Using the Roosevelt-Churchill correspondence, British War Cabinet and Foreign Office files and Roosevelt Map Room papers, Joseph P. Lash takes a fresh look at men and events in the critical months between the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 and Pearl Harbor. He brings out the similarities and contrasts between Roosevelt and Churchill, where they were great or flawed, how each sought to manipulate the other but always in the framework of common purposes, most importantly their understanding of the importance of sea power and of the necessity of Anglo-American naval supremacy. “[Joseph Lash] has written an excellent account, full of shrewd personal and political insights and based on a real command of the sources and an ability to organize his material into a continuously interesting narrative. Much of the story is familiar, but Mr. Lash has added some telling new details from the archives at Hyde Park and in the British Public Record Office...” — The New York Times “[A] rich account of a remarkable collaboration during the pre-Pearl Harbor years of WW II... Throughout Lash examines with candor and admiration how FDR manipulated Congress, the bureaucracy, and public opinion, working with Churchill on the phrasing and timing of steps toward American entry into the war.” — Kirkus “Joseph Lash has once again demonstrated his gift for blending diligent historical research with the human drama of an extraordinary relationship. His chronicle of Roosevelt and Churchill is absorbing and exciting; it will also be an invaluable document for any future exploration of the struggle for democratic survival in this century.” — James A. Wechsler, Editorial Page Editor, New York Post “A splendid work — incisive in its analysis, compelling in its narrative, sensitive in its judgments. It is quite worthy of its protagonists — and what more can one possibly say?” — Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. “[A] perceptive, well organized and well-written exploration both of his two main characters and of a large supporting cast... The book is... a pleasure [...] to read.” — History “The publication of Lash’s book is an important event in the historiography of World War II... Lash has accomplished an impressive historical synthesis.” — Reviews in American History “There is much to praise in this volume, a book which undoubtedly will be widely read... Lash is a first-rate writer and researcher.” — Political Science Quarterly “[A] fascinating book.” — The Virginia Quarterly Review “The major strands of this story have long been familiar, but the author adds many revealing and colorful details... he writes superbly.” — Foreign Affairs “This is a beautifully written book which captures the spirit of the two leaders and is well worth the time spent reading it. Lash offers some thoughtful insights into the personalities of both Churchill and Roosevelt as well as some perceptive comments on their relationship. His picture is clear; Roosevelt and Churchill, for all of their faults, were the great men which the times demanded.” — The American Historical Review

Relates the story of the friendship that grew up between two of the great leaders of World War II. The result of extensive research carried out by the author on Churchill and Roosevelt, the book presents Churchill from the perspective of the Roosevelt circle.

Examines the relationship between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in the years preceding America's entrance into World War II, emphasizing the similarities and differences between them.

Traces the crisis period leading up to America's entry in World War II, describing the nation's polarized interventionist and isolation factions as represented by the government, in the press and on the streets, in an account that explores the forefront roles of British-supporter President Roosevelt and isolationist Charles Lindbergh. (This book was previously featured in Forecast.)

Four months before Pearl Harbour, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met in secret aboard a ship in a secluded Newfoundland harbour. This was the first summit conference of World War II.

Originally published in 1969. In The Most Unsordid Act, Warren Kimball provides a history of the Lend-Lease idea. The genesis and development of the Lend-Lease idea, although spanning less than two years, offers a subject of the broadest significance for major questions of democratic government and society. The story begins with the United States' growing recognition of the British monetary and gold shortage and ends with the passage of the Lend-Lease Act and the American commitment that it involved. Dr. Kimball's narrative—chronological, detailed, and dramatic—includes analyses of the domestic and international concerns on both sides of the Atlantic and of the roles of the leading protagonists: President F. D. Roosevelt and Treasury Secretary Morgenthau, as well as Stimson, Hull, Churchill, and key British representatives. He also examines the possibility that Lend-Lease was designed to benefit the American economy at Britain's expense. A central question animates Kimball's account: How could a president who recognized the ultimate threat of Nazi Germany, but shared his nation's desire to avoid war, find a way to help an ally? The portrait of Roosevelt that emerges is instructive in view of revisionist histories that present him as a Machiavellian figure disingenuously leading his country to war. Kimball sees him, rather, as an essentially domestic president whose experiences and interests evolved from national concerns—as a man unschooled in international affairs, eager to avoid confrontation with his congressional opposition, wary of the British penchant for power politics, given to procrastination when faced with difficult problems, and anxious to avoid full-scale war. Yet, the administration's legislative strategy and the debate over the Lend-Lease Act clearly demonstrated that the president, his closest advisers, and the Congress were aware that the legislation would inevitably mean war with Germany. Based on such sources as the diaries of Morgenthau, the State Department Archives, Foreign Economic Administration records, the Stimson papers, and interviews with participants, this study provides insights that raise central questions about the functioning of the American system of government.