"...3/4 of the population of the world imagine that Winston Churchill is one of the Strategists of History, a second Marlborough, and the other 1/4 have no conception what a public menace he is and has been throughout this war! It is far better that the world should never know, and never suspect the feet of clay of that otherwise superhuman being. Without him England was lost for a certainty, and with him England has been on the verge of disaster time and again."
~ Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke, Chief of Churchill's Imperial General Staff, diary entry 10 September, 1944
2 comments:
That's one of the most reasonable criticisms of Churchill I've seen, arguing he was far from perfect, but also acknowledging he was crucial in England's continued survival.
In terms of England being "on the verge of disaster time and time again", would that likely not apply to *any* leader in power at the time, given how close England came to losing the war?
I've just finished Alanbrooke's diary and that criticism of Churchill was not unusual. He only wrote the diary for his wife and started by requesting it not be published. However, he agreed to it being published after finding Churchill's account of the war somewhat 'problematic'. He didn't have much time for the strategic thinking of any politician or many generals - except for one - Stalin. That surprised me...
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