The Second World War (book) - Writing

Writing

When Churchill assumed office in 1940, he fully intended to write a history of the war then beginning. He said several times: "I will leave judgements on this matter to history – but I will be one of the historians." To circumvent the rules against the use of official documents, he took the precaution throughout the war of having a weekly summary of correspondence, minutes, memoranda and other documents printed in galleys and headed "Prime Minister's personal minutes". These were then stored at his home for future use. As well, Churchill actually wrote or dictated a number of letters and memoranda with the specific intention of placing his views on the record for later use as a historian.

These arrangements became a source of controversy when The Second World War began appearing in 1948. Churchill was not an academic historian, he was a politician, and was in fact Leader of the Opposition, still intending to return to office, so his access to Cabinet, military and diplomatic records, which was denied to other historians, was questioned.

What was unknown at the time was the fact that Churchill had done a deal with Clement Attlee's Labour government which came to office in 1945. Recognising Churchill's enormous prestige, Attlee agreed to allow him – or rather his research assistants – free access to all documents, provided that no official secrets were revealed, the documents were not used for party political purposes and the typescript was vetted by the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman Brook. Brook took a close interest in the books and rewrote some sections himself to ensure that nothing was said which might harm British interests or embarrass the government.

Churchill's privileged access to documents and his unrivalled personal knowledge gave him an advantage over all other historians of the Second World War for many years. The books had enormous sales in both Britain and the United States and made Churchill a rich man for the first time.

While Churchill's name appears on the books' covers as the author, much of the series was actually written by a team of researchers.

It was not until after Churchill's death and the opening of the archives that some of the deficiencies of his work became apparent. Some of these were inherent in the difficult position Churchill occupied as a former Prime Minister and a serving politician. He could not reveal military secrets, such as the work of the codebreakers at Bletchley Park, or the planning of the atomic bomb.

As stated in the author's introduction, the book is focussed on the British war effort. Other theatres of war are described largely as a background. The descriptions of the fighting on the Eastern Front, and, to a lesser extent, of the Pacific War, are sketchy. Although he is usually fair, some personal vendettas are aired – for example, against Sir Stafford Cripps, at one time considered by some the "only possible alternative wartime Prime Minister" to Churchill.