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00:00To be continued...
00:46In January 1943, Churchill flew to North Africa
00:49to greet the victor of Alamein, General Bernard Montgomery,
00:53and to celebrate the defeat of Rome by the Eighth Army.
00:56The man who had fought as a subaltern in the Middle East 40 years earlier
01:00was more than a little proud to be among the soldiers who had won victory in the desert.
01:05He told them that his directive to General Montgomery,
01:09brief and very much to the point, had been
01:11Sweep Rommel out of Africa.
01:13The Eighth Army had done so.
01:18In Tripoli, Churchill took the salute at the first victory parade of the war.
01:22The Desert Army had proved to the world that the invincible German war machine could be defeated.
01:41It was an awfully good parade.
01:43It was astonishing that these soldiers could emerge from the desert looking so superb.
01:49I mean, their kit, obviously, new issue for the parade, I should think.
01:53Both the New Zealanders and the 51st Highland Division,
01:57who did the two marches past Churchill and Alex and Monty, etc., etc.,
02:03they did march absolutely superbly.
02:09Churchill was obviously very moved, so he stood there with the tears pouring down his cheeks
02:14while he watched this.
02:17It was very moving for everybody.
02:22The final victory in North Africa took longer than Churchill expected.
02:26It had taken six months from Alamein to the surrender of all German and Italian forces in North Africa.
02:32The sense of victory was in the air, Churchill recalled.
02:35Britain was now master of the North African shores.
02:40The African war is over.
02:44Mussolini's African empire and Corporal Hitler's strategy are alike exploding.
02:52The proud German army has once again proved the truth of the saying,
02:57the Hun is always either at your throat or your feet.
03:00One continent, at least, has been cleansed and purged forever from fascists or Nazi tyrannists.
03:09It is interesting to compute what these performances have cost these two wicked men
03:14and those who have been their tools or their dukes.
03:18The African excursions of the two dictators have cost their countries in killed and captured 950,000 soldiers.
03:29Churchill told the troops,
03:31after the war, when a man is asked what he did,
03:34it will be quite sufficient to say,
03:36I marched and fought with the Desert Army.
03:39In Tunis, German prisoners were paraded before him.
03:42In this procession, there was an immaculate German general
03:48who was sitting rigidly, looking neither to the right or the left,
03:52and an officer by his side, and they were sitting there.
03:58In this German open staff car, no petrol, it was being towed along by a mule.
04:06And as they passed the place where Winston and the entourage were standing,
04:13the general, I suppose, in a foreign salute, sort of denies right Churchill.
04:19Churchill looked straight at this man,
04:21and they both, for a moment, started to burst out laughing,
04:25and then the moment had gone.
04:27But it was just one of those little human touches
04:32that both responsible men, a prime minister and an enemy general,
04:37saw the ludicrous aspect of the situation at the same moment.
04:49The troops put as much energy into the cheering
04:51as they had done into the fighting.
04:53Three cheers were simply not enough.
05:00On the home front, Churchill's presence was vital to the war effort.
05:04He had come to represent the country's spirit of endurance and resolution,
05:08at a time when the road to victory still seemed a long one,
05:11and the hardship and danger from German raids made life a relentless grind.
05:19But the king and the cabinet also played their part.
05:23While Churchill was the undisputed war leader,
05:25to run the country he depended on what he called the Grand Coalition,
05:29a war cabinet of conservatives, Labour and Liberals.
05:33He relied particularly on his deputy prime minister
05:36and former Labour opponent, Clement Attlee.
05:41He certainly respected Attlee and his ability as an organiser.
05:46And Attlee was on the spot and could totally be trusted too
05:50with anything if Winston wanted to go away or had to go away.
05:53He was absolutely safe to leave Attlee there.
05:56Churchill was the leader.
05:58He made the grand speeches, the figurehead, magnificent figurehead.
06:02And Attlee did most of the cabinet work.
06:06He was really the mid-managed-managed the cabinet
06:10and smoothed over all the difficulties and troubles.
06:13He was very-did a much more important job
06:16and has generally been recognised.
06:18Whenever Churchill went abroad or was unavailable,
06:22Attlee, as deputy prime minister,
06:25took the chair at the cabinet
06:27and was a very good stand-in
06:30because he was as business-like as Churchill was diffuse.
06:35Churchill wasted...
06:36I mean, the number of man-hours he must have wasted
06:39one way or another was quite incredible,
06:41but that was his working method.
06:42Attlee, very crisp, precise,
06:45and got through the business very well.
06:47And there was really a very, very good understanding
06:50between those two wildly different men.
06:57In May 1943, Churchill left Attlee in charge again
07:00to travel to America.
07:02It was vital for the Americans to commit themselves
07:05to an invasion of the German stronghold in Europe.
07:08Churchill had also to reassure the Americans
07:10of British support in the war against Japan.
07:14And here, let me say,
07:17let no-one suggest
07:19that we have, we British,
07:22have not at least as great an interest
07:24as the United States
07:26in the unkinshing and relentless
07:29waging of war against Japan.
07:43And I am here to tell you
07:44that we will wage that war
07:47side by side with you
07:49in accordance with the best strategic employment
07:52of our bosses
07:54while there is breath in our bodies
07:56and while blood flows in our bones.
08:01Churchill and Roosevelt planned
08:02the next stages of the war.
08:04America would send troops to Britain
08:05for a cross-channel assault in 1944.
08:08Most important, and most secret of all,
08:11Britain and the United States
08:12would work together to build an atomic bomb.
08:15Churchill stayed at the White House.
08:18His eccentricities surprised his host.
08:21Winston Churchill used to love to take baths
08:25and he would do that in front of his aides
08:30and, as a matter of fact,
08:33he used to smoke cigar when he was in the bathtub.
08:36And on one occasion,
08:38my father was wheeled in
08:40to Mr. Churchill's bathroom
08:44and had been told that Mr. Churchill was there
08:47and that he could go right in.
08:49And he went in
08:51and he came into the room
08:53and he saw that Mr. Churchill was in the bathtub
08:56and he said,
08:58Oh, excuse me, I'll come back in a few minutes.
09:00And Mr. Churchill rose majestically
09:04out of the bathtub
09:05and stepped out of the bathtub
09:07and without ever putting a towel around him
09:11or anything said,
09:12The Prime Minister has nothing to hide
09:15from the President of the United States, sir.
09:18I do not intend to be responsible
09:21for any suggestion
09:22that the war is won
09:23or that it will soon be over.
09:26That it will be won by us, I am sure.
09:32But how and when cannot be foreseen
09:35still less foretold.
09:37If there was a big speech
09:40about three days in advance,
09:42the Prime Minister would go broody.
09:44You couldn't get him to do any work.
09:46Urgent stuff was just ignored.
09:49And he just went into a sort of daze.
09:55And then quite suddenly,
09:56one evening, about six o'clock,
09:59he'd make some flippant remark like,
10:01I shall need two young ladies tonight.
10:04And with a tinkle in his eye.
10:06Which meant that both his shorthand typists,
10:09who usually alternated,
10:10both beyond duty.
10:12And after dinner,
10:14he would sit down,
10:15say at about half past nine,
10:17and he would dictate
10:20for about an hour,
10:22just straight off like that.
10:24The way he created his speech
10:25was a wonderful bit of creativity.
10:30It was exactly like
10:32a director of a great orchestra.
10:35I always enjoyed it.
