""Then out spake brave Horatius," "The Captain of the Gate:" "'To every man upon this earth" "Death cometh soon or late." "And how can man die better" "Than facing fearful odds," "For the ashes of his fathers," "And the temples of his gods?"'" "This is the BBC Home Service." "The German army invaded Holland and Belgium early this morning by land and by landings from parachute." "The armies of the Low Countries are resisting." "An appeal for aid has been made to the Allied governments and Allied troops are moving to their support." "His Majesty's government and the French government are taking immediate steps to come to the assistance of Holland and Belgium." "The Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, whose conduct of the war has been roundly criticized, has summoned leaders of his party to an emergency meeting at 10 Downing Street." "Now I had hoped to remain as prime minister through the current crisis, but I've just been told that the Labour party will not serve under me." "Therefore I shall resign immediately." "One of you will lead the new government." "Winston, would it be possible for you to discharge the duties of minister of defense under the direction of Edward Halifax as prime minister?" "What is your opinion?" "I think Winston would be the better choice." "Yes, I think so too." "Huh." "Mr. Churchill has arrived, sir." "Thank you." "I feel very uneasy about this." "People say he's unreliable." "Is that true?" "Impulsive, sir, might be a kinder word." "If only it could've been Lord Halifax." "He would've made the most... perfect prime minister." "Perfect." " At 4:35 this morning," "Hitler's troops invaded Holland and Belgium and the Luftwaffe has been bombing airfields all across Holland and northern France." "Panzer divisions are moving through Luxembourg towards the Belgium frontier." "Our troops and the French are marching north to block the German advance." "How many of our men?" " All of them." "The entire army." "It's an extraordinary coincidence..." "Hitler attacking the west and you becoming prime minister all on the same day." "Could be coincidence, sir." "Could be destiny." "And what happens if we fail to stop Hitler in Belgium?" "One must assume he'll go for France." "Just 21 miles." "Is that enough to save us?" "...with the chief of the Imperial general staff." "At 10:00, telephone call to the French prime minister." "Mr. Attlee at 10:30." "Cabinet photograph at 11:00." "Sawyers." " Sir." "A further meeting of the War Cabinet at 5:00." "Drinks with Lord Beaverbrook at 6:30, then dinner with Mr. Bracken, Sir John Anderson and the Duff Coopers." " And what about my sleep?" "Sleep, sir?" "I need at least one hour's unbroken sleep in the afternoon, otherwise I can't function..." "sleep and a bath." "You'd better call the second meeting of the War Cabinet for 11:00 tonight." "Yes, sir." " Colville... is that right?" "Yes, sir." " Related to Lord Crewe?" "My grandfather." " Mmm, give him my greetings." "I met my wife at his house on Curzon Street." "It is my intention to form a national government, a grand coalition of all parties united for the duration of the war." "Conservatives and Labour are equal partners." "And as leader of the Labour party, you shall be my deputy." "I shall be both prime minister and the minister of defense." "We have a heavy burden to carry, my dear Attlee." "People trust us." "We must tell them the truth." "We must never let them down." "If you could go to the middle, sir, with the Conservative ministers on the right and the Labour ministers on the left." " No no, that's all wrong." "This is a national government." "The photograph must reflect that." "Attlee, sit here next to me." "Come along, everyone." "Halifax, sit next to Attlee." "Hurry up." "Gentlemen." "The latest reports indicate that the Germans are advancing rapidly towards Calais." "The main thrust was through here... the Ardennes." "We were trying to stem the invasion of Belgium to the north." "We've been outmaneuvered, gentlemen." "So that means our troops are cut off?" "Yes, sir." " And we can't link up to the main French force to the south?" "Yes, sir." "I'm afraid that's correct." "If the German advance cannot be stopped, we might have to order our troops back to England." "The question is, 365,000 men... the entire British army... how many can we get back?" "Perhaps 50,000... if we're lucky." "Admiral Pound." " Yes, sir?" "As a precautionary measure, the admiralty should assemble as many small vessels as it can in readiness for a large-scale evacuation." "That's already in hand, sir." "Tugboats, yachts, fishing craft, lighters, barges, pleasure boats... everything must be called into service." "Well, if we are forced to evacuate, we must assume the Germans will attempt to invade us very shortly thereafter beginning, one assumes, with air attacks." "Unrestricted air attacks aimed at breaking public morale." "They'd also try to starve us by attacking shipping and ports." "True." " Invasion would follow." "What about tanks?" "How many have we got with the army?" "How many are being made?" " The plan is to evacuate women and children from southern coastal towns." "Sounds a bit extreme." "The PM wants to know how much mustard gas we have." "I had a chat with the Italian ambassador." "He made it clear that if we were to approach his government, with a view to discussing a general European settlement, we would not be rebuffed." " What exactly does he mean by that?" "That Mussolini is prepared to act as an intermediary between us, the French and Hitler." "Any hint of negotiation would destroy the morale of our people." "I think perhaps not in the present circumstances." "The ambassador was most conciliatory... not all all extreme, very well-mannered." "Of course, they would expect something in exchange." "Oh, of course." " Such as what?" "Malta, perhaps." "Gibraltar." "Perhaps Uganda." "Winston?" "My dear Edward, if I thought we could get out of our present difficulties by giving up Malta, Gibraltar or a few of the African colonies," "I'd jump at it, but Hitler cannot be trusted." "No point in talking with the Eyeties." "The French are very keen we should give it a try." "To hell with the French." "If they're not prepared to fight, let them give up." "I will not allow this country to be dragged down a slippery slope." "What is the point of becoming a slave state?" "Winston, for the love of God, will you face facts?" "We could lose a quarter of a million men at Dunkirk." "Nations that go down fighting rise up again." "Those that surrender tamely are finished." "We cannot win this war without a devastating loss of life and resources." "Don't destroy everything you most want to preserve." "This is the BBC Home Service." "Belgium has surrendered." "In preparation for invasion, 15 towns on the..." "What's the matter?" "I've been on the telephone with General Gamelin." "Bloody French..." "they're worse than useless." ""Where is your strategic reserve?" I asked him." ""There is