It is always interesting how two diarists record the same event, in this case lunch at 10 Downing Street on 9th February, 1944.
“9th February, 1944.
Another hard day. Started with a short COS (Chiefs of Staff) and then WO (War Office) work, followed by lunch 10 Downing Street to which you came. Then Dutch Ambassador came to see me.“ (Alanbrooke’s, War Diaries)
“9th February, 1944.
Lunched at No. 10 with the PM and Mrs Churchill. The other guests were the Duchess of Buccleuch, the CIGS (Chief Imperial General Staff) and Lady Brooke, James Stuart, mother, Mr Irving Berlin (the American song writer and producer), and Juliet Henley. After lunch the PM forestalled Irving Berlin asking leading questions by himself addressing them to his potential interlocutor … “ (John Colville’s, Downing Street Diaries)
“For prominent Americans wartime London was remarkable for the easy access they enjoyed to the highest echelons of British society. Berlin received an invitation to have lunch with Winston Churchill at 10 Downing Street. Throughout the course of the war, Churchill had been entertained by dispatches written by the celebrated Oxford don Isaiah Berlin, who was assigned to the British Embassy in Washington. On hearing that the writer he so admired was visiting London, Churchill hastened to invite Isaiah Berlin to lunch. Through a bureaucratic mixup, however, the invitation went out to the songwriter rather than the political commentator.
On the appointed day, Irving Berlin presented himself at the prime minister’s residence, where he was escorted to a comfortable room and given a cigar and a glass of brandy. In time, Churchill appeared, still under the impression that his guest was Isaiah Berlin. The prime minister wasted little time on pleasantries. “How is war production in the United States?” he demanded.
Berlin was taken aback by the question. He was a composer and performer, not a war correspondent. “Oh, we’re doing fine,” he hesitantly answered.
“What do you think Roosevelt’s chances of reelection are?”
Uncomfortable at being called on to play political pundit, he gave the obvious answer. “I think he’ll win again.”
“Good,” Churchill replied. “Good.”
“But if he won’t run again,” Irving offered, “I don’t think I’ll vote at all.”
For the first time, he had Churchill’s interest, not that he welcomed it. “You mean you think you’ll have a vote?” Churchill asked, a note of wonder–or was it British irony?–creeping into his voice.
“I sincerely hope so,” Irving said.
“That would be wonderful,” Churchill replied, appearing to sum up. “If only Anglo-American cooperation reached such a point that we could vote in each other’s elections. Professor, you have my admiration. You must stay for lunch.”
Throughout lunch at 10 Downing Street, Irving was haunted by the feeling that he was well out of his depth. Why had Churchill addressed him as “professor”? He stopped trying to reply to Churchill’s probing questions and fell silent. Eventually Churchill turned his back on his taciturn guest. The awkward lunch finally came to a conclusion, and as Churchill left the room, he whispered loudly to an aide, “Berlin’s just like most bureaucrats. Wonderful on paper but disappointing when you meet them face to face.” (Prologue Magazine, Summer 1996, Laurence Bergreen)
It is said apocryphally that on being asked by the Prime Minister what he considered his greatest bit of writing, Berlin confidently replied “White Christmas”.
John Colville was aware the wrong Berlin had come to lunch but Alan Brooke apparently was not in on the mix-up. Also I notice that whilst Brooke has many sterling qualities he has no sense of humour.
How alike the two Berlins look. Wonderful story which led me to recall seeing “This is the Army” years ago. Does anyone else remember the other songs in the film, such as This is the Army Mr Jones, I Left my Heart at the Stagedoor Canteen and My British Buddy?
Nothing like a period of nostalgia on a Bank Holiday Monday when no excitement other than the ironing awaits.
Your reference to John Colville’s description of the lunch at Downing Street on 9th February 1944 (how one would have liked to have been a fly on the wall) jogged my memory. My history master was a huge admirer of Sir Isaiah Berlin and we were introduced early on to his well known lecture “Two Concepts of Liberty” and his essay “The Hedgehog and the Fox”, an analysis of Leo Tolstoy’s view of history as portrayed in “War and Peace”, based on the saying of the Greek poet Archilochus “The fox knows many things but the hedgehog knows one big thing”.
Unlike Churchill at that lunch, I did hear Sir Isaiah speak. At Oxford in the mid sixties, I attended some of his lectures, although I was reading history not philosophy, but I wished to hear him in person and remain delighted that I did so. At least I understood some of what he said, unlike when I attended a lecture by the distinguished economist Sir Roy Harrod, which I found quite incomprehensible.
According to Michael Ignatieff’s biography, Berlin and Churchill met only once, in August 1943, a few months before that lunch, when Berlin delivered a confidential cable to Churchill in the White House, to be dismissed with a benevolent wave. He was aware that Churchill had no idea who he was.
In 1947 Churchill asked Berlin to comment on the first volume of his history of the second world war, eventually published as “The Gathering Storm”, telling Lord Camrose “A friend of mine, Mr Isaiah Berlin, read Book 1 at my request”. Berlin described the book. as” a literary and political masterpiece”. He received an honorarium of 200 guineas for his help. ( Martin Gilbert’s Winston S. Churchill Volume VIII.)
I regret that I never heard Churchill speak, but I was fortunate enough to see him enter the chamber of the House of Commons on Thursday 5th March 1964 in his eighty ninth year, in the dying days of Sir Alec Douglas-Home’s government. He was then M.P. for Woodford but did not stand in the 1964 election. His last appearance in the House was on 27th July 1964. It was my first visit to the Strangers Gallery so I was just in time. I can still remember the cheers erupting from the conservative benches to greet his arrival. I still have the Order Paper. He died on 24th January 1965.
The only thing I can add is that my brother marched behind Churchill’s coffin while serving in the Irish Guards. At the time I was serving out my five years detention at Castle Park. At an annual celebration at CP, Old Boys wrote about their Pooterish achievements. However, I was very surprised and pleased when a letter from Bru was read out by the H M describing Churchill’s funeral.
I’m fortunate to have well informed readers able to embroider my vapid tapestry. Thank you Ian.