10:38He would march up and down
10:40using his cigar as a baton,
10:43trying out different words
10:46for their rhythm,
10:49discarding some,
10:50whispering to himself.
10:52But when he finally got the rhythm,
10:55then he would go on with the speech.
10:59And that was a moment
11:01that I really enjoyed.
11:03As I say,
11:04it was like seeing
11:07a great piece of music.
11:10People, you know,
11:11supposed that he was naturally an orator.
11:15But he really wasn't.
11:16He came of the hardest work
11:18I've ever seen.
11:19I remember one in particular,
11:21which he wrote himself.
11:23He didn't dictate it.
11:25He tried and tried and tried
11:27one evening,
11:29but it just would not come.
11:31And finally he dismissed me.
11:34And in the morning,
11:35he said,
11:36come back at half past eight,
11:37which I did in the morning.
11:38And I went up to his room,
11:41expecting to have some dictation.
11:43But he was sitting up in bed,
11:45having his breakfast
11:45with papers strewn all over the room.
11:49And looking very happy indeed,
11:51beaming.
11:52And he said,
11:53I've laid an egg.
11:55By singleness of purpose,
11:58by steadlessness of conduct,
11:59by tenacity and endurance,
12:02such as we have so far displayed,
12:05by these and only by these,
12:08can we discharge our duty
12:10to the future of the world
12:12and to the destiny of man.
12:21Churchill took the controls
12:26of the flying boat
12:27as it flew across the Atlantic.
12:28When he says that Britain's going to win,
12:30who is that man
12:32with the big cigar
12:34whose greatest friend
12:36is FDR
12:38He's known around
12:41from near and far
12:43that Superman
12:45with the big cigar
12:49As a result of his many travels,
12:51particularly to America,
12:52Churchill was now the subject
12:53of music hall jokes.
12:55We've had some grand trips.
12:57But it's been wonderful.
12:58I'm very thrilled to be here.
12:59I really have nothing new
13:00to report from the States.
13:01You know, the States,
13:01that's where Churchill lives.
13:02Because I, uh...
13:10Well, he doesn't exactly live there.
13:11He just goes back once in a while
13:12to deliver Mrs. Roosevelt's laundry.
13:19But he really travels, doesn't he?
13:21Boy, he's been around.
13:22He's been to Casablanca
13:23more than Humphrey Bogart.
13:26Behind the humour
13:27lay the reality of war.
13:29In Hamburg,
13:3042,000 Germans
13:31were killed by British bombers
13:33in a single night.
13:35We have inflicted
13:36shattering damage
13:38and we are inflicting
13:40shattering damage
13:41upon the German cities
13:43which are the centres
13:45of munition production.
13:48Which combined with other blows
13:51may well be the precursor
13:54of decisive events
13:56in the European struggle.
14:03The British people
14:04were beginning to believe
14:05that Churchill's promises
14:06of victory
14:06would now be fulfilled.
14:10In London,
14:11he contrasted
14:12the optimism of the present
14:13with the pessimism of the past
14:15in a speech at the Guildhall.
14:17Three years ago,
14:19all over the world,
14:21friend and foe alike,
14:24everyone who had not
14:26the eye of faith
14:27might well have deemed
14:28our speedy ruin
14:31was at hand.
14:33Against the triumphant might
14:36of Hitler
14:37with a greedy Italian
14:39at his tail,
14:42we stood alone
14:44with resources
14:46so slender
14:47that one shudders
14:48to enumerate them
14:50even now.
14:53I cannot go farther today
14:55than to say
14:56that it is very probable
14:57there will be heavy fighting
14:59in the Mediterranean
15:00and elsewhere
15:01before the leaves
15:02of autumn fall.
15:05In July 1943,
15:07Allied forces
15:08invaded Sicily,
15:09the first step
15:10in the attack
15:11on the European mainland.
15:12It was a risky operation
15:14across the open sea.
15:16Churchill waited up
15:17all night for news.
15:19It was a very,
15:20very tense
15:21and torturous
15:22night for him.
15:24He was so preoccupied
15:27with that night
15:31with whether it would be
15:32a success or a failure
15:34and I'm sure
15:35that he related it
15:36to Gallipoli,
15:38the Dardanelles
15:39and was wondering
15:41if another fiasco
15:44could happen.
15:47But then we'd go on
15:48playing basique
15:49and he'd talk
15:49about other things
15:50but he would always
15:51then sit down
15:52the cards
15:53and talk about
15:54the young people
15:56and the sacrifices
15:58that they were being
15:58asked to make.
16:00But at four,
16:02in the morning
16:03they came in
16:05to say
16:06the winds had dropped
16:07and the landings
16:10were taking place
16:11and that it was
16:12all going smoothly.
16:16After fierce fighting,
16:18Sicily was overrun.
16:20Now Italy
16:21was the target.
16:24Together,
16:25the British
16:26and United States
16:27forces
16:28have conquered
16:30Sicily,
16:31Sardinia,
16:33Corsica
16:33and a third of Italy.
16:41Churchill was now 69
16:42and the strains
16:44of war were enormous.
16:46The more the pressure
16:47on him grew,
16:48the more irrepressible
16:49and demanding
16:50he became.
16:52Well,
16:53he really never knew
16:53from one day
16:54to the next
16:54what sort of life
16:55he was going to lead
16:56and he was quite capable
16:57of wanting some
16:59almost unfindable document
17:00at three o'clock
17:01in the morning
17:01so one really had to know
17:02what everything was.
17:04The numbers of private
17:05secretaries therefore
17:06increased.
17:08The tempo increased.
17:11We tried to arrange
17:12our lives
17:13in such a way
17:14that we had
17:14a day or two
17:15off every fortnight
17:17but I can
17:18often remember
17:21periods of the war
17:21when one was working
17:22or was on duty
17:23anyhow
17:24for 18 or 19 hours
17:25a day.
17:27Sometimes starting
17:28Churchill,
17:28Lucy,
17:28would start work
17:29about 8 in the morning
17:31and he very often
17:31didn't go to bed
17:32until 4 or even 5
17:33the following morning
17:34but he always had
17:35a nice little sleep
17:36in the afternoon
17:38when the wretched
17:38private secretaries
17:39couldn't very well
17:40do the same
17:41because they had
17:42so much to catch up
17:43with and also
17:43the telephones
17:44were ringing
17:44and so on.
17:46He was so accustomed
17:48to stress
17:49all his life
17:49he just got used
17:51to it
17:51but I don't think
17:53there was any
17:54immediate secret.
17:56His own remark
17:57about it
17:57when I asked him
17:58how he managed
17:59to wind down
18:01so easily
18:01in the evening
18:02when some of us
18:03didn't sleep
18:03all that well
18:04he said
18:05well I just go
18:06to bed
18:07and turn out
18:08the light
18:09and say
18:09bugger everybody
18:10and go to sleep.
