ORIGINAL 1946 PROGRAM FOR A DINNER IN HONOR OF WINSTON CHURCHILL AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA

CHURCHILL, Winston. Dinner program. New York, 1946. Folio (9-1/4 by 12 inches), cord and tassel-bound as issued, original white paper wrappers; ll. 6. $500.

Lovely original program for a 1946 dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, held in honor of Winston Churchill, featuring a program, guest list, and menu, as well as a large photographic portrait of Churchill.

This program was created for a dinner held by the City of New York to honor Winston Churchill. Churchill embarked on an unofficial U.S. tour in 1946. "After arriving on January 14, 1946, he renewed old friendships, painted, swam in the ocean, and visited Cuba. He also lobbied for an American reconstruction loan for Britain, began negotiations for arrangements to publish his wartime memoir, and made a series of speeches on important topics" (Library of Congress). This was undoubtedly the most prestigious and widely covered of the dinners he attended during that period. The tone was largely somber and focused on the tremendous victory Churchill had helped to win. Grover Whalen, the chairman of the Mayor's Committee, offered a moving introduction in which he asserted that "[n]o other man spoke with such courageous truthfulness. He promised only blood, sweat, and tears, but so movingly did he describe the cause for which his nation was fighting that the blood, sweat, and tears were willingly shed by his people and compounded into a terrible weapon of victory." The program comprises a page listing Churchill and his various titles; Churchill's two speeches in the House of Commons on May 13, 1940 (his first speech as Prime Minister) and June 4, 1940 (after Dunkirk); a program for the evening including a listing for Churchill's own speech; a luxurious menu including both tributes to Britain (Bombe Glace Britannia with Cherries Jubilee) and America (Florida Salad); a photographic portrait of Churchill, the New York City seal; a list of the Mayor's Committee entrusted with planning and executing the event; a list of attendees from the United Nations; and a list of attendees representing industry and commerce.

About-fine condition.