The Battle of France was over. The Wehrmacht was massed on the French coast, seemingly ready to invade Britain. All eyes were on the Prime Minister. What would he say to rally the country?
“Nothing to worry about–we’ve got this covered. The Germans will go away, probably by the fall. They’re not so bad, anyway–Napoleon would have been much worse. And even if they did try to invade, we’ve got a secret weapon that will kill them all. It’ll be incredible. Trust me. Trust me.”
When asked later why he didn’t do more to mobilize the British public against the enemy, Churchill conceded that he was extremely worried about an invasion, but that nothing really could be done about it, and that his job as the nation’s leader was to avoid panic. That, and to make sure he was re-elected.