Roosevelt house presentation. During this particular dramatic period in history, it is especially troubling that we can together at our Historic House on 65th street to process events together in the tradition of Civic Engagement and civil discussion. In fact displayed in the auditorium where we would have done this meeting, the images on the wall about the audiences feature photographs from the very conference at the heart of tonights conversation, arguably the most important, perhaps the most consequential in world history. But of course i am pleased we can continue online with programs that span past and present from discussions and currenincurrent Public Policy to considerations of the history that shows shape the circumstances of the present day. I want to thank you that have responded. As we plan on a Spring Semester of programming online, we would be very grateful to your continued generous support and i would urge you to have a look at the messaging. Returning to tonights program it reaches back to another of our most fraught moments with a direction of the country and the globe being decided not even by the war that wasnt over but by the leaders that gathered to attend a conference 75 years ago in february of 1945 to make a plan for the post world war ii piece. There, the tensions among roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin strained the foundation that really won the war and upon which peace depended and we were visibly weak and spoke for an american interests without quite the energy that had animated the leadership during the war itself so who helped fdr or the other leaders . I could not be more pleased to welcome someone with an entirely new and original take, Kathryn Grayson discussing her new and also happens to be her first book the daughters the churchills, roosevelts a story of love and war. In it she tells for the first time the eyeopening story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who would accompany their fathers to yalta. The daughter of the u. S. Ambassador to the soviet union, future governor of new york, Sarah Churchill daughter of the british Prime Minister and franklin and eleanors only daughter. Through the eyes of these politically savvy women, they are given fresh inside perspectives of the drama of the conference as well as its reverberations during the final days of world war ii. Catherine is not only a scholar with degrees in harvard and cambridge but also is pursuing her jd at Harvard Law School like roosevelt house herself, the expertise, past and present. Im also delighted to welcome back to roosevelt house albeit virtually, my friend professionally amanda who will format the conversation. A biographer, historian and author whose prizewinning bestsellers include a world on fire and epic history of the two nations divided which i consider the best book and that written about the Abraham Lincoln administrations relationships with europe in power during the civil war. Really a great book. Doctor foreman is also a columnist at the wall street journal and writer and host with agroundbreaking new documey series. Her next book the world made by women is scheduled to be published next year by Penguin Random house. Last time we had the pleasure of welcoming her it was to discuss another important book about a powerful female leader with a reprint of Eleanor Roosevelt its up to the women. Joining that night was jill lepore whod written an introduction and katrina vanden whhousel who along with her father, our beloved board of advisor member with us tonight. So, katrina a special welcome to you both. Others to whom i want to expend special greetings are roosevelt of the members of the roosevelt family, david and will and also kathleens son. We are very happy to have you with us and it is an honor because it helps us make a direct connection even in these remote times to the subject of tonights conversation. We aim always to recreate the robust audience q and a that catalyzes our in person events. Online we do the same and we ask you to use the q and a button on the bottom of your screens to input your questions at any time in the program and at the end they will be directed to the guests in a moderating qanda hosted by our programming curator. And to obtain a copy of the book complete with an autographed roosevelt house book plate, please keep an eye on the chat function for a link to purchase a copy with a bookplate exclusively from the bookstore. We call it the next best thing. I want to add a couple of acknowledgments before we begin. Doctor steven has written extensively about the final year including the state of his house at yalta and hes also contributed many wonderful artworks to the roosevelt house collection so thank you for being here. The great biographer of Eleanor Roosevelt is here and of course eleanor is a woman who wanted to go but didnt. She had many other things to do in her own right. The member of the board of advisors is here and we welcome her and last but not least i am thrilled my friend kate whitney is here. Shes been important to me and to my family for half a century but she is the granddaughter of franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and it is a pleasure to welcome kate as well so now im pleased to join in welcoming Catherine Grace and amanda. Hello and thank you for that wonderful introduction. It is my pleasure to interview. Welcome, kathryn. And i just want to say i cant remember the last time i had so much pleasure reading a book such as yours. It is an absolute time and im thrilled to have the opportunity to talk about it today. Thank you. That means a great deal coming from you. You went to harvard, then he went to cambridge, then youre back at harvard. Youre born in chicago. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what led you to have this transatlantic education . Ive always loved history since i was a little girl. I always grip liking the sound of music, the white christmas, the great escape it is very fortunate to grow up with a mom who read to us all the time, every night, out on the porch in the summertime. Some of her favorites are british childrens classics. So we read everything. I had a love of British Culture in british history for me at a very young age. I cannot remember time i did not love history. I think i was five years old of maybe some they going to oxford or cambridge entered my mind at. [laughter] so i wasnt surprised i became a history major at harvard and went on to history at cambridge as well it still that 5yearold me in my dream. [laughter] see what you did a masters in counterintelligence of the origins of counterintelligence is that right . Smirk i wrote my dissertation and was look at the origins of modern counterintelligence practices and under the first world war. Sue and this aspect of history has really been a great love for you for many years. Guest it has i love modern european and american history. Its great fun to explore these academically but also be able to bring it to a wider audience in the form of a book. Host what made you think about turning the lens of history the other way. So instead of just looking at for the mail point of view, how did you come across this idea in the papers more importantly of these three women . It was one of those moments when cold coincidence collided in one project. Churchill was accidentally in grad school. It also has an undergraduate look at british prisoners of war and churchill wrote his own escape which marketed into fame and jumpstart his political career at the young age of 24. So after i graduated from cambridge i decided i should do, whether its the smart thing went to work in finance in new york. By sheer coincidence in the lobby of my office was chernobyl bookstore which is his home. And after many breaks to this bookstore which was needed and he very kindly introduced me to the International Churchill society and the churchill family. As around this time they were opening churchills daughters sara for the first time and asked if i be interested in writing an article about them. I said yes. Give me a chance to go back to cambridge. I always wanted to be a writer and finally back there history. I just did not note 2425 years old how i would do that. So i have this chance to write an article and papers. To the course of researching about her life, i was so fascinated by her war experienc experience. I knew a little bit about sara as an actress before this. And coincidentally i hit every summer since i was a little girl my families gone to georgia. There on the wall is a photograph of sara on her wedding day 1949. Shed 11 further second has been. I had these two childhood memories of sara the actress and singer on the wall at the cloister. And the chance to learn about her remarkable experience during world war ii. And especially her work at her fathers aid. I found this completely fascinating. I did not realize i havent studied on numerous occasions in school that sara had been at these conferences. And kathleen and anna had also be at yalta is a value to her father at tehran. See what i see thats fascinating. Youre drawn in by Sara Churchill and then your interest white into all three women. Thats very fascinating is that conferences kind of a snapshot. Because by the time everything has changed, fdr is dead, churchill is about to be pushed out. And so in writing about research youre capturing a photograph, a moment in time. Yes. And a great photograph of the conference of churchill, fdr installing together in the courtyard of the palace which was taken february 8 covid 1945. You can see the grim look on their faces. What it took to get there which will talk about in a minute. And what was a weighing on them. At the conference they can see it finally undersea who will be the first to liberate berlin. But it is far from over. And so they have gathered at yalta to discuss the four main topics. The first is what to do but germany and the post world war should be allowed to remain one nation or watch that doesnt rise up in belligerence again. Bridget had gone to war and sovereignty at the outset, churchill did not want to wake archer walkways in the conference a look at his colleagues in the eye and lended that the polish government had been in exile saying they were not able to succeed but they set out to accomplish at the very beginning. For roosevelt were the most important issues is how to bring the soviet union into the war in the pacific. They have a passive neutrality since the beginning of the war they dont know if it will be a success so theres chance for the japanese home islands which could have the death of 2000 american soldiers who it serving the soviets in exchange to save american lives. And finally theres the founding of the United Nations. Woodrow wilson has failed the league of nations. He does believe its possible to achieve peace in europe for at least 50 years. And he sees United Nations as a way to bring the soviet union into the International Community after the war the common enemy had been defeated. This is for the issues that are weighing on them. You see it in their faces per theres also another photograph of the same scene which is taken from a slightly different perspective. I knew can see the two women off to the side and theres three women in this picture you can see churchill and kathleen, kathleen was 27 and anna was 38. Its remarkable to think these women are there. In the presence of what that is about their relationship with their father was so important of all people they couldve chosen to take with them they chose to bring their daughters as their aides is incredibly important cold war. And sara and her uniform she is a women exhilarate air force. Erin in the middle inner tweed and kathleen in a lovely short coat. The role of the diplomats in the role to be these people who put on a pedestal we think of great history. For them to be just dad to be at the conference and learning about their lives in a remarkable opportunity. Is going to ask you then, what do you mean by doctor diplomats . It is a thin