The Stalin affair : the impossible alliance that won the war / Giles Milton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Milton, Giles, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Soviet Union--Relations--United States.

Soviet Union.

United States--Relations--Soviet Union.

United States.

Soviet Union--Relations--Great Britain.

Great Britain--Relations--Soviet Union.

Great Britain.

World War, 1939-1945--Diplomatic history.

World War, 1939-1945.

Harriman, W. Averell (William Averell), 1891-1986.

Harriman, W. Averell.

Stalin, Joseph, 1878-1953.

Stalin, Joseph.

Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965.

Churchill, Winston.

World War, 1939-1945--Soviet Union.

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Eastern Front.

Genre:

Informational works.

Physical Description:

xx, 315 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Other Title:

Impossible alliance that won the war

Allies' secret mission to wartime Moscow

Place of Publication:

New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2024.

Summary:

"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.

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.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Nichols fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781250247582

1250247586

OCLC:

1414165284