Five Days in London, May 1940

The days from May 24 to May 28, 1940, altered the course of the history of this century as the members of the British War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war. The decisive importance of these five days of Lukacs's magisterial new book. illustrations.

John Lukacs was professor of history at Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, until his recent retirement

Preface

xi

Acknowledgments

xv

The Hinge of Fate

1

(38)

The turning point. Two accounts.

The awesomeness of the German tide.

Black Fortnight.

Problems of British morale

Distrust of Churchill.

Opinions and sentiments.

``Outwardly calm, inwardly anxious.''

Friday, 24 May

39

(43)

Hitler's halt order.

The Germans before Dunkirk.

Calais.

Hitler and the Conservatives.

The two Rights.

Chamberlain.

Appeasers.

Halifax.

The War Cabinet.

Churchill and Roosevelt.

The British press.

``A slight increase in anxiety and a slight decrease in optimism.''

Saturday, 25 May

82

(22)

An English weekend.

The French: Weygand and Petain.

Halifax and the Italian ambassador.

Churchill and the Defence Committee.

``Depression is quite definitely up.''

Sunday, 26 May

104

(32)

An agitated day.

Three meetings of the War Cabinet.

Chamberlain, Halifax, Churchill.

Disagreements between Halifax and Churchill.

Scarcity of news: ``A mandate to delay judgment and not to worry.''

``In Westminster Abbey.''

Monday, 27 May

136

(26)

What was happening at Dunkirk.

The Belgians surrender.

American considerations.

Three War Cabinets and a walk in the garden.

``You'd have been better off playing cricket.''

Tuesday, 28 May

162

(25)

Morale, opinion, and the press.

``We cannot possibly starve the public in this way.''

Foreigners and refugees.

Churchill's instructions and the first War Cabinet.

His statement in the Commons.

The second War Cabinet.

Churchill's coup.

He comes through.

Survival

187

(34)

A long-range view of the war.

The meaning of Drunkirk.

``It is time to face up to facts.''

Halifax redux.

An antiquated Britain.

Churchill and Europe.

Fortissimo.

Bibliography

221

(8)

Illustration Credits

229

(2)

Index

231

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Five Days in London, May 1940

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials