The suspicion of Chamberlain and Lord Halifax

[samiaseo222]

Churchill was fundamentally reckless, is borne out in this book. In effect, whatever else we think of them and however else we may choose to judge them, Churchill and Hitler were both reckless. Their mutual loathing is evident from the references they made to one another in their speeches but they both thrived on hatred, it got their adrenilin going. When questioned about his support for Stalin, Churchill responded with characteristic humour, "If Hitler invaded Hell, I would at least make a favourable reference to the Devil" (p.590). Without any enemy to fight, life for both Hitler and Churchill would have been grey, drab, pointless. Both preferred to be hated than to be ignored.

This account of Churchill paints the picture of an overgrown schoolboy. Hitler fulfilled the role of school bully and settling his hash was going to be jolly good sport. Hitler and his "nasties" had a "criminal phone number list scheme" to take over the world. Churchill was the man to foil Hitler and his dastardedly gang. If Hitler's fantasy of war came out of a Wagner opera, Churchill's war was war seen through the perspective of comics like Hurricane and Valiant. If it weren't for Hitler and the war what would have become of Churchill? Bulldog Drummond always perked up at mention of the name of his criminal rival Karl Peterson; Churchill's reaction to the name of Hitler seems to have been the same.

You hate the beastly Hun, but what a bleeding bore life would be without him. Churchill, if Mr. Irving is to be believed, was not so much a war leader as a war monger. He enjoyed war. The Boer War was "the last enjoyable war" he remarked to his private secretary Coleville in September 1940. "War is a game to be played with a smiling face" (quoted, Dictionary of National Biography). The Blitz was "more acceptable" to the British temperament than a war where they did not feel they were playing a full part. Mr. Irving argues at length and with a stack of evidence and first-hand sources to back him up, that the bombing of London and other British cities and not least the bombing of civilians was deliberately provoked by Churchill, who was convinced that the war could be won if Hitler could be lured into a massive and increasingly indiscriminate bombing campaign against British cities.