Martin Gilbert Archives - Page 2 of 25

Churchill and the Destruction of Monte Cassino Abbey, 1944

10 November 2021 Comments 0 Comments

Cassino Abbey

An Italian journalist writes for Churchill references to the attacks on Monte Cassino during the Italy campaign in spring 1944, asking about “his silence, later contradictory” on the bombing of the town’s ancient monastery. If the implication is that Churchill was uncaring over the destruction of ancient shrines and grand buildings, that would contradict his revulsion over the bombing of Dresden. If it is that this particular destruction didn’t appear in his statements at the time, that is true. War is hell, and to expect him to eulogize every devastating loss is to expect a lot.…

When Did Churchill Read “Mein Kampf”?

15 September 2021 Comments 1 Comment

Q: Mein Kampf

“Of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, Churchill wrote in his war memoirs:

…there was no book which deserved more careful study from the rulers, political and military, of the Allied Powers. All was there—the programme of German resurrection, the technique of party propaganda; the plan for combating Marxism; the concept of a National-Socialist State; the rightful position of Germany at the summit of the world. Here was the new Koran of faith and war: turgid, verbose, shapeless, but pregnant with its message.[1]

“But he writes nothing about it before this. When did he first read Mein Kampf, and did he have any early reaction to it?”…

Churchill’s Consistency: Politics Before Country (Part 2)

20 August 2021 Comments 0 Comments

Consistency in Politics…

…was a theme of Churchill’s, and he often wrote about it. He made many mistakes, but throughout his career he was seldom guilty of lacking consistency. Continued from Part 1…

“Much better if he had never lived”

Churchill maintained friendly relations with Baldwin until Baldwin died in 1947. Nevertheless—which was rare for him—he never forgave and never forgot. In June 1947 he made an astonishing statement: “I wish Stanley Baldwin no ill, but it would have been much better if he had never lived.” Official biographer Martin Gilbert wrote that this was not Churchill’s usual consistency, but exactly the opposite:

In my long search for Churchill few letters have struck a clearer note than this one.…