To meet Franklin Roosevelt， “with all his buoyant sparkle， his iridescence，”1 Churchill once said， was like “opening a bottle of champagne.” Theirs was an extraordinary comradeship， “forged，” as Churchill put it to Eleanor Roosevelt the day after the president died，2 “in the fire of war.” Between Sept.11， 1939， and April 11， 1945， the two carried on a correspondence that produced nearly 2000 letters， telegrams and memorandums.3 From the U.S.S.Augusta in Placentia Bay off Newfoundland in August 1941 to the U.S.S. Quincy off Alexandria， Egypt， in February 1945，4 they spent 113 days together. By war’s end Roosevelt and Churchill would celebrate Thanksgiving， Christmas and New Year’s in each other’s company， visit Hyde Park and ShangriLa （the retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains that President Eisenhower rechristened Camp David） and once slip away from the press of business to spend a brief holiday in Marrakech， where Roosevelt was carried to the top of a tower to see the rays of the setting reflect off the snowcapped Atlas Mountains.5
　　But it might not have turned out that way. From the German invasion of Poland in 1939 to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7， 1941， Churchill and Roosevelt spoke and wrote regularly， though each harbored reservations. Churchill begged for FDR’s6 help against the Nazis and was frustrated with his failure to engage. Roosevelt was skeptical of Churchill’s staying power and had to be convinced Britain as worth American trust and treasure. Even in the immediate aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor， when the U.S. Congress declared war on Japan， Churchill was eager to cross the Atlantic to confer with FDR， but the American president remained standoffish.7 He drafted but did not send two letters suggesting the prime minister wait. “Delay of even a couple of weeks might be advantageous，” one of them said. Yet four days later， when Hitler declared war on the U.S.， Roosevelt came around8. “Delighted to have you here at the White House，” he cabled Downing Street9.
　　The invitation was the first step in solidifying a friendship that shaped the world as we know it today. For three weeks， the two leaders lived under the same roof at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. There were late-night conversations fueled by war and drink. They broke bread10 daily， courted the press， went to church and even laid a wreath on the tomb of George Washington. Human forces—affection， shared drama and hints of tension—all played a role. 　　It is easy to be too cynical or too sentimental about the Roosevelt-Churchill friendship. Some historians have argued that the image of Roosevelt and Churchill as friends at work in wartime is in many ways a convenient fiction， largely created by Churchill in his memoirs in an attempt to build an enduring Anglo-American alliance. Another president and another prime minister， the clinical11 case continues， would have probably produced the same results in World War II. I think the Roosevelt-Churchill story， however， proves that it does matter who is in power at critical points and that politicians， for all their calculations， deceptions， disagreements and disputes， are not immune to emotions as they lead nations through tumultuous12 times.
　　It was dusk when Churchill and his retinue touched down at Washington National Airport on Dec. 22， 1941.13 He had spent 10 days in rough seas abroad the Duke of York preparing documents in advance of his time with the American president and was tired when the warship docked at Hampton Roads， Va. Yet the 67-year-old prime minister was also eager to see his host， and so he made his last leg of his trip， 140 miles to the nation’s capital， on a U.S. Navy plane. He wired abroad to FDR： “On no account14 come out to meet me.”
　　Until now， Churchill had been the suitor and Roosevelt the elusive quarry.15 But with the U.S. entry into the war and Churchill’s arrival on American soil， they were committed partners. Their behavior would reflect their public interests and private characters： Roosevelt， with Churchill， would be cheerful and calculating. Churchill， with Roosevelt， would be sentimental and shrewd. In response to Churchill’s directive， Roosevelt made the logical choice： He traveled to the airfield， charming Churchill and his entourage.16
　　The two leaders， of course， had much to connect them beyond the war and geopolitics. Churchill came from a long line of politicians （he carried a walking stick that had been a gift from Edward VII17）， while Roosevelt’s great-great-grandfather had been one of the ratifiers of the Constitution and had led George Washington’s horse in the first inaugural parade.18 Gallipoli， the disastrous World War I naval attack Churchill engineered， changed his life， while polio，19 which FDR contracted in 1921， changed the president’s. They both had democratic instincts and enjoyed eclectic20 company. They loved tobacco， strong drink， history， the sea， battleships， hymns， pageantry21， patriotic poetry， high office and hearing themselves talk. “Being with them was like sitting between two lions roaring at the same time，”said Mary Soames， Churchill’s youngest daughter.

