dangers of Nazi aggression?? and with the help of meticulous research?? Olson elucidates the challenges they endured to help bridge political and cultural gaps between the United States and Britain. At a time when the English capital was described as "ing in the full tide of history??"Citizens of London echoes Tennyson in its tribute to those who strove sought and refused to yield. --Dave Callanan
Exclusive Q&A with Lynne Olson
Amazon.com: Your last three books (Citizens of London Troublesome Young Men and A Question of Honor) have focused on England during the late 1930's/early 1940's. As a historian what draws you to this period?
Olson: Ive been fascinated with the place and the period ever since my husband Stan Cloud and I wrote our first book The Murrow Boys about Edward R. Murrow and the correspondents he hired to create CBS News before and during World War II. Several scenes in the book take place in London during the Battle of Britain and the 1940-41 Blitz. In doing research for The Murrow Boys I got caught up in the story of Britains struggle for survival in those early years of the war and the extraordinary leadership of Winston Churchill and courage of ordinary Britons in waging that fight. I discovered that there were still a number of stories about the period that remained largely unknown and untold so I decided to tell them myself.
Amazon.com: Had Pearl Harbor not forced America's hand how much longer could England have lasted against Germany?
Olson: Thats an excellent what if question. Churchill for one was desperately worried that Britain would be defeated by Germany in 1942 if the United States didnt enter the war. In the days immediately before Pearl Harbor he knew that the Japanese were also on the move and he was afraid they were going to strike at British territory in Asia. If that had happened his country would have been forced into a two-front war with no lifeline from the United States which almost assuredly would have meant the end for Britain. So its no wonder than when he heard the news of Pearl Harbor on the night of Dec. 7 1941 he was euphoric. It meant as he later wrote that no matter how many military setbacks lay ahead England would live.
Amazon.com: In contrast to Winant and Murrow Harriman was a bit of a bourgeois playboy. What made you include him in this book?
Olson: There??s no question that Harriman??s social life was considerably more hectic in London than that of Winant and Murrow. At the same time?? however?? he was a dogged?? extremely hard-working administrator of Lend Lease aid for Britain?? who did what he could to speed up the flow of American help to the British and who pressed the Roosevelt administration hard for more vigorous action and more direct involvement in the war. He also carved out for himself quite an influential role as conduit and buffer between Roosevelt?? Stalin and Churchill.
I also wanted to include Harriman for another reason ? to point up the contrast between his tough-minded pragmatism and the idealism of Winant and Murrow. These three men?? I think?? reflected the complexity of America and its attitude to the rest of the world at that time. Winant and Murrow?? who championed economic and social reform as well as international c" reflected America??s idealistic side. Harriman?? who was intent on broadening his own power and influence?? as well as that of his country?? became an exemplar of U.S. exceptionalism. In the postwar era?? it was his world view that?? for the most part?? dominated American foreign policy.
Amazon.com: You note an almost apathetic Churchill response to American dalliances within his family. Was this a diplomatic necessity or was he simply too focused on the larger picture?
Olson: I??m not sure I would call him ??apathetic.?? I think that ??pragmatic?? would be a better word. I should also point out that it??s not an absolute certainty he knew about the affair that occurred between Averell Harriman and Pamela Churchill?? the wife of his son?? Randolph?? which be