Free Republic

I am nearly finished with The Gathering Storm, Volume 1 of a six volume set of books written by Winston Churchill on World War Two. First off, I was very struck with the similarities the world faced in the 1930s that we face today. Back then, a dictator was allowed to violate treaties and grow in power while the countries that should have stepped in to stop him, instead appeased him. In fact, diplomacy won the day and we had, in the words of then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of England, "Peace For Our Time." Well, we all know how that...

"I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10, Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11.00 a.m. that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany. You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed....