Product Description

The book of the BBC TV series. "We must divorce ourselves from de Gaulle because he has proven to be unreliable, unco-operative and disloyal to both our governments," Winston Churchill to Franklin Roosevelt, 17 June 1943. In public, General de Gaulle remained the firm ally of Britain and America in the war against Hitler. In reality, his former sponsors were so appalled by him that they kept the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa secret from him. They cast about for an alternative leader to take charge of the Free French. Simon Berthon's book reveals how and why the alliance turned sour, and how de Gaulle took revenge on Britain and America after the war. The TV episodes "Hero to Villain", "Conspiracy in Africa", "The Frenchman's Revenge" accompanies 3-part BBC documentary to reveal how so-called "allies" hated and plotted against each other in secret.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #595417 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
A chronicle of the political intrigues and interactions between Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Charles de Gaulle during the crisis years of WWII. Writing a companion to his joint BBC/PBS television series of the same name, producer Berthon presents a printed compilation of his historical research. He opens his argument by suggesting that de Gaulle's vision of himself as a Joan of Arc figure destined to redeem France from its quick military capitulation to the Nazi regime directly conflicted with Churchill's and Roosevelt's attempts to construct a coalition capable of defeating the German forces. Berthon shows how Churchill admired de Gaulle's quixotic refusal to accept the political authority of the Hitler-friendly Vichy government and embraced him as a true French patriot. He also demonstrates how Roosevelt pursued a conflicting policy of recognizing the Vichy government in hopes that strong American support would pull its leaders away from Hitler. Berthon reveals Churchill's consternation at being torn between de Gaulle, whose spirit he genuinely admired, and Roosevelt, whose military support he needed even more dramatically. He details how de Gaulle, out of a sense of righteous French outrage, stubbornly refused to subordinate himself to the great Anglo-Saxon powers and shrewdly established his political power in the grassroots of the French underground. This mutual exasperation among Churchill, Roosevelt, and de Gaulle, Berthon ultimately argues, established a basic distrust that would weaken France's relationship with the English-speaking powers in the aftermath of the war. For general history readers who want to delve deeper into the relationships among the WWII leaders, and those whose appetites are whetted by the TV series. (8 pages b&w photos) (Kirkus Reviews)

From the Publisher
How did Roosevelt, Churchill and de Gaulle really get on ?
The answer lies in this text; newly uncovered material and extensive research reveals the real relationships behind the public facade. Written by the producer of the BBC TV series, this is a marvellous look 'behind the scenes' during some of the most critical phases of the Second World War.

About the Author
Simon Berthon has won awards for his work on World in Action for which he was deputy editor. He has produced documentaries for Secret History and Dispatches.

Customer Reviews

Worth a read
This book gives a really valuable insight into the lives and the co-operation (or lack of it) between the 3 allied leaders.
It also showed how political agendas played such a big part in the decision making of the war.
I would recommend this book as it gives a different slant on how the war was won.

De Gaulle
I am reading the story in De Gaulle's own words, in his memoires, it affected him badly that he coold not trust his own allies.
It explains his distrust of Britains motives in European union.