18:12One morning
18:13when Mr Churchill
18:14was working
18:15in bed
18:16I was sitting
18:17behind the typewriter
18:18as usual
18:18waiting for dictation
18:20there was a little
18:21grey Persian cat
18:22which belonged
18:23in the flat
18:24and Smokey
18:26his name
18:26he always came in
18:28to share breakfast
18:29with Mr Churchill
18:30and afterwards
18:31he would sit
18:32on the bed
18:33while the secret
18:34documents came out
18:35of the secret
18:36locking black box
18:37and were thrown
18:38on the bed
18:39and covered Smokey
18:40who would be
18:41sleeping there
18:42this morning
18:43there was a
18:44great crisis on
18:45and Mr Churchill
18:47was talking
18:47very seriously
18:49to Sir Alan Brooke
18:50on the telephone
18:50and Smokey
18:52was sitting on the bed
18:53but this morning
18:54he wasn't sleeping
18:55he was crouched there
18:57watching Mr Churchill's
18:58toes
18:58which were twiddling
18:59under the blanket
19:01and I saw
19:03his tail
19:03Smokey's tail
19:05switching
19:05and I wondered
19:06what was going
19:07to happen
19:07and suddenly
19:08he pounced
19:09on Mr Churchill's
19:10toes
19:10and bit right
19:12through the blanket
19:12and Mr Churchill
19:14had such a fright
19:15and he gave
19:15a great kick
19:16and he shouted
19:17get off you fool
19:18and Smokey
19:20did a sort of
19:20double somersault
19:21onto the floor
19:23and Mr Churchill
19:25who was very fond
19:26of Smokey
19:26then saw him
19:27sitting there
19:28a little dismayed
19:29so he said
19:30poor little thing
19:32and poor Sir Alan Brooke
19:33couldn't think
19:34what was happening
19:34so he hastily hung up
19:36and telephoned through
19:37to the private secretary
19:38and said
19:39please
19:39will you go
19:40into the bedroom
19:40and see what I've done
19:42I must have upset
19:43the prime minister
19:44terribly
19:44because suddenly
19:46he shouted
19:46get off you fool
19:47and then he said
19:49poor little thing
19:49so I don't know
19:51what's going on
19:54as the pressures grew
19:56so did Churchill's
19:57need for creature comforts
19:59he would have
20:00generally a bottle
20:00of champagne
20:01at lunch
20:03followed by
20:05some brandy
20:06and then he would
20:07go off to his rest
20:09and when he came
20:10down again
20:12he never drank tea
20:13or anything of that sort
20:14he used to
20:16from then on
20:17until dinner
20:18he would sip
20:18very weak
20:20whiskey and water
20:21or whiskey and soda
20:24very weak
20:25and then
20:26at dinner
20:27he would always
20:28have a glass
20:28bottle of champagne
20:31and some more brandy
20:33and then he would
20:35if necessary
20:36later in the evening
20:37he would go on
20:38with the weak
20:38whiskey and soda
20:41but it was
20:42I suppose
20:43if you added it up
20:44it was a fair amount
20:45of drink
20:46but I never saw him
20:48in the slightest degree
20:49the worst for wear
20:50and he never had a hangover
20:53because when he woke up
20:55in the morning
20:55he was always
20:56absolutely
20:57as bright as a button
20:58the other thing
20:59I think was of great
21:01importance
21:01was he had a very good appetite
21:03he ate a lot
21:05and these people
21:07who suffer from
21:08drink
21:09and cirrhosis
21:10of the liver
21:10and so on
21:11they lose their appetites
21:12and start not eating enough
21:19on the eastern front
21:20the Russian armies
21:21had thrown back
21:22Hitler's forces
21:22from the gates of Moscow
21:23at Stalingrad
21:25the Germans
21:25had suffered
21:26their greatest defeat
21:27since Alamein
21:29160,000 German soldiers
21:31were killed
21:32and 90,000
21:33sent as prisoners
21:34of war
21:34to Siberia
21:37in November 1943
21:39Churchill, Stalin
21:40and Roosevelt
21:40the big three
21:41held their first meeting
21:43together
21:43in Tehran
21:45Churchill had brought
21:46a gift for Stalin
21:47from King George VI
21:48to mark the heroic
21:50Russian resistance
21:51at Stalingrad
21:52I was there
21:53as interpreter
21:56and when we came
21:57into the big hall
21:57the British were already
21:59gathered there
21:59all of them
22:00were there already
22:01this of course
22:02was the sword
22:02presented by the king
22:03on behalf of the people
22:04of Britain
22:04the sword
22:06in a big basket
22:08was brought in
22:09and also
22:10very solemnly
22:12opened
22:12so that everybody
22:13could look at it
22:14and then it was
22:16taken out
22:17and
22:17the sword
22:19was taken out
22:20and was then
22:22given to Churchill
22:23first
22:24and then Churchill
22:25presented it
22:26to Stalin
22:27and Stalin
22:28somehow
22:29a little bit awkwardly
22:30took it
22:31so that the handle
22:32was below
22:32so the sword
22:34fell out of it
22:35to the floor
22:35but immediately
22:36it was certainly
22:37when a shield
22:38came here
22:39it was immediately
22:39raised
22:40but then Stalin
22:41also made a gesture
22:42by taking out
22:44a little bit
22:44the sword
22:45and then he
22:46had kissed the blade
22:49Churchill was worried
22:50Russia might make a
22:51separate peace
22:52with Germany
22:52he also realised
22:54that Stalin had aims
22:55in Europe
22:56beyond the defeat
22:57of Hitler
22:57we were fighting
22:59a desperate war
23:00against Hitler
23:02we couldn't beat
23:03Hitler
23:03without the Russians
23:05help
23:05it was quite possible
23:06the Russians might
23:07have made a
23:08separate peace
23:09there were moments
23:09there were hints
23:10of that
23:12and the early days
23:14as we now know
23:15it's suddenly been
23:15revealed quite recently
23:18Stalin was offering
23:19Hitler the Ukraine
23:20if he'd stop invading
23:21Russia
23:22well that was when
23:23he was in the extreme
23:25peril of losing
23:26the whole war
23:28even by Tehran
23:29it was quite possible
23:30that the Russians
23:31might make a separate
23:33peace
23:33not to be excluded
23:35and it was
23:36essential
23:37for the safety
23:38of this country
23:38to keep Russia
23:39in the war
23:39and fighting
23:40against Germany
23:42Churchill
23:42once the leader
23:43of the alliance
23:44was now becoming
23:45the junior partner
23:45the shift in power
23:47was noticeable
23:48within the big three
23:52Roosevelt
23:54had realised
23:55that the American
23:57strength
23:57was now really
23:58beginning to
23:59overtop our strength
24:01by a long way
24:02that they were
24:03the big boys
24:04and that they were
24:05going to be
24:05the only great power
24:07other than the Russians
24:08at the end of the war
24:09and he thought
24:11that he could handle
24:12Stalin
24:14Churchill now knew
24:16that Stalin
24:16would expect
24:17the countries
24:17of Central and Eastern
24:18Europe
24:19and particularly Poland
24:20as the prize of victory
24:22he was surprised
24:23that Roosevelt
24:24showed little interest
24:25in the future
24:25of Eastern Europe
24:27returning to Cairo
24:28Churchill had already
24:30conceded that
24:30Eastern Poland
24:31would go to Russia
24:32for the sake
24:33of maintaining