none," he said." "Can you believe it?" "I despair." "Sometimes I despair." "Of course you do." "If you didn't, you wouldn't be human." "I was thinking about the afternoon I delivered my statement to the House." "Do you remember?" "We came back here for tea." "There were some people on the pavement outside... not many, five or six." " I remember." "One of them was a middle-aged man... a shopkeeper perhaps, or a bus driver." "He was full of hope and trust." ""Good luck, Winnie," he said." ""God bless you."" "I mustn't let him down." " You won't." "I might." "Halifax is no fool." "What he says is full of wisdom and good sense." "I hear his voice, but the face I see is that man outside #10." "Whether it was part of my duty to consider entering into negotiations with Herr Hitler... but it's idle to think we'd get better terms than if we fought it out." "And I'm convinced that every man of you would rise up and tear me down from my place if I were for one moment to contemplate parley or surrender." " Yes." "If this long island history of ours is to end at last, let it end only when each one of us lies choking in his own blood upon the ground." "Hear hear!" "Hear hear!" "Hear hear!" ""Early today, the prime minister, his wife, his youngest daughter and members of his personal staff flew to Bordeaux... his first trip abroad since the end of the war." "After a hectic month of electioneering," "Mr. Churchill has gone away for a well-deserved holiday."" ""Well-deserved" is right." " "The election results will not be announced until July the 26th." "And although Mr. Churchill is expected to win, the outcome is by no means certain."" "Oh, this is bad news." "I don't want to hear it." ""A poll in 'The Daily Express' says the Conservatives will win, whereas 'The News Chronicle' predicts a Labour victory."" "I don't want your father to see that." "The big, unanswerable question is how the servicemen voted." "We allow three weeks to enable the servicemen abroad to cast their votes, and nobody foresaw how crucial those votes might be, least of all me." " Just stop worrying about the election." "Try to relax." " Well, it's not my fault, Clemmie." "I didn't want this blasted election." " I know." "I know that." "Why don't you try some painting this afternoon?" "Oh, I'll have forgotten how to do it." "Oh, of course you haven't." "It's like riding a bicycle." " Riding a bicycle?" "Or swimming." " What on earth are you talking about?" "Once you can do it, you don't forget." "Do try, please." " Well, I might." "Where's the money coming from?" "That's what I'd like to know." "For us, I mean, in the unlikely event of the Labour party winning." "They won't win." "No one thinks they'll win." "We can't live on an MP's salary" "Impossible." "Where's the money coming from?" "Writing." "Surely you're bound to get lots of offers." "And pay 19/6 in the pound income tax?" "Not bloody likely!" "A blasted welfare state..." "who wants it?" "Country can't afford it." "Don't they realize that?" "We did not fight this damn war so the Labour party could take over and destroy everything we believe in." "What about the First Sea Lord?" "Has he responded to my memorandum?" "Yes, sir." "He telephoned earlier, but you were in a meeting." "I believe he spoke to Robert." "Robert?" "Robert who, for God's sake?" "Hard enough to know people by their surnames," "Christian names make life bloody impossible." "Yes, Pim?" "Sir, Calais has fallen." "Is this confirmed?" " Yes, sir." "The evacuation of our troops from Dunkirk has begun." "Thank you, Pim." "Sir?" "Sir, I have a boat moored in the Isle of Wight." "I think I could be of use, sir, if you could do without me for three or four days." "Do what you can, Pim." " Sir." "We must prepare ourselves, sir." "The loss of life will almost certainly be immense." "Tell Lord Gort wounded men to be evacuated last." ""A week ago today, Mr. Speaker," "I feared it would be my hard lot, umm... to announce the greatest military disaster in our long history." "The whole root, core and brain of the British army seemed about to perish upon the field or to be led into an ignominious captivity."" "Give me it." ""An ignominious and starving captivity." "Suddenly the scene has changed... the scene has cleared." Good." ""The crash and thunder has, for the moment..."" "I'm terribly sorry, sir." "The prime minister has asked not to be interrupted." " "...but only for the moment... died away." "The miracle of deliverance achieved by valor, by perseverance, is manifest to us all." "And the Royal Navy, with the help of countless merchant seamen and using nearly 1,000 ships of all kinds, have carried over 335,000 men out of the jaws of death and shame to their native land." "We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory." "Wars are not won by evacuations." "Our thankfulness at the escape of our army and so many men, whose loved ones have passed through an agonizing week must not blind us to the fact that what has happened in France and Belgium is a colossal military disaster." "We are told that Herr Hitler has a plan for invading the British Isles." "This has often been thought of before." "I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once more able to defend our island home," "to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone." "Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous states have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail." "We shall go on to the end." "We shall fight on the seas and oceans." "We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air." "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be." "We shall fight on the beaches." "We shall fight on the landing grounds." "We shall fight in the fields and in the streets." "We shall fight in the hills." "We shall never surrender."" "Sawyers!" "Sorry, Clemmie." "I need my paints." "This fool left them on the terrace." "Sorry, Mrs. Churchill, I didn't realize..." "Come along." "Come along." "Why on earth did you put them here?" " It's such a nice view, sir." "I thought you might like to paint it." "I'm the one who decides what view to paint." "Mind your own damn business!" "Where are the other paints?" " What other paints?" "You've left half of them behind." "For God's sakes, Sawyers, who told you to bring only these?" "I haven't touched your paints, sir." "Where's the cobalt?" "Where's the Hooker's green?" "Where's the burnt sienna?" "You've left everything at home!" "You're an absolute bloody fool, Sawyers!" "Would you mind that picture, for God's sakes?" "!" "Winston." " We won't disturb you again." "Promise." " Winston, please." "What is it?" " Please stop behaving like this." "Like what?" " All this fuss about a few tubes of paint." "Painting was your idea, remember?" "It will take my mind off the election, apparently." "And you really mustn't speak to Sawyers like that." "Like what?" " How would you like to be shouted at?" "He doesn't mind." " Of course he minds!" "Didn't you see his face?" " He takes it in his stride." "He knows what I'm like." " We'd be lost without Sawyers, and well you know it." " Lost?" "What do you mean, lost?" "He's not going anywhere." " Just treat him with respect, Winston." "What are you talking about?" " You treat him like a servant!" "That's what he is!" " It's people like him who won the war!" "I see." "You're in one of your left-wing moods." "God, you're a patronizing bully." "Prime Minister, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." "I'm sorry to disturb you in the evening, sir." "What's happened?" " The French have surrendered." "We are alone?" " Yes, sir." "Arrangements have been made for you, Her Majesty and the princesses to be evacuated from London." "We must consider when it would be prudent to make such a move." "Do you think an invasion is imminent?" "It all depends on air supremacy." "Hitler needs to control the air before he launches an invasion, but we are fully prepared for any eventuality." "If Hitler uses poison gas, we shall do the same." "We have the deadliest gasses in the world... mustard, anthrax." "Everything is tested and ready for use." "When might it happen?" "Anytime between now and the end of September." "After that, the weather and the tides will be against him." "The queen and I have talked about this." "The children could not possibly go without her, she won't go without me and I shall not leave London under any circumstances." "Very well, sir." "There is something else." "Now that the French have surrendered, we must assume that their navy will soon be in German hands." "That must not happen." "We must keep control of the Mediterranean." "Without access to the Suez Canal our oil supplies will be cut off, which would of course be disastrous." "I've told the French they must continue to fight, sail their ships to a British port or scuttle the entire fleet." "If they accept none of these choices," "I've ordered Admiral Somerville to bombard the French fleet in the port of Oran." "We have to show the world, and in particular the United States, that we mean to fight on." "Message from Admiral Somerville, sir." "Since the deadline has passed, he's opened fire on the French ships." "He says he's being heavily engaged." "How many Frenchmen killed?" "1200." "You know, when Joe Kennedy came back from London and delivered his considered ambassadorial opinion he said Winston Churchill is a drunk, a warmonger, a bully." "Joe Kennedy's an appeaser." "He's bound to say that." "True." "On the other hand, to be fair to Joe when I first met Winston, I didn't like him either." "It was 20 years ago, a big formal dinner in London." "He acted like a stinker." "The sort of British snob I detest." "But as I say, that was 20 years ago." "And now?" "He may be a drunk, he may be a warmonger, but he's certainly a fighter." ""Prime Minister to President, personal and secret." "I trust you realize that the voice and force of the United States may count for nothing if they are withheld too long." "You may have a completely subjugated Nazified Europe established with astonishing swiftness, and the weight may be more than we can bear." "We must ask therefore for whatever help and reinforcements you can provide as a matter of life and death." "Mr. President, with great respect" "I must tell you that in the long history of the world, this is the thing to do now."" "Good morning, sir." "On your feet, gentlemen..." "the prime minister!" "Good morning, gentlemen." " Good morning, sir." "Have you been in action today, Flight Lieutenant?" "No, sir." "B-flight did the early patrol." "Not seen much trade since." " How about you?" "How many Huns have you brought down?" " Four, sir, maybe five." "I got two on Monday." " Very good." "The next two days'll be crucial." "If Hitler wins the battle of the air, he wins the Battle for Britain." "It depends on you." " Would you like a mug of tea, sir?" "Good God, no!" "My wife drinks that." "I'm sure we can find you something stronger in the officer's mess, sir." "I wouldn't like to get anyone into trouble." "Seeing as it's you, sir, I'm sure it'll be fine." "Johnny Walker or Haig, sir?" " Scramble!" "Angels Twelve over Maidstone!" "Scramble!" "Contact!" "What reserves do we have?" "There are none." "They're so young." "And so few of them." "And yet... on these few young men, these boys, we are entrusting the future of our entire nation and Empire." "Never has so much been owed by so many to so few." "Make a note, Jock." ""Never on the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few."" "I might use that later." ""The gratitude of every home in our island goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion." "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."" "Not bad, eh?" "I gather you're making a fuss about our southern area defenses, is that so?" " I wouldn't call it a fuss," "Prime Minister." " That's what I was told." ""Major General Montgomery's been making a fuss,"" "they said." "I want to know why." "See for yourself, sir." "Sir." "Static guns..." "what's the point of that?" "It's absurd to try and defend the coastline of England with guns in static positions." "The Germans would bypass the whole lot of them as they did in France." "What we need is mobility." "Might I remind you that our army vehicles are lying in heaps of charred wreckage on the beaches of Dunkirk?" "Busses!" "Plenty of busses in the country after all." "My division should be given busses and transported rapidly to wherever they're needed." "Hmm." "What we have here is worse than useless." "Your commanding officer seems perfectly satisfied with things as they are." "Well, he's wrong." "He's wrong and you're right?" " Precisely so." "And if he were here, I would tell him so to his face." "Very well." "Busses you shall have." "Now that that matter is settled, we'll have lunch." "And a drink." "I'm sure you could do with a drink, Major General." "I neither drink nor smoke and am 100% fit." "Well, I both drink and smoke and I'm 200% fit." "Everything all right, Bunny?" " Yes, sir." "Ready when you are." "Very good." "Come along, everyone." "What does a humble AT say to the chief of the Imperial general staff?" ""Good luck" might be appropriate." " I gather you're busy raising money for the war effort." " I do what I can." "Mama's chairman of the Red Cross Appeal Committee." "We're very proud of her." "I never thought I'd be married to a chairman." "One expects she'll come downstairs in a pin-striped suit and MCC tie." "Come along, Brookie." "Come and sit here." "We have a film show every weekend." "Special treat today... my favorite film." "Best film ever made." "All right, Bunny." "Ready when you are." "Switch off the light there, Jock." "Sorry." "A silly joke." "Mary is quite right... we're all very proud of you." "Ah!" ""Alexander Korda presents"... you see this?" "A great friend of mine, Alex." "A brilliant fellow." "Has everybody got a drink?" "Do sit down, Winston." " Right." "Lord Hood advised me to instruct