Items related to Hoodwinking Churchill (Briefing Papers)
Grasping the opportunity of the new information recently come to light, some of which he contributed, the author reveals how Britain's staunchly anti-communist Prime Minister was deceived into giving his full backing to the communist Tito and cutting all aid to the anti-communist forces resisting the Germans in Yugoslavia. But for that decision, the author argues, Tito would not have overcome his political opponents and have emerged as the country's undisputed ruler after the war. Churchill relied on information provided by two trusted advisors, Fitzroy Maclean and William Deakin, who passed on without verification what Tito told them. The deception was compounded by a communist mole at SOE headquarters in Cairo who withheld or doctored information from liaison officers with the anti-communist leader, Draza Mihailovic. The author explodes the myth of Tito as the heroic Partisan leader, plucked from obscurity by Churchill, who, unlike the rest of occupied Europe, fought the Germans throughout the war, liberating his country virtually unaided. The evidence is otherwise: *Tito used the munitions received from the British and Americans, not to kill Germans as promised to Churchill, but mostly to eliminate his political rivals. *He accused his political opponents of accepting weapons from the Italians while he was proposing joint action to the Germans to resist an Allied landing in the Balkans. *The Partisans' pestering of the Germans did little to hinder Hitler's utilisation of the local abundance in oil and minerals, so vital to the German war machine. *The German retreat from Yugoslavia was largely unharassed by Tito's Partisans, to Churchill's intense chagrin. *It was the Red Army which really freed Yugoslavia, not Tito's Partisans.*ï At the end of the war he massacred in cold blood countless thousands of anti-communist Yugoslavs handed over to him by the British in good faith *Within weeks of his much-vaunted 'difference of opinion' with Stalin in June 1948 Tito was keenly trying to rejoin the Soviet camp. That it has taken so long for the full story to emerge, the author suggests, is due to a concerted cover-up by a generation who had a vested interest in sustaining the myths surrounding Tito which they had helped to beget. In this the BBC played a controversial part.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
"Batty's work is provocative and timely, especially as Yugoslav successor states currently grapple with their histories and, especially Serbia, with Mihailović's legacy." --"The Historian"
"Totally objective . . . . Mr. Batty has done his homework well and writes without fear or favor." "Guardian "on" The House of Krupp""
"This is an admirably direct and sure-footed guide to the [American Civil] war, its origins and aftermath." "Times Educational Supplement" on "Divided Union""
"The purpose of Peter Batty's excellent book is to describe what Churchill called 'one of the biggest mistakes of the war.'" "Daily Mail "(July 22, 2011)"
"The book answers many questions such as Tito's collaboration with the Germans particularly to thwart an Allied attack across the Adriatic, and his reign of terror and murder after WWII to eliminate all possible enemies." "South Slav Journal" (August 2011)"
"The research and referencing for the book is impressive and for any student of the period it will provide a valuable bibliography. A recommended read for any student of WWII and the Cold War." "Freedom Today" (August 2011)"
"This book is both a telling biography of Tito and a convincing re-appraisal of the truth behind an important aspect of the wartime mythology." "New Classics "(September 2011)"
"Batty s work is provocative and timely, especially as Yugoslav successor states currently grapple with their histories and, especially Serbia, with Mihailovi s legacy." "The Historian""
About the Author:
"Totally objective . . . . Mr. Batty has done his homework well and writes without fear or favor." "Guardian "on" The House of Krupp""
"This is an admirably direct and sure-footed guide to the [American Civil] war, its origins and aftermath." "Times Educational Supplement" on "Divided Union""
"The purpose of Peter Batty's excellent book is to describe what Churchill called 'one of the biggest mistakes of the war.'" "Daily Mail "(July 22, 2011)"
"The book answers many questions such as Tito's collaboration with the Germans particularly to thwart an Allied attack across the Adriatic, and his reign of terror and murder after WWII to eliminate all possible enemies." "South Slav Journal" (August 2011)"
"The research and referencing for the book is impressive and for any student of the period it will provide a valuable bibliography. A recommended read for any student of WWII and the Cold War." "Freedom Today" (August 2011)"
"This book is both a telling biography of Tito and a convincing re-appraisal of the truth behind an important aspect of the wartime mythology." "New Classics "(September 2011)"
"Batty s work is provocative and timely, especially as Yugoslav successor states currently grapple with their histories and, especially Serbia, with Mihailovi s legacy." "The Historian""
Peter Batty, a newspaper journalist, joined the original BBC TV Tonight team, later becoming its editor. After a spell with ITV he set up his own production company to produce, direct and script for film and TV. Awards include a Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Dove from the Leipzig Film Festival for his Fall and Rise of the House of Krupp (also a book). He produced and scripted for BBC TV two documentaries on Tito which The Daily Mail found "fascinating", The Sunday Telegraph "excellent" and The Sunday Times "a damning investigation into the political dealings of the Yugoslav Partisan leader". He produced and scripted 6 episodes of the internationally-praised TV.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherCentre for Research into Post Communist Economies
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 094802769X
- ISBN 13 9780948027697
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages8
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