Winston Churchill giving the “Iron Curtain” address at Westminster College on March 5, 1946

A. P. Green was a member of the Westminster College Board of Trustees when Winston Churchill accepted an honorary degree and delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton on March 5, 1946. Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965), former prime minister of the United Kingdom, at the invitation of then-president Harry S. Truman, journeyed from his native England to deliver a speech that predicted the course of foreign affairs for the next several decades. Known as the “Iron Curtain Speech,” Churchill’s remarks outline the stark difference between the “free and democratic” governments of the United States and Western Europe and the repressive and communist government of the Stalinist-run Soviet Union. The speech is commonly thought to have accurately described, if not initiated, the Cold War between Western powers and the area controlled by the Soviet Union. For more information about Winston Churchill and his historic speech, visit Westminster College.