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Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour |  | Author: Lynne Olson
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $28.00
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Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 5989
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1St Edition
Pages: 496
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 1400067588
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.531
EAN: 9781400067589
ASIN: 1400067588
Publication Date: February 2, 2010
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Amazon.com Review
Amazon 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 "Yanks" 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 "swimming 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: I’ve 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 Britain’s 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: That’s an excellent “what if” question. Churchill, for one, was desperately worried that Britain would be defeated by Germany in 1942 if the United States didn’t 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 it’s 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 cooperation, 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 began in 1941. When Randolph later accused his father of condoning adultery under his own roof, Churchill denied any knowledge of what was going on. That being said, I do believe, as did Pamela, that he was aware of what she and Harriman were up to. Churchill loved Randolph, and while I’m sure he was not thrilled about the Pamela/Harriman affair, he knew how important Harriman and the other Americans were to the survival of Britain, and he had no intention of letting personal matters interfere with the national interest. Besides, Pamela proved to be a useful conduit for him and Harriman, passing on to each man information and insights she had found out from the other.
When Pamela took up with Edward R. Murrow later in the war, she was already separated from Randolph, and I doubt that Churchill cared one way or the other. As for the affair between his daughter, Sarah, and John Gilbert Winant, the couple kept their involvement exceptionally discreet. Sarah believed her father knew about it, but he never said anything, and I don’t think he would have minded.
Amazon.com: Talk about the lower-profile "Citizens of London" -- the brave Americans who violated their own country's laws to volunteer for the RAF.
Olson: In the late 1930s, as part of its desperate effort to keep the United States out of war, the American government did, as you note, make it illegal for any U.S. citizen to join the military service of a warring power. But, after Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, thousands of young Americans disregarded that law and traveled to England to join the British or Canadian armed forces. Unlike the hordes of Yanks who descended on Britain just prior to D-Day, the early U.S. volunteers became an integral part of Britain’s military and society.
The best-known volunteers were those who joined the Royal Air Force. Seven U.S. citizens were counted among “The Few” – the celebrated band of RAF pilots who, in their Hurricanes and Spitfires, successfully beat back the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in the summer and fall of 1940. Over the next several months, an additional 300-plus Americans enlisted in the RAF -- so many that they were soon given their own units, called the Eagle Squadrons. Churchill, who instantly saw what a powerful propaganda tool the American squadrons could be, enthusiastically endorsed the idea.
When the U.S. finally entered the conflict, virtually all the Americans serving in the RAF transferred to the U.S Army Air Forces. Of the 244 pilots who flew in the Eagle Squadrons, more than 40 per cent did not survive the war.
Product Description
In Citizens of London, Lynne Olson has written a work of World War II history even more relevant and revealing than her acclaimed Troublesome Young Men. Here is 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, Averell Harriman, and John Gilbert Winant. Drawing from a variety of primary sources, Olson skillfully depicts the dramatic personal journeys of these men who, determined to save Britain from Hitler, helped convince a cautious Franklin Roosevelt and a reluctant American public to support the British at a critical time.
The three—Murrow, the handsome, chain-smoking head of CBS News in Europe; Harriman, the hard-driving millionaire who ran FDR’s Lend-Lease program in London; and Winant, the shy, idealistic U.S. ambassador to Britain—formed close ties with Winston Churchill and were drawn into Churchill’s official and personal circles. So intense were their relationships with the Churchills that they all became romantically involved with members of the prime minister’s family: Harriman and Murrow with Churchill’s daughter-in-law, Pamela, and Winant with his favorite daughter, Sarah.
Others were honorary “citizens of London” as well, including the gregarious, fiercely ambitious Dwight D. Eisenhower, an obscure general who, as the first commander of American forces in Britain, was determined to do everything in his power to make the alliance a success, and Tommy Hitchcock, a world-famous polo player and World War I fighter pilot who helped save the Allies’ bombing campaign against Germany.
Citizens of London, however, is more than just the story of these Americans and the world leaders they aided and influenced. It’s an engrossing account of the transformative power of personal diplomacy and, above all, a rich, panoramic tale of two cities: Washington, D.C., a lazy Southern town slowly growing into a hub of international power, and London, a class-conscious capital transformed by the Blitz into a model of stoic grace under violent pressure and deprivation. 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 73
 Readable account of the complex relationship between Britain and America throughout the war years September 4, 2010
Karl
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author's style makes the history come alive. I think what I like most about Lynne Olson's books is that she captures the people and the attitudes of the time so vividly that you can clearly envision what it must have been like to be there. Much of the story is told through the eyes of Murrow, Harriman, and Winant, who were there from beginning to end. In Citizens of London, the reader will learn about: the complex love/hate relationship between England and America throughout the war years, the stories of the aviators from the US, Poland, and other countries that fought in the Battle of Britain, and the stories of the difficulties presented to the British by having so many Americans living there in preparation for D-Day. Of special interest to me was just how much the British suffered, apart from the days of the blitz. They were on short rations for so long while the Americans knew little or no shortage of essentials. It felt almost shameful to read how oblivious Americans were to the suffering of the Brits. And, as with the book "Troublesome Young Men", you'll get plenty of the behind the scenes dirt of the affairs of Harriman and Murrow and others who lived as if there were no tomorrow because, for many, the possibility of no tomorrow was a very real one.
