Showing Nineteen Weeks: America, Britain, and the Fateful Summer of 1940 by Norman Moss

‘Nineteen Weeks’ is Norman Moss’s riveting account of the events in 1940 that changed Britain and America forever.

The weeks between May and September 1940 saw Hitler’s stunning conquest of France, Britain’s struggle against the threat of invasion and conquest, and a passionate debate in the United States over the proper response to these events.

Two battles raged in that summer, both vital to Britain’s survival: the battle for Europe and then for mastery of the skies over Britain, and in America the battle for public and political opinion, between those who thought that America had a stake in the defeat of Hitler and the isolationists.

Author Moss moves swiftly between the battlefields of Europe and the halls of Congress, between struggle in the air and in American political convention halls. He gives us a fresh view of “our finest hour.”

When President Roosevelt and the movements of events turned the tide of popular opinion in America from isolationism towards help for Britain, the balance of world power was altered forever.

As Moss shows, the “special relationship” between Britain and America began in that brief, crucial period, setting the tenor of future American foreign policy. His lucid history offers a fascinating window on current world events.

“Vivid…a gripping account of the historic opening months of World War Two.” – WASHINGTON POST

“Engaging . . . a must for anyone supposing that American involvement in World War II began with Pearl Harbor.” — BOOKLIST

“A terrific history of a little-understood moment when freedom faced its darkest hour.” — NEW REPUBLIC