April 25, 2015

Finest Hour 117, Winter 2002-03

Page 11

Washington-Delmarva

BURKE, VA., JULY 21ST— Finest Hour editor and publisher Richard and Barbara Langworth were the guests of the Washington Society for Churchill’s annual picnic and book discussion on one of the hottest days of the year (but we kept cool indoors with air). This year’s modestly selected “book” was all of Churchill’s writings, but Richard spoke largely of The River War and The Second World War, with all their implications and sound advice applicable to presentday strife. A lively Q&A developed, and a good time was had by all.

Chicago

NOVEMBER 22ND— The Winston S. Churchill Friends of Greater Chicago held their meeting at the historic Union League Club in downtown Chicago. The private club was selected because Churchill spoke there to a crowd of about 1500 in 1932. The evening began with members talking over cocktails prior to dining on salmon and Chicken Wellington. Susan Larson introduced the speaker, Her Majesty’s General Consul Robert Culshaw; honorary member Ambassador Paul Robinson; CC Secretary Douglas Russell; and CC Executive Director Dan Myers. Philip Larson offered a history of Churchill’s visit to the club in 1932. Mr. Culshaw spoke on “Leadership Through Peril,” highlighting the way current leaders are using Churchill as an example, and offered his thoughts on how Churchill might have felt about current communication methods like email. Mr. Culshaw spoke for nearly an hour and then fielded questions from the floor. As is the custom of the Chicago Friends, a display table held Churchill collectibles brought by members to share. The Larsons also assembled a presentation of memorabilia relating to the 1932 Churchill visit. It included the original flyer for the event, Chicago Tribune articles, and a photo of the then Consul General with WSC. The material was the result of Philip’s research for an article he is writing for FH on Churchill’s visits to Chicago. As always, all members raised a glass to toast the great man on his birthday.

New England

BOSTON, NOVEMBER 30TH— New England Churchillians celebrated Churchill’s 128th birthday with their traditional black tie dinner at the elegant College Club on Commonwealth Avenue. The speaker was Professor Klaus Larres, who spoke on his new book, Churchill and the Cold War. Dr. Larres is Jean Monnet Professor in European Foreign and Security Policy at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is presently on sabbatical as the Henry A. Kissinger Professor in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress in Washington.

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Although his book is thick (not as formidable as it looks—almost a third notes!), Klaus Larres is a humorous and lively speaker who makes interesting points: Churchill’s postwar search for a “summit,” far from the ramblings of a senile old man grasping to retain power, was in his view an extension of WSC’s idea of personal diplomacy that traces back to his proposed meeting with Tirpitz to solve Anglo-German problems in 1914; Churchill’s speech of 11 May 1953, calling for a “summit” after the death of Stalin, was his most important postwar speech after Fulton. Larres also spoke eruditely about the 1953 Bermuda Summit, Churchill’s first and last after the war, the subject and venue for next year’s Churchill Conference.

Klaus Larres believes that Eisenhower’s rapid transit from adamant rejection of summit conferences to the 1955 Geneva summit just a few months after Churchill retired was mainly due to West Germany’s having been integrated into NATO in May of that year, which was why, Larres thinks, Eisenhower resisted earlier meetings. Ike’s turnaround, he adds, had less to do with his fear that Sir Winston might “give away the store,” although that was a factor. Also, Eden plumped hard for a summit after becoming Prime Minister and Eisenhower also thought he was obliging Eden: thus Ike’s disappointment and anger when Eden took his own line on Suez a year or so later.

The evening was rounded out with a delightful medley of World War II popular songs, from “The White Cliffs of Dover” to “Lili Marlene,” by Derek Lamb, who grew up during the Blitz. We wound up with a rousing rendition of “There’ll Always Be an England.”

Churchill’s Cold War, reviewed page 39, is available from the CC Book Club.

Toronto

OCTOBER 23RD— The Other Club of Ontario and the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy (CSAPD) commemorated the 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the Churchill statue in Nathan Phillips Square. CSAPD chairman Peter Russell addressed seventy-five people and announced a fund raising programme to improve the landscaping around the statue. He introduced Henry Jackman, Chancellor of the University of Toronto, and former Toronto Mayor and Ontario Lieutenant Governor of Ontario David Crombie, who were instrumental in having the statue erected in 1977. Toronto Deputy Mayor Case Ootis joined the others in remarking on the impact Churchill had on their lives.

At the continuation of ceremonies at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, Terry Reardon of ICS Canada spoke of Sir Winton’s visit to Toronto in 1900 when he was just 26, and his lecture on Canadian contributions to the Boer War. Next Ed Badovinac of CSAPD spoke of Churchill’s second visit in 1919, when he addressed the Empire Club on current affairs of the Empire. On both occasions Churchill was given standing ovations. The evening with Norm Macleod, President of The Other Club of Ontario, thanking the audience for attending such an auspicious event.