Lord Moran (1882-1977). Winston Churchill: The Struggle for Survival 1940-65 (1966)
Part Four. Winston and Anthony
Chapter twenty-four. The One Consuming Purpose
June 25, 1954
...Then the procession of cars began to move, and gathering speed rushed down the road, all the police sirens wailing, so that there was a great screeching sound. Every car on the road, when it heard the summons, pulled up obediently to the side while the high priests of democracy passed by.
...
Great men are two a penny in wartime. It is not that there are more of them about: just that the public is in the mood for the grand epithet. And so, as far as I can follow military history, the admirals and generals have always been allowed to bask in the sun, that is if they won their battles. Their characters hardly seem to count; small busts of Napoleon and Nelson keep Winston company in his bedroom. And yet in this war no one, I suppose, thinks of a general as a military genius dictating the course of events by his craft. It is what Marshall was, and not what he did, that lingers in the mind - his goodness seemed to put ambition out of countenance.
The President came over and sat down and talked to Marshall about the war. It seemed to be his lot in life to do jobs that he did not care for, and he made no secret of the fact that his duties as President came under that heading.
June 26, 1954
Why Winston was so cock-a-hoop yesterday I cannot tell, unless he has come to some understanding with Ike about meeting the Russians. I can think of nothing else that will explain his mood. If he can only talk with Malenkov he is sure things will happen. This idea has completely taken possession of him. It has indeed become an article of faith and is never out of his head for long.