Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour

From the acclaimed author of Troublesome Young Men comes a major new World War II history that describes the development of America's crucial wartime alliance with England that became so decisive in defeating Hitler.

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. 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. These three men, I think, reflected the complexity of America and its attitude to the rest of the world at that time. Unlike the hordes of Yanks who descended on Britain just prior to D-Day, the early U.S. Churchill, for one, was desperately worried that Britain would be defeated by Germany in 1942 if the United States didn’t enter the war. 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. The best-known volunteers were those who joined the Royal Air Force. As for the affair between his daughter, Sarah, and John Gilbert Winant, the couple kept their involvement exceptionally discreet. 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. 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. When the U.S. finally entered the conflict, virtually all the Americans serving in the RAF transferred to the U.S Army Air Forces. --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. Churchill, who instantly saw what a powerful propaganda tool the American squadrons could be, enthusiastically endorsed the idea. 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. 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. So it’s no wonder than when he heard the news of Pearl Harbor on the night of Dec. Murrow later in the war, she was already separated from Randolph, and I doubt that Churchill cared one way or the other. 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. 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. Of the 244 pilots who flew in the Eagle Squadrons, more than 40 per cent did not survive the war. volunteers became an integral part of Britain’s military and society. 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. ambassador John Gilbert Winant, businessman Averell Harriman, and broadcaster Edward R. 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. Amazon.com: You note an almost apathetic Churchill response to American dalliances within his family. 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. 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. Harriman, who was intent on broadening his own power and influence, as well as that of his country, became an exemplar of U.S. 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. 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. 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. 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. Several scenes in the book take place in London during the Battle of Britain and the 1940-41 Blitz. citizen to join the military service of a warring power. exceptionalism. In the postwar era, it was his world view that, for the most part, dominated American foreign policy. When Pamela took up with Edward R. 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. Murrow and the correspondents he hired to create CBS News before and during World War II. 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. Winant and Murrow, who championed economic and social reform as well as international cooperation, reflected America’s idealistic side. He also carved out for himself quite an influential role as conduit and buffer between Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill. That being said, I do believe, as did Pamela, that he was aware of what she and Harriman were up to. 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. Although other "Yanks" rallied against the hesitancy of their isolationist government before Pearl Harbor, few matched the impact of U.S. Sarah believed her father knew about it, but he never said anything, and I don’t think he would have minded. 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. When Randolph later accused his father of condoning adultery under his own roof, Churchill denied any knowledge of what was going on. 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.