Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Drawing on astonishing unpublished diaries, letters and secret reports, Giles Milton’s The Stalin Affair reveals troves of new material about the most unlikely coalition in history.

In the summer of 1941, as Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin’s forces faced a catastrophic defeat which would make the Allies’ liberation of Europe virtually impossible. To avert this disaster, Britain and America mobilised a unique team of remarkable diplomats with the mission of keeping the Red Army in the war.

Into the heart of Stalin’s Moscow, President Roosevelt sent Averell Harriman, the fourth-richest man in America, and his brilliant young daughter, Kathy. Churchill despatched the reckless but inventive Archie Clark Kerr – and occasionally himself – to negotiate with the Kremlin’s wiliest operators. Together, this improbable group grappled with Stalin at his most cunning, to make victory possible. But they also discovered that the Soviet dictator had a terrifying master plan for the post-war world.

It’s 1941, and Britain is under increasing threat from Nazi Germany. Prime Minister Winston Churchill appeals to President Roosevelt for aid. Roosevelt sends wealthy businessman Averell Harriman to London as his special envoy to establish how America can assist. When Hitler launches his shock invasion of the Soviet Union in June of that year, taking Stalin by complete surprise, Churchill and Roosevelt decide to go to Stalin’s aid. But how best to help, and win the trust of, their old enemy?

Read by Nigel Anthony
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: David Blount

A Pier production for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4