Museum in kansas city, missouri. Ms. Vogt lee pollock is the executive director and trustee of the International Churchill society. As a Winston Churchill expert, he has spoken about the extraordinary life and times of the late Prime Minister to audiences throughout the United States, canada, and britain. His presentation this evening, we are looking forward to his presentation with our young Friends Group over whiskey and cigars. So, truly, if you are not a member of our young Friends Group, you should consider that, too. This morning, this is about churchills political transformation and how it shaped the kind of leader he would become during world war ii. Please welcome lee pollock. [applause] mr. Pollock laura, as one cubs fan to another, thank you for that very nice introduction. Hold on just one second. I think someone picked up my notes from here. [laughter] mr. Pollock hold on a second. [inaudible] mr. Pollock if anyone there we go. Like Winston Churchill, i have spent the best part of my life preparing my extemporaneous remarks, but here we go. Lora, thank you for that nice introduction. I am delighted to be back here at the National World war i museum. This is my fifth visit and it just gets better and better. Lora mentioned that a few years from now, you will celebrate the 100th anniversary of your collection. I trust you will have a blowout party. Winston churchill is planning to attend and he is looking for a lot of champagne. I have been, in my job, the last few years, to a number of great history museums around the world and this one is stupendous. You can learn more at their wonderful website, thewar. Org. The world war. Org. Winston churchill manages to pop up almost everywhere in the first half of the 20th century and this is the third time he has done that here in kansas city, a place which incidentally, he never managed to visit. Two years ago, we brought a captivating speaker to the museum, Professor John maurer, from the u. S. Naval war college, who talked to you about Winston Churchill, the rise of german power, and the outbreak of the First World War. Last year, professor chris bell gave a fascinating presentation entitled churchill and the dardanelles. At my suggestion he was kind enough to add a subtitle, it was not all churchills fault. [laughter] by the way, chris will be publishing a fulllength book on this subject in may. It will be well worth reading. I would like to begin this account of Winston Churchill and the First World War at the end, not the beginning, and on a personal note. At the 11th hour on the 11th day in the 11th month of 1918, the guns of war fell silent across europe. The greatest conflict the world had ever known was over, leaving 20 million dead in its wake. A 12yearold boy was playing in on that morning the street near his home in the middle class neighborhood of berlin. Unlike at the next world war berlin had not been polarized. , its great monuments, palaces, homes and neighborhoods were intact. Germany had not been conquered and on the western front, its army still stood on allied soil. In that fact, laid the seed to a monstrous myth, which would want to german politics from that point on. The 12yearold had not seen his father, serving in belgium, for three years. He raced home to his mother in tears crying as loud as he could the terrible news. The war is lost, the war is lost. That boy was my father and two decades later, his enemy was his homeland. It was through the grace of britain, he could leave germany as a refugee and find his freedom. On that same day, 500 miles away in london, a different scene unfolded as Prime MinisterDavid Lloyd George presided over a celebratory meeting of his cabinet. Ministers only two , ministers sat around the table to celebrate the victory. One was the 55yearold Prime Minister himself, known as the welsh wizard. Hhdecember 1960 replaced asquith as Prime Minister, much to the blame much of the wayne had been laid on asquith. A victory at last in hand, lloyd george was now a hero. The other man at the table from that first group of ministers was Winston Leonard churchill, age 43. If youve had been asleep the previous four years and happened upon that meeting, you mightve assumed churchill had served in office the entire Time Starting as first lord of the admiralty in 1914, and ending as minister of munitions. Nothing could be further from the truth and the story of Winston Churchill and the First World War, especially in 1916, is one of rise and fall, dramatic vicissitudes, hope and glory. Success, failure, and redemption. It set the stage that he was destined to play 20 years later in an even greater war. Winston churchill was born here pallas at glenn hamm in november 1874. He was destined to be a soldier and a man of war. It was in his blood and that was because of his ancestor, this man, john churchill, who along with wellington, stands among one of the greatest military figures in british history. In 1704, he defeated the continental tyrant of his day, louis xiv of france and saved europe from the domination of a single power. Two centuries later, Winston Churchill wrote an epic biography. He followed his ancestors example, this time in a life or death struggle with germany and a new tyrant, adolf while a churchills father had not served in the military, today that sounds like destiny, the fact was that Young Winston was an indifferent student, excelling in some subjects but faring poorly in others. As he put