24:34the alliance
24:35we were beginning
24:36to appreciate
24:37that the Soviets
24:38were not exclusively
24:40interested in
24:41the destruction
24:42of Hitler
24:42but wanted to take
24:44over Eastern Europe
24:45for their own
24:45Soviet empire
24:47and Churchill came back
24:48from the Tehran conference
24:49and there was a
24:50meeting one evening
24:52in Mr. Chester
24:54beat his villa
24:54outside the pyramid
24:55and I was only
24:57a backroom boy
24:58but at that meeting
24:59he was heard
25:01to say
25:03Oliver Cromwell
25:04was a great man
25:07but he made
25:07a great mistake
25:09obsessed
25:10with the power
25:11of Spain
25:11he failed
25:13to observe
25:13the rise
25:14of France
25:15will they
25:16say this
25:17of me
25:19what he meant
25:20was he was
25:20beginning to question
25:21whether his
25:22concentration
25:23on the defeat
25:24of Hitler
25:24was blinding him
25:26and others
25:28to the Soviet danger
25:30which was already
25:30looming over the horizon
25:32and he was already
25:33looking to the
25:34post-war situation
25:35and he had a very
25:37real fear
25:38of what Stalin
25:40and the Russians
25:42intended
25:43for Eastern Europe
25:44and indeed
25:45for Western Europe
25:46if they had a chance
25:48Churchill now began
25:50to show signs
25:50of extreme exhaustion
25:52in North Africa
25:53he contracted pneumonia
25:54and nearly died
25:56Lord Moran
25:57who was
25:58then his
25:59doctor
26:00and was with them
26:02said
26:03he really
26:04can't go on
26:05and my father
26:06who
26:07up to then
26:08had
26:08said
26:09no absolutely
26:10I'm going on
26:11and you know
26:12fought
26:12any suggestion
26:14that he should
26:15ease up
26:16he must have
26:17been feeling
26:17very ill
26:18because he
26:18jacked it in
26:20then
26:20and said
26:20no I can't
26:21go any further
26:22Lord Moran
26:23sent for
26:24nurses
26:25and for some
26:26specialists
26:28and I think
26:29he was put on
26:29M&B
26:30which was quite
26:31a new thing
26:32then for
26:33pneumonia
26:35but he was so ill
26:36that for once
26:37he really
26:39couldn't work
26:41of course
26:41he had very good
26:42attention
26:43but I think
26:44it was his own
26:45willpower
26:46I mean he was
26:46determined
26:47to see
26:48the war through
26:50and I think
26:51his willpower
26:51did as much
26:52as the medical
26:54assistance
26:55that he had
26:56I remember
26:57on Christmas
26:57day
26:58he had
26:58so many
26:59generals
26:59to send
27:01on Carthage
27:02and they were
27:03all together
27:03and not the
27:06usual sort
27:06of non-stop
27:10meetings
27:10but they were
27:11all talking
27:12about the war
27:13and strategy
27:14and all that
27:14sort of thing
27:15so by this time
27:15we knew he
27:16was getting better
27:21back in England
27:22after an absence
27:23of over two months
27:23Mr Churchill
27:24arrives in London
27:25fit and well again
27:26our little island
27:28just wasn't
27:28complete without him
27:29his illness
27:30had in fact
27:30taken its toll
27:31although he seemed
27:33fit again
27:33underneath
27:34he was still
27:35worn out
27:37he was rather
27:39a shadow
27:40of his usual self
27:41so quiet
27:42and lamb-like
27:44and kind
27:45and one long
27:46for the old
27:47sort of roar
27:48and snap
27:49and bite
27:49and we were
27:51all so relieved
27:52when he got over it
27:54throughout Britain
27:55over a million men
27:56British
27:57Canadian
27:57American
27:58Poles
27:59Czechs
28:00and others
28:00were training
28:01for the assault
28:01on Hitler's
28:02fortress Europe
28:03the American
28:04General Eisenhower
28:05was the supreme
28:06commander
28:07of the invasion
28:08forces
28:08which would decide
28:09the outcome
28:10of the war
28:11the hour of our
28:12greatest effort
28:12and action
28:14is approaching
28:14we march
28:16with valiant
28:17allies
28:17who count on us
28:19as we count on them
28:20the magnificent armies
28:22of the United States
28:24are here
28:25or are pouring in
28:26our own troops
28:28the best trained
28:29and best equipped
28:30we have ever had
28:31stand at their side
28:33in equal numbers
28:34and in true
28:35congresship
28:37and when the signal
28:39is given
28:39the whole circle
28:41of avenging nations
28:42will hurl themselves
28:44upon the foe
28:45batter out the life
28:47of the cruelest tyranny
28:49which has ever sought
28:50to bar
28:51the progress
28:52of mankind
28:55privately
28:56Churchill was in anguish
28:57at the risks
28:58of an invasion
28:58on such a vast scale
29:00over open water
29:01he remembered
29:03the slaughter
29:03of the troops
29:04on the beaches
29:04of gallipoli
29:05in 1915
29:11Churchill now absorbed himself
29:12in every detail
29:14of the invasion plan
29:17Churchill thought himself
29:19a very great strategist
29:21he was having lots
29:22and lots of ideas
29:23he was always proposing
29:26a different strategy
29:28from what the chiefs
29:30of staff favoured
29:31one of the reasons
29:32for this
29:32was because
29:33he simply hated
29:34having to accept
29:35the sort of
29:36what we would now call
29:37the establishment view
29:38and thought that
29:39he was cleverer still
29:41and he would argue
29:43and argue
29:44until he'd driven
29:45Brook for example
29:46practically out of his head
29:48just before D-Day
29:49when all the plans
29:51were laid
29:51Churchill came up
29:52with an alternative
29:53to the landings
29:54in Normandy
29:55this proved
29:56the ultimate provocation
29:57for General Alan Brook
29:58chief of the
29:59imperial general staff
30:00Churchill quite suddenly
30:04late one evening
30:07said to whoever
30:08was with him
30:09at the time
30:09why are we doing this
30:11why are we
30:13going to
30:14throw away
30:16the lives
30:17of hundreds
30:18of thousands
30:19of our young men
30:20once again
30:21in invading
30:23the coast of France
30:25why don't we
30:28approach
30:29occupied France
30:30through the territory
30:32of our oldest ally
30:33Portugal
30:33which was of course
30:34neutral
30:36so there was
30:38I think
30:38a rather stunned silence
30:40as to whether
30:41this inquiry
30:42was seriously intended
30:44but it was
30:45and Churchill said
30:46that he wished
30:47to hear the
30:48chiefs of staff
30:49upon this subject
30:50and Alan Brook
30:51couldn't believe it
30:52at first
30:52he was absolutely
30:54furious
30:55that he was
30:55to be invited
30:57to speak to this
30:58as he saw
30:59a total irrelevance
31:00and he said
31:01to his briefer
31:03and you know that
31:04the Pyrenees
31:06I do
31:06I spent my boyhood
31:07there
31:07which he had
31:08I know every track
31:09every road
31:09it's completely
31:10and absolutely
31:11absurd
31:12and impossible
31:13leaving on one side
31:14the political issues
31:16of invading
31:17a neutral country
31:18and opening up
31:19a completely new
31:20theatre of operations
31:23well that's what
31:24the Prime Minister wants
31:25so Alan Brook
31:27said very well
31:28then he shall get it
31:29and all through
