On 5 March 1946, in the quiet town of Fulton, at Westminster College, Sir Winston Churchill delivered words that would echo across the decades:
“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”
Eighty years on, we gather not merely to remember a speech, but to reflect on a moment when clarity, conviction, and transatlantic partnership shaped the course of history.
As British Honorary Consul to Missouri, I feel this anniversary personally and profoundly. That such a defining address of the twentieth century was delivered not in London, nor Washington, but in mid-Missouri speaks to something essential about the Anglo-American relationship: it is not confined to capitals. It is rooted in communities.
Churchill’s address—formally titled “The Sinews of Peace”—was not a call to division, but to resolve. It was a warning about the consolidation of tyranny, yes, but also a summons to cooperation among free nations. In the anxious dawn of the Cold War, Churchill articulated a vision of unity between the United Kingdom and the United States that would underpin NATO, transatlantic trade, and a rules-based international order for generations.
Today, as we mark the 80th anniversary, we do so with the guidance and stewardship of a distinguished Honorary Committee whose members reflect both the historical gravity and contemporary relevance of this moment.
The Committee is co-chaired by The Hon. Mike Kehoe, Governor of Missouri, and Randolph Spencer-Churchill, President of the International Churchill Society. It includes figures deeply connected to Churchill’s legacy, public service, diplomacy, scholarship, and transatlantic affairs.
Among them are Philip J. Boeckman, Senior Churchill Fellow, and Neal F. Perryman, Deputy Senior Churchill Fellow; The Rt. Hon. Sir Conor Burns; Ambassador Ron Dermer; Gen. David H. Petraeus; Andrew Roberts, Baron Roberts of Belgravia; and The Hon. Edwina Sandys MBE.
Importantly, the Committee also includes Missouri’s own public servants whose leadership continues the tradition of principled governance that Churchill so admired: The Hon. Bob Onder, The Hon. Travis Fitzwater, and The Hon. Louis Riggs—alongside Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, Governor Mike Kehoe, and other state leaders committed to preserving the strength of democratic institutions.
I am personally honoured to serve alongside them on this Committee—and to witness, once again, Missouri standing at the crossroads of history.
This commemoration is not a nostalgic exercise. The world of 2026 bears uncomfortable similarities to that of 1946: strategic competition, ideological contest, rapid technological change, and uncertainty about the durability of institutions. Churchill’s genius lay not merely in rhetoric, but in recognising that peace is not passive. It requires strength, partnership, and moral clarity.
Missouri’s role in this story is no accident. Fulton represents the heartland—steady, pragmatic, principled. Churchill chose Westminster College because it symbolised the breadth of American democracy. It was a deliberate affirmation that the “special relationship” is sustained not only by leaders, but by citizens.
Eighty years ago, Churchill closed with a call to courage and fellowship:
“If we adhere faithfully to the Charter of the United Nations and walk forward in sedate and sober strength… the highroads