it, i am always ready to learn but i do not always like being taught. He was not a good candidate for the great aristocratic oxford or the infantry was considered the more prestigious and rigorous branch of the army but he settled for the dashing cavalry. He became an excellent horseman. In the years after sandhurst, churchill pursued action and adventure in British Colonial wars around the world as a serving officer and as a journalist and war correspondent. Always in the corner of his eye was a career in politics any hungered for fame on the battlefield and the adulation of what we would call today a celebrity journalist. While not a target himself, he was exposed to real combat and bullets flew just over his head. He later quipped, there was nothing so exhilarating in life as to be shot at without result. This is a fine recent book about churchills time in cuba. Winston churchill found more action and adventure in far flung parts of the empire. Stationed in india in 1897, he participated in a punitive expedition against tribesmen. Some descendents are still fighting the british and the americans. Today they are called the taliban today, they are called the product of that expedition was churchills first book which was dedicated to his commanding officer, a man with the improbable but wonderfully dickensian name. In 1898, churchill took part in another expedition, this time to wipe off a sudanese religious leader. On september 2, 1898, churchill took part in one of the last cavalry charges of the British Empire and the combat was and. This became a book, an account of the reconquest of the sudan that was published in 1899. The original has been out of print for over a century. I am pleased to say a new addition will be published next year. It will truly be a collector sitem. Finally, during a war in south africa, churchill found the true thing he had been seeking. Riding on an armored train, he was captured, escaped a month later. He made his way to safety in mozambique. He remained in south africa for six months, finally returned to england in july of 1900. Having failed in his first attempt he was elected to , parliament two weeks later. That was the beginning of an illustrious political career. His books kept on coming. Andhis case two of them, there is a wonderful new book by your local kansas citian about churchills time in south africa. It is an tile dolts entitled hero of africa. Churchills ascent in politics was breathtakingly rapid. After switching from the conservative to the liberal party, he entered the cabinet as president of the board of trade in 1908. Two years later, he became home secretary. In 1911, he was the first lord of the admiralty, the civilian head of the royal navy. With the naval arms race underway with germany and the prospect of a continental land war growing, churchill was a breath of fresh air. He laid it down the dreadnoughts and super dreadnoughts. He also liked his medals. All of this change and energy did not sit well with some of the top brass. Accused of destroying the traditions of the royal navy, churchill replied, traditions, what traditions . Rum, sodomy, and the lash the . [laughter] he was already thinking strategically about the coming war. He told the committee of Imperial Defense to expect a powerful german invasion of belgium and france that might come close to overwhelming its defenders until a British Expeditionary force could hold the line. As the first month of the war progressed, both sides settled into brutal trench warfare. No ones boys were coming home by christmas. While churchill had prepared the royal navy well, the anticipated engagement with the german high seas fleet was deferred and the enemy ships stayed at their bases. Instead, german submarines took a toll on merchant shipping. Winston churchill was a man of action if there ever was one, and he longed for a decisive stroke that would change the balance of power and break the stalemate. He thought that chewing barbed wire on the western front was no path to victory. It was not just his idea, but he left and supported a campaign against germanys ally, the turkish ottoman empire, that would force the dardanelles and continue on to istanbul. A Successful Campaign what support russia, bring undecided States Baltic states into the war. It all went terribly wrong. The naval assault that began on february 19 failed and the Ground Invasion sputtered. Casualties soared. By the time it was over a year later, britain had lost 73,000 dead and wounded. Australia and new zealand, 36,000. Thats an enormous number for two small post of the empire. The turks lost over 250,000 but inflicted a humiliating and costly defeat of the British Empire. These are some of the french soldiers landing and their turkish opponents. They were not christians, they were not educated, but they were great fighters. Damhe disaster unfolded, the dardanelles they will be our grave. Churchill maintained the campaign was justified and had a reasonable chance of success. His devoted wife later told his biographer, he thought he was finished. I thought he would die of grief. May brought churchills downfall. The liberal Prime Minister wove a coalition with conservatives. Many distrusted churchill as a turncoat who crossed the aisle in 1904. That plus the ongoing failure in turkey doomed the first lord. He broke the news of the new government to churchill, asking, what are we to do for you . The answer was to make him chancellor, a cabinet position but one with no responsibility or power. Churchills cousin called it a bone on which there is little meat. Churchill took the job. Churchill lasted six months. For the rest of 1915, Winston Churchill stewed and brooded. Happily, he took up painting, which became a famous and lifelong pastime. As a guilt haunted him, he told his friend, there is more blood and paint upon these hands. He sat for a powerful portrait. When churchill sought later he is not a picture of a man, it is a picture of a mans soul. Looking for redemption, churchill asked to go consult with local commanders. The trip never happened. He in anticipation of its wrote a moving letter to be given to clementine in the event of his death. The last words are especially moving. If there is anywhere else, i shall be on the lookout for you. Meanwhile, look forward, feel free, rejoice in life, cherish the children, guard my memory. God bless you and goodbye winston. I november 12, he had had enough. He sent his letter of resignation saying, im an officer and i place myself unreservedly at the disposal of the military authorities observing that my regimen. He made a Farewell Speech in the house of commons three days later criticizing his opponents. It was not especially well received. On the broader future of the war, he was positive. He said there is no reason to be , discouraged about the progress of the war. We are passing through a bad time. It will probably be worse before it is better. It will be better if we persevere, i have no doubt. On the morning of november 15, 1915, Winston Churchill, having reentered the army, at his old reserve rank of major, crossed the english channel. He called himself the escaped scapegoat. While churchill was now a fulltime soldier, he was no ordinary major. The night of his arrival in france, he dined with sir john french, the commander of the British Expeditionary force. Churchill accepted frenchs offer to lead a brigade. Ironically, the governments confidence in french himself was he was replaced in just a month by a new commander. Churchills enthusiasm for command was obvious. It had been many years since he had served at the combat level. Onthejob training was clearly required. Churchill mightve been keen but his reception was tepid. The Battalion Commander told him, youre coming was not a matter in which we were given any choice. He reported to clementine in a letter that reached london quickly. He noted that horrendous conditions of the trenches, strewn with garbage. He reported rats danced about to the accompaniment of rifle fire and machine guns. Despite this, churchill expected his creature comforts and asked her to send him a pair of wading boots, a sheepskin sleeping bag, and assorted foodstuff. I wonder if he was going to eat those all in a single meal. Winston churchill was a quick study and soon understood the construction of trenches, how to supply and maintain forward positions, and how to command a battalion under the strains of war. While the battalion was not under full attack, danger was not far away. On november 26, churchill was called away to a meeting. With a core commander who happened to be an old friend. He walked the three miles to the point where a staff car was supposed to pick them up. The car never appeared and churchill slogged back to the trenches. There he learned a german shell has scored a direct hit leaving the man he had left behind. Always with a sense of his own destiny he wrote to clementine, a hand had been stretched out to move me in the nick of time. Churchill had anticipated his brigade command by the beginning of december, but politics in london frustrated his expectations, especially after french was replaced by haig. That was just a quarter of the number of men churchill expected. It was not an especially appropriate choice. Churchills constituency had been in the scottish city of dundee. The unit churchill took over was worn and battered after sustaining heavy casualties. It was understrengthed and the loss of officers meant the remainder were young and inexperienced. The men understandably regarded churchill as a political payment and his reception was not helped when he arrived with former personal supplies and was officially allowed. This was churchills private bathtub complete with a boiler for heating water. [laughter] that was a luxury denied to enlisted men. He would sometimes take two or three baths a day. That habit continued all his life. Some of his greatest speeches were dictated to his secretary while soaking in a deep tub. Churchills initial attempt at commands were wobbly and he did not endear himself to his new men when he told them, i am now your commanding officer. Those who support me, i will look after. Those who go against me, i will break. But despite that admonition, churchill quickly proved his worth as a capable officer who genuinely cared about his men. He enhanced their training and weapons, encouraged his superiors to replenish the battalions depleted ranks and secured them new helmets and better rations. He even organized football matches and other diversions, including mule races and pillow fights. Most tellingly, he practiced what he preached. Grenade,d how to throw and call in artillery support. Churchill was a benevolent commander, forgiving of lesser infractions by men who had been bloodied at the battle of loose a few months before. He was criticized by his brigade laxness of his enforcing discipline. Three