"From international bestselling historian Giles Milton comes the remarkable true story of the motley group of allied men and women who worked to manage Stalin's mercurial, explosive approach to diplomacy during four turbulent years of World War II. In the summer of 1941, Hitler did the unthinkable-he invaded the Soviet Union, shattering what Stalin had until then considered an ironclad partnership. It was a shocking, urgent turning point in the war, in the wake of which a team of British and American men and women were assembled with one central goal: to keep the Red Army fighting on the Eastern Front. There were real fears that Stalin's forces would either be defeated (as looked increasingly likely as Hitler's army pushed forward at a merciless pace) or that the Soviet leader would once again strike a deal with Hitler. Either eventuality would spell catastrophe for both Britain and America. Hitler would be able to concentrate his vast military resources in Western Europe, making the continent's ultimate liberation virtually impossible. Enter Averell Harriman: a railroad magnate, and, at the start of the war, the fourth richest man in America. At Roosevelt's behest he traveled to Britain to serve as a liaison between him and Churchill and spearhead what became known as the Harriman mission. Together with his fashionable young daughter Kathy, an unforgettable cast of British diplomats, and Churchill himself, he managed to wrangle Stalin into the partnership the allies needed to finally defeat Hitler. Based on unpublished diaries, letters and secret reports, The Stalin Affair reveals troves of new material about the path to Allied victory, full of vivid scenes between celebrated and infamous World War II figures. Ultimately, it provides fascinating, richly nuanced portrait of one of history's most complicated and notorious dictators"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Part I: Shock Waves
Winston's Broadcast
Roosevelt Meets the Press
Stalin's Crisis
Part II: First Alliance
A Man Named Averell
Meeting Winston
A Deepening Friendship
Kathy and Churchill
Part III: Seeking Stalin
Seeking Stalin
Moscow Aflame
The Big Two
Meeting Stalin
Taking Flight
At Chequers
Part IV: A Fresh Start
Call Me Archie
In Stalin's Bunker
Spring Thaw
Old Bootface
Troubled Waters
Mission from Hell
A Battle of Wills
Stalin's Lifeline
Uncle Joe
Part V: Storm Clouds
Uncertain Allies
Ambassador Averell
The Deep End
The Real Moscow
In the Ruins of Stalingrad
The Big Three
Christmas in Moscow
Part VI: Darkness and Light
Into the Woods
Behind the Soviet Curtain
Sunshine in Moscow
D-Day
Poles Apart
Part VII: The Reckoning
The Face of War
Churchill's Naughty Document
Archie's Moscow Masseur
The Future of the World
Averell Goes Rogue
Afterlives.
Other title(s)
Impossible alliance that won the war
Allies' secret mission to wartime Moscow
ISBN
9781250247582 ((hardcover))
1250247586 ((hardcover))
LCCN
2023058704
OCLC
1414165284
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