Appeasement reimagined

It is August 9, 1941 and Winston Churchill is finally meeting Franklin Roosevelt (FDR), the American president elected for an unprecedented third term in November 1940. Though right in the middle of the summer months, the weather is cool, almost a pathetic fallacy accompanying the tension in the air. Churchill, wearing his favourite military outfit, is feeling increasingly fearful of the situation in Europe.

It is almost two years since Germany invaded Poland, with Britain and France declaring war on Germany. But, in June 1940, France fell to Germany, leaving Britain as the last major European power resisting Hitler.

Churchill became prime minister in May 1940 and is refusing to negotiate peace with Hitler, vowing to fight on alone. Britain is surviving the Blitz but remains in a perilous position. Three months ago, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union.

There is only one way to reverse the Nazi menace – American help. Roosevelt was sympathetic to Britain but would not enter the war. Many Americans, including members of Congress and the public, opposed entering another European war.

The America First Committee, led by figures like Charles Lindbergh, pushed for strict neutrality. FDR had, up to now, ingeniously circumvented this. The Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement and the Lend-Lease Act allowed the US to lend or lease military supplies to Britain and, later, the Soviet Union. By mid-1941, the US navy was increasingly engaged in escorting British convoys in the Atlantic, though officially still neutral.

Churchill has just transferred from HMS Prince of Wales and is meeting with FDR onboard USS Augusta in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. On the agenda is the Atlantic Charter, which will determine US support for the UK, outlining the goals for the war and emphasising the principles of freedom, self-determination, peace and cooperation.  

This meeting is over. I find your affront very disrespectful. Come back when you’re ready for peace. In a suit.

Let’s stop stating facts here for the moment and rewrite history. The dialogue between the two leaders has just started:

Churchill seizes the moment and, with his reassuring voice, tells FDR: “Mr President, Europe’s war is a global war, the future of humanity is at stake.”

Roosevelt, usually warm and reassuring, is still not sensing any danger beyond the Atlantic. Unfazed, he chides his counterpart: “Prime Minister, I must tell you plainly: this war of yours is spiralling out of control. Hitler may be a menace but Britain’s stubborn refusal to make peace is dragging the world into a catastrophe. You are provoking a global conflict.”

Churchill’s face is now turning red. To contain himself, he opens another Romeo y Julieta cigar and starts puffing profusely. Then, with a slight tremble, not from fear but feeling the weight on his shoulders, retorts: “Mr President, with all due respect, are you suggesting we yield? That we bow before a dictator who has already crushed half of Europe?”

Roosevelt exhales, shakes his head, and calmly but surely reproaches Churchill:

“Prime Minister, I’m saying you’re being reckless. You don’t have the cards right now. Every speech you give, every battle you fight – you’re escalating the situation. You should have accepted Hitler’s offer of peace and pursued a negotiated settlement. Your stubbornness is what will push this war into an inferno. Your endless calls for American aid will drag my country into a war and we have no interest in fighting. You could start World War II.”

Churchill is now burning with fury. He adjusts his coat and protests:

“Mr President, we are at war. As of today, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia and Greece are under Nazi occupation. As our families go to sleep at night, the Luftwaffe is raining bombs on London. A peace settlement is a surrender and that is not an option. I am certainly not provoking war. It is Hitler who has waged war on civilisation itself. You might not feel the risk now  but the Axis of power might threaten you too.”

Roosevelt sighs at Churchill’s intransigence.

“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. You are leading Britain down a dangerous path. You’re forcing Germany’s hand, making them fight to the death. You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out – and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty but you’ll fight it out.”

Churchill straightens his back. He places his hat on his head and stares directly into Roosevelt’s eyes: “History will judge us both, Mr President. I would rather be accused of provoking war than be remembered as a man who stood idly by while tyranny reigned.”

Irked by Churchill’s defiance, FDR seeks the last word.

“Then this meeting is over. I find your affront very disrespectful. Come back when you’re ready for peace. In a suit.”

At this point, Churchill walks away, leaving behind a silence thick with tension. He alights and transfers back to HMS Prince of Wales.

As Churchill walks away with a crushing wave of frustration, humiliation and disbelief weigh heavily on him. His heart is pounding not from fear but from the deep sting of being chastised by a leader who once stood as a pillar of support.

The sting of condescension, the sense of abandonment and the looming dread of facing Hitler on his own fills him with horror and consternation.

His mind races with the sheer irony of it all. He had come seeking help, only to be scolded as though he were the instigator rather than the defender.

Agonised and distraught, but with a deep sense of foreboding, he returns to Britain.

Four months after this meeting, on December 7, 1941, Japan attacks Pearl Harbour.

George Vital Zammit

George Vital Zammit is resident academic at the Department of Policy, Politics and Governance, University of Malta.