There is much in this very readable book for those interested in gaining depth of understanding of the relationship between England and America during the war years. I highly recommend it.
River Girl August 29, 2010
Katya Shoemaker Spicuzza (WHITE STONE, VA, US)
Beautifully written and a must for anyone who is interested in this period in history. Honestly, I could not put the book down. Everyone who reads CITIZENS OF LONDON learns details of what was going on between the UK and the USA that they did NOT know before.
 Rehashed Propaganda August 28, 2010
John C. Dolan
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
60 years on, here's yet another sentimental take on the Battle of Britain. Considering the abysmal performance of British forces in both theatres of WW II--their collapse in the Pacific was the worst of any major participant in the war--it's hardly surprising that their their one alleged victory (actually a defensive stalemate) over a mediocre air force has become the occasion of so much bathos for so long.
But I have one question: why do we hear so much more about 60,000 "Blitz" casualties than 25 million Russian dead in the same struggle?
The Stories Behind The Stories and the People Behind the Scenes August 26, 2010
James Gallen (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.)
"Citizens of London" is the six year long story of those Americans who spent their war in London sharing the thrills, pains, and dangers of their adopted city. Although many traipse across the pages of this book, it focuses on three: John Gilbert Winant, Edward R. Murrow and Averill Harriman.
A former Republican Governor of New Hampshire, Winant had burned his political bridges by his enthusiastic support for FDR and the New Deal. This successor to Joseph P. Kennedy as Ambassador to the Court of St. James had an easy act to follow. Whereas Kennedy had been defeatist, who evacuated his family at the first sign of trouble and longed to get away to Palm Beach, Winant arrived saying "There is no place I'd rather be than in England." When Winant arrived in 1941, the American relationship was so important that King George VI broke all protocol by meeting him at the train. Through the rest of the war, Winant served as the friend and confident of Churchill and the conduit through which the official communications flowed and the Special Relationship grew. Besides his official duties, Winant worked to ease the frictions which could have arisen as Britain was awash in a tide of American servicemen. To the end, Winant earned the tribute as the best ambassador Britain ever hosted.
If Winant was the voice of London to the State Department and the White House, Edward R. Murrow was the voice of London to State Street and every house. If Churchill sent the English language into battle, Murrow's broadcasts over the CBS system sent it across the sea. His regular broadcasts beginning with, "This Is London", brought the sights and sounds of wartime London into homes across America. An unabashed defender of Britain, his descriptions of bombings, privations and sufferings, against the backdrop of air raid sirens and exploding bombs, drew American public opinion, irresistibly, to Britain's side.
The last of the trio, Averill Harriman, was a wealthy young businessman who, as FDR's special envoy, played a loose role in the days of war. In contrast to Winant and Morrow who devoted themselves to the cause, Harriman seems to worked the cause for Harriman. Using his status for diplomatic advancement and romantic conquest, Harriman was often a rival of Winant in the struggle for the favor of Churchill and Roosevelt.
Author Lynne Olson does a skillful job in weaving other personalities and the stories into this book. Following the leading characters, she takes the reader into Summit meetings strategy debates and personal quarrels. We are given critical analyses of the motives and actions of Churchill , Roosevelt and their military chiefs, as well as their opinions of DeGaulle and other characters. One thing that I enjoyed was the cameo appearances of people like Eric Sevareid and others who, along with Murrow, I remember as newscasters in my childhood. She also covers the "live for today, for tomorrow you may die" attitude prevalent in London at that time as evidenced in the romances of the leading characters.
As readers of my Amazon reviews know, I read a lot of history, including World War II. Compared to others, this book is top notch. It provides the reader with a different perspective of the war, with insights into the stories behind the stories and the people behind the scenes. This is not the place to start your introduction to World War II, but it is a great place to deepen your understanding.
SIMPLY SUPERB ! August 1, 2010
Kenneth E. MacWilliams
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Having been interested in WWII all of my life and having read scores of books on all aspects of it, I was delighted that CITIZENS OF LONDON presented me with so many very interesting new facts and insights, all reliably documented. The research is extraordinary as is the historical and stylistic craftsmanship. And it is told as a terrific and eminently readable yarn. I am sad that I have finished with it and therefore cannot any longer look forward to reading the next great chapter.
It's simply superb.
Kenneth E. MacWilliams
Showing reviews 1-5 of 73
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