Customer Reviews

Atlantic meeting;: An account of Mr. Churchill's voyage in H.M.S. Prince of Wales, in August, 1941, and the conference with President Roosevelt which resulted in the Atlantic charter,

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This slim book, first published in 1943, is an interesting conjunction of two of my favorite authors: H.V. Morton, in his time and since a very popular travel writer, and Winston S. Churchill, appearing in his better-known role as wartime British prime minister. Morton's considerable talents are here deployed to describe the memorable trip WSC made to meet President Roosevelt in 1941 -- a trip that led to the Atlantic Charter.

The Charter was issued (not signed, as Morton points out) 66 years ago today, August 14, 1941. Although the US was not yet in the war, the Charter described the Anglo-American vision for the post-war world, including self-determination for all peoples, "freedom from want and fear," and disarmament. As a basis for future agreements, including the UN Charter -- as well as useful propaganda for both allied and Axis nations -- it was a significant document.

Morton's book starts with what struck me as an unusually stiff Introduction, in which he discusses the Charter in the formal tones one uses for Really Important Things. After that, however, Morton's prose resumes its normal cadences as he describes his sudden and secretive invitation to go on this trip, the trip across the Atlantic aboard HMS Prince of Wales, the meeting with FDR, and the voyage back home. Though a brief book, the reader is still treated to a vivid description of a trans-Atlantic cruise in wartime -- made all the more poignant if the reader knows what was in store for Prince of Wales and her crew just a few months later (Morton does not mention this himself) -- as well as lively depictions of Churchill himself. FDR necessarily has a smaller role in the book, but he too is well-described, and no secret is made of his battle with polio.

"Atlantic Meeting" is a book which should attract a variety of readers: Churchillians, fans of H.V. Morton's work, and students of the war -- both its naval and its diplomatic efforts. Since I am all those things, I was pleased several times over. Fortunately, copies of "Atlantic Meeting" are not hard to find or expensive. If you fit these categories too, it may be worth finding a copy of your own.

I haven't read the book as I bought it as a present. Upon initial review, it looks to be in good shape (as advertised) but the cover isn't the same as the one that was provided on the item sale page... which was kind of disappointing. It would have been nice to see the ships in the harbour imagery.