Wartime Letters

Kathleen Harriman (1917-2011) was an American journalist. The daughter of W. Averell Harriman, she accompanied her father on his postings to London and Moscow during World War II where she reported on wartime conditions. Geoffrey Roberts is emeritus professor of history at University College Cork. A leading Soviet history expert, his many books include Stalin’s Library, an award-winning biography of Georgy Zhukov, Stalin’s General, and the acclaimed Stalin’s Wars.

“[Harriman’s] letters give a perceptive and vivid account of some of the most important personalities and moments of the second world war. . . . Read her letters and you will wish, as I do, that you could have met her."—Margaret MacMillan, Financial Times“A marvellous take on history as it was being made.”—Melanie McDonagh, London Standard“Harriman emerges in [the letters] as a sharp, charming young woman with an eye for the significant moment. . . . This engaging collection of letters catches her as a young woman at a dramatic moment in human history.”—Peter Moore, Unseen Histories“Harriman was an astute observer of the war and its participants.”—Cita Stelzer, Women in War Newsletter“A fascinating read, and a great insight into the life and mind of [Harriman], as well as to how Diplomacy worked.”—ARRSE“[Harriman was] a woman of shining intelligence, attractive, energetic, intrepid, resilient, acutely observant, blessed with sensibility and sophisticated yet grounded in the real pleasures of life. . . . [Roberts] has produced a work of illuminating history and vivid entertainment.”—Allan Mallinson, Country Life“Although Kathleen’s letters have been drawn upon previously by historians and biographers, not until now have they been assembled and published together. Both despite and because of their limitations, they are well worth reading.”—Piers Brendon, Literary Review“Irreverent, perceptive and with a reporter’s eye for detail, Harriman was a terrific letter writer. . . . These are a fascinating, addictive and magnificently human slice of history.”—Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass“A wonderful . . . very readable resource.”—Sarah Gristwood, Aspects of History“Kathy Harriman’s wartime letters provide a behind-the-curtains peek at some of the greatest moments of World War Two. This skilfully edited volume is both deliciously entertaining and endlessly informative. A pure joy to read.”—Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair“Geoffrey Roberts offers a fascinating portrayal of a bright, sharp, and charming young woman coming of age on the forefront of history. Through Kathleen Harriman's sparkling commentary framed by Roberts’ keen editorial pen, we see the human side of the war’s most consequential days in London and Moscow as shaped by the giants of the era—with whom Miss Harriman could more than hold her own!”—Catherine Grace Katz, author of The Daughters of Yalta