　　The shared sensibility no doubt helped foster their friendship and guide their White House working sessions. There was a vocal school in the U.S. that thought America’s central focus should be Japan，22 not Germany. That Japan would consume Roosevelt worried Churchill， and during the crossing from Britain， he had composed three papers that laid out his strategic vision： North Africa and the Middle East would be secured in 1942； the Allies must build naval strength in the Pacific； Germany would be bombed； and， in 1943， there would be Anglo-American landings in “three or four” of the countries from a pool of Norway， Denmark， Holland， Belgium， France， Italy and Balkans.
　　Roosevelt and his generals， it turned out， were thinking along the same lines. In spite of the attack on Pearl Harbor， they thought Hitler represented the most significant long-term threat and wanted to take the fight to France， directly across the English Channel. “It was assumed… that Germany had far greater potential than Japan in productive power and scientific genius，” noted Robert Sherwood， FDR’s speechwriter. “And if given time to develop this during years of stalemate23 in Europe， would prove all the more difficult if not impossible to defeat.” It would be Hitler first， Tojo24 after.
　　Churchill took up residency in the Rose Suite， and he and FDR quickly settled into a comfortable routine. On his first full day in the White House， Churchill wandered the grounds alone， in a pair of blue denim coveralls and with a big cigar in his mouth.25 At lunch， he and FDR lunched at the president’s trinket-strewn desk， and in the afternoon， Roosevelt， once the top editor of The Harvard Crimson， and Churchill， a former war reporter， appeared side by side in a press conference that displayed their media savvy.26
　　At 4 p.m.， Churchill， in a black coat and blue-and-white polka-dot bow tie， positioned himself to Roosevelt’s right， behind the crowded desk， a wire basket of papers and a silver thermos of water just before him. Roosevelt， for his part， wore patrician gray pin-stripes and smoked a cigarette in an ivory holder.27 Before the questions got underway， FDR encouraged the 5’6’ prime minister to stand on a chair so the room of reporters could see him， and Churchill gamely obliged，28 waving his cigar at the crowd. The president kicked things off29.
　　“Go ahead and shoot，” Roosevelt said to the reporters. 　　“Mr. Prime Minister， isn’t Singapore30 the key to the whole situation out there？”
　　“The key to the whole situation is the resolute manner in which the British and American democracies are going to throw themselves into the conflict.”
　　“Mr. Minister， could you tell us what you think of conditions within Germany—the morale？”
　　“Well， I have always been feeling that one of these days we might get a windfall31 coming from that quarter， but I don’t think we ought to count on it…”
　　“Do you think the war is turning in our favor in the last month or so？”
　　“I can’t describe the feelings of relief with which I found Russia victorious32， the United States and Great Britain standing side by side. It is incredible to anyone who has lived through the lonely months of 1940. It is incredible. Thank God.”
　　The duo’s stagecraft did not go unobserved.33 In the coverage of the day’s events， the media suggested FDR and Churchill were helping transform how the story of politics was told in the middle of the 20th century. Observed The Washington Star ： “Two great statesmen-showmen， sharing the star parts in a world drama that will be read and studied for centuries to come， played a sparkling and unique scene at the White House yesterday. They were President Roosevelt， debonair and facile as usual， and Britain’s Prime Minister Churchill， jaunty and ruddy.”34 The atmosphere in the office， The Star wrote， was“electric.”
　　Meals were lively， with British guests mingling with Roosevelt cousins， and conversation contentious or intimate. One night， Roosevelt and Churchill debated the Boer War35， the conflict in which the Boers in South Africa rose up against their British masters. Roosevelt， who had supported the Boers when he was at Harvard， and Churchill， a veteran of those very battles， sparred36 for a time before the conversation turned personal， after FDR volunteered that he had been disappointed at Harvard. He had not been as popular or as successful as he would have liked to have been， culminating in the snub by Porcellian，37 Harvard’s exclusive all-male club， which declined to extend an invitation to the future leader of the free world.“When I hear a man say that his childhood was the happiest time of his life，” Churchill growled38 in response as he took a puff at his cigar， “I think， my friend， you have had a pretty poor life.”
　　It was a remarkable exchange： Roosevelt confiding， in mixed company， in Churchill； Churchill， who had long been forced to reimagine his childhood， striking a pugnacious39 pose in the face of an emotional confession. That Roosevelt was able to reveal something of his true feelings signaled his comfort with Churchill， and Churchill’s bullish40 response was at heart affectionate. Life， Churchill was saying， was what happened when you grew up， not when you were growing up. That conviction was how he had coped， surviving his father’s displeasure and his mother’s occasional neglect， and now he passed the counsel along to his friend. 　　双人秀的舞台表演艺术被媒体捕捉到了。在当天的事件报道中，媒体提出罗斯福和丘吉尔改变了20世纪中叶政治报道的方式。《华盛顿星报》评述：“两位伟大的政治家兼表演家，在一场世界级的戏剧中共同担纲主角，这出大戏在未来的几个世纪都将被反复阅读和研究。昨天他俩就在白宫上演了才华横溢和独一无二的一幕。他俩是罗斯福总统，一如既往地风流倜傥、口齿流利，还有英国首相丘吉尔，总是信心十足、红光满面。”《星报》写道，办公室里的气氛“如同通电一般激动人心”。
　　聚餐的气氛也很活泼，英国客人与罗斯福的同僚们混坐在一起，谈话既不失锋芒，又亲密无间。一天晚上，罗斯福和丘吉尔就布尔战争进行了辩论，布尔战争是南非布尔人奋起反抗英国殖民者的冲突。罗斯福在哈佛大学就读时曾经支持过布尔人，而丘吉尔正是参加这些战役的英国老兵，罗斯福和丘吉尔争论了一会儿，然后谈话开始转向个人经历。罗斯福主动承认对哈佛生活感到失望。在那儿他没有像自己所希望的那样广受欢迎或者大获成功，尤其是受到哈佛大学的精英全男生俱乐部“坡斯廉”的冷落，这个俱乐部拒绝邀请这位未来的自由世界领袖入会。“当我听到一个男人说童年是他一生中最快乐的时光时，”丘吉尔喷出一口雪茄烟，粗鲁地回应道：“我忍不住要想，我的朋友，你这辈子活得可确实不咋地。”
　　这是一次奇异的谈话：罗斯福在有各色人等参加的社交场合向丘吉尔倾吐隐衷；长期以来，丘吉尔一直被迫重新构想自己的童年，在面对触动情感的自白时，他表现出一种好斗的姿势。罗斯福能够吐露自己的某些真实情感，标志着他和丘吉尔在一起感到很自在，丘吉尔的回应听似莽撞冒失，本质上却是温情脉脉的。丘吉尔的意思是，人生历程是你成年以后发生的事情，而不是你成长过程中发生的事情。这种信念支撑他挺过了父亲的愠怒和母亲偶尔的疏忽，现在他将这条忠告传授给了自己的朋友。
　　接下来的日子，丘吉尔的国会致辞大获成功，他谈到了英美两国人民交往的悠久历史，以及他本人父母之间的历史，他母亲是美国出生的社交名媛珍妮·斯潘塞-丘吉尔，父亲则是英国政治家伦道夫·亨利·斯潘塞-丘吉尔勋爵。他调侃道，如果把父母的国籍调换一下，“那么我可能也是诸位当中的一员了。”
　　丘吉尔知道自己毁誉参半、难以相处，但是他能够证明为什么他在和平时期冥顽不化的缺陷在战争时期却是天赋异禀。他说，他在华盛顿发现了一种“令人惊叹的坚韧……它蕴含了坚贞不屈的意志，证明了对于最终结果坚定不移的、拥有充分理由的信念。即使是在最黑暗的日子里，我们英国人也抱有同样的情怀。”丘吉尔讲完后，转过身去，亮出了他标志性的“V字（代表胜利）”手势。《华盛顿邮报》报道称：“效果是立竿见影的，像电流一般激动人心。”他的离场和进场一样，激起了山呼海啸的欢呼声。
　　時间他们抓得很紧。即使是在元旦那天，在三餐和社交活动的间隙，罗斯福和丘吉尔仍然通过了《联合国共同宣言》，这是《大西洋宪章》的某种后续文件，确认了盟军正在战斗，因为他们“确信彻底战胜他们的敌人对于捍卫生命、自由、独立和宗教自由至关重要。”文件当晚在美国总统的椭圆形办公室书房签署，罗斯福首先签字，然后是丘吉尔，接下来是苏联和中国的使节。
　　不久，丘吉尔的访问行将结束，在华盛顿的最后一晚，他只与罗斯福和霍普金斯共进晚餐。有文件需要签署，三位盟友把首相的预定出发时间往后延迟了一个小时，现实沉甸甸地压在每个人心头。要实施他们签署的命令，很多人将会命丧黄泉。当丘吉尔将他的著作《河之战》题赠给罗斯福时，他的赠词表现了终极命令所带来的心理负担：“1942年1月的艰难时世……由温斯顿·S. 丘吉尔题赠富兰克林·D. 罗斯福总统。”罗斯福的离别致辞表达出同样的情绪。总统说： “相信我，我会血战到底。”他们会肩并肩共克“时艰”。
　　1. buoyant： 此处为双关语，意为“悬浮的”，引申为“活泼开朗的”；sparkle：此处为双关语，意为“（酒的）起泡沫”，引申为“活力，（才华迸发的）异彩”；iridescence： 彩虹色。
　　2. comradeship： 伙伴关系，（尤指）同志情谊；forge： 锻造；Eleanor Roosevelt：埃莉诺·罗斯福（1884—1962），美国第32任总统富兰克林·罗斯福的妻子。
　　3. memorandum： 备忘录。这里的背景是：1939年9月1日，德国“闪击”波兰，二战爆发。1945年4月12日，罗斯福总统在二战胜利前夕突发脑溢血去世。
　　4. U.S.S.： United States Ship，美国船；Augusta： 美国“奥古斯塔”号重型巡洋舰；Placentia Bay： 普拉森舍湾；Newfoundland： 纽芬兰，当时为大英帝国自治领土（1949年后加入加拿大联邦）；August 1941： 1941年8月，苏德战争爆发后，美、英迫切需要进一步协调反法西斯战略，罗斯福乘坐“奥古斯塔”号巡洋舰，丘吉尔乘坐“威尔士亲王号”战列舰，在大西洋北部纽芬兰岛普拉森舍湾内会合并举行大西洋会议，签署了《大西洋宪章》；Quincy： 美国“昆西”号重型巡洋舰；Alexandria： 亚历山大港，埃及最重要的海港和第二大城市；February 1945： 1945年2月，罗斯福总统参加完美、英、苏三大盟国制定战后世界新秩序的雅尔塔会议后，乘坐“昆西”号造访埃及亚历山大港，在舰上与丘吉尔进行了最后一次会晤。
　　5. Hyde Park： 指罗斯福位于纽约海德公园的私产斯普林伍德庄园。1944年9月，罗斯福与丘吉尔在此签署《海德公园备忘录》，确定两国开展更全面的核技术合作；Shangri-La： 二战期间，罗斯福在位于首都华盛顿西北120公里的马里兰州凯托克廷山庄避暑和疗养，并根据英国作家詹姆斯·希尔顿1933年出版的小说《消失的地平线》，为其取名“香格里拉”（藏语，意为“心中的日月”，即“世外桃源”）。罗斯福还开启了邀请外国元首到此做客的先例，第一位贵宾就是丘吉尔；Eisenhower： 艾森豪威尔（1890—1969），美国第34任总统；rechristen： 重新命名；Camp David： 戴维营，美国总统专享的疗养地；Marrakech： 马拉喀什，摩洛哥西部城市，旅游胜地；Atlas Mountains： 阿特拉斯山脉，位于非洲西北部，横跨摩洛哥、阿尔及利亚、突尼斯三国。 　　6. FDR： Franklin Delano Roosevelt（富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福）的简称。
　　7. aftermath：（灾难性事件的）后果；standoffish：（非正式）冷漠的，疏远的。
　　8. come around： 改变观点，回心转意。
　　9. Downing Street： （伦敦）唐宁街，英国首相及财政大臣居住的街道名，用来指代英国政府。
　　10. break bread （with sb.）： （与某人）共餐。
　　11. clinical： 冷静的，不带感情的。
　　12. tumultuous： 动荡的。
　　13. retinue：（集合词）随员，扈从； touch down： 降落，着陆。
　　14. on no account： 切勿。
　　15. suitor： 请求者，恳求者；elusive：闪避的，无从捉摸的；quarry： 猎物，追求物。
　　16. directive： 指示；entourage： （集合词）随行人员。
　　17. Edward VII： 爱德华七世（1841—1910），维多利亚女王之子，大不列颠和爱尔兰国王（1901—1910年在位）。
　　18. ratifier： 正式批准者；inaugural： 就职典礼的。
　　19. Gallipoli： 加利波利战役，是一战期间协约国英法联军与奥斯曼帝国于1915年2月至1916年1月在加利波利半岛进行的战役，以协约国军队惨败告终，战役的倡导者、时任英国海军大臣的丘吉尔几乎因此役断送仕途；polio： 脊髓灰质炎。1921年8月，时年39岁的罗斯福在度假时感染脊髓灰质炎，造成终身残疾，只能依靠轮椅或者拐杖走路，但他凭借顽强的意志重返政坛。
　　20. eclectic： 兼收并蓄的，五花八门的。
　　21. pageantry： 盛典，华丽的展示。
　　22. vocal： 直言不讳的，激烈表达意见的；school：（观点）派别。
　　23. stalemate： 僵局，相持。
　　24. （Hideki） Tojo： 东条英机（1884—1948），日本第40任首相（1941—1944年在任），侵华战争和发动太平洋战争的主要战犯之一。
　　25. denim： （通常为靛蓝色，用来做牛仔褲的）粗斜纹棉布；coveralls： 连衣裤，工装裤。
　　26. trinket： 小装饰品，零碎小物件；strew： 布满；The Harvard Crimson：《哈佛深红报》，哈佛大学的学生日报，创办于1873年；savvy： 见识，智慧。
　　27. patrician： 贵族的；pin-stripes： 细条纹。
　　28. get underway： 开始，启动；gamely：勇敢地，兴致勃勃地；oblige： 效劳，遵命。
　　29. kick off： （足球比赛中）开球，（喻）（使）开始。
　　30. Singapore： 1941年12月8日，日军开始入侵马来半岛（史称马来亚战役），下一步目标直指英国重要据点新加坡，为今后进攻荷属东印度（今印尼）建立前进基地。
　　31. get a windfall： 发意外横财。windfall指被风吹落的果实，引申为“意外之财”。
　　32. Russia victorious： 1941年12月初，莫斯科保卫战中的苏联红军由防御转入反攻，取得了苏德战争爆发以来的首次大捷。
　　33. duo： 一对表演搭档；stagecraft： 舞台表演技巧。
　　34. debonair： （男子）风流倜傥的，开朗自信的；facile： 口齿流利的；jaunty： 满怀信心的；ruddy：（脸色）健康红润的。
　　35. Boer War：（第二次）布尔战争（1899—1902），是英国同荷兰移民后裔布尔人建立的德兰士瓦共和国和奥兰治自由邦为争夺南非领土和资源而进行的战争，又称“南非战争”。
　　36. spar： 争论。
　　37. culminate： 以……告终；snub： 冷落，怠慢；Porcellian： 坡斯廉俱乐部（Porcellian Club），哈佛大学的精英男生社团，成立于1791年。罗斯福曾说，读大二时没有被选中加入该俱乐部“是一生中最让他失望的事情”。
　　38. growl： 低沉地怒吼，粗鲁地说出。
　　39. pugnacious： 好斗的。
　　40. bullish： （像公牛一样）顽固的，愚蠢的。
　　41. socialite： 社会名流。
　　42. quip： 说俏皮话，口出妙语。
　　43. bullheadness： 顽固，倔强。
　　44. Olympian： 强有力的，令人惊叹的；fortitude： 坚韧不拔，刚毅。
　　45. The Atlantic Charter： 《大西洋宪章》，1941年8月14日由罗斯福与丘吉尔签署的联合宣言，标志英美两国在反法西斯基础上的政治联盟，也是后来《联合国宪章》的基础。
　　46. Oval study： 椭圆形办公室书房（Oval Office Study），坐落在白宫西翼，毗邻椭圆形办公室（总统日常办公和会见来宾的地方）。
　　47. Harry Hopkins： 哈里·霍普金斯（1890—1946），罗斯福总统最亲近的幕僚之一。
　　48. to the bitter end： 拼到底。