Speech Broadcast by Prime Minister Mr. Winston S. Churchill, February 9th, 1941 along with Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King's message to the Canadian People of February 2nd, 1941: Churchill's "Put your Confidence in us" speech and King's "There is only one way to meet total war and that is by total effort" speech

Winnipeg: Universal Life Assurance and Annuity Company, 1941. Canadian edition. Pamphlet. This is a quite rare wartime speech pamphlet featuring Churchill's "Give us the tools and we will finish the job" speech of February 9, 1941. Churchill's speech is published here with one other - Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King's February 2, 1941 message broadcast to the people of Canada.

On Saturday, February 8th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Lend-Lease Bill by 260 to 165 Votes. It had yet to pass the Senate and be signed by President Roosevelt, but a major hurdle absolutely crucial to the British had been passed. Churchill learned of the welcome news at Chequers (the country residence of the British prime minister) and later that day received a farewell visit from Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt's emissary and a critical advocate and shaper of the Lend Lease Program. Hopkins discussed with Churchill many points in this speech that Churchill would deliver the following evening, which Hopkins noted had 'American public opinion' as 'the principle [sic] target'. (Gilbert, Vol. VI, pp. 1007-09)

Churchill's February 9 broadcast to Britain and the Empire was his first broadcast for five months. Near the end of his remarks, Churchill quoted verse from a Longfellow poem which President Roosevelt had written out in his own hand and sent to Churchill on January 27: "Sail on, O Ship of State! | Sail on, O Union, strong and great! | Humanity with all its fears, | With all the hopes of future years, | Is hanging breathless on thy fate." Churchill concluded with his answer to President Roosevelt: "Put your confidence in us. Give us your faith and your blessing, and under Providence all will be well. We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job." The United States enacted the Lend Lease Act in early March and soon thereafter extended its naval security zone several thousand miles into the Atlantic, effectively shielding much of the Atlantic convoy route.

This speech pamphlet is unusual in several respects - its publication, its survival, and its superlative condition. Per Churchill’s bibliographer, Ronald Cohen (pages 530-32), the publisher - Universal Life Assurance and Annuity Company - was in business from 1902 to 1942. In an exuberant surge of patriotism, the company published over 40 booklets in the "Universal Life for Victory Series", a few of which were speeches by Churchill. Apparently, there were copyright concerns in the office of the Prime Minister, as well as with his British and Canadian publishers. Prickly correspondence was exchanged, but also some correspondence recognizing the propaganda value of Universal Life's efforts. Eventually the matter was closed.

This copy, a noteworthy survivor, is in exceptional, truly fine condition. The pamphlet is bound in wire-stitched paper wraps, measures 6 inches x 3.5 inches (15.2 x 8.9 cm), and is 32 pages in length. Churchill's speech occupies all of pages 3 through 17, with excerpts from Roosevelt's message to Churchill and Churchill's reply at page 2, and excerpts from Churchill's June 4, 1940 speech at page 18 under the heading "A Briton's Creed." The paper wraps remain bright, clean, complete, and firmly attached. The binding staples remain firm and show no corrosion. The contents are pristine. The pamphlet is protected in a removable, archival mylar sleeve.

Reference: Cohen A143.5