Michael Kluger and Richard Evans is the author of more than 20 books. This is Michael Kluger’s first publication. The book Roosevelt’s and Churchill’s Atlantic Charter: A Risky Meeting at Sea that Saved Democracy was published in 2021.

I categorize this book as ‘G’. As the title of this book indicates, the focus is on the war period meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt. In August of 1941, the two met at Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. Churchill had risked sailing across the U-Boat-infested North Atlantic to meet Roosevelt face-to-face. Roosevelt made the trip to meet Churchill in secret, going so far as to employ a double.

The authors cover the early life and entry into politics of both men. They also delve into the other personalities at the meeting. The book covers more than simply the meeting and the signing of The Atlantic Charter.

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 248-page WWII-era history. For those interested in the history of WWII, this book will provide more background on the Allied leaders. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

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Roosevelt and Churchill: The Atlantic Charter by Richard Evans and Michael Kluger is a book in two (very unequal) parts. The first 30 pages discuss the face-to-face meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt in 1941 and the joint statement issued afterwards. This statement became known as the Atlantic Charter. It’s only one A4 page but it listed eight principles that the two leaders shared and which they hoped other countries would too. The remaining 160ish pages then delve into the background of various attendees:
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Winston Churchill
- Harry Hopkins
- General George Marshall
- Wilfrid Freeman
- Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook)
- Sumner Welles
- Sir Alexander Cadogan
- Randolph Churchill

The book obviously covers American and English players and I felt there was a slight bias towards being written for the American market. I enjoyed the details about the meeting and the preparation for it; and the comments from people who were there, such as FDR’s son, Elliott. However, I felt somewhat deflated when that part of the book was over so quickly. Don’t misunderstand me: the second part of the book is equally well written and very readable; it’s just that the chapters are short biographies of those players and one has the impression that they were added to bulk out the book. I knew very little about Randolph Churchill and the twenty pages about him were most interesting, but I could have got more from the book by his son, also called Winston: His Father’s Son.

#RooseveltandChurchillTheAtlanticCharter #NetGalley

I must say that I was excited to have access to this book pre publication and I would like to thank Netgalley, the Publishers and the Authors for this privilege. The meeting between the two leaders which resulted in the “charter” occurred at a fascinating time in WW2. Britain, buoyed by victory in the Battle of Britain but was struggling with Rommel in North Africa, at home with nighttime bombing raids and in the N Atlantic with U-boat raids on convoys providing much needed supplies. Churchill Knew that Hitler could only be defeated with direct military support from the USA. Roosevelt knew this also but was mindful of strong isolationist feelings back home and his recent election victory where he promised not to involve the US in foreign wars were he re-elected. He was also very aware of Britain’s history of Empire building and somewhat suspicious of Churchills motives if victory over the axis powers was achieved. With this background, the first face to face meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt was certainly going to be a monumental summit which would clearly determine the outcome of the war.
With such dramatic context for this meeting and the resulting outcome it is a bit disappointing that the authors spent such a small portion of the book discussing these topics instead focusing on the background of the main characters and some anecdotes of the voyage and behind the scenes of the meetings. All of this was well researched and presented and I should say fascinating in parts but I was still left with the feeling that the main event was overlooked. Questions remained such as how the two characters resolved their differences, how Roosevelt set an agenda of nations interacting for the global common good when Churchill must have been desperate to talk specifics of how the USA was going to help him, how the charter they agreed went on to form the basis of the United Nations and how relevant is it today? I am sure many of these questions are addressed in other books and familiar to those with good knowledge of the times but for me it felt a bit empty.