Their Finest Hour

Seventy years ago today England faced a spreading calamity that threatened to wash up on its shores and destroy not only the livelihood of coastal residents, but the existence of British sovereignty itself. No, it wasn’t an oil spill, but the rapid expansion of the Nazi Empire. Big mistakes had been made that contributed to this threat. A month earlier as Hitler moved against Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France the Allies possesed superior forces in place to defend against the attack. But the German “blitzkrieg” of swift movement and coordinated communications caught the Allied commanders off guard. Rapidly pushed back to the coast near Dunkirk, 338,000 British and French troops only escaped annihilation through a miraculous evacuation across the channel. On June 17 France sued for peace, which allowed Hitler to shift his focus to Britain. An uproar echoed throughout the country, “Who was to blame for this blunder that now exposed England to potential doom?”

Prime Minister Winston Churchill could easily have blamed the French for bumbled strategic decisions. He could have blamed his own military planners for not anticipating Germany’s actions. He could have blamed previous administrations for not preventing the rise of the Nazi machine. Instead, on June 18, 1940 he appeared before the House of Commons and appealed for suspension of blame and a re-directed focus on moving forward. His speech was perhaps one of the most stirring examples of a leader setting aside blame, laying out the current predicament, and calling for unity in the face of a dark and ominous threat with uncertain outcomes. After a brief synopsis of how the predicament had evolved, Churchill said,

Now I put all this aside. I put it on the shelf, from which the historians, when they have time, will select their documents to tell their stories. We have to think of the future and not of the past. This also applies in a small way to our own affairs at home. There are many who would hold an inquest in the House of Commons on the conduct of the Governments--and of Parliaments, for they are in it, too--during the years which led up to this catastrophe. They seek to indict those who were responsible for the guidance of our affairs. This also would be a foolish and pernicious process. There are too many in it. Let each man search his conscience and search his speeches. I frequently search mine. Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.

After outlining the risks faced and assessing the resources available to counter a potential German invasion Churchill went on to allay any blame directed towards France.
However matters may go in France or with the French Government . . . we in this Island and in the British Empire will never lose our sense of comradeship with the French people. If we are now called upon to endure what they have been suffering, we shall emulate their courage, and if final victory rewards our toils they shall share the gains, aye, and freedom shall be restored to all.

Instead of trying to assure citizens that everything was under control Churchill said,
. . . if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.”

I made the mistake of watching some of yesterday’s Congressional hearing (or blame-fest) of BP’s CEO. There was no sign of the kind of leadership portrayed by Churchill seventy years ago today. Only bleats of victimization by fearful sheep, and pot-shots of opportunism by those hoping to win favor in the media. The blame game continues. You can find the full text of Churchill’s speech where I did, at:

http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/churchill-hour.htm