31:30that night
31:33the planning staff
31:34were set to
31:36working out
31:37a perfectly
31:39rational
31:40statement
31:41of the pros
31:42and the cons
31:43and the difficulties
31:44and the logistic problems
31:45which would
31:46arise
31:46from such an operation
31:48such an expedition
31:50and next morning
31:53Churchill
31:55adverted
31:56to this point
31:57and Alan Brook
31:59said
31:59right Prime Minister
32:00and he then
32:02gave a completely
32:03cool
32:05objective
32:07factual
32:08account
32:09of the
32:10pros
32:10and cons
32:11there weren't any pros
32:12but all the cons
32:12well set out
32:16for some time
32:18and when he'd
32:20finished that
32:20which was
32:22faultless
32:24he as it were
32:25closed the file
32:26and he looked
32:28at Churchill
32:29and he said
32:29now Prime Minister
32:30I'm going to tell you
32:32what I think
32:33about
32:34your wasting
32:36of the time
32:37of my staff
32:38on absurd
32:40and irresponsible
32:42irrelevances
32:43of that kind
32:44at a time
32:45when we're trying
32:46to conduct
32:46the war
32:47according to
32:47principles
32:48which we have
32:49all
32:49you not least
32:51established
32:52and agreed
32:52for some time
32:53and really
32:54went for him
32:56but nevertheless
32:57one of the great
32:58things about
32:58Churchill
32:59was that he did
33:00in the last resort
33:01never overrule
33:03his chiefs of staff
33:04on a matter
33:05where professionally
33:07they were
33:08as it were
33:08doing their own
33:09duty
33:09he was a man
33:11with imagination
33:13of a remarkable
33:15kind
33:17constant flow
33:18of ideas
33:20some of which
33:21were brilliant
33:21some of which
33:22were not so good
33:24on the other hand
33:25he used to try
33:26his ideas out
33:27on everybody
33:27and sometimes
33:28people thought
33:29that he'd gone mad
33:30and was proposing
33:30to do something
33:31totally idiotic
33:32all he was actually
33:33doing was to
33:34fly a kite
33:35and see how
33:35people reacted
33:40Alan Brooke
33:41used to say
33:42what a wonderful
33:42man he is
33:44he used to
33:45then complain
33:46about him
33:47and sigh
33:47and say
33:48that man
33:49that man
33:49how can I stand it
33:51and then he used
33:51to look up
33:52and smile
33:52and say
33:53but where
33:54would we be
33:54without him
33:57D-day has come
33:58early this morning
34:00the allies
34:00began the assault
34:01on the north-western
34:02face of Hitler's
34:03European fortress
34:03the first official
34:05news came
34:06just after
34:07half past nine
34:08when supreme
34:09headquarters
34:10of the allied
34:10expeditionary force
34:11issued
34:12communique number one
34:13this said
34:14under the command
34:16of general
34:16Eisenhower
34:17allied naval forces
34:19began landing
34:20allied armies
34:20this morning
34:21on the northern
34:22coast of France
34:25Churchill wanted
34:26to be among
34:26the troops
34:26as they landed
34:27he was prevented
34:28from going
34:29in a most
34:29unexpected way
34:31he had decided
34:32that he was going
34:33on D-day
34:33the landings
34:35in Normandy
34:36and he said
34:37I could not see
34:38why I shouldn't
34:39have been
34:39in fitness
34:41preliminary bombardment
34:42and if possible
34:43landed on the
34:44beaches
34:44in the afternoon
34:45and he got
34:46himself
34:46a berth
34:47in HMS
34:48Belfast
34:49the cruiser
34:49which is now
34:50moored off
34:51Tower Bridge
34:52well
34:53one can imagine
34:54the sort of
34:54consternation
34:55this caused
34:56because obviously
34:56it was going to be
34:57pretty risky
34:58and it finally
34:59went up to
35:00Eisenhower
35:00as commanding
35:01supreme
35:02allied commander
35:02but Ike
35:04was given
35:04very short
35:04shrift
35:05when he told
35:06Winston
35:06that he
35:06shouldn't go
35:07he said
35:07you may be
35:08a supreme
35:10allied commander
35:11but you have
35:11no right
35:12to try and
35:12regulate the
35:12complementing
35:13one of his
35:13missions
35:14ships
35:14and I'm
35:14going
35:15and we
35:16wondered
35:16how this
35:17would ever
35:18be solved
35:19and sometimes
35:20I talk to
35:20Americans
35:21I tell them
35:22this is one
35:22of the real
35:22advantages
35:23of a monarchy
35:23because it
35:24was solved
35:24in a way
35:24that none
35:25of us
35:25foresaw
35:28the king
35:28heard about
35:29it
35:29and he came
35:30down to
35:31breakfast
35:32the following
35:33morning
35:34and said
35:35at the
35:35breakfast
35:35table
35:36do you know
35:36what
35:37Winston
35:37wants to
35:38go on
35:38D-Day
35:39he said
35:40damn it
35:40I was a
35:41naval officer
35:41I was at
35:42Jutland
35:42and if
35:43Winston
35:43can go
35:43I can
35:44damn
35:44well
35:44go
35:45and effectively
35:46he said
35:48to Winston
35:48look I can't
35:49stop you
35:50but if you
35:50go I go
35:52and Winston
35:53said I was
35:54too dangerous
35:55for you sir
35:55and the king
35:56said look
35:56if it's too dangerous
35:57for me
35:58it's too dangerous
35:58for you
35:58and you're
35:59more important
35:59in this war
36:00than I am
36:04six days
36:04and you're
36:05going to be
36:07going to be
36:07going to be
36:08going on
36:08for a brief
36:09visit to
36:09Montgomery's
36:10headquarters
36:12Phil Marshall
36:13Montgomery
36:13I don't think
36:14was terribly
36:14keen
36:15to have him
36:15because it
36:16was pretty
36:16dangerous
36:17we were
36:17being
36:17shelled
36:17and so
36:18on
36:19Churchill
36:19wanted to
36:20see what
36:20was going
36:21on
36:21he wanted
36:22to be
36:22right in
36:23the front
36:23line
36:23and
36:25sometimes
36:25and later
36:26on in the war
36:26he got pretty
36:27close to being
36:27in the front
36:28line
36:28and none
36:30of the generals
36:30liked this
36:31you know
36:31this is the
36:32British Prime
36:33Minister
36:33if he'd been
36:35killed
36:35it would have
36:36been very
36:37embarrassing
36:38on the day
36:39Churchill returned
36:40from France
36:41Hitler launched
36:42the first
36:42flying bombs
36:43the V1
36:45Churchill was
36:46warned by
36:47his scientists
36:48that an even
36:49more sinister
36:49weapon the V2
36:50rocket would
36:51soon be used
36:52he suggested
36:53a lethal form
36:54of retaliation
36:55he put this
36:56question before
36:57the chiefs
36:57of staff
36:57would they
36:58please
36:58now they
36:59have a look
36:59at it
37:00shouldn't we
37:01try to stop
37:02this by
37:04threatening
37:04to retaliate
37:05with poison
37:06gas
37:06if they did
37:07bomb us
37:08with the V2
37:10and of course
37:11there's quite a bit
37:12this is quite
37:12well documented
37:13now
37:13it was not
37:14anthrax
37:15which some of
37:15the accounts
37:15have said
37:16it was
37:16poison gas
37:17particularly mustard
37:18gas
37:18and this was
37:20we wouldn't
37:21do it
37:21but we would
37:22threaten
37:23to do this
37:24if they opened
37:24the V2
37:26bombardment
37:27but no one
37:29really supported
37:30him
37:30and the chiefs
37:31of staff
37:32particularly
37:32didn't
37:32and he
37:33of course
37:33he backed
37:34down
37:35the flying bombs
37:37brought a new
37:37terror to Britain
37:38greater even
37:39than the blitz
37:40many were shot
37:41down but some
37:42got through
37:43in nine months
37:44more than 8000
37:45civilians were killed
37:52in October 1944
37:54Churchill made a second
37:55visit to Moscow
38:02I have come here
38:06on a tide of hope
38:10on a tide of assurance
38:12that victory
38:13will be won
38:16that it will not be
38:18indefinitely
38:19withheld
38:19and of hope
38:21that when it is
38:22won
38:22we shall all of us
38:24endeavor to make
38:26the world
38:27a better place
38:28for the great
38:29masses
38:30of human
38:30beings
38:31to live in
38:37the war
38:39and he had come to
38:40reach an agreement
38:41with Stalin
38:41over who would
38:42control Central
38:43and Southern
38:43Europe
38:46while in Moscow
38:47he wrote out his
38:47thoughts
38:48on a single sheet
38:49of paper
38:49this became known
38:51as the naughty
38:52document
38:52Churchill took out
38:54of his pocket
38:55a piece of paper
38:57a rather small
38:58piece of paper
38:59where there was
39:01already written
39:02the several countries
39:05and the percentage
39:08of influence
39:09of the Soviet Union
39:11and Britain
39:12in some cases
39:13America was also
39:14somehow mentioned
39:15but it was not
39:16clear
39:16mostly it was about
39:18Britain and
39:18the Soviet Union
39:20the naughty document
39:21divided five countries
39:23of Europe
39:23into Soviet
39:24and Western
39:24spheres of influence
39:25Romania
39:26Russia 90%
39:28the others 10%
39:29Greece
39:30Great Britain 90%
39:32Russia 10%
39:33Yugoslavia 50-50
39:35Hungary 50-50
39:37Bulgaria
39:38Russia 75%
39:40the others 25%
39:42so Stalin looked
39:44at that
39:45it was quite clear
39:47what it was
39:48about
39:49and then pushed
39:50the paper
39:50back to
39:51Churchill
39:52then there was
39:53silence
39:54silence
39:55he said nothing
39:56at all
39:56and Churchill
39:57was also silent
39:58for some time
39:59and then Churchill
40:00said
40:00something like
40:02maybe we should
40:03destroy this paper
40:05because people
40:06will afterwards
40:07think how we
40:08so easily
40:10decided
40:11and cynically
40:12decided the fate
40:13of millions
40:14of people
40:16and Stalin
40:17said
40:17well why
40:18it's your paper
40:19you said
40:19somebody's
40:20in London
40:21is thinking
40:22about that
40:23so why should
40:24we destroy it
40:25you may just
40:25take it away
40:26with you
40:27having conceded
40:28the eastern part
40:29of Poland
40:30to Stalin
40:30at the Tehran
40:31conference
40:32the year before
40:33Churchill
40:34with his naughty
40:34document
40:35now recognized
40:36Soviet control
40:37of central
40:38and southern
40:38Europe
40:41Churchill felt
40:42that his meetings
40:43with Stalin
40:43here in the Kremlin
40:44had gone well
40:45he wrote home
40:46I've had very nice
40:48talks with the old bear
40:49I like him
40:50the more I see him
40:51but behind
40:52the friendliness
40:53Churchill knew
40:54just how powerless
40:55Britain had become
40:56in the face
40:57of the Soviet bear
40:59Churchill's naughty
41:00document
41:01had revealed
41:02the extent
41:02of his anxieties
41:03the countries
41:04of central
41:05and southern
41:05Europe
41:06were soon
41:07to be occupied
41:07by the Red Army
41:08and to become
41:09satellites
41:10of the Soviet Union
41:11at the same time
41:12Churchill tried
41:13to preserve
41:14what he could
41:14of British influence
41:15it was absolutely
41:17vital
41:17to keep communism
41:19out of Greece
41:19if British
41:20power
41:21in the Mediterranean
41:22were not
41:23to be threatened
41:30in Greece
41:31as the Germans
41:32withdrew
41:32civil war
41:33broke out
41:33between communists
41:34and democrats
41:35Churchill sent troops
41:36to support
41:37the democratic forces
41:38and to make sure
41:39Russia could not
41:40be a threat
41:41to British interests
41:41in the Mediterranean
41:42perhaps it was
41:43a reaction
41:44of a tired man
41:45that he
41:45suddenly got obsessions
41:47as he did over
41:48Greece
41:48in the late autumn
41:50of 1910
41:501944
41:51he was so determined
41:53to save Greece
41:54from a communist
41:57occupation
41:58which was
41:59very genuinely
42:00threatened
42:01that he really
42:02would concentrate
42:02on nothing else
42:03and the cabinet
42:05secretary
42:06and Alec Duggan
42:07and others
42:08came to me
42:08and said
42:09we can't get
42:10any business through
42:11the cabinet
42:11goes on and on
42:12and he talks
42:13on about Greece
42:14Greece
42:14Greece
42:14and through the street
42:16battles
42:17in an armoured vehicle
42:18comes the originator
42:19of this great meeting
42:20Mr Churchill himself
42:24much to Clementine's
42:26dismay
42:26Churchill had decided
42:27to fly to Greece
42:28on Christmas Eve
42:291944
42:30to promote
42:31a non-communist government
42:33when he went
42:35into Athens
42:37for a big conference
42:39at the British embassy
42:40somebody shot at him
42:42missed him
42:42and killed a woman
42:43this upset him
42:45very much
42:46but I think you could say
42:48that he might have been
42:49in mortal danger
42:52Britain's military support
42:53for the democratic forces
42:54saved Greece
42:55Stalin did not intervene
42:57on the side of the communists
42:58this was Churchill's dividend
43:00from the naughty document
43:16in August 1944
43:18Paris had been liberated
43:19by allied forces
43:20including French troops
43:22under General de Gaulle
43:28who had led
43:29the free French forces
43:30since 1940
43:31now returned
43:33to Paris a hero
43:33for four years
43:35Churchill had had to deal
43:36with him
43:37as the representative
43:38of France
43:38he admired de Gaulle's
43:40courage and tenacity
43:42but their relationship
43:43was seldom an easy one
43:44the general
43:45was a very
43:46intransigent
43:48character
43:49and a very
43:50haughty one
43:51and they did have
43:53most awful
43:54up and downers
43:55but I think they
43:56both knew
43:58what the other one
43:59was for
44:00there was one story
44:01about his relationship
44:03with General de Gaulle
44:05which was
44:05uncomfortable
44:08and he was
44:09due to
44:10to meet
44:11de Gaulle
44:11and the officials
44:13around him
44:14were trying to say
44:15you know
44:15be patient
44:16and be careful
44:17and he was striding
44:18up and down
44:18not liking it
44:19at all really
44:20and in the end
44:20he turned around
44:21and said
44:21all right
44:23all right
44:24I'll kiss him
44:24on both cheeks
44:26and on all four
44:27if you prefer it
44:30but all their problems
44:32were forgotten
44:32when Churchill
44:33and de Gaulle
44:34walked together
44:34down the Champs-Elysées
44:38the crowds
44:39in the Champs-Elysées
44:40I'll never forget
44:41it was a marvellous
44:42crisp
44:42cold day
44:44Paris looked so
44:44beautiful
44:45at that time
44:46of the year
44:46and there was
44:48this tremendous
44:49parade
