Wartime Letters: London and Moscow 1941-1945
Wartime Letters: London and Moscow 1941-1945
Wartime Letters: London and Moscow 1941-1945
Description
Description
The extraordinary story of Kathleen Harriman, daughter of the US ambassador to the USSR, told through her wartime letters Kathleen Harriman was the daughter of American businessman W. Averell Harriman. A journalist by background, she accompanied her father on his wartime postings to London and Moscow, where he served as FDR's envoy and later as US ambassador to the Soviet Union. She dined with Winston Churchill at Chequers, played bridge with General Eisenhower, and, in Moscow, banqueted with Stalin. She learnt Russian and soon became one of the best-known American women in the USSR. In her work as a journalist, Kathy visited war-torn cities and sites of covered-up atrocities. In more than two hundred letters, Harriman wrote all about these trips, people, and experiences. Deeply personal as well as highly political, her correspondence provides a fresh insight into the machinations of Second World War politics and diplomacy. In this fascinating account, Geoffrey Roberts brings together Harriman's letters to tell the full story of her wartime life for the first time.
About the Author
About the Author
Kathleen Harriman (1917-2011) was an American journalist. The daughter of W. Averell Harriman, she accompanied her father on his postings to London and Moscow during World War II where she reported on wartime conditions. Geoffrey Roberts is emeritus professor of history at University College Cork. A leading Soviet history expert, his many books include Stalin's Library, an award-winning biography of Georgy Zhukov, Stalin's General, and the acclaimed Stalin's Wars.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"[Harriman's] letters give a perceptive and vivid account of some of the most important personalities and moments of the second world war. . . . Read her letters and you will wish, as I do, that you could have met her."--Margaret MacMillan, Financial Times "A marvellous take on history as it was being made."--Melanie McDonagh, London Standard "Harriman emerges in [the letters] as a sharp, charming young woman with an eye for the significant moment. . . . This engaging collection of letters catches her as a young woman at a dramatic moment in human history."--Peter Moore, Unseen Histories "Harriman was an astute observer of the war and its participants."--Cita Stelzer, Women in War Newsletter "Kathy Harriman's wartime letters provide a behind-the-curtains peek at some of the greatest moments of World War Two. This skilfully edited volume is both deliciously entertaining and endlessly informative. A pure joy to read."--Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair "Geoffrey Roberts offers a fascinating portrayal of a bright, sharp, and charming young woman coming of age on the forefront of history. Through Kathleen Harriman's sparkling commentary framed by Roberts' keen editorial pen, we see the human side of the war's most consequential days in London and Moscow as shaped by the giants of the era--with whom Miss Harriman could more than hold her own!"--Catherine Grace Katz, author of The Daughters of Yalta
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Yale University Press
Pub date:
2026-02-24
Length:
512 pages
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