Transcript
Scott Bertram (0:04)
Every week, Hillsdale College President Larry Arne joins Hugh Hewitt to discuss great books, great men, and great ideas. This is Hillsdale Dialogues, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you find your audio.
Hugh Hewitt (0:31)
Good Morning Glory and Evening Grace America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. That music means it's the last radio hour of the week. Dr. Larry Arn is my guest as we continue our deep dive into Winston.
Interviewer/Host (possibly Hugh Hewitt or another host) (0:41)
Churchill's memoirs of World War II.
Hugh Hewitt (0:44)
We are in volume one, the Gathering Storm. And when we last talked with Dr. Arne, Hitler had just invaded Austria.
Interviewer/Host (possibly Hugh Hewitt or another host) (0:53)
Let me go now to the day after Hitler has invaded Austria over the objection of his generals and his diplomats. And he makes a little speech about the little Entente, which is Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia. And you said earlier in this discussion that these people are a mix of both east and West. And we could throw in Islam as well. If one looks deep into Kosovo, for example, it's primarily a Muslim country. So the Balkans are a mess. And Churchill knows all about the Balkans, and he knows about the Turks and he knows about the Russians. He knows about this, and he says this is a nightmare. Russia had proposed a conference about it and that Chamberlain brushed it aside. What's that tell you about Chamberlain?
Dr. Larry Arne (1:47)
Churchill describes Chamberlain, and it's very different the way he describes the two of them to Chamberlain and Baldwin. He thought that Baldwin, Churchill is disinclined to speak harshly about people, but I think he thought that Baldwin was a coward. Baldwin wasn't up to the job that he had. Chamberlain was made of much sterner stuff and therefore more attractive to Churchill. And that meant Chamberlain. He got it in his mind. Finally, I'm going to have to focus on this stuff. This stuff's getting out of hand, and I don't want a war. And so he did some very bold things, and they were exactly the wrong thing.
Interviewer/Host (possibly Hugh Hewitt or another host) (2:37)
That's. Exactly. That's what my conclusion was. He was bold, but wrong.
Dr. Larry Arne (2:43)
Yeah, that's. You know, he inserted himself into things. Right. I mean, first of all, somewhere along the way here in these months, there's an offer from Franklin Roosevelt to come help, and they don't take him up on it. Right.
