Why England Slept

"Why England Slept" (ISBN 0-313-22874-4) is the published version of a thesis written by John F. Kennedy while in his senior year at Harvard College. Published in 1940, [cite web|title = Why England Slept|work = Museum Store|publisher = John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum|url = http://www.jfklibrary.org/store/detail.aspx?ProdID=67&Category=books|accessdate = 2006-09-19] the book examines the failures of the British government to take steps to prevent World War II and is notable for its uncommon stance of not castigating the appeasement policy of the British government at the time, instead suggesting that an earlier confrontation between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany could well have been more disastrous in the long run. One could consider these to be bold words given that at the time of writing the German army was sweeping across Europe and appeared nearly invincible.

The book was originally intended to be no more than a college thesis – it was rated as a "magna cum laude" by Professor Henry A. Yeomans and as a "cum laude plus" by Professor Carl J. Friedrich. However, Kennedy's father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., always keen to elevate his sons' reputation for future political standing, pulled strings with his publishing contacts to secure its release.

As ambassador to Britain, the elder Kennedy supported Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement during the late 1930s. Kennedy lived with his father in Britain at that time and witnessed the Luftwaffe's bombings of Britain first-hand.

Its title was an allusion to Winston Churchill's 1938 book "While England Slept", which also examined the buildup of German power.

ee also

* Appeasement of Hitler
* Munich Agreement

Notes