44:50my father
44:51went to the general
44:52to lay a wreath
44:53at the eternal flame
44:54under the Arc de Triomphe
44:55where the unknown
44:57French warrior
44:57lies buried
44:58and then together
45:00they walked down
45:01the Champs-Elysées
45:02and the crowds
45:04went mad
45:05and I must say
45:06it was
45:07a most moving moment
45:08a most moving moment
45:38as the Allies swept
45:39through France
45:40Holland and Belgium
45:41the strains
45:42between the British
45:43and American generals
45:44began to show
45:45the Americans
45:46now provided
45:47two-thirds
45:48of the Allied forces
45:49Churchill had to
45:50remind Montgomery
45:51to control
45:52his resentment
45:53of Eisenhower
45:54his supreme commander
45:56Montgomery's lack
45:57of tact
45:58threatened the Alliance
45:59and often irritated
46:01the Prime Minister
46:01we're at dinner
46:02in the mess
46:04and we were about
46:05halfway through
46:06the soup course
46:08and Phil Marshall
46:09Montgomery said to him
46:10Mr. Prime Minister
46:11would you consider
46:12you were in the
46:13evening of life
46:15and Churchill
46:16was furious
46:17and he
46:18he was
46:19bent over
46:20sucking away
46:20at the soup
46:21and he dropped
46:22the soup spoon
46:22the soup went
46:23all over the table
46:24and he kept
46:25his head down there
46:26for a second or two
46:27and he growled out
46:29perhaps
46:29late afternoon
46:30but certainly
46:31not evening
46:35whether in the
46:36afternoon
46:36or the evening
46:37of his life
46:38Churchill at 70
46:39was still the
46:40warrior at heart
46:41exhilarated by his
46:42visits to the
46:42front line
46:44at dinner that night
46:45one of the officers
46:46on the personal
46:47staff asked him
46:48some questions
46:49about his speeches
46:51and I remember
46:52him saying
46:53I love martial music
46:56I can never
46:56get enough of it
46:57if you lock me
46:58in a room
46:59and you play
47:00enough martial music
47:01and give me lots
47:02to drink
47:02I will write a speech
47:04that will bring tears
47:05to any man's eyes
47:07and in my view
47:09that's true
47:09he could do that
47:12now we all stand
47:15on the threshold
47:18of Germany
47:21and it will take
47:23the full exertion
47:26of the three great
47:27powers
47:28all every strap
47:31of strength
47:32sacrifice
47:34that they can give
47:35to crush
47:37down
47:39the
47:41desperate resistance
47:44which we must
47:45expect
47:46from
47:48the
47:49deadly
47:50military
47:51antagonist
47:52at last
47:54beaten back
47:55so largely
47:57to his own
47:58lair
47:58and I am sure
48:00our soldiers
48:01at the front
48:02who will not be found
48:04incapable of that
48:05extra effort
48:07which is necessary
48:08to crown
48:09all that has been
48:11gained
48:12and above all
48:13to bring
48:14this
48:15frightful
48:16slaughter
48:18and devastation
48:19in Europe
48:20to an end
48:22within
48:24the shortest
48:25possible
48:25period of time
48:28in February 1945
48:30Churchill arrived in the Crimea
48:32to meet Roosevelt and Stalin
48:34he felt a peace settlement
48:36had to be agreed
48:37before the war ended
48:38he was anxious
48:39about the fate of Poland
48:44after a four-hour drive
48:45over bumpy roads
48:46to Yalta
48:47through a countryside
48:48which his daughter Sarah
48:49described as bleak
48:51as the soul
48:51in despair
48:52Churchill reached
48:53the Vorontsov villa
48:54this baronial hall
48:56on the Black Sea
48:57built by a Russian aristocrat
48:59partly in Scottish style
49:00was to be
49:01Churchill's residence
49:02throughout his talks
49:03at Yalta
49:03with Stalin and Roosevelt
49:05Churchill later reflected
49:07we had the world
49:08at our feet
49:0925 million men
49:11marching at our orders
49:12by land and sea
49:14we seemed to be friends
49:17the three most powerful men
49:18in the world
49:19were meeting for the last time
49:21to decide the fate
49:22of millions
49:25Roosevelt was a sick man
49:27he had only weeks
49:28to live
49:30I was quite shocked
49:32when I saw
49:32President Roosevelt
49:33at Yalta
49:34he looked to me
49:35as though
49:35he was a dying man
49:37then
49:37he'd lost weight
49:38he'd lost any colour
49:40that he might have had
49:41he looked as sick
49:42as I have seen
49:43anyone look
49:46the big three
49:47met at the Levadia Palace
49:48once the summer residence
49:50of the Russian Tsar
49:52Stalin's aim
49:53was to get the British
49:54and Americans
49:54to recognise
49:56Russian control
49:56of Central Europe
49:58Roosevelt wanted
49:59Russian support
50:00to defeat Japan
50:01Churchill wanted
50:02the best agreement
50:03he could get
50:04on Poland
50:04Churchill had
50:05moved away
50:06as Roosevelt had
50:08from their initial
50:11suspicion and hostility
50:13into a sort of feeling
50:14of we're all comrades
50:15together
50:15and they had this
50:17rather
50:17to me
50:18rather
50:19fantastic idea
50:20that if you treat
50:21by that time
50:22he was being called
50:23Uncle Joe
50:24which is almost
50:25an affectionate term
50:26if you treated
50:28Uncle Joe
50:28like a member
50:29of the club
50:30one day
50:30he'd behave
50:31like one
50:32which I always felt
50:33was a rather
50:34a false assumption
50:34because he had
50:35a club of his own
50:36and didn't want
50:37to be a country
50:37member of ours
50:38but that had been
50:39the approach
50:40and was still
50:41Roosevelt's approach
50:42at the time
50:42of Yelta
50:44so the conference
50:45began in a friendly way
50:46Stalin agreed to support
50:49Roosevelt in the war
50:50against Japan
50:50he even agreed to
50:52Churchill's request
50:53that France should be
50:54treated as one of the
50:55victorious powers
50:56but Poland had dominated
50:59their discussions
50:59Churchill fought hard
51:01for free and democratic
51:03elections there
51:04he was later criticized
51:05for not fighting hard
51:07enough
51:07to wrest Poland
51:08and entirely
51:09from Stalin's grasp
51:10more of a fight
51:12Churchill fought
51:13like a
51:13we'd had more discussions
51:15at Yelta on Poland
51:16than on any other
51:17single subject
51:19of course he fought
51:20what right
51:21have the Churchill
51:22to give my home
51:24my parents' home
51:26my wife's parents' home
51:29to Russia
51:30what right he had
51:31Churchill definitely
51:33was to blame
51:35because
51:36if he wasn't to blame
51:38he wouldn't sign
51:39any agreement
51:40with Stalin
51:41he would resist
51:45he didn't
51:47well I asked the Pole
51:48what he would have
51:49wanted us to do
51:49effectively
51:50would he have wanted
51:51us to go to war
51:52with Russia
51:52and if so how
51:53I mean
51:54were we to drop
51:55the atom bomb
51:56I mean some Poles
51:57think that Roosevelt
51:58should have threatened
51:59to drop an atom bomb
52:00on the Russians
52:00he only had two
52:01by the way
52:01or three I think
52:02at that time
52:03which were being
52:03reserved for Japan
52:04but then
52:06how could that
52:07have been done
52:08with a public opinion