weeks after his arrival, the unit returned to the trenches, covering over 1000 yards near a belgian village. It was a no mans land of death and destruction. Churchill did not bunk in the trenches but his headquarters were 500 yards behind. In the trenches, german artillery bombardment was consistent. There were even rumors, unfounded, that the germans knew churchills position and directed their fire accordingly. That was not the case. They did know he was on active duty. German cartoons satirized him accordingly. For the next three months, the battalion rotated every six days from the frontline to support trenches and then to the reserve. Three times a day, churchill walked the length of the line taking two hours to wade through the mud. He endured enemy bombardment in a very cold belgian winter. His courage was exemplary and when his men flinched at the sound of enemy fire, his response was, it is no damn use ducking. The bullet has gone a long way past you by now. His fellow officers thought him either fearless or full hearty. At night, churchill sometimes ventured into no mans land. On one such visit, german machine gun fire forced him and his companions to dive for cover into a shallow hole. A bright light followed them and churchill snapped, put out that bloody light. He sheepishly realized he had been sitting on his own flashlight. [laughter] while the battalion never went over the top into full combat there was plenty of danger. , on february 10, while churchill watched from a reserve position, german fire wrecked a picturesque village church. Heavy fire forced him to give up his headquarters and when he returned, he found his office have been demolished. On march 26, a shell landed 20 yards from where he stood. And most frighteningly, early in february, the germans direct hit on his command post and a piece of shrapnel wrapped into the flashlight he was carrying. Not surprisingly, he had the nose of the shell turned into a souvenir and shipped home. Despite the pressure of command, he found time to indulge his growing passion for painting which he had taken up with the encouragement of his sisterinlaw. The front provided good subjects. This image, for example. And another. Churchill was also a subject for other painters. There is a solemn fulllength and another friend added this one. When churchill arrived at plug street, the german army was close by. Included a man who enlisted unlike churchill, he was a loner, and unwilling to join in their grafting. He would accompany them on the pram to leo, but unless there was a concert or play to see, he moped around the city streets or sat on benches with the sketch book. He too was an amateur artist. In fact, 10 years before, in austria, he aspired to a professional career, but had been twice rejected by the vienna academy. Byeat a meager existence creating postcards. To med to minute unich. Here is one of his pieces. Winston churchill was german,mous, unknown. His name was out of heckler. Adolf hitler. Haveps a direct hit might saved the 50 Million People who were to perish in the next world war. That is all the screen time that hitlers gets. Inthe world war ground on 1916, Winston Churchill pondered his political future if he had one. He was still the mp for dundee, and in march he took two weeks leave and returned to london to give what he hoped would be an important speech. While some of his points were well received, he disastrously and inexplicably demanded the ridiculedkie the suggestion and churchill s chance for a quick comeback or. He returned to parliament where he thought he could do more good than in the mud of the trenches. On his return to flanders, he was again rebuked for undue leniency with his men. He refuted it by showing that disciplinary problems had dropped under his leadership. Events sin brought it into his active duty. Failed to promotion appear, and at the end of april, churchill learned that the then the pleaded six battalions would be consolidated with the seventh, and command given to another kernel. He requested that he be relieved to be allowed to attend to parliamentary and public duties, which have become more ardent. I shall have served for five months in the front, almost always on the frontline, certainly without discredit, performing duties to the satisfaction of my superiors and the advantages of my men. While churchills battalion during his 100 days in command, there was a steady stream of casualties. There were 15 dead and 123 wounded during that time, a casualty rate of almost 20 . On may 6, churchill gave a farewell luncheon for his officers. The next day, the entire battalion stood for inspection in front of their commander who then traveled in a boat home. The verdict on churchill tenure was clear and stood in powerful. Ontrast to the skepticism an wrote, icolleagues am convinced no more popular officer ever served his troops. He loved soldiering. It lay very near his heart. Churchill left behind men who will always be part of his admirers. They are proud to have served in the war under what is a great man. Rankhill relinquished his as a lieutenant colonel, and returned as a major. While churchills service at the say itas short, i would had a powerful impact on him. It was the longest time that he lived in crisp in close proximity to other people. Frontfew months at the brought him a deeper understanding, both conscious and subconscious to the hopes and fears in the daytoday lives of the people of written. Second, it