THE CLOCK WITH FOUR HANDS

by James Leasor ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 1959

The author of The Red Fort and The Millionth Chance has assembled here the experiences and impressions of General Sir Leslie Hollis during the years 1936-1945 written against the background of the underground nerve center from which the war was conducted in London. General Hollis was for six years Secretary of the Joint Planning Committee of the Chiefs of Staff; he sat in on all the important meetings of the War Cabinet and attended all the international conferences during the war. The ""Hole in the Ground"" -- as the London underground headquarters was called- was equipped with a huge independent network of telephone cables including Churchill's special wire to the White House and the ""clock"", which has a symbolic significance for General Hollis, showing the time in London and Washington. General Hollis' recollections include a vast spectrum of military decisions and personal assessments of key individuals beginning with the Munich crisis in 1939, the phoney war, the invasion of Norway, the issue of the Second Front, the campaign in North Africa, the invasion of Sicily, to the war's aftermath at Yalta and Potsdam. He discusses the disagreements between the Chiefs of Staff and does not hesitate to comment on the weaknesses of the Allied Commanders. A book which will receive critical attention.

Pub Date: June 18, 1959

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking-Reynal

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1959

Categories: NONFICTION