The Churchill Series – Feb 9, 2007

(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

Admiral of the Fleet Earl Louis Mountbatten of Burma in 1970 told the following story during a lecture sponsored by the Churchill Centre:

[President Roosevelt and Churchill] liked pulling each other's leg and teasing each other. I saw the preparation of a marvelous practical joke on Winston Churchill.

The President had found one of these American middle-aged crusading women. This woman's crusade was that the British should quit India and give her independence.

Roosevelt knew that this was the very last thing Churchill wanted. He had been brought up on Rudyard Kipling, playing polo and so forth in India, and the last thing he wanted was the Indians to get independence.

They had luncheon in the small room at the White House with perhaps eight or ten people. The Prime Minister sat next to the President and then came the crusading woman. All the others there knew what was going to happen except Winston.

The crusading woman could hardly contain herself and at the first possible opportunity she said: "Mr. Prime Minister, what do you intend to do about those wretched Indians?"

Winston drew himself up and replied: "Madam, to which Indians do you refer? Do you by chance refer to [the ones who] under benign and beneficent British rule [have] multiplied and prospered exceedingly or do you mean those unfortunate Indians of the North American continent?”

I’m sorry to tell you Mountbatten didn't say what happened next.

It may have been something as simple as: “And would you pass the rolls, Madam. I think the President wants one.”

Have a good weekend. I hope you're all back Monday.