With summer travel season in high gear, many of us might face the prospect of a challenging houseguest. In that spirit, let’s remember the patience of former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who weathered repeat visits by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a man celebrated for his charm but exhausting to have around. Or so we learn in “Mr.
Churchill in the White House,” Robert Schmuhl’s lively account of the prime minister’s frequent – and lengthy – stays at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Churchill arrived for his first extended visit at the White House on Dec. 22, 1941, just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had plunged America into World War II.
Great Britain had been in the war since 1939, and Churchill welcomed the opportunity to discuss strategy. It was a good idea, no doubt, though the first lady apparently hadn’t received much advance word. Things went downhill for her from there.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Churchill reportedly got along famously, though the president’s wife proved less enthusiastic. Churchill was fond of keeping the president up late at night, then napping during the day, with FDR continuing to work while the prime minister caught some shut-eye.
It proved a recipe for exhaustion for the chief executive. “It always took him several days to catch up on sleep after Mr. Churchill left,” she recalled.
The prime minister’s presence in the Executive Mansion brought other misadventures – including, as the story goes.