A look inside the leadership of the victorious Allies.
It was essential for Churchill and Roosevelt to establish a personal relationship with Stalin and thereby get an insight into his character and resolve. The men for the job of cracking the Stalin enigma were Averell Harriman and Archibald Clark Kerr.

Many in the Churchill’s inner circle felt Stalin should be abandoned to his fate; the Soviet dictator was one of the most murderous leaders in history. Churchill reduced the debate to a simple question: Who was worse, Hitler or Stalin?

The most influential voices in America were intent on keeping alive the wartime alliance after hostilities. Harriman was scorned for his pessimistic warnings, but proved right. He found Stalin better informed than Roosevelt, more realistic than Churchill, in some ways the most effective of the war leaders. At the same time, he was a murderous tyrant. An enigma.

The Stalin Affair by Giles Milton

I have read many of Mr. Giles previous books and this keeps up his ability to write a non-fiction book with precise details while also telling a good story. I would compare him to Ben MacIntyre who have this talent.

This book is about how the Big Three of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin were able to put aside their massive egos and instead focus on plan to overcome Hitler and the Nazis. But the main focus on this book is not the Big Three but instead Averill Harriman, US Ambassador and Archibald Clark-Kerr the British Ambassador to The Soviet Union.

At first, I thought the addition of Kathy Harriman, Averill’s 24 year old daughter as his confident was annoying. What is this kid doing in this story. But at Mr. Giles demonstrates she does play an important part in keeping the peace among the three as well as supporting her father and Clark-Kerr in their efforts to reach solutions among the three leaders as they all held different ideas of what was important.

Is there sex? Yes, but not with Kathy but instead Averill and Archie have not traditional affairs. I think these activities do not take away from what was accomplished not in the telling of this story.

This is not a pure academic book as it reads so well but it is highly resourced with plenty of footnotes.

Well worth a read.

As an avid history lover and reader, I enjoyed reading this subject as well as the interesting plot to turn the war in the Allies' favor. If you enjoy WW2 history then you will no doubt find this fast-paced and fascinating!
Thank you to the author and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This had everything that I was looking for from a historical nonfiction book. I enjoyed getting to read about the alliance that won a war. It felt well researched and thought the overall concept worked in showing this history. Giles Milton writes a strong concept and glad I read this.

What did it take to establish and support the alliance that won World War II? This is what Milton aimes to uncover in this thrilling account of the envoys linking Washington and London to Moscow. The writing is excellent and well-paced. Largely based on unpublished sources, mostly diaries and journals, the captivating story reveals important yet unknown bits of 20th century history. A short-lived alliance that changed the course of history.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance digital copy for review.
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On Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union: "[In the Red Army,] most lacked weaponry. All lacked information." "Muscovites greeted news of the invasion with horrified astonishment. For the previous two years, they had been fed uplifting stories about Stalin's ongoing alliance with Hitler. Now, in a startling volte-face, they were being told their Nazi ally was a treacherous thug." "Occasionally trenches had to be dug with helmets, since there were no spades."

Churchill: "I have only one purpose, the destruction of Hitler... If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons."

When the UK ambassador to Moscow mentioned wanting an appointment to Washington: "What are you talking about?" asked Churchill, with a booming voice and a scowl on his face. "Don't you realise that I have just appointed you to the most important job in the world?"

"May God help you," [Stalin] said
"God, of course, is on our side," joked Churchill
"And the devil is, naturally, on mine," retorted Stalin with evident relish.

Stalin on the Normandy landings: "[He] was filled with admiration at what had been achieved and told [the US envoy] that "he considered the cross-channel operation unparalleled in history." He used superlative after superlative. It was a "grandiose operation" and "an unheard-of achievement" ... Stalin viewed D-Day as one of the greatest military endeavors of all time."

On Soviet betrayal: "If they expect really to play a part in world affairs, they will have some time to learn to stop eating with their knives." "One cannot help but feel that being an ally of these bastards is only one step better than being their enemy."

On eastern Europe and the Baltics: "Stalin wanted weak neighbors, because weak neighbors could be dominated."

Khrushchev: "[Stalin] stated bluntly that if the United States had not helped us, we would not have won the war."

“The Stalin Affair” by Giles Milton is another example of Milton’s ability to bring history alive. He takes his source material very seriously and uses crafts a narrative that is compelling and hard to put down. He puts the mercurial Stalin in a different light, but never lets the man’s evil be forgotten. Milton is a terrific storyteller and this book is another example of that. Thanks to #netgalley and #henryholt for the opportunity to preview this book.