A review by rbkegley
Citizens of London: The Americans who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour by Lynne Olson

4.0

Olson tells the interrelated stories of Americans who stayed in London throughout the Second World War, braving the German bombings, then later V-1 and V-2 attacks, with the purpose of supporting the UK in resisting Nazi attacks. Two of the focal people in her story, Edward R. Murrow and Averell Harriman, are well-known, but the third, John Gilbert "Gil" Winant is all but forgotten today. Their work in administering Lend-Lease aid (Harriman), making the war real to US listeners (Murrow), and making the case to Franklin Roosevelt that the UK desperately needed US support (Winant) gave a lifeline to the sole opponent to the Nazi takeover of Western Europe, support which was almost too late. She expands the story to include American military personnel in the UK prior to the D-Day invasion, always keeping the tale focused on the human side. Altogether a well-told, fascinating addition to the war literature.