The Anglo-American Relationship at War, 1941–45

During the Second World War, Britain and America stood against tyranny, supported ‘democracy’ and had the military strength to change the world. Such collective values were a rarity in those desperate times. Nonetheless, the most surprising aspect of Anglo-American relations during the war were the strains placed upon them. These two Great Powers, once subject and master, fought a diplomatic and military battle which was in some senses as bloody and bitter as those fought against the Axis powers. Overlooking their mutual understandings, they preferred to wallow in petty squabbles, one of which was the future status of Hong Kong. It was only towards the end of the war that relations began to heal.