plastic phrase. I really love it. It reminds me of it another phrase often used as a diplomatic. Throughout history daughters, played this role of the diplomatic bride or diplomatic daughter for they are the eyes and ears of a home team as they go off on the Foreign Court or whatever. There negotiations they are messengers their conduits. They play an incredibly Important Role in history. So when you say diplomatic daughters, give us a little sense of what that entails. Guest as these three daughters their quasi official members of the delegation for their not there speaking for the government per se. And they are not in the plenary sessions with that are debating the stall and the issues. But they are able to go would have conversations and deliver messages to people with an official representative of the government not be able to do. Similarly they can collect information from these conversations and bring it back to their father to report on subtle nuances that are extremely important in the world of diplomacy where feelings matter in small gestures are incredibly important. Because they occupied this role theyre able to go places where others cant. And that quasi official status where they speak not for the government but the force of their fathers words behind them is extremely valuable to each of their fathers at this conference. Host put stroll down into each of these women. Lets start with kathleen she was 27 at the time. Who was her father . He is the fourth richest man in the united states. What does that mean . And where did she come from . [laughter] guest kathleen is the younger daughter of william who is the chairman of Union Pacific railroad. Hes one of the founding, also the founder of sun valley the ski resort which is a brainchild to encourage americans use his restaurant voice Railroad Line by giving them at glamorous destination. Puts thanks to have the first chairlift. Remember that next time you go skiing. He was extremely successful man like his father before him. He also had incredible commitment to followup service that something they shared peers older sister was the founder of the junior league. She also went to work in the administration alongside Frances Perkins when the most powerful men. Through her example and inspiration that he was very ahead of his time and wanting to involve his daughter in his professional words the extent they wanted to be. In his daughter kathleen were not especially close when she was a little girl. Her parents divorced when she was ten. It was not until her mother died and she was a teenager they found them ways back together their shared adventure. Kathleen was an incredibly accomplished horse woman. She was a crack shot and a terrific skier, olympic level skier in fact. Its a she and her father really sure the bond of being fun valley. And she spent her holidays they are working alongside. And so when he became the american boy to britain before he nights is entered the war that is a wonderful idea for kathleen to have the expense to go with him. No hearings with Harry Hopkins to have a be so working as a war reporter and let it at middle of the bleats. Thats there he became Close Friends of the churchill family. Was she inexperienced writer . I mean. [inaudible] but shed never really written before. This is a new endeavor for herbert she had done some Pr Communications for sun valle valley. This is a bit of a trial by fire. And she gets a light covering of, before long shes covering things stories about pilots have been shot down or horrifically burned in the rehabilitation printing covering things like press conferences with the exiled european government. Especially the polish government in exile in london. So its there become she comes very skeptical of the soviet union for which shes caring these press conferences. Even earlier than her father is. When he becomes the investor to the soviet union in 1943 she goes with him and learns russian for both of them. Really becomes his assistant ambassador. Goes on to become the woman who has more access to inexperience in his inner circle than any other american women in history. A while. Next lets move on to Sara Churchill. Very interesting figure in your book. Tell us about her. Some people may know about the end of her life, she was a moderately successful actress. Within had some personal problems. Hang on lets not get ahead of ourselves. The earliest part of her life is really exciting and incredible. That is something i am thrilled to be able to share with people and put a perspective on her life she and her father were extremely close. She was the middle child of winston and clement taine. She had a special bond with her father since she was very young where she felt that even though she was very shy and she tried to speak for him many times, she understood the way his brain works. And so they spent long hours together in the garden were he was engaged in some of his favorite activities which was bricklaying that helps him relax i creates so many hours and quite harming together. Sorry was also much like her father wanting to make her own way in the world. For a young woman of her class and generation there were not many careers open to her. So she decided to become an actress. It ends up running with the star of her show which was older than she was an austrian citizen which her father was very concerned about in the 1930s. And ultimately the marriage did not survive. When the war broke out she really she wanted to do her bit for the country as well. So she became an officer in the womens branch where she was involved in aerial reconnaissance, intelligence analysis. And she knew the details of allied operations especially in the mediterranean even better than her father much to his amusement. She was also an incredibly beautiful writer. The churchill family decided early in the war when they traveled abroad they wanted some of the family to go with him that the great gift of language much like he did. The student understanding of her fathers mind is a perfect perso