It’s easily done, I know, when you’re trying to convey the beauty of a two-way relationship, to remember that others may have been involved in the events that brought you closer. But when it’s the Second World War, these little lapses of memory are less forgivable.
In a moving article in The Times today (£), with a joint byline and double byline picture (same colour ties! Purple), David Cameron and Barack Obama describe the events of modern times in which the special relationship really mattered. ‘Together we defeated the Nazis’, they begin brightly (or, to be fair, whichever bloke from the Foreign Office/State Department cobbled this together). Fine. The US and Britain were indeed allies in the war, though it’s probably best to gloss over the bit at the outset when the US was not involved.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in