Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [MP3 CD]

"Citizens of London" is a well-written, well-told story of Anglo/British cooperation during WW2. Although author Lynne Olson writes in depth about the three American men she considered the most helpful to the British in persuading the Roosevelt government to aid Britain before Pearl Harbor, she also does justice to the hundreds of thousand American soldiers stationed in England during the war. "Over-paid, over-sexed, and over-here" describes many of the American diplomats and servicemen stationed in the UK. But, the Americans were extremely helpful and generous to the war-weary British population after three years of having gone it alone against the Germans.

Olson also writes about the "special relationship" between the US and the UK. and the relationship - highly spicy at times - between the two heads of state - Roosevelt and Churchill. Olson examines their dealings as well as those by British and American armed forces with Eisenhower, trying to hold together the often tenuous relations with his own staff as well as with the British.

Olson is a very good, even, writer. She's written several other histories of the time. She examines the personalities - often larger than life - of both the Americans and the British involved in the war effort. For the WW2 buff, Olson's book is a valuable addition to their library.

"Citizens of London" is the six year long story of those Americans who spent their war in London sharing the thrills, pains, and dangers of their adopted city. Although many traipse across the pages of this book, it focuses on three: John Gilbert Winant, Edward R. Murrow and Averill Harriman.

A former Republican Governor of New Hampshire, Winant had burned his political bridges by his enthusiastic support for FDR and the New Deal. This successor to Joseph P. Kennedy as Ambassador to the Court of St. James had an easy act to follow. Whereas Kennedy had been defeatist, who evacuated his family at the first sign of trouble and longed to get away to Palm Beach, Winant arrived saying "There is no place I'd rather be than in England." When Winant arrived in 1941, the American relationship was so important that King George VI broke all protocol by meeting him at the train. Through the rest of the war, Winant served as the friend and confident of Churchill and the conduit through which the official communications flowed and the Special Relationship grew. Besides his official duties, Winant worked to ease the frictions which could have arisen as Britain was awash in a tide of American servicemen. To the end, Winant earned the tribute as the best ambassador Britain ever hosted.

If Winant was the voice of London to the State Department and the White House, Edward R. Murrow was the voice of London to State Street and every house. If Churchill sent the English language into battle, Murrow's broadcasts over the CBS system sent it across the sea. His regular broadcasts beginning with, "This Is London", brought the sights and sounds of wartime London into homes across America. An unabashed defender of Britain, his descriptions of bombings, privations and sufferings, against the backdrop of air raid sirens and exploding bombs, drew American public opinion, irresistibly, to Britain's side.

The last of the trio, Averill Harriman, was a wealthy young businessman who, as FDR's special envoy, played a loose role in the days of war. In contrast to Winant and Morrow who devoted themselves to the cause, Harriman seems to worked the cause for Harriman. Using his status for diplomatic advancement and romantic conquest, Harriman was often a rival of Winant in the struggle for the favor of Churchill and Roosevelt.

Author Lynne Olson does a skillful job in weaving other personalities and the stories into this book. Following the leading characters, she takes the reader into Summit meetings strategy debates and personal quarrels. We are given critical analyses of the motives and actions of Churchill , Roosevelt and their military chiefs, as well as their opinions of DeGaulle and other characters. One thing that I enjoyed was the cameo appearances of people like Eric Sevareid and others who, along with Murrow, I remember as newscasters in my childhood. She also covers the "live for today, for tomorrow you may die" attitude prevalent in London at that time as evidenced in the romances of the leading characters.

As readers of my Amazon reviews know, I read a lot of history, including World War II. Compared to others, this book is top notch. It provides the reader with a different perspective of the war, with insights into the stories behind the stories and the people behind the scenes. This is not the place to start your introduction to World War II, but it is a great place to deepen your understanding.

This book fell well short of what was advertised. I had heard of the author through friends and it was suggested I check out the new book, and I certainly wish I had skipped it.

The book itself far overstates the importance of the people she focuses on, which is unsurprising seeing as she'd decided to write a book on them and had to make them sound somewhat interesting. However the author cannot hide her opinions and the All-American tweak that she happily gives everything.

Having finished the book a few days beforehand the author appeared on the Daily Show last night (March 3, 2010) and opened by proclaiming the Anglo-American Alliance to be the 'greatest of all time', which was a ludicrous statement to say the very least and further lost her credibility. It's one thing to promote your book, it's another to make a broad statement such as that and expect everyone to accept it for fact. Such a comment makes you wonder if she's even heard of the Greek States' war with the Persians.