ABSTRACT
Winston Churchill's personal diplomacy combined indefatigable self-belief, a quest for political and strategic advantage and a commitment to peace and freedom – provided the conditions were right. Churchill was convinced that key individuals could shape positively international relations. This chapter examines an under-recognised contribution of his personal diplomacy, namely his development and use of regularised summitry between UK prime ministers and American presidents. When examining Churchill's personal diplomacy in the context of the post-WW2 Anglo-American special relationship, it needs first to be considered what imbued that diplomacy with such elite power and popular resonance on both sides of the Atlantic. Churchill's management of the war effort was inconsistent and even the impact of his oratory on the British people's will to fight has been questioned. Churchill, of course, got his opportunity to change this pattern of Anglo-American exchange when he led the Conservative Party to General Election victory in October 1951.
