The Deception of Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was the son of British Lord Randolph Churchill and Lady Jenny Jerome.  As a soldier, Member of Parliament, and British Prime Minister Winston was well known for his honest character and raw wit.  However, many of Churchill’s most profound moments were the result of strategic deception through innovative military intelligence. Inspired by the deceptive ploys of his 18^th century ancestor, Lord John Marlborough, Winston believed that cleverness was essential in the art of war.

In the backdrop to his political career, Churchill gained nation-wide acclaim for deception in the Boer war. A young war correspondent in 1899, he explored conflict between Britain and Dutch settlers over the South African Boer region. While traveling by train to report on the detainment of British settlers in prison camps, Winston was ambushed by Boer soldiers and held captive. Coming from a royal family, he was a high profile prisoner and held under constant surveillance. However, in quick response to his guard’s relaxed watch, Winston jumped the fence and fled.  Luckily he found refuge with a local businessman who was sympathetic to the British.  The businessman hid him until he could travel to safety.  Returning home after one month in Boar detainment, Winston gained national recognition for his daring escape.

Churchill’s deception strategy in World War II began with his creation of the London Controlling Section (LCS), a secret intelligence office devoted to generating military stratagems.  LCS members were not trained in military science but took a historical approach in their research of deception.  They were experts on Hitler’s strengths and weaknesses and patterns of operation within the Third Reich. Churchill fueled the daily operation of LCS with Ultra, a breakthrough program that gave British access to Enigma, the main communication line between Hitler and the German military. This secret operation developed by chance when former Enigma expert Richard Lewinsky was kicked out of German because he was Jewish. Out of spite, he approached the British with his skill and insight into the design of Enigma and the code used to encrypt the information.  After heavy evaluation by British intelligence officers, Lewinsky created a system that allowed the British to intercept and decrypt German messages with unmatched speed and precision.  Ultra became an invaluable resource to Churchill and selective Chief of Staff in bargaining with Allies, persuading neutral actors including the United States, and in deceiving their enemies of World War II. 

With daily inflow of German correspondence, Churchill was protective of Ultra.  He appointed himself as Minister of Defense and took discretion over the intelligence provided.  Churchill realized the value of Ultra initially in World War I during the Battle of Britain when Hitler attempted to overtake Britain so that it would not be used as a base of operation against him later in World War II.  Ultra gave Churchill direct information regarding Hitler’s plan of attack.  He was able to preemptively place extra reinforcements in target areas, deceiving Germany without their knowledge of a breach. This insight gave Churchill a definite advantage and proved successful with Britain’s victory.  However, in November of 1940, Churchill’s protection of Ultra was tested when it revealed Hitler’s plan to attack the city of Coventry.  This information came at least two days in advance of the attack and despite heated deliberations to intercept; Churchill commanded that no action be taken.  He could not risk Germany investigating the reinforcement and finding the breach. When information regarding Ultra became available to the public three decades later, many argued that Churchill deliberately deceived British citizens by sacrificing them for the protection of Ultra.  However, others contend that Winston believed Coventry’s military protection was sufficient enough to respond to the German attack.

Ultra was not limited to German communications but was also able to decrypt communication of Italian and Japanese correspondence.  While neutral, America often cooperated with Churchill regarding intelligence information against communist forces.  Britain needed military aid and strategically disclosed certain information to Roosevelt in return for supplies.  As these exchanges progressed, Churchill increased the information privy to American interests and Roosevelt realized the value of this relationship. These interactions led to an alliance between British and American intelligence operations. This American step away from neutrality was among many controversial subjects surrounding the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt.  While no evidence was found to show deception of neutral objections, anti-war sentiments held that Churchill persuaded America to become embroiled in the conflict.  This controversy includes earlier private correspondence between Roosevelt and Churchill during his service as Lord of Admiralty.  

Allied force gained the greatest advantage over Axis powers by joining their intelligence agencies around a grand plan of deception named Operation Bodyguard. This name was in response to Churchill’s clever rhetoric insisting that “in wartime, truth is so precious that it should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”  Churchill knew that British and American intelligence could not carry out this campaign without Russian support.  On March 3^rd, delegates representing Russia, America, and Britain met to sign a contract of intelligence cooperation.  This contract led to the grand alliance of “The Big Three”.  Their overarching plan against Hitler included dozens of secondary projects in which Churchill, the LCS, and Ultra were tasked with operational responsibility.  Under Bodyguard were Operation Overlord and Operation Fortitude.  Overlord sought to deliberately confuse Hitler regarding the location and date of the attack, delaying his ability to send reinforcements. Fortitude’s goal was to convince Hitler of the need to spread his forces thinly throughout Europe while in reality, diluting German strength against attack. Within these projects, Churchill’s British intelligence created the Double-Cross Committee.  This project enlisted German agents to relay strategically formulated information between Britain and Germany.  These double-agents deliberately deceived Hitler into believing the ploys within Operation Bodyguard.  Ultra provided confirmation that Hitler was falling for the illusion.  On June 6, 1944 the Allies successfully invaded German occupied Europe.  Hitler believed that Normandy was the real diversion and failed to provide reinforcements in time to counter the attack.  This was a pivotal turning-point for the Ally victory.

From his clever days of reporting to his intentional direction of the LCS and Ultra, Winston Churchill was a strategist.  He understood the boundaries of power, the necessity of deception against Germany, and the value of intelligence information in forming alliances. However, despite the secrets and controversies, Churchill created a legacy of determination.  He willed that deception of the right kind is greater than injustice.

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Also see:

Bennett, Ralph. Intelligence Investigations: How Ultra Changed History. Portland: Frank Class, 1996. Print.