52:09in America
52:09and Britain
52:12which was full
52:14of gratitude
52:14and admiration
52:15for the Russian
52:17war effort
52:19as Churchill
52:20returned each night
52:21to his villa
52:22after the day's
52:23discussions
52:23it was clear
52:25that the conference
52:26was not going
52:26as well
52:27as he had hoped
52:30when we were
52:31at Yalta
52:31things seemed
52:33different
52:33from all
52:34of the
52:34previous meetings
52:36there wasn't
52:36the same feeling
52:37of enthusiasm
52:38for work
52:39there was
52:40a feeling
52:40of anxiety
52:41Mr. Churchill
52:43was absent
52:43from our office
52:45for much
52:45of the time
52:46with meetings
52:48and when he came
52:50back
52:50he didn't seem
52:51anxious
52:51to do much
52:53dictation
52:53and record
52:55what had gone
52:56on
52:56and one felt
52:57that things
52:58hadn't been
52:59the way he had
53:00wanted them to be
53:01my impression
53:02of Mr. Churchill's
53:04mood at Yalta
53:05was that he was
53:06melancholic
53:09rather depressed
53:13perhaps
53:14he felt
53:15his teeth
53:16were drawn
53:16and he was
53:18not going to have
53:19much influence
53:21over affairs
53:23in the future
53:23it was the two
53:24giants
53:25the
53:27protagonists
53:28the Soviet Union
53:30and the United States
53:32Roosevelt made it
53:33clear to Churchill
53:34that he was not
53:34interested in the fate
53:35of Poland
53:36or Central and Eastern
53:38Europe
53:39Churchill was
53:40isolated and weakened
53:41by lack of
53:42American support
53:43tonight
53:44he told his daughter
53:45as the conference
53:46ended
53:46the sun goes down
53:48on more suffering
53:49than ever in the world
53:51he was by then
53:55the junior partner
53:57in that the United States
53:59had come in
54:00with massive force
54:02and although he
54:04he and Britain
54:05had been in the field
54:06longest
54:08the tragedy
54:09of Yalta
54:10was the failing health
54:11of Roosevelt
54:12and the fact
54:15that he only had
54:15six weeks
54:16more to live
54:17and he allowed
54:20himself to be
54:20flattered by
54:21Stalin
54:22who said
54:23look we can
54:24resolve the problems
54:25of the world
54:26between us
54:26we don't need
54:29this imperialist
54:31and warmonger
54:31Churchill
54:33we can discuss
54:35the world
54:35like two reasonable
54:36businessmen
54:37and this
54:38appealed
54:39to Roosevelt's
54:41vanity
54:41and there were
54:43many conversations
54:43to which
54:44Churchill was not
54:46privy
54:46and above all
54:48what pulled the rug
54:49from under our feet
54:50as an alliance
54:52was the fact
54:53that Roosevelt
54:54announced
54:55to Stalin
54:56that as soon
54:57as the war
54:57was won
54:58the United States
54:59would not hang about
55:00in Europe
55:00that there would be
55:01a massive demobilization
55:03of American troops
55:04and they would be
55:05withdrawn from Europe
55:06and that was music
55:07to Stalin's ears
55:08because he had
55:10no intent
55:10to demobilize
55:12his forces
55:12at all
55:14even General Marshall
55:16Roosevelt's
55:17chief of staff
55:18had his doubts
55:19about the
55:19Yalta agreement
55:21it was not long
55:22before Marshall
55:23realized Mr. Churchill
55:24was correct
55:25and he thought
55:26that Mr. Roosevelt
55:27was very slow
55:29in appreciating
55:30the Russian threat
55:32and I think
55:33that explains
55:34to some degree
55:35the results
55:36of the Yalta conference
55:37he felt
55:39that if they had
55:39bargained harder
55:40they need not
55:42have given him
55:42anything like
55:44the control
55:44that they did
55:47in order to secure
55:48Stalin's promise
55:49to continue the war
55:50against Germany
55:51to the bitter end
55:52and then to join
55:53the western allies
55:54in the defeat
55:54of Japan
55:55Churchill was forced
55:57to give in
55:57to Stalin's ambitions
55:58for Central Europe
55:59in September 1939
56:01Britain had gone
56:02to war for Poland
56:03in February 1945
56:04here at Yalta
56:07Churchill had to agree
56:08to the surrender
56:09of Poland
56:10to Soviet
56:10Communist control
56:11the Soviet Union
56:13was now a great power
56:14claiming the spoils
56:16of victory
56:19Churchill's worst fears
56:21were soon confirmed
56:22Stalin's agreement
56:23on paper
56:24to allow free elections
56:25in Poland
56:26proved worthless
56:27as Nazi Germany
56:29crumbled
56:29before the onslaught
56:30of the Red Army
56:31the Soviet Communist
56:33grip on Central
56:34and Eastern Europe
56:35tightened
56:35on his return
56:36to London
56:37Churchill had to
56:38defend the agreements
56:39in the Yalta debate
56:42Winston made a claim
56:43which I couldn't stomach
56:44he said that
56:46the agreement at Yalta
56:47was an act of justice
56:50and so I felt bound
56:51to get up
56:51and say
56:52that I couldn't
56:52accept it
56:53it might be an act
56:54of expediency
56:55but certainly not justice
56:56and he didn't much
56:57care for this
56:58now Yalta
56:59had been in many ways
57:01great success
57:01I mean we agreed
57:02on exactly how
57:03to occupy Germany
57:04no problems
57:07we agreed on
57:08although we couldn't
57:09say it at the time
57:10bringing Russia
57:11into the war
57:11against Japan
57:12agreement on
57:13the United Nations
57:14agreement for
57:15Churchill
57:15which was important
57:16on France
57:17being brought in
57:18to the things
57:19so
57:20and on paper
57:23good agreement
57:24on Poland
57:25and liberated Europe
57:26I mean
57:27on paper
57:27if you look at them now
57:28they're perfect diplomatic documents
57:30therefore
57:31in reporting
57:33on Yalta
57:35Churchill naturally
57:37had a tendency
57:38to describe it
57:39as a good thing
57:40and in a way
57:41he was justified
57:42in doing so
57:42but as
57:43happened so often
57:45he slightly
57:46overdid it
57:47when it came
57:47to Eastern Europe
57:49because people
57:50naturally asked him
57:50questions
57:51are you satisfied
57:52with the arrangements
57:52on Poland
57:53and I think
57:54he said some phrase
57:56yes
57:57because when
57:58when
57:59Marshal Stalin
58:00or Generalissimo Stalin
58:02signs an agreement
58:03he keeps it
58:04that was an unfortunate
58:06phrase
58:06which dogged him
58:08rather like
58:09the
58:09like Chamberlain's
58:11piece of paper
58:12when he came back
58:13from Munich
58:13in 1938
58:14I do think
58:16that Churchill
58:16realised it
58:17and
58:18at times
58:19Allenbrook
58:20I think
58:21recorded
58:22Churchill
58:23as
58:24as it were
58:25gazing into the
58:26middle distance
58:28with a very
58:29despondent expression
58:31and saying
58:32we shall end
58:33this whole business
58:34with the barbarians
58:36in the heart of Europe
58:49celebrating the men
58:50and women
58:51who fought
58:51for our freedom
58:52in the second world war
58:53Britain's greatest generation
58:55here on BBC2
58:56tonight at 7
58:57next
58:58the Desert Fox
58:59the Desert STEPHAN
59:11the
59:11the
59:11you
59:11you
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