William Averell Harriman, a wealthy railroad executive and committed interventionist, prepares to leave for London as Roosevelt’s new “defense expediter,” charged with helping direct American aid to Britain once Lend-Lease passes. Before departing, Harriman lunches with President Roosevelt in the Oval Office and finds both the meal and the president’s condition unsettling. Roosevelt, recovering from a cold, dwells at length on Britain’s food shortages and nutritional needs, but Harriman leaves worried that Roosevelt still does not fully grasp how close Germany may be to crippling British shipping and Britain’s capacity to continue the war.

Later that afternoon, Harriman meets Secretary of State Cordell Hull, who also appears sick and exhausted. Their conversation broadens from Britain to Asia, where Hull fears Japanese expansion and believes the United States should display naval strength near the Dutch East Indies to deter aggression. In a small but striking moment, the tired Hull cannot immediately recall the name Pearl Harbor, underscoring both the strain on American leadership and the uncertainty of U.S. policy.

As Harriman continues sounding out officials in Washington, his mission becomes clearer. Army and navy leaders are reluctant to send major aid to Britain without a better explanation of Churchill’s military plans, and some dismiss Churchill’s informal, late-night appeals as unserious. Harriman concludes that Churchill cannot expect maximum American support unless someone presents his war strategy in a form U.S. officials will respect and understand.

Harriman then arranges his complicated transatlantic journey by Pan American Clipper and onward flights through Bermuda, the Azores, Portugal, and Britain. His hotel booking reveals his notorious frugality, as he cancels Claridge’s and asks instead for the cheapest room at the Dorchester. The chapter closes with an anecdote linking the Dorchester to recent London gossip, when Clementine Churchill joked to Harvard president James Conant that Claridge’s might endanger his life, but the Dorchester might endanger his reputation.