Figure 1.-- Brendoin Bracken attended a Chriustin Briother's school in Irelnd. His teachers gthere judged him highly intelligent, but unteachble. He ran away from school at age 14 years. His mother sent him ti a sheeop farm in Australia. He returned to England, became a close adviser to Winston Churchill, invented the modern finacial press, made a fortune, entered Parliament, resisted Appdasemrnt, and became Britain's World War II Minister of Informnation. Under Bracken's leadership, the BBC became a beacon of hope to the oppressed people of NAZI-occupied England. And despite all of that is virtually unknown in England.

Brendan Rendall Bracken, 1st Viscount Bracken (1901-58) was an Irish-born businessman and a minister in the British War Time cabinet. He is a kind of mysterman in British politics. No one in British politics, certinly not his fellow Conservtives, were nothing like him. His father was a ravid Irish natipnlist. He publidhed an informl newspaper as a boy. He had a brilliant mind and flaming red hair to go with it. His teachers judged him unteachable. He ran away from school at 14 years of age. His mother after finlly trcking him down, sent him off to work on a sheep farm in Australia. When he came back 4 years later he had picked up an Australian twang. He attended Sedburgh College for a term, giving him the fright to wear the old school tie. He taught at private school (Bushop's Stortford College) giving him access to some influential men which led him into journalism which he had a nack for. One if his cointcts was J.L. Garvin who shared Bracken's love of history, especially 18th century history. This was Garven's entre into the inner-circle of British society and it is through Garvin that he met Churchill (1923). They quickly became close froends. London socierty took up the idea tht he was Churchill's illigitimate son. Meanwhile Bracken proved a sucess at journalism. He virtually invented modern financial journalism -- his footprint in in both the Finamcial Times and The Economist. And in the process earned a great deal of money. He was offered a bnd won a safe conservative seat (1929). He thus was in Parliment with his idol Churchill. As Hitler seized power and began to rearm, Churchill began to warn the Britih peoople. These were his Wildreness Yeara and Bracken was an our-spoken supporter. Bracken worked very effectivelky at building support for Churchill within the Conservtive Pzrty, a dangerous matter for a young back bencher in a Party tightly ruled by Baldwin and then Chamberlain. Hisfinncil expertise dhowed up when he opposed the Bank of England's co-operation with Adolf Hitler. Bracken's house at Lord North stree becmne a kind of headqurters for the anti-appeasement party. With the advent if war, Bracken became Churchill's parlimentary private secretary. Bracken and Lord Beaverbrook became Churchill's closest associates.Bracken played an important role in Churchill's becoming prime minister. Bracken not omly had huge contacts in Britain, but a few in Anerica, among them Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt's most imprtant adviser, When Roosevelt sent Hopkins to Britain to see if the British were in it to the hilt, Bracken not only informed Churchill how important Hopkins was, but the two convinced Hopkins that the British were absolutely committed to the war (1941). Bracken strongly supported Winston Churchill's vigorous prosecution of the War against Hitler. Bracken preferred to stay in the background, but Churchill wanted a vigorous voice to head the British war-time informtion campaign against the NAZIs. Churchill appointed him Minister of Information (1941-45). The BBC had refused to air Churcill's speeches during the appeasement struggle and Churchill upon becoming prim-mimniter was prepared to take it over. Bracken in a rare act of disagreement with Churchill, convinced him that a free people needed a free press. What a contrast to his German counterpart--Josef Goebbels. The BBC thus became a rare beacon of hope and information for the oppressed people of NAZi-occupied Europe. The NAZIs hated it so much that you would be arrested or even shot for listenuing.

Created: 8:51 AM 7/4/2021
Last updated: 8:52 AM 7/4/2021