JDB at the TSA

I am delighted to announce that I will be addressing the Transatlantic Studies Association’s annual conference in Dundee next week.
I will be joining a panel to discuss  Transatlantic Relations, Diplomacy, Statecraft and Culture in the Second World War.
My discussion will focus on the problematic relationship between Winston S. Churchill and Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, father of the future American president. It will consider concepts of personality, geopolitics and the foreign policy implications of the ‘not so’ special relationship between the two men. It will also consider the vital role of isolationism in US foreign policy at this time.
This will be the first in a series of papers to be produced that will form the basis for my new research project on the development of the relationship between the Kennedy family and the Churchills from 1938-1968.  The project will address the Ambassador’s posting to London, his dealings with Chamberlain, his mis-reading of Churchill and his fall from grace. It will also consider the influence that his time in London had on the young John F. Kennedy and the degree to which his career was influenced by Churchill, leading to his decision as president, to appoint the former PM with honorary American citizenship.
The conference itinerary can be found at:
http://www.transatlanticstudies.com/TSA%202011%20Conference%20Programme.pdf