To Keep the British Isles Afloat: FDR's Men in Churchill's London, 1941

London‚ 1941 was the center of world political theater. The question of the hour was whether the United States‚ officially neutral‚ could keep Britain in the war against the Axis. To this end‚ President Roosevelt sent his right hand man Harry Hopkins‚ a former social worker‚ and director of the Works Progress Administration‚ to London to meet with Churchill. Hopkins's mission would be to learn more about the prime minister himself‚ his position and reputation with his countrymen‚ and their outlook on the war. Furthermore‚ he would attempt to assess the practicality and viability of an idea Roosevelt had been developing--the idea that would become known as the Lend-Lease act.

As Roosevelt continued to expand the influence of American on Britain‚ he next sent Averell Harriman‚ a wealthy financier and entrepreneur‚ to London. Formally‚ Harriman was charged with the responsibility of coordinating British requests for Lend-Lease aid‚ yet the only directive he got from the president was to do what he could "to keep the British Isles afloat." Harriman increasingly became a powerful transatlantic voice not only for Roosevelt‚ but for Churchill as well.

Through the lives of Hopkins and Harriman in London‚ "TO KEEP THE BRITISH ISLES AFLOAT" will explore the still-misunderstood alliance that Roosevelt created and directed between the US and Britain during World War II. Filled with vivid details and great storytelling‚ "TO KEEP THE BRITISH ISLES AFLOAT" is‚ of course‚ as much Roosevelt and Churchill as it is Hopkins and Harriman.