you... instruct..." "Quite all right, Captain." "I have no secrets from Lady Hamilton." "Your indecisive defeat of the Danes..." "Ah!" "Here he comes." "Here he comes now..." "Nelson victorious after the Battle of Copenhagen." "A peace with Napoleon Bonaparte... but, gentlemen, you will never make peace with Napoleon!" "He doesn't mean peace today." "He just wants..." "Listen to what he has to say." "Damn clever." "Winston!" " Substitute the name Hitler for Napoleon and you'll see what they're getting at." "Shh!" "...one purpose: to destroy our Empire!" "Clever stuff." " Shh!" "Napoleon can never be master of the world..." "Very timely." " Years ago I said the same thing." "I begged them, I entreated them not to give way." "but they wouldn't listen to me and they paid the price." "You cannot make peace with dictators!" "England..." " Expects..." "That..." " Every..." "Man..." "Will do..." "His..." "Duty." "Here they come, the buggers." "Hurry along, sir." "Hurry along, madam." "Ah!" "Clemmie, do go down to my room." "I'll be back in a minute." " Where are you going?" "Back in a minute." "Back in a minute." " Winston!" "Mrs. Churchill, please." "Good evening, Mrs. Churchill." " Good evening, Captain Pim." "Where's Winston going?" "Up to the roof I'm afraid." "He likes to see what's going on." "I was looking at him at dinner last night and Winston was full of plans and ideas." "He was telling jokes, quoting poetry." "I thought "He's like a little boy playing an enormously elaborate game of make-believe." "And to his great delight, it's suddenly come true."" "Who was that on the telephone?" "Do you really want to know?" "I do." " It was the local mayor inviting us to an evening of Basque folk dancing." "Oh God, how fearful." "I hope you said no." " I said yes." "Diplomacy, Winston." "Oh Lord." "Perhaps you should join in." "Be good for you..." "a bit of exercise." "Wing Commander Maddox?" " Yes, sir." "Victoria Cross?" " Yes, sir." ""It is ordained that the Victoria Cross shall only be awarded for most conspicuous bravery, or some pre-eminent act of valor or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy."" "Isn't that what it says on the Royal Warrant?" "Yes, sir." "The Battle of Britain was won by men like you." "This country owes you its life and liberty." "You feel very humble and awkward in my presence, don't you?" "Yes, sir." "Then you can imagine how humble and awkward I feel in yours." "Good news from Bletchley." " Sir?" "The boffins have unbuttoned a cipher message from Berlin to the commander of the 16th Army." "All invasion barges are to be returned to their base in Germany." "Excellent!" " Herr Hitler has left it too late." "Buggeration!" "Can't invade now till the spring." "Who knows what might happen between now and them?" "Shan't tell Roosevelt just yet." "No, sir." "Don't want the Yanks to think we're out of danger until we're sure we are." " Tell them his name." "Puggy-wuggy." "You loved that little dog, didn't you?" "I adored him when I was a little girl." "He walked awfully like Papa." "Well, when I was a boy, I used to collect toy soldiers." "I had 1500 of them all arranged on a long trestle table." "I organized battles, invasions, entire wars." "I used to pretend I was the greatest general the world had ever known, and my brother Jack always played the enemy." "Excuse..." " One day my father came into the nursery and obviously impressed with the orderly ranks of my infantrymen," ""Would you like to enter the army?" he said." ""Oh yes, sir," I said." ""That'd be splendid."" "So off I went to Sandhurst." "Well, I thought he'd sent me there because he had discerned in me qualities of military genius." "In fact, it was because he thought I was too stupid for the bar." "Yes, Sawyers." "What is it?" "The Japanese have attacked the Americans, sir." "I've been listening on the wireless." " What?" "!" "Somewhere near Hawaii, sir." "God, why didn't you say something?" "I shall declare war on Japan." "Excuse me." " Yes yes." "Prime Minister, you can't declare war because of something you've heard on the wireless." "Don't tell me what to do, Colville!" "If I want to declare war, I'll bloody well declare it!" "Please, sir." " Mr. President, what's all this about Japan?" " It's quite true." "They've attacked us at Pearl Harbor." "We're all in the same boat now." "This is momentous news, Mr. President." "Tonight I shall sleep the sleep of the saved and the thankful." "Where are you taking those?" "Mr. Churchill wants them pressed, madam." "He wants to take them to Washington." "Is that all right, Mrs. Churchill?" "Yes, of course." "Thank you, Sawyers." "When are you going to Washington?" "Thursday." "Sorry... what?" "Winston." " I didn't hear what you said." "Of course you did." " No need to be cross." "I was going to tell you later." " This is madness." "Winston, you'll make yourself ill." "I have to see the president." "Talk to him on the telephone." "I need to meet him face to face." "Why?" "You're exhausted." "You're working 16 hours a day." "You cannot..." "They have the men." "They have the resources." "So far we've managed to avoid losing this damn war." "We cannot win it without the Americans." "That's why." "Now, you know Winston's going to America." "Yes, I heard." " I very much want you to go with him as his doctor and his friend." "A bit difficult..." "he hasn't asked me." "Well, he will." "I can arrange that." "Please." "He needs someone to look after him." "He's hopeless with ordinary life... hopeless." "He knows nothing about it." "Did you know he's never been on a bus?" "He's only been on the Underground once... that was during the General Strike." "He went round and round on the Circle line, didn't know where to get off, had to be rescued." "Why don't you go with him?" " Oh, that wouldn't be a good idea." "More of a hindrance than a help." "I'm sure that's not true." "I think it is." "I'm afraid I'm not the ideal wife for him." "I can't keep up with him." "I think you look after him wonderfully well." "Do you?" "That's very kind of you." "The point is, he was born for this." "I wasn't and I have to cope with that somehow." "I have to." "But some days, Charles," "I feel totally and utterly exhausted." "All right." "I'll talk to Winston." "If it's helpful for me to go with him to America, then of course I'll go." "And you must take care of yourself." "You need looking after too." "I'd been discussing the situation with General Marshall." "He agrees with your recommendation." "Our joint strategy should be Europe first." "Good, I'm delighted to hear it." "The situation in the Pacific is nowhere near as bad as some people think." "Singapore is impregnable..." "an island fortress." "I've got a first-class general in control of the garrison." "You can rely on Singapore." "Good." "Excellent." "Now regarding Europe... it's my view we are in no position to even consider an invasion this year." "Agreed." " Good man." "The Russians are very unhappy." "One understands why, of