![]() ![]() Hong Kong fell to Japanese forces on Christmas Day. Roosevelt good humoredly retorted “Nonsense, you can do as much with powdered egg as with real egg.” Some joker then asked “How do you fry powdered egg?” During their Christmas Eve party, after much champagne and as they settled down to brandy, Churchill teased Roosevelt that America had sent too much powdered egg. When Churchill was asked by a reporter how long would it take to win the war, he replied, “If we manage it well, it will only take half as long as if we manage it badly.” ![]() Importantly, Churchill and Roosevelt presented a united front with the American media. Describe Churchill’s and Roosevelt’s time together during the Christmas season.Ĭhurchill and the British chiefs of staff spent three weeks with Roosevelt and the US chiefs of staff, during which time there was a mixture of hard work and social events. Major strategic aims were discussed and decided, but there was also much social and personal interaction between the two heads-of-state. It was agreed that the defeat of Hitler and Mussolini would be the top priority. Roosevelt reassured him that he would stick to Europe-first, though under pressure from Churchill, it would soon turn into a Mediterranean-first strategy. ![]() He was understandably anxious that America might prioritize the campaign in the Pacific and reduce or cut off military aid. It was vital that the two political leaders find common cause on how to win the war.Ĭhurchill, in light of the Japanese rampaging through the Pacific, was anxious that America stick to its professed Europe-first strategy. Undoubtedly Churchill’s emergency visit helped to energize and focus Roosevelt and the US chiefs of staff. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt really had better things to do than host Churchill, but he knew that another face-to-face meeting was important. Was the famous Christmas 1941 visit by Churchill planned before the attack on Pearl Harbor, or was it hastily put together in reaction to it? What were Churchill’s goals for the encounter? He was fed up with America violating its own neutrality policy by favoring Germany’s enemies with financial support, weapons, and training facilities. However, Hitler then did Churchill a quite remarkable favor on December 11 by declaring war on America. While Churchill was relieved that Britain would not be fighting alone in the Far East, it would not benefit from American intervention in the Mediterranean and Europe. The American oil embargo against Japan for its incursions into Indochina indicated that the Japanese might also lash out against America. What he did not know was whether they would only attack British and Dutch interests. They had issued the Atlantic Charter that set out a series of broad American and British goals for the postwar world.īy the end of the year Churchill knew that war was brewing in the Far East thanks to British intelligence, which was monitoring Japanese fleet and troop movements. This had left 11 dead and 22 wounded.Ĭhurchill initially hoped that President Roosevelt would declare war on Germany and Italy in August 1941, when the pair met at Placentia Bay to discuss the situation in Europe. Crucially, though, Roosevelt refrained from also declaring war on Germany, despite the provocation of a U-boat attack on the USS Kearny in mid-October 1941. ![]() Immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill declared war on Japan. Was he sleeping easy the nights of December 8, 9, or 10? Anthony Tucker-Jones, author of the newly released Churchill, Master and Commander, interviewed by Jeremy Collins, Director of Conferences and Symposia at The National WWII Museum.Ĭhurchill reflected upon his reaction to the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor and said he “slept the sleep of the saved.” Obviously, his spirits were elevated now that the United States was in the war, but tell us about those days, from December 8 through December 11, when there was no declaration of war between the Americans and Germans. ![]()
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