EDWARD ABEL SMITH
Edward Abel Smith is a writer, documentary filmmaker and podcaster whose work brings overlooked stories from modern history to life. He is the author of Ian Fleming’s Inspiration, The British Oskar Schindler: The Life and Work of Nicholas Winton and Angels of Prague. He has written for publications including The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian, and has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. He is also the co-creator and co-host of the podcast Lucy Letby: Was There Ever a Crime?
A Hateful Decision
In the summer of 1940, as France fell to Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill faced a terrible dilemma: what would happen if the powerful French navy came under German control? His response was Operation Catapult and the British attack on the French fleet at Mers el-Kébir, which left almost 1,300 French sailors dead.
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Drawing on new archival research, eyewitness accounts and private papers, A Hateful Decision tells the full story of one of the most controversial and painful episodes of the Second World War. Edward Abel Smith’s vivid, character-driven account explores the political pressures, missed opportunities and human consequences behind a decision Churchill believed was essential to Britain’s survival.
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At the festival, Edward will discuss the events leading up to the attack, the people caught at the heart of it and the moral and political questions surrounding one of Churchill’s most difficult wartime decisions.
