MR. CHURCHILL'S SECRETARY
By
Elizabeth Nel, a Canadian girl who had gone to London to become a secretary, ended up at 10 Downing Street and served as Churchill's personal secretary during the four and a half critical years of World War II. As a member of his staff, she was pretty constantly in attendance day and night; shared his life at Chequers as well as in London; accompanied him on his trips to the United States, North Africa, Teheran and Yalta -- through the decisive moments of the war. While a sometimes frighteningly exacting employer, Churchill is always a commanding figure, in his courage, his self-confidence, his unself-consciousness, and his calm. This record, while it reveals little that is new, adds a personal postscript to the life of a great man, and from the pothooks a clearly decipherable admiration and affection emerge.