What If Churchill Chose Peace? Washington, 1941

— Listen, Winston, — the President began, fixing his attentive gaze on the British Prime Minister. — I didn’t call you here to talk about "war, war, war." We are here for peace.

Washington, 1941. The White House.

The President of the United States rubbed his forehead wearily. Standing before him was Sir Winston Churchill, wiping sweat from his brow with a bulky handkerchief—the heat in Washington was unbearable. A perfect day to strike a deal with Hitler.

— Listen, Winston, — the President began, fixing his attentive gaze on the British Prime Minister. — I didn’t call you here to talk about "war, war, war." We are here for peace.

— Whose peace? — Churchill raised an eyebrow.

— Our shared peace! — the President sighed. — We believe it’s time to cease fire. Could you just say: "I want to make peace"? Instead of all this "Hitler this, Hitler that." Too much negativity.

Churchill sighed heavily and downed a glass of whiskey in one gulp.

— Sir, — he said. — I appreciate your help and do not want to lose our most important partner. But, forgive me, I thought I was in Washington, not Berlin. Are you sure I should be apologizing? Should I also shake hands with the Führer? Send him a Christmas card?

— That’s not what I’m saying! — the President threw up his hands. — Just stop sowing division. People say that Britain is almost destroyed, your soldiers have fled, they are not heroes, your country has lost millions, and you have become a dictator. How do you respond to that?

— I’ll tell you this: please, be careful with numbers, — Churchill smirked. — We do not have millions of losses. And we are not losing just "some territories"—these are people’s homes. I’m sure if Germany occupied New York, you wouldn’t call it "some territory." Or am I wrong?

The President ignored the sarcasm.

— Sir Winston, — he continued, folding his hands on the desk, — you must understand that we want good relations with both you and the Germans. Hitler said he wants to make peace. He said Britain can keep its islands, that there will be no invasion. Isn’t that a success?

— Ah, Hitler said… — Churchill tapped his finger on the desk. — How touching. And what about Poland, France, Belgium, Norway?

— You keep bringing up the past! — the President waved his hand. — Let’s look to the future! We seek peace, not ten years of war.

— Capitulation in one day always looks more attractive than victory in ten years, — Churchill sighed. — But I have a different approach. We will fight. Fight, fight, fight.

The President frowned.

— Winston, I think you misunderstand the American position…

— Oh, I understand everything, — the Briton interrupted. — You don’t want to end up on the wrong side of history. The only problem is, you haven’t yet decided which one is the "right" side.

The President tapped his pen thoughtfully against the desk. It was obvious that the deal Churchill had been invited to was a sham. Even if he had nodded silently like a porcelain Chinese bobblehead the entire meeting, he would still have been accused of being inflexible. The main point of the negotiations wasn’t the result—it was the show.

— Just think it over, Winston, — the President said softly. — Maybe, when London no longer exists, you’ll want to revisit this conversation.

— Oh, I’m sure that when Berlin no longer exists, you’ll want to revisit another one, — Churchill smiled, rising from his chair. — But for now… allow me to continue "sowing division."

And he proudly left the Oval Office, leaving the President in silence, staring pensively at the world map.