When you read about the Allied victory in the Second World War, it is often about events like the Battle of Britain, the D-Day landings, or the main leaders, Hitler, Churchill, and Roosevelt. But behind the war machinery, there is something less visible and even more decisive: trust.
Trust is essential at all levels in the war. The fighter pilot trusts his wingman. The brave soldier attacking a machine gun trusts his friends to provide covering fire so he can get close enough to throw a hand grenade. A divisional commander trusts surrounding units to play their part in a coordinated attack or defence.
This article focuses on the essential bridges of trust at the highest level of war. Between national leaders and top commanders. Without these bridges, the enormous coalition that defeated Nazi Germany would never have functioned.
The political trust bridge
At the political level, the crucial link was between the national leaders, Churchill and Roosevelt, temperamentally vastly different. The link that connected them was a small, frail, but highly intelligent man, Harry Hopkins. He had the trust of both leaders.
Hopkins was Roosevelt’s most trusted assistant. Although seriously ill, he travelled repeatedly to Britain, acting as Roosevelt’s eyes, ears, and voice. He spoke plainly, honestly, and with unusual clarity. Churchill quickly developed enormous confidence in him. He called him “Lord Root of the Matter”.
Hopkins had a great advantage. He had no personal ambition; he just wanted to help. He had the complete trust of both Roosevelt and Churchill. Because of this, he could speak frankly with both leaders. Messages could move quickly and honestly between London and Washington, without being distorted by bureaucracy or diplomatic caution. He became a living communication channel between the two wartime political leaders. Hopkins was a channel of trust and one of the unsung heroes of the war.
This personal trust bridge was crucial in the political alliance underpinning the Allied war effort.
The military trust bridge
Another crucial trust bridge was developed between senior military commanders. On the American side, George Marshall was one of the most respected military leaders of the century. Britain was represented in Washington by John Dill, the principal liaison between British and American high commands. In London, Alan Brooke directed Britain’s military planning.
The trusting relationship among these three men led to a remarkably effective, conflict-free channel of communication: a military trust bridge!
It is of interest to compare their personalities and examine how an exceptional level of trust developed between them.
George Marshall: the disciplined organiser
His personality was characterised by:
• extreme self-discipline,
• emotional restraint,
• calm authority,
• absolute integrity.
He rarely raised is voice, spoke carefully and commanded immense respect. He selected talented subordinates and gave them responsibility. He was an outstanding leader who was trusted by Roosevelt.
John Dill: the “gentleman diplomat”
He was born in Ulster into the Anglo-Irish tradition, a social group that had supplied officers to the British Army for generations. He combined military culture with the manners of a gentleman. He had served with distinction in the First World War, rising through the ranks. His greatest contribution was, however, during the Second World War in Washington as head of the British Joint Staff Mission.
His personality was characterised by:
• tact,
• patience,
• dignity,
• ability to build friendships.
Alan Brooke: the brilliant, fiery strategist
Alan Brooke, like Dill, came from the Anglo-Irish gentry, so they had much in common. He was intellectually formidable and one of the war’s best military strategists. Importantly, he stood up to Churchill.
His personality was vastly different from Dill’s:
• sharp intellect,
• impatience with incompetence,
• blunt honesty,
• occasional volatility.
It is striking how well these three men balanced each other.
Marshall provided calm strategic leadership from the senior partner. Brooke brought intellectual brilliance and strategic analysis and could manage Churchill. Dill supplied the personal diplomacy and trust that allowed the two military establishments to cooperate smoothly.
Dill: a critical player in the formation of the military trust bridge
When Dill tragically died in 1944 of aplastic anaemia, Marshall was personally terribly upset. He organised a state funeral at Arlington Cemetery and the erection of an equestrian statue.
Brooke, by then Field Marshal Lord Alan Brooke, wrote in his War Diaries: “In my mind, we owe more to Dill than any other general for our final victory in the war. If it had not been for the vital role he played in Washington, we would never have been able to achieve the degree of agreement on our inter-Allied strategy”.
The roles of Harry Hopkins in the political trust bridge between Roosevelt and Churchill, and of John Dill as the trusted intermediary between Marshall and Brooke in the military trust bridge, hardly appear in war narratives. Yet these trust bridges were one of the foundations of the Allied war effort.
They were not only commanders and planners. They were builders of trust, allowing two great military systems to function as one, to win the war.
It may be interesting to reflect on the level of trust between current world leaders of Russia, China, and the USA. It seems to me that Trump, and perhaps Putin, are driven by their own narcissistic agendas and therefore unlikely to generate trust in the other. Xi is more difficult to read. Trust is now in short supply. The situation, with an ongoing war in Iran, is dangerous and could escalate.
How we long for some solid trust bridges in today’s world!
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