This last week I read Jon Meacham's Franklin and Winston. Mid century echoes of the current Wikileaks brouhahah.
A Pre-War obstacle to the Churchill-Roosevelt relationship was the State Department gossip floating around Churchill:
There was a rumor- Churchill believed it originated with Joseph Kennedy-that Churchill disliked both Roosevelt and the United States. (This despite the pleaading, personally pleasant tome of most of Churchill's messages.)
Earlier in 1940, Undersecretary of State Summer Welles told Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau that Churchill was "a drunken sot" and a "third or fourth rate man." The gossip was overcome by Roosevelt sending his personal emmissary, Harry Hopkins, to personally meet and evaluate Churchill.
Harry Hopkins arrived in London in January 1941, and Churchill ordered the unrolling of whatever red carpet remains that could be found. Meacham writes:
The relationship was being shaped by not two but three men - the paragmtic Hopkins, the sentimental Churchill, and the wary Roosevelt. Churchill was charming Hopkins; Hopkins was assessing Churchill with a cold eye; Roosevelt was aloof, protected by distance as his emissary surveyed the landscape.
Following his visit with Churchill, Harry Hopkins sent Roosevelt a letter:
Dear Mr. President--
....
I was with Churchill at 2 A.M. Sunday night when he got word of the loss of the Southampton-the serious damage to the new aircraft carrier - a second cruiser knocked about-but he never falters or displays the least despondence-till four o'clock he paced the floor telling me of his offensive and defensive plans.
I cannot believe that it is true that Churchill dislikes either you or American- it just doesn't make sense.
.....
Harry
In light of the recent wikileaks, I thought this was an interesting tale of state department gossip disproven.