World War II Novelist Olson Discusses Book at 6:30 pm Feb. 11

Lynne Olson, former White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, will discuss her latest historical work, “Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour,” at 6:30 pm on Thursday, Feb. 11 in the Murrow/White/Lisagor Rooms.

“Citizens of London” is the behind-the-scenes story of how the United States forged its wartime alliance with Britain, told from the perspective of three key American players: Edward R. Murrow, head of CBS News in Europe; Averell Harriman, the millionaire who ran FDR’s Lend-Lease program in London; and John Gilbert Winant, the former New Hampshire governor who became the new U.S. ambassador to England after Joseph Kennedy quit. These three helped convince a cautious President Roosevelt and reluctant American public to back the British at a time when Britain stood on the brink of defeat.

Olson looks at the roles of other honorary “citizens of London,” ranging from Dwight D. Eisenhower, the first commander of U.S. forces in Britain, to Tommy Hitchcock, a world-famous former polo star and fighter pilot who helped save the Allies’ bombing campaign against Germany. And she examines the transformations of both Washington, D.C. and London as cities in the wake of the conflict.

Olson is the author of “Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England” and is the co-author with husband Stanley Cloud of “The Murrow Boys: Pioneers on the Front Line of Broadcast Journalism” and “A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron, Forgotten Heroes of World War II.”

Copies of her book will be available for purchase and signing for $28. Proceeds benefit the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library, and no outside books are permitted.

Reservations are required. RSVP at [email protected] or call 202-662-7523.