Churchill ‘considered nuclear attack' on the USSR
BBC History Magazine|October 2020
The statesman was prepared to deploy extreme measures against the forces of communism, new research reveals.
MATT ELTON
Churchill ‘considered nuclear attack' on the USSR

Winston Churchill contemplated deploying a nuclear attack against Soviet cities in 1951, according to the author of a new study.

A cache of New York Times Company documents, uncovered by University of Exeter historian Richard Toye, detail meetings held between the British politician and US newspaper executives throughout the 1940s and 50s. In April 1951, Churchill – who was then out of office, but had hopes of returning to government – met with New York Times general manager Julius Ochs Adler. In a lengthy conversation, he repeatedly returned to the subject of his plans should he be re-elected as prime minister.

This story is from the October 2020 edition of BBC History Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2020 edition of BBC History Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BBC HISTORY MAGAZINEView All
The Aztecs at war
BBC History UK

The Aztecs at war

RHIANNON DAVIES discovers why war was so important to the Mesoamerican people - and why they believed a badly cooked meal could prevent a soldier from shooting straight

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
Towering achievement
BBC History UK

Towering achievement

NATHEN AMIN explores a 13th-century stronghold that was built to subdue independent-minded Welsh people, yet has since become a symbol of courage in the face of overwhelming odds

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Eighteenth-century mushroom ketchup
BBC History UK

Eighteenth-century mushroom ketchup

ELEANOR BARNETT shares her instructions for making a flavourful sauce with roots in south-east Asia

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Goodbye to the gilded age
BBC History UK

Goodbye to the gilded age

JOHN JACOB WOOLF is won over by an exploration of the Edwardian era, which looks beyond the golden-era cliché to find a nation beset by a sense of unease

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
The power of the few
BBC History UK

The power of the few

Subhadra Das's first book catches two particular waves in current publishing.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
The 'badass' icon
BBC History UK

The 'badass' icon

One of the problems with biography, if an author is not careful, is that it can quickly become hagiography.

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
Ghosts of Germany's past
BBC History UK

Ghosts of Germany's past

KATJA HOYER is impressed by a study of a nation's attempts to grapple with the crimes it perpetrated during the Second World War

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
A window onto England's soul
BBC History UK

A window onto England's soul

SARAH FOOT has high praise for a book that traces the evolution of English Christianity over the course of 1400 years, through the lives of its greatest thinkers

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
"There was a general perception that Queen Victoria's mourning was neither normal nor acceptable”
BBC History UK

"There was a general perception that Queen Victoria's mourning was neither normal nor acceptable”

JUDITH FLANDERS talks to Rebecca Franks about her new book, which delves into the customs surrounding dying, death and mourning in Victorian Britain

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2024
"Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families"
BBC History UK

"Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families"

HIDDEN HISTORIES... KAVITA PURI on the legacy of Canada's residential schools

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024