was his First Experience in modern war. He had fought, of course, before, but rather than being part of a military command, he had been a war correspondent as much as a soldier. Difference, word and the mechanized warfare of 1914 to 1918 was unlike anything he had grievously experience. He now understood that the wars of the 20th century were very different than those of the 19th. While his relations with the officers he commanded in the next war were not always smooth always meddled and micromanaged, i think he , becausebetter leader of his experience. After his return to london, churchill spoke actively in parliament and looked for a new path to power. He continued to promote new technologies, especially the tanks, which was used the following year. He also stood up to the men he had met in the trenches, asking for meaningful decorations and metals ordinary soldiers. He now understood them and noted believeate, i do not the people of this country have copper pension comprehension of what the men engaged in battle are doing, or what their suffering and achievements really are. Old ghosts still haunted him. Hisn early debate after return, he was interrupted right and irish mp who cried out, what about the dardanelles. It was a refrain he heard for many years after. Later in the year, he was asked if he was considering a return to active duty. His reply was measured. Was a his time there costly excursion. My i shut my mouth and drawn salary, i would today be one of the personages in affairs. That was Wishful Thinking on his part. Churchill hoped he would replace asquith that summer and gain admiralty or move to the air ministry, but when the cabinet was reshuffled, he was left out again. He spent most of his time preparing a defense of his action or the darnell commission, which held its first hearings in august. In december, the asquith government finally fell and was replaced by a lloyd george coalition. Lloyd george asked if church hill was more dangerous for you than against you . I would rather have him against us anytime. Trustworthy asot a colleague. His return to power was delayed as he wrote to jackie fisher, our common enemies are all powerful today and french accounts for less than nothing. I am simply existing. Turnedely, his prospects. The dardanelles report released full17 solved him of the blame for the failed expedition. In truth, there was plenty of lame to go around. Then in may, a further appeared and searchable churchill was sent across the channel. Lloyd george brought him back as minister of munitions. He was a vigorous minister and spent considerable time to meet their armament needs. Then he visited his old position in plug street. He wrote to clementine, everything has been torn to pieces, and the shelling remains severe. The british line has only moved forward about a mile, but all the old farms are heat of brick. He turned his focus 2d mobilization and reconstruction, but he wondered about the future. Years later he recalled picking at the time, is this the end. A it merely a chapter in cruel, senseless story. Or willildren their spring a new reconciliation. He went on to serve multiple offices in the 1920s, the air ministry, secretary of state for war, and then his fathers old position. In 1925. Hurchill the next decade from 1929 to 1939 became his Wilderness Years as he sounded a call against appeasement. Dramatically, and september of 1939, he returned to the admiralty to the very before. E held 25 years some of the same maps were hanging on the walls. It was said that a signal went out to british ships around the. Orld, winston is back here a end with one more anecdote, at 6 00 p. M. , churchill was summoned to palace to serve as last minister he had at reached the greasy pole at the top. Ironically, churchill and the key didnt know each other very well. The moniker monarchy would have preferred halifax for the job. Unusually quiet and thompson attempted to break the silence by congratulating his boss on his appointments, but challenges that faced the leader, i only wish had come to you in better times. I hope it is not too late. Churchill brooded for a moment and said, god alone knows how great it is. I hope it is not too late here it i am very much afraid that it is, but i can only do my best. By the time churchill slept at morning, his next mood had lightened considerably. , i was conscious of a profound sense of relief. At last i had the authority to give direction over the whole scene. I felt as if i were walking with destiny and that all my past life has been but a preparation for this hour, and this trial. I was sure i would not fail. Forcefully for the world, Winston Churchill did not fail, and one reason for that was the lessons he learned in 1916 from parliament. The key. Thank you. We can accept questions at either microphone. Take questions about ars asill and other w well as the First World War. Major gibbs, who i mentioned in my talk, wrote a full book about this in the 1920s that has been republished. Wonderful books about churchill as a military leader. Guest this is less of a question, and more of a statement. I dont believe the british navy named the ship after Winston Churchill. Yes. I dont believe there is a british Winston Churchill he is the new five pound note. Lets put it this way, the royal navy is not what it used to be. Right now it has no aircraft carriers. Caller there are quite a few are few royal navy ships. Britain has changed since the First World War. And wrestling interestingly, there is a u. S. Navy ship that has a foreign officer permanently stationed on it down in norfolk. And the menive ship are very proud to carry churchills name. Churchills mother was an a strongand he had relationship with the americans in the second world war, was sign or opinion, or anything expressed by churchill with regard to america and the First World War . Host i think when he was minister of munitions there were obviously liaisons with the u. S. It wasnt a close relationship. There was a famous he had a. Inner in london Franklin Roosevelt came to visit and met churchill, had a conversation, 20 years later they meet in 1941 at the Atlantic Charter conference. Apparently at the time, a few years before, when the subject , theodorell came up roosevelt had met churchill in the past. He didnt like him. Franklin roosevelt said he never liked Winston Churchill. I met him at a dinner. The ironing the irony was when they finally met, churchill says to roosevelt, mr. President we had previously met. He had forgotten completely. Obviously, the next four years, their relationship changed completely. Churchill has american ancestry, his mother. He famously spoke to congress in 1941 when he arrived in washington. His line was if my america my father had been american and my mother british, i may have gotten here on my own. In 1946, with harry truman, he said if he was born again there was one country he would like to be born in the United States where man has untold potential. Americal is a hero in in some ways more of a hero to us than he is in britain. Thank you very much for your lightning conversation. Churchill did so much and his cuba, india, and south africa to throw himself in the way of harm in order to sort of game adventure and live up to his potential. The black dog,f post in the demoralizing humiliation that he had to endure, i always have the thought that i going to the user leers, it was something about going to your roots, but if i always thought there was something suicidal about that as well. , if i survive this, fine. Butuld regain my prestige, if i take a bullet, im fine with that. Do you think there is anything to that . Host i think there is a little bit to that. The question of churchills mental state he talks about the black dog of depression, but that was a common phrase. I dont think he was depressive and eight clinical sense, but he had his moods. He had a lot of things to be moody about when he lost the admiralty. He thought that was the end of his career, and it couldve been, or should have been. Did he go to the front to the front with premonition of what would happen . Perhaps. I dont think suicided is the right thing. A physically brave man. To june 5, 1944, he is insistent that he is going with the landing forces. Everyone in the government thinks this is ridiculous. They had to get king george to write him a letter saying thank you, but i would lost i would be lost if something happened to you. He had to be part of the action at any point in his life. One more question. A question about 1916 and what churchill may have taken with him to dunning street in may 1940. He was highly critical of the theish offensive, mainly in 20s. There was a longrunning battle over that. I wonder if that didnt stay alsohim in 1940, and explain audacious strategies that he came up with. Host yes. I think that is a fair comment. If you look at churchill in the second world war, he was always coming up with innovative strategies. The campaigns he proposed in the mediterranean, and he was very anxious about the invasion of france and the whole dialogue about what might have happened in 1943. He was afraid it would fail, even in 1942. Certainly, i think there was threat from his experiences. Andigh level of leadership in the front, there were discussions about the landing and second front, and so forth. Waschill was someone who stubborn as all get out, and he did learn things over time. Sometimes he even admitted them. There was a contrast between who he was the first world, and the second war. Thanking join me in lee pollock. Pollock thank you. This weekend, American History tv on cspan3 rings you three days of programming. Eight 00 at probably the most colorful. Resident in the United States directly, can state the most colorful president in history. Narcotics, intended to describe the dangers of heroin addiction. There atticsere come to inject their hair one. Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the only thing we have to fear is spirit itself. In 1961. Ennedy hand theholds in his power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life. Let us take inventory. We are a nation that has the government, not the other way around. This makes us special among the nations of the earth. On monday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, come thethe time has film recently restored by the National Archives by profiling several black american officials. The participation of blacks in the american process, brings a new sense of hope. Not only a new sense of hope and optimism, but also a sense of economic for our complete schedule go. O cspan. Org located across Lafayette Square church of the president s located across Lafayette Square from the white house is st. Johns episcopal church, known as the church of the president s. Built in 1816 and designed by u. S. Capitol architect, every president since James Madison has attended at le