The Winds of War (The Henry Family, #1)

by Herman Wouk

“Pug, the U-boats keep working westward with this new wolf-pack tactic. The sinkings are outrunning the combined capacity of our yards plus the British yards to build new bottoms. You’re aware of all that.” “I’ve been hearing plenty about it at our conferences, sir.” “You accept the British figures of sinkings?” “Oh, yes, Mr. President.” “So do I. The minute Lend-Lease passes, we’ll be sending out a vast shipment of stuff. Now, none of that stuff must land on the ocean floor instead of in England. That’s terribly important.” Roosevelt’s offhand remark about Lend-Lease surprised Victor Henry, who was deeply worried, as the British were, about the violent debate in the Senate. “You think Lend-Lease will pass, sir?” “Oh, the bill will pass,” said the President absently. “But then what? Seventy ships are standing by now to be loaded. This shipment simply cannot be scattered and sunk by the U-boats, Pug. The British need the stuff. They need even more the morale boost of seeing it arrive. The problem is getting it through as far as Iceland. From there the British can convoy them, but not from here to Iceland. They’re simply stretched to the breaking point. Well? What do we do?” Victor Henry said uncomfortably, under the President’s questioning gaze, “Convoy, sir?” The President heavily shook his head. “You know the answer on that, Pug, as of this moment.” In the Lend-Lease fight, the issue of convoying was red-hot. The Lacouture group was screaming that if Lend-Lease passed, th...