CHURCHILL'S AMERICAN NETWORK

The author of Dinner With Churchill and Working With Winston returns with a study of Churchill’s visits to the U.S.

Even though Churchill visited only half a dozen times over 50 years, not always for far-reaching purposes, this lively account will amuse collectors of Churchilliana. Stelzer reminds readers that her subject was half American. His mother, a wealthy American heiress, married Randolph Churchill, who became a leading political figure. Moving in the highest circles of both nations and fiercely dedicated to her son’s career, she worked hard to smooth his path. As a junior officer, he traveled to Cuba to report on Spanish forces battling rebels. An imperialist throughout his life, he favored Spain. After a lecture tour in the U.S. in 1900, nearly 30 years passed before he returned for two more tours, now a political celebrity. As befitted his stature, he met the crème de la crème, including the president, Hollywood superstars, and wealthy industrialists, most of whom succumbed to his charms, often loaning him their mansions and private railroad carriages. Churchill did badly in the 1929 crash and suffered serious injuries when a car struck him, but this barely slowed him down. Stelzer concludes her story in the early 1940s. By that time, Churchill was one of the most famous British figures in the eyes of many Americans, and even those opposed to entering the war looked kindly on him. Despite the title, this is not primarily a history of Churchill’s efforts to win hearts and minds, but rather a breezy record of his travels, the important people he met, the media attention he received, and the speeches he delivered. Because income for lectures, articles, and books preoccupied him throughout his life, the author devotes a good amount of attention to the fees he earned.

A cheerful chronicle of Churchill’s excursions in America.