In Citizens of London, Lynne Olson has written a work of
World War II history even more relevant and revealing than
her acclaimed Troublesome Young Men. Here is the
behind-the-scenes story of how the United States forged its
wartime alliance with Britain, told from the perspective of
three key American players in London: Edward R. Murrow,
Averell Harriman, and John Gilbert Winant. Drawing from a
variety of primary sources, Olson skillfully depicts the
dramatic personal journeys of these men who, determined to
save Britain from Hitler, helped convince a cautious
Franklin Roosevelt and a reluctant American public to
support the British at a critical time. The three—Murrow,
the handsome, chain-smoking head of CBS News in Europe;
Harriman, the hard-driving millionaire who ran FDR’s
Lend-Lease program in London; and Winant, the shy,
idealistic U.S. ambassador to Britain—formed close ties with
Winston Churchill and were drawn into Churchill’s official
and personal circles. So intense were their relationships
with the Churchills that they all became romantically
involved with members of the prime minister’s family:
Harriman and Murrow with Churchill’s daughter-in-law,
Pamela, and Winant with his favorite daughter,
Sarah. Others were honorary “citizens of London” as well,
including the gregarious, fiercely ambitious Dwight D.
Eisenhower, an obscure general who, as the first commander
of American forces in Britain, was determined to do
everything in his power to make the alliance a success, and
Tommy Hitchcock, a world-famous polo player and World War I
fighter pilot who helped save the Allies’ bombing campaign
against Germany.Citizens of London, however, is more than
just the story of these Americans and the world leaders they
aided and influenced. It’s an engrossing account of the
transformative power of personal diplomacy and, above all, a
rich, panoramic tale of two cities: Washington, D.C., a lazy
Southern town slowly growing into a hub of international
power, and London, a class-conscious capital transformed by
the Blitz into a model of stoic grace under violent pressure
and deprivation. Deeply human, brilliantly researched, and
beautifully written, Citizens of London is a new triumph
from an author swiftly becoming one of the finest in her field.
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