In March 1946 at Westminster College, Winston Churchill delivered words that reshaped the postwar world. “The Sinews of Peace”—later known as the “Iron
Curtain” speech—was the product of careful thought, historical memory, and Churchill’s experienced statesmanship.
This exhibition examines how Churchill crafted that address: the ideas he drew upon, the draft he revised, and the democratic traditions that shaped his language. Rooted in centuries-old principles—from Magna Carta and common law to the Declaration of Independence—Churchill’s words called for unity, vigilance, and cooperation between free nations at a moment of profound uncertainty.
At the heart of the exhibition is the Museum’s original, near-final draft of the speech, shown complete with Churchill’s final edits recorded, often in shorthand, by his secretary Jo Sturdee. These pages reveal how language became strategy—and how carefully chosen words helped define the Anglo-American alliance, confront the realities of a divided world, and lay foundations for the modern democratic order.
This exhibition made possible, in part, by the Anson Cutts Fund and by contributions from members of The Sinews of Peace Society.
“Leave the past to history especially as I propose to write that history myself.”
