Forged in War

Roosevelt and Churchill: Theirs was a partnership that shaped the American Century. Their combined leadership during the crucial years of World War II seized victory for the Allied forces and laid the groundwork for the peace that followed. The story of their relationship is also, inevitably, the story of their nations and the "good war." Now, noted historian Warren Kimball brings to life the political and personal affiance of these two great leaders, set against the incredible events of the time. Using various historical sources - including the enormous store of letters that the leaders exchanged, both playful and deadly serious - Kimball paints an intimate portrait of the men and their role in the war. Kimball's lively analysis reveals the men behind the politicians, and shows how they were at the same time idealists yet realists, consistent yet unpredictable, calculating yet impulsive. At times they made mistakes in judgment, disagreed about how to win and what the postwar world would and should look like, and focused closely on their own countries' interests. Ultimately, however, their "Yalta System" helped shape an era without direct war between the "Great Powers."