course... the Red Army's being butchered." "Stalin desperately needs a second front." "I've told him "This is impossible." "We don't have the men or the equipment."" "As you can see, Mr. President," "I have nothing to conceal from you." "My old schoolmaster, Dr. Peabody, taught us that the trend of civilization is forever upward." " Let's hope that's true." "I think it is." "He's been a great influence throughout my entire life..." "Dr. Peabody." "He once said "To believe is to be strong." "Doubt cramps energy." "Belief is power."" "Mmm." "My feelings about belief tend to change." "I was very antireligious when I was young." "Exposure to danger changed that." "No matter what my intellect told me," "I've always found myself asking the Almighty for special protection when facing the enemy." "A reluctant believer?" " Perhaps." "The one thing I'm sure of:" "Whether you believe or disbelieve, it is a wicked thing to take away men's hope." "And what do you make of him?" "I like him." "Mmm." "But not, I think, as much as he likes me." ""...the German and Japanese level." "Anybody likes to play rough, we can certainly play rough too." "Hitler and his Nazi gang have sown the wind." "Let them reap the whirlwind."" "Don't work too late, sir." "You need your rest..." "busy day tomorrow." ""Neither the length of the struggle nor any form of severity which it may assume shall make us weary"..." "Is there anything else you want?" " Where's the brandy?" "On the side table." " Very good." "Not Hine I'm afraid, sir, but passable." "Bloody awful martinis before dinner." "I can't imagine why the president likes such a filthy drink." "Each man to his own, sir." "I'll say good night then." "Yes yes, good night." ""There will be no haltings or half measures." "There will be no compromise or parley."" "Yes." ""When I warned the French government that Britain would fight on alone no matter what they did, their generals told their prime minister and his cabinet..." "and his cab... and his divided cabinet... and his divided... and his divided cabinet" "'In three weeks'..." "'In three weeks," "England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.'" "Some chicken!" "Some neck!" "Some chicken!" "Some neck!"" "Oh!" "Thompson." "Thompson." "What's the matter, sir?" " Fetch the doctor." "I'm not feeling well." " Right." "Here we are, sir." "All right, all right." "I'll go fetch the doctor." "Is he all right?" " He's had a heart attack... fairly minor, but a heart attack nevertheless." "He should be kept in bed for at least six weeks, but that's impossible." "If the American newspapers got wind of it, the whole damn world would be told" "Winston's an invalid with a dicky heart and that'd be disastrous." "Nobody must hear of this... nobody." "Not Mrs. Churchill and not even him." "Speak up." "Don't mumble." "This is Mr. Churchill." "I want to speak to the party chairman." "Then get ahold of him." "Tell him I rang." "I'm in France." "He knows the number." "Get him to telephone me here at..." "Winston?" "No, on second thought" "I'll telephone him." "Tomorrow, yes." "Roughly the same time." "Winston, are you there?" "Yes, come in." "We're taking Mary to Biarritz." "Had you forgotten?" "No no, of course not." " What are you doing?" "Nothing." " What do you mean, "nothing"?" "I could scarcely make it any clearer." "I'm sitting here in my room doing nothing." "Are you so bored with my company?" "Clemmie, for heaven's sake." " And what about Mary?" "She has been so looking forward to spending time with you and you have scarcely spoken to her." "She seems happy enough." "Can't you try to enjoy this holiday and forget about the election just for a bit?" "The answer is no, I can't." "If I sit on the terrace or the beach, I sit there thinking about it." "At least if I come up here, phone party HQ, they can tell me the latest news and I can go back to you with a clear mind and no hidden anxieties." "Nothing is going to happen until the election results are announced." "You know that." "There is nothing you can do." "Yes, I know that, but I don't feel it." "It may be foolish and I know it's annoying," "but I like to have the illusion I'm in control." "Haven't you got a single general who can win battles?" "!" "This is beyond belief!" "I mean, talk about bloody incompetence!" "Who is responsible?" "I told President Roosevelt" "Singapore was impregnable!" "It seems the garrison is not as well fortified as we thought." "I gave him my word!" "Most of the guns can only fire seaward, which leaves our troops vulnerable to an attack from the north." "Well, why weren't we told about this?" "I'm afraid we were misinformed by the Joint Intelligence Committee." "Bloody hell." "You listen to me, General Brooke." "I expect every inch of ground to be defended." "This is the key to our imperial strength in Southeast Asia." "Send a telegram immediately:" "There must be no thought of saving the troops or sparing the population." ""I speak to you all under the shadow of a heavy and far-reaching military defeat." "Singapore has fallen." "This is one of those moments when the British race and nation can show their quality and their genius." "This is one of those moments when it can draw from the heart of misfortune the vital impulses of victory." "Here is a moment to display that calm and poise combined with grim determination which not so long ago brought us out of the very jaws of death." "So far..."" " Hear Winston last night?" "I did." " Hot air, I thought, didn't you?" "The country's not in the mood to be fobbed off with fine phrases." ""Let us move forward, steadfastly together into the storm and through the storm."" "The prime minister wins debate after debate and loses battle after battle." "Hear, hear!" " The country is beginning to say he fights his debates like a war and the war like a debate." "What about Dieppe, Winston?" "Have you forgotten what a disaster that was?" "4,000 men lost!" "And Malaya!" "Not a single objective accomplished!" "The prime minister is exercising a tremendous dictatorship." "He is the most arrogant and intolerant member of this House." "He appointed himself minister of defense." "The responsibility for the current sad state of military affairs is his." "So far as I am concerned, had I to choose between Hitler and the prime minister," "I should not know exactly on which the choice had to fall." "You must stop brooding." "I'm not brooding." " You are." "You're brooding about that wretched debate." "Ignore it, Winston." "Nobody takes them seriously." "It's left-wing Labourite nonsense." "Is it?" " You know it is." "I knew I'd get the blame, and in many ways I deserve it." "You once said to me..." "do you remember?" "when you first became prime minister," ""I was born for this."" "You were, Winston." "Too many disasters." "I feel I must assure you, sir, that if you wish me to hand over my responsibilities to some other person, I would feel, in many ways, it is the right and proper thing to do." "If you're trying to offer your resignation, please don't." "I'd be awfully glad if you didn't." "The people need you, Winston." "Perhaps, sir." "Perhaps not." "Of course they do." "So do I." "No." "No, you'll just have to buckle down and... what's your phrase?" "keep buggering on." "That's right, sir..." "KBO." "Of course the loss of Singapore came as a dreadful shock." "I hadn't expected it to fall so quickly." "None of us did, sir." "If our army can't fight any better than this, we shall lose the Empire." "Thank you, sir." "The situation in the North Atlantic is even more worrying." "Admiral Donitz and his U-boats are wreaking havoc." "Unless we can find a way of protecting our supply convoys, we'll be starved to death." "KBO, Winston." "KBO, sir." "Bloody U-boats." "Some of the chaps have had a brilliant idea." "And what's that?" " Icebergs." "Icebergs?" "We disguise our merchant ships as icebergs." "Think of the Titanic." "Enormous icebergs floating throughout the North Atlantic." "U-boat commander would look through his periscope and see only icebergs." "Icebergs travelling in formation, sir, at a steady eight knots?" "Yes, well, we'd have to work on the details." "And with smoke coming out of a funnel?" "Well, think about it." "I'm sure it could work." "It just needs a little bit of ingenuity." "There was something else as well." "Oh, yes." "Yes yes, floating harbors for the invasion of Europe." "Isn't that a little premature, sir?" "We've got to think ahead." "The huns'll blow everything to buggery." "We need a floating harbor." "No invasion can work without a harbor." "The Americans think otherwise, but they're wrong." "Eisenhower has no idea how to fight a battle." "He's never even seen active service." "Are you off?" " Yes, sir." "Best wishes to your wife." " Thank you, sir." "I was thinking of having a long weekend in the country." "Would that be all right?" "A holiday." "Holidays are a peacetime concept." "A change is as good as a rest, and as we're off to see Joe Stalin next week," "I'd advise against the country." "A waste of time." "Yes, sir." "Good night." "The first thing I did when I was assigned to Bomber Command was to examine the effect of night raids on Germany." "The results are most discouraging." "It seems our night bombing is so inaccurate that it's scarcely doing any damage at all." "Most of the bombs drop on empty fields." "We're killing more cows than Germans." "And your solution?" "Either we abandon night bombing altogether or the objectives of night bombing should be radically changed." "Obviously we can't give up night bombing, it's the only thing we can do to hurt Germany." "We've got to show Stalin we're doing something to ease the pressure on the Red Army." "And so?" " At the moment we aim our bombs at specific targets and usually miss them." "If we were to drop bombs on a much wider area... an area, say, that we knew contained factories, railway lines, important roads... we'd stand a much greater chance of success." "Wouldn't such an area also contain houses... houses for the civilians who work in the factories?" "A certain number of people would be dehoused, it's true." ""Dehoused"?" " Like the people of Coventry," "Portsmouth, the East End." "That's a feeble argument, Harris." " Feeble?" "In what way?" "You're talking of the deliberate slaughter of civilian men, women and children." "There's bound to be moral objections." "Well, bugger that, Attlee." "Everybody used gas in the last war without a word of complaint from the Somme-seeking defeatists." "On the other hand, the bombing of open cities was regarded as forbidden." "Now everybody does it." "It's simply a matter of fashion changing, like long or short skirts for women." "War is war, Attlee." "Let them have it, Harris." "Never maltreat the enemy by halves." "How do I make it work?" " Just switch it on, sir." "There's a switch on the back." "Off." "On." " Fuck!" "Marshal Stalin proposes a toast to the health of his friend Prime Minister Churchill on this, his birthday!" "Prime Minister Churchill!" "I'd like to propose to the health of Marshal Stalin." "He will, I know, be ranked amongst the most illustrious heroes of Russian history." "He has already earned the title of "Stalin the Great"!" "Stalin the Great!" "I also drink to the Proletarian masses." "The Proletarian masses!" "Marshall Stalin drinks to the Conservative Party!" "The Conservative Party!" "To the people of France and French champagne." "Marshall Stalin drinks to the health of Mr. Churchill's valet." "He is a noble example of the British working man." "Churchill's valet." "I drink to Marshal Stalin." "How much nicer a man than I thought he'd be." "Marshall Stalin." "Your invasion of northern France should not be delayed." "The Red Army is suffering heavy losses." "We need the support of a second front in Europe." "Marshal Stalin is anxious that Operation Overlord should not be delayed." "Marshal Stalin must realize that our forces will not be ready until the summer of 1944." "That's six months away." "The situation might change." "Marshal Stalin is not prepared to discuss any delay." "There's no question of a delay." "The governing factor is the timing put forth by you." "Overlord will be launched at the prescribed time." "This is good." "It would be unwise, I think, to agree now to such a rigid timetable." "Marshal Stalin says the British are afraid of fighting." "You should not think the Germans are supermen." "You cannot win a war without fighting." "We are fighting..." "and fighting fiercely... on land, on the sea and in the air." "The invasion of France is our topmost priority." "It will be our stern duty to hurl every sinew of our strength against the Germans." "Bloody man." "I beg your pardon?" "Nothing." "Thompson." "What is it, sir?" "What do you want?" "I can't find them anywhere." "Can't find what, sir?" " The little red sleeping pills." "Shall I ask Mr. Sawyers, sir?" "Perhaps he knows where they are." "No no, he'll be asleep." "Bloody music." "Stay with me, Thompson." "Certainly, sir." "Of course." "I'm tired out." "Tired in body, soul and spirit." "Well, you've had a very strenuous time, sir." "All these conferences, all the travelling, it's an exhausting business." "It is." "Do you know how far" "I've travelled since the war began?" "110,000 miles." "Somebody worked it out." "A total of 33 days at sea and 14 days in the air." "Time you took it easy, sir." "Sometimes I think man will destroy man, wipe out civilization." "Europe will be desolate and I shall be held responsible." "Thank you." " If there's anything more, madam..." "No." "Sometimes when he's asleep you can see what he must've looked like when he was a little boy." "His parents ignored him." "Did you know that?" "He loved them deeply." "They ignored him." "People say he's a figure from the past, that the Labour party represents the future." "It seems timeless to me, his love of England." "It's an ideal, it's a vision... something he's determined to protect at all costs." "His Camelot." "Yes, if you like." "Perhaps that England never really existed." "But if he hadn't believed in it, he never would have found the strength to win the war." "Ah." " Afternoon, Harris." "That's a fine-looking car you've got." "Four and a quarter liter, Vanden Plas body... drives like a dream." "I was on my way home the other evening." "I got stopped for speeding." ""You might've killed someone," said the copper." ""My dear young man," I said," ""I kill thousands of people every night."" "Evening, Pug." "Evening." "Have a good journey?" "On D-Day minus eight the entire coastal area here will be sealed and all troops confined to their camps." "Foreign embassies will not be allowed to communicate with the outside world." "Everything is being done to prevent any sort of security breach, which would, of course, be catastrophic." "I need to speak to Admiral Cunningham about my accommodation on HMS Belfast." " Accommodation?" "I've decided to go with the troops on D-Day." "What?" " Morale, you see." "That's the thing." "Morale up, victory assured." "I'm good at morale." "Everybody says so." "Sir, if I may say so..." " Mind made up." "Change the subject." "The prime minister seems determined to go to France with the troops." "On D-Day?" " Yes." "Well, I might've guessed." "Put him anywhere near a dangerous situation and you can be absolutely sure he'll go straight towards it." "Thank you for telling me, Jock." "I'll see what I can do." "Prime Minister, would you like to come this way?" "Thank you for coming to see me at such short notice." "I've made an important decision and I want you to arrange things for me." "Of course, sir." "What can I do?" "I think it's only right that I, as King, should go to France with our invading force..." "You mean..." "...on D-Day with the first wave of troops." "I shall travel on one of our landing craft with the men." "I'm sorry, sir, but that's impossible." "Why?" " You'd almost certainly be killed." "And I have a replacement, Winston." "You do not." "So let's hear no more about it." "Hmm?" "That's it, sir." "That's all there is." "Got the buggers on the run now, sir." "Our boys'll soon be in Berlin." "Tell me, Bunny, do you believe in life after death?" "Life after death, sir?" "Well, I suppose I do." "I envy you that." "Ah." "There he is." "Franklin, my good man, we must have a private talk about the future of Poland." "We can't do that with Joe Stalin breathing down our necks." "How about lunch?" " My dance card's quite full." "And, frankly, I have a distant view of the Polish problem." "I don't think a conversation with Uncle Joe would be advantageous to the long-range prospect for peace." "Gentlemen, please be seated." "Forgive me, Winston." "I have to get myself ready for this damn picture." "Harry." "We ought to do something." "It's a matter of honor." "What is?" "The Polish problem." " Here we go, sir." "People are saying we declared war on Germany because they invaded Poland." "We can't just stand by and watch Russia do the same." "For God's sake, what do people expect us to do, start another bloody war?" "Over here, gentlemen." "The latest briefing, sir." "I can't understand Franklin's behavior." "Roosevelt and Joe Stalin..." "they have the power." "No lover ever studied the whims of his mistress more assiduously than I did those of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." "It was an air assault without parallel in history." "The target was Dresden." "Terror rained down from the skies." "Dresden is now a heap of ruins." "It has been smashed to atoms." "Neutral sources report that more than 58,000 people lost their lives and 180,000 lost their jobs." "That's nearly a quarter of a million German war workers less than a week ago." "A brilliant tribute to the Allied knights of the air." "War... which used to be cruel and magnificent, has now become cruel and squalid." "Once there was a small number of well-trained professionals who championed their country's cause." "These men, brave men, were sustained at every moment by the applause of their nation." "Now we have entire communities... woman and children included... pitted against one another in brutish mutual extermination, with only a set of bleary-eyed clerks left to add up the butchers' bills." "I'm sorry, Attlee, you were saying something?" "I was going to suggest a little discussion... an item on our peacetime agenda:" ""The Uthwatt Report on Town and Country Planning."" "The what report on what?" "Uthwatt, sir." " Never heard of it." "I sent you a memorandum concerning back-bench reaction last week..." "Last week?" "What happened last week?" "I can't remember last week." "Isn't it appalling?" "Can't even remember what I had for breakfast." "Got a match?" "Thank you." "When I was a boy, when I was at school I had a phenomenal memory." "Phenomenal." "I got a prize for reciting "The Lays of Ancient Rome,"" "Macaulay." "Mmm, the whole of it." "I knew the whole damn thing, word perfect, start to finish." "Got a prize for it." ""Then out spake brave Horatius," "The Captain of the Gate:" "'To every man upon this earth" "Death cometh soon or late." "And how can man die better" "Than facing fearful odds," "For the ashes of his fathers," "And the temples of his gods?"'" "Well, right." "Let's move on." "You were saying, Attlee?" "Sorry to waken you, sir!" "Captain bloody Pim!" "What the hell do you want?" "Message from General Eisenhower's headquarters, sir." "The instrument of unconditional surrender was signed at 2:41 AM this morning." "The war in Europe is over." " Let me see." "For five years you've brought me nothing but bad news." "With one stroke, you have redeemed yourself." "Sir." "Come along, Winston." "This is unexpected, and I have to say, unwelcome news." "If I could just explain..." "Nothing to explain." "You want to disband the national government before we have defeated Japan." "I wouldn't say I want it personally." "My party wants it." "Left-wing buggers." "Well, if they want an election, let 'em have it." "Fuck 'em." "Not just left-wingers, Winston, as well you know." "The British people want a different sort of future." "They want full employment;" "they want a proper welfare state." "And if they want to vote for these things, then I think an election should be called." "Very well." "Do as you please." "Well?" "Have you read my speech?" "I have, yes." "And what do you think?" "Not one of your best." " What's wrong with it?" "Rather dull, I thought." "Dull?" " There's one bit I don't like at all." "When you talk about the Socialists not allowing free speech or "violently-worded expressions of public discontent."" "What's wrong with that?" " "They would have to fall back on some form of Gestapo."" "I think it is a huge mistake to use that particular word." "It is the right word in this context." "This is going to be broadcast, Winston." "Thousands of Labour party supporters will hear it, men and women who have been fighting the Nazis and the Gestapo for five years!" "This will make them very angry." "Clemmie, I know what this country needs." "For a start we're bankrupt... in debt to the tune of £3,000 million" "On top of that, there is the threat of Communism... as big a threat as Hitler was in 1940, if not worse!" "The people trusted me then, they'll trust me now." "Things are different now." "The war has changed everything." "Certain things may change," "I do not." "That's what people want:" "the strength and security of experienced government." "Thank you for your advice, Clemmie." "In this instance I shall not heed it." ""My friends I must tell you that a socialist policy is abhorrent to the British ideas of freedom." "No Socialist government could afford to allow free, sharp or violently-worded expressions of public discontent." "They would have to fall back on some form of Gestapo... no doubt very humanely directed..."" "That's bollocks!" "Bollocks." " "...in the first instance." "And this would nip opinion in the bud." "Leave these Socialist dreamers to their utopias... or their nightmares." "Let us make sure that the cottage home to which the warrior will return is blessed with modest but solid prosperity, well fenced and guarded against misfortune, and that Britons remain free to plan their lives for themselves and for those they love."" ""When I listened to the prime minister's speech last night, in which he gave such a travesty of the policy of the Labour party," "I realized at once what was his object." "He feared lest those who had accepted his leadership at war might be tempted out of gratitude to follow him further." "I thank him for having disillusioned them so thoroughly."" "Ah, good." "There he is." "Where's Mama?" "She must have forgotten something." "I'll go and have a look." "Clemmie!" "Clemmie!" "Clemmie!" "What are you doing?" "I'm just saying goodbye to the view." "It looks lovely this morning." " Ah." "Yes." "Everything's packed." "Everyone's ready and waiting." "Right." "What's wrong?" " Nothing." "What is it?" " Nothing." "Tell me, please." "I dread going back." "I dread it." "We'll come again." "I promise." "We'll come back next autumn." "We can go to the Riviera or Monte Carlo, borrow somebody's villa." "Winston." " Or we can come back here." "You like it here, don't you?" "It doesn't matter where we go." "Yes." "You're right, it doesn't." "We could stay at Chartwell... even better." "You really don't understand, do you?" "Another five years in Downing Street could kill you..." "Nonsense." "I've never felt better." "...and me." "Why?" "Are you saying you want me to lose the election?" "No no, of course not." "I don't believe it." " I don't." "I look into the future and it frightens me." "Hammersmith South..." "Labour gain." "Wigan..." "Labour gain." "Leeds South..." "Labour, no change." "Barrow-in-Furness..." "Labour gain." "Newcastle-under-Lyne..." "Labour gain." "Fulham East..." "Labour gain." "I'm dreadfully sorry, sir." "They're perfectly entitled to vote as they please." "This is democracy, after all." "That's what we've been fighting for." "It is my duty, sir, formally to tender my resignation as your minister, and to advise you to invite Mr. Attlee to form a new government." "Thank you, Prime Minister." "Please." " Thank you, sir." "Winston, I would like you to accept the Order of the Garter." "It is, as you know, the highest order of chivalry a monarch can bestow." "Your Majesty," "I am deeply honored and very moved," "but I must refuse." "How can I accept the most noble" "Order of the Garter when the British people have given me the order of the boot?" "Well, I shall..." "I shall miss our... our meetings, our talks." "I feel we have..." "I feel we've become friends." "Thank you, sir." "I feel that too." "Look who's here, sir." "Sir!" "Hello, sir." " Ah!" "Jock!" "What a treat!" "Wonderful to see you." "I hope I'm not interrupting." "No no." "I've been bidding farewell to the chiefs of staff." "Never again shall I look out of this window." "I shall miss it." "Scotch, Sawyers." "Dear old Jock!" "How are you?" "How's the new prime minister?" "Greatly surprised that he won the election." "Yes." "So was Uncle Joe Stalin." "He couldn't understand why we hadn't fixed the results." "Scotch, Sawyers, please." "The car's coming in a minute, sir." "All right, all right." "Where are you going?" " Where am I going?" "To the theater." "He knows, really." "He's just being awkward." "Mrs. Churchill's taking him to the Noel Coward play." "It's a real treat." " Tell her I'm not going." "Of course you're going." " I don't feel like it." "You'll enjoy it when you get there." "I hope you don't think I'm being disloyal, sir." ""Disloyal"?" "Working for Mr. Attlee." " Of course you're working for him." "Private secretary to the prime minister... that's your job." "Huh." "Actually, he was very decent about it..." "Attlee." "Said we could stay here until Chartwell was ready." "I refused..." "I hope graciously." "I think the army was against me." "Their votes were cast against me." "Well, I don't think you can say..." "Sure of it." "Sure of it." "I thought I served them well." "I had a letter from Jack Seely," "Secretary of State for War, 1914... retired now, of course." "It was such a darling letter." "Mmm." "Very upset about the election." "He said it was the end of the world... our world." "He may be right." "All the things I cherish most seem to be slipping away... the Empire, respect for the old order." "We were at school together, Jack and I." "A genuinely good man." "I remember seeing him in South Africa during the Boer War." "I was a correspondent of "The Morning Post."" "Dawn..." "a beautiful sunrise." "I was riding across the veldt on my pony and I saw a column of British cavalry approaching." "And there, alone, 20 yards ahead of his men riding a black horse was Jack Seely..." "Colonel Seely as he was then." "He seemed to embody all that was magnificent in British Imperial power." "I feel very lonely without a war." "I could live it all over again." "The whole war?" "1940." "Just 1940." "I'm not in the mood for some idiotic play." "Why on earth did you suggest it?" "Bloody nightmare." "I'm not going." " What?" "Tell the driver to take me home." "Please, Clemmie." "It was your idea to come to the damn theater." "Tell the driver to take me home." "You go." " Please don't." "Good evening, Mrs. Churchill." "I can't go on like this." "I can't and I won't." "Hope you have a pleasant evening, sir." "What have you been doing lately, during these last years?" " Travelling about a bit." "I went round the world, you know, after you..." "Yes." "Yes, I know." "China must be very interesting." "Very big, China." "And Japan?" "Very small." "# Someday I'll find you #" "# Moonlight behind you #" "# True to the dream #" "# I am dreaming #" "# As I draw near you #" "# You'll smile a little smile #" "# For a little while... #" "Ladies and gentlemen, we are very privileged." "With us in the theater tonight we have the savior of our nation..." "Winston Churchill."