H.G. Wells and Winston Churchill first met in 1901. Churchill was a deep admirer of Well’s fiction, and he eagerly pursued a friendship. The two enjoyed a spirited exchange of letters that went on for decades – although it seemed to have taken a hit in the Twenties when the two disagreed on the nascent USSR – but their friendship was not seriously shaken. In this 1940 article, Wells stepped up to tell American readers how fortunate Britons are to have such a man of discernment standing at the helm:
“We have to fight, he says, and that must override all other considerations. Not a very great discovery, you may say, but who else could have said it witout provoking the reply: ‘Yes, but -‘…Many people forget that to him we owe the timely mobilizationof the British fleet in July, 1914. And he was the first man in any position of influence to realize the possibilities of the tank. As First Lord of the Admirility he had the original tanks made and it was he who forced them upon the Army… It is difficult to write of the achievments of a man who has become a cardinal figure in history and at the same time to recall the glimpses one has had of his daily life.”
More about Winston Churchill can be read here.
