The National WWII Museum hosted award-winning author James B. Conroy on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, for a discussion on his latest book, The Devils Will Get No Rest: FDR, Churchill, and the Plan that Won the War, a character-driven account of the Casablanca Conference.
In a compelling hourlong conversation with Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy Fellow Steph Hinnershitz, PhD, Conroy discussed his unique perspective of the Anglo-American clash over military strategy in January 1943 that ultimately produced the Allied plan for victory in World War II. The Devils Will Get No Rest is the first full account of the secret conference, which British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the most important Allied conclave of the war.
Watch the full Meet the Author event using the embedded video below, or click here to view on YouTube.
During the 10-day summit at the Anfa Hotel in a Moroccan warzone protected by British marines and elite American troops, Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton Jr., Sir Alan Brooke, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Sir Harold Alexander, and their military peers questioned one another’s competence, doubted each other’s visions, and argued their way through priorities that could win or lose the war. The Devils Will Get No Rest details a master class in strategy by the legendary statesmen, generals, and admirals who overcame personal and cultural differences to forge a war-winning plan and ultimately transform their alliance from a temporary necessity to a lasting bond.
Following the conversation, a Q&A session highlighted the intense strategic debates and the personalities of key historical figures. The event, which was free and open to the public, concluded with a book signing, providing attendees a chance to purchase signed copies of Conroy’s work.
Conroy is an award-winning author and an honorary fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society. His first book, Our One Common Country, was a finalist for the prestigious Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. His second, Lincoln’s White House, shared the Lincoln Prize and won the Abraham Lincoln Institute’s annual book award.
This Meet the Author event was a program by the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy at The National WWII Museum.
