Why England Slept Why England Slept Why England Slept is the published version of a thesis written by John F. Kennedy while in his senior year at Harvard College. Its title is an allusion to Winston Churchill's 1938 book "While England Slept," which also examined the buildup of German power. Published in 1940, Kennedy's book examines the failures of the British government to take steps to prevent World War II, and its initial lack of response to Adolf Hitler's threats of war. It is notable for its uncommon stance of suggesting instead that an earlier confrontation between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany
Why England Slept could well have been more disastrous in the long run, rather than castigating the appeasement policy which the British government pursued at the time. The book was originally intended to be no more than a college thesis. It was rated "magna cum laude" by Professor Henry A. Yeomans and "cum laude plus" by Professor Carl J. Friedrich. However, Kennedy's father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., keen to elevate his son's reputation, encouraged Kennedy to convert the thesis into book form and publish it. He then enlisted Henry Luce to write the foreword, and his friend Arthur Krock, former bureau chief of