The Stalin Affair

The Impossible Alliance That Won the War

By: Giles Milton

Narrated by: Giles Milton

This program is read by the author.

From internationally bestselling historian Giles Milton comes the remarkable true story of the motley group of Allied men and women who worked to manage Stalin’s mercurial, explosive approach to diplomacy during four turbulent years of World War II.

In the summer of 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, shattering what Stalin had considered an ironclad partnership. There were real fears that Stalin’s forces would be defeated or that the Soviet leader would once again strike a deal with Hitler. Either eventuality would spell catastrophe for both Britain and the United States.

Enter W. Averell Harriman: a railroad magnate and, at the start of the war, the fourth-richest man in America. At Roosevelt’s behest, he traveled to Britain to serve as a liaison between the president and Churchill and to spearhead what became known as the Harriman Mission. Together with his fashionable young daughter Kathy, an unforgettable cast of British diplomats, and Churchill himself, he would eventually manage to wrangle Stalin into the partnership the Allies needed to defeat Hitler.

Based on unpublished diaries, letters, and secret reports, The Stalin Affair reveals troves of new material about the path to Allied victory, full of vivid scenes between celebrated and infamous World War II figures.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

©2024 Giles Milton (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The author ably navigates this complicated narrative, and readers with an interest in political and military history will find it to be an engaging, colorful read. Milton mixes personal details with historical sweep to tell a significant tale.”—Kirkus

“At a time when Moscow and Washington stand again at a perilous crossroads, Giles Milton looks back to the brief period when America and the Soviet Union were on the same side during the Second World War. The burgeoning 1940s 'Special Relationship' with Britain is rightly well-known and perhaps well-understood, but Milton's 'in the room' account of the personalities of Moscow sheds much needed light on the other great alliance intent on defeating Hitler. He also reminds us why this most unlikely coalition did not—and could not—survive victory.”—Sonia Purnell, New York Times bestselling author of A Woman of No Importance

“Another roller-coaster ride from Giles Milton. Endlessly surprising.”—Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of Magpie Murders