Churchill and de Gaulle: Secret Intelligence and the Failure of Franco-British Relations ISWS Seminar Series - Guest Speaker Matt Hefler

During the Second World War, many wanted Britain and France to cooperate after the war – to form a ‘Western European Bloc' that could compete with the superpowers. But the pair didn't cooperate and instead both would eventually be relegated as great powers. Churchill and de Gaulle uses international intelligence archives to reassess Franco-British relations during the war. These show that subversion and clandestine diplomacy were central to this outcome. Most of all, they reveal that the key decision-maker, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, was opposed to a Franco-British strategy. Instead he conducted an “unofficial” policy of subversion against France in the Middle East: a secret effort to oust the French from the Levant States, establish a Jewish State and reorganize the region under British hegemony. It is now possible to reconstruct this covert political action. Intelligence shows that Churchill permitted this operation despite knowing that French leader Charles de Gaulle had evidence on it — and despite what it was doing to Franco-British relations. In contrast, Anthony Eden disagreed with this policy. He opened a secret channel to de Gaulle and orchestrated a campaign to regain control of British grand strategy. Yet Eden's clandestine diplomacy failed and Churchill was allowed to pursue his unofficial policy until the end. Intelligence records show that, for larger strategic aims, Churchill sacrificed relations with France and made de Gaulle an “enemy of Britain”.