Winston Churchill in Downing Street giving his famous ‘V’ sign.
To turn his thoughts I [Lord Moran] told him of an article about the Presidential election in America. There seems to be no market in an election there for close reasoning; all they appear to want are vague generalities and a comfortable personality like Ike [General Eisenhower].
Winston commented drily: “It is as well to build up a personality on a solid structure of sound argument. In America,” he went on, “when they elect a President they want more than a skilful politician. They are seeking a personality: something that will make the President a good substitute for a monarch.”
Lord Moran, Churchill: the Struggle for Survival 1945-60 (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2006), 378.
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 299
