Roosevelt and Churchill, David Stafford
Roosevelt and Churchill, David Stafford
1 Rating(s)
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Roosevelt and Churchill
Men of Secrets

Author: David Stafford

Narrator: Richard McGonagle

Unabridged: 11 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/20/2013


Synopsis

An intriguing look behind the congenial fa├ºade of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, this work reveals how each leader jealously guarded knowledge from the other in pursuit of separate national interests. David Stafford's masterly study shows that at the heart of their complicated relationship—which was always dynamic—was an extraordinary fascination with clandestine operations. On this foundation, Roosevelt and Churchill constructed a fighting alliance unlike any other in history.

About David Stafford

David Stafford, a renowned expert on Winston Churchill, is the author of several widely acclaimed books on intelligence history, including Endgame, 1945; Churchill and Secret Service; Roosevelt and Churchill: Men of Secrets; Secret Agent: the True Story of the Special Operations Executive; Spies beneath Berlin; and Mission Accomplished, among others. For many years he was the project director at the Center for the Study of the Two World Wars at the University of Edinburgh. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

About Richard McGonagle

Richard McGonagle is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and an experienced film, television, and voice-over actor. He has appeared in such films as Rules of Engagement and such television shows as The Practice and JAG.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dee on June 22, 2022

Chirp (BBC Audiobooks) 11 hours 24 min. Narrated by Richard McGonagle (A) A fascinating book! I learned so much about the relationship between these two leaders and even more about the espionage and code breaking during WW Two. I even took notes! I didn't realize that Japan was at war with Great Brit......more

Goodreads review by Johnny on October 26, 2017

Even if one has read classic works on World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill: Men of Secrets is a must-read for anyone interested in intelligence operations during that iconic conflict. It not only features familiar and well-documents stories gleaned from earlier volumes, but it builds upon more rece......more

Goodreads review by Eileen on May 11, 2022

Although this book was a slow slog the writing was good. Stafford peels back a slice of history not well understood and explains the US/Britain partnership has navigated and managed by Roosevelt and Churchill. I learned a good deal about secret intelligence and the role it played in WWII.......more

Goodreads review by Bill Keefe on October 13, 2010

David Stafford certainly didn't skimp on the details. Lots and lots and lots of information on the secret war fought in WWII from Roosevelt and Churchill down about three levels in the bureaucratic hierarchy. I learned a lot but was not really taken by the style of writing. Too often, Mr. Stafford w......more

Goodreads review by Jon on November 29, 2016

Mostly about intelligence, as you might expect from David Stafford, who mainly writes spy histories. This book concentrates on the conflicts, compromises and co-operation between FDR and WSC in the field of intelligence, with particular reference to the relationship between Churchill's SOE and FDR's......more


Quotes

“Explore[s] the intersections between the grand narrative of the Roosevelt and Churchill relationship and the activities of Allied spymasters and secret go-betweens.” New York Times Book Review

“Stafford demonstrates that the alliance of these two cunning leaders was the product of need and hard bargaining, not sentiment. He further contends—quite rightly—that the complex relationship between the two was mirrored by the actions of their intelligence operatives.” Publishers Weekly

“Former diplomat Stafford…brings to bear his vast knowledge of the British secret service during the war and combines it with fresh archival research of the American wartime intelligence services…Stafford’s synthesis of new and old sources makes this one of the best works to come out on this well-worn topic in many years. Highly recommended.” Library Journal

“A swift, well-documented assessment of the relationship’s ‘volatile mix of friendship, rivalry, and resentment.’” Kirkus Reviews

“In a forceful narration Richard McGonagle produces near lifelike imitations of the two men—the urbane, upper-Hudson Roosevelt and the gravelly, sardonic Churchill—that at times brim over with their delight in each other and their work. Underneath, however, boils a tension that always threatens to break out, as the two try to balance the competing demands of their intelligence services against common strategic interests. In a voice familiar to those of us who cut our teeth on TV documentaries like Victory at Sea, McGonagle recreates those tense moments between Allies whose secret interests were worlds apart yet who nonetheless assembled the most effective spy network in the history of the world.” AudioFile