A hallmark of history surrounding Winston Churchill and World War II is that the British-American alliance comprised a “special relationship” of military, political, social, and cultural connections between the British Empire and the United States. Stressing the intimate collaboration between the American and British military advisors on the Combined Chiefs of Staff, Churchill emphasized policy consensus and downplayed any dissension or disagreements in allied war councils.
In A Search for Strategy: British-American Military Collaboration in 1942, John F. Shortal argues that this special relationship did not exist in 1942. At the Arcadia Conference, from December 1941 to January 1942, Prime Minister Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt developed a strong personal relationship, having more in common with one another than with their own military advisors. The American and British chiefs likewise seemed to agree with each other more than they did with their respective civilian heads of state on the appropriate short-term strategy. However, serious mistrust and prejudice existed among staff officers of both nations as they focused on national goals and objectives. According to Shortal, unwillingness to compromise almost tore the fledgling British-American Alliance apart in 1942.
Drawing on international archival material from governmental sources, Shortal offers an in-depth analysis of the reasoning and rationale of the United States and Great Britain during the first year of the British-American Alliance. A Search for Strategy gives readers a month-by-month breakdown of diplomatic and military policies to fully appreciate the relationship forged between the allied chieftains to ensure national war aims while cooperating in World War II.
