Poster promoting the 1898 United States and Great Britain Industrial Exposition
30 June 2024
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the phrase special relationship as “a particularly close relationship between countries, often resulting from shared history, politics, or culture, spec. that of the United Kingdom with the United States.” While that definition is correct as far as it goes, it misses the point that the core of the special relationship between Britain and United States is that of extremely close military, diplomatic, and intelligence cooperation between the two countries. The relationship got its start in the Manhattan Project during the Second World War, where the two countries cooperated closely in building the first atomic bombs.
The phrase special relationship has been used in a general sense to mean a close relationship between any two countries since at least 1900. But the particular use in the context of Britain and the United States dates to 7 November 1945 when Winston Churchill used it in speech in the House of Commons:
May I in conclusion submit to the House a few simple points which, it seems to me, should gain their approval? First, we should fortify in every way our special and friendly connections with the United States, aiming always at a fraternal association for the purpose of common protection and world peace. Secondly, this association should in no way have a point against any other country, great or small, in the world, but should, on the contrary, be used to draw the leading victorious Powers ever more closely together on equal terms and in all good faith and good will. Thirdly, we should not abandon our special relationship with the United States and Canada about the atomic bomb, and we should aid the United States to guard this weapon as a sacred trust for the maintenance of peace. Fourthly, we should seek constantly to promote and strengthen the world organisation of the United Nations, so that, in due course, it may eventually be fitted to become the safe and trusted repository of these great agents. Fifthly, and this, I take it, is already agreed, we should make atomicbombs, and have them here, even if manufactured elsewhere, in suitable safe storage with the least possible delay.
Churchill would, more famously, use the phrase again in his 5 March 1946 “Sinews of Peace” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. This is also the speech where he famously uttered (but did not coin) the phrase iron curtain:
Now, while still pursuing the method of realising our overall strategic concept, I come to the crux of what I have travelled here to Say. Neither the sure prevention of war, nor the continuous rise of world organisation will be gained without what I have called the fraternal association of the English-speaking peoples. This means a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States. This is no time for generalities, and I will venture to be precise. Fraternal association requires not only the growing friendship and mutual understanding between our two vast but kindred Systems of society, but the continuance of the intimate relationship between our military advisers, leading to common study of potential dangers, the similarity of weapons and manuals of instructions, and to the interchange of officers and cadets at technical colleges. It should carry with it the continuance of the present facilities for mutual security by the joint use of all Naval and Air Force bases in the possession of either country all over the world. This would perhaps double the mobility of the American Navy and Air Force. It would greatly expand that of the British Empire Forces and it might well lead, if and as the world calms down, to important financial savings. Already we use together a large number of islands; more may well be entrusted to our joint care in the near future.
While American politicians do use the phrase special relationship to denote the deep connections between the two countries, the phrase has much greater resonance and political significance in Britain, where not only as the “junior partner” in the relationship Britain is more dependent on the United States for its security than vice versa, but in recent decades Britain has used the relationship to position itself as a broker between the United States and the rest of Europe.
Sources:
Churchill, Winston. House of Commons debate, 7 November 1945. Hansard.
———. “The Sinews of Peace” (Iron Curtain speech), Fulton, Missouri, 5 March 1946. International Churchill Society.
Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, June 2015, s.v. special relationship, n.
Image credit: Donaldson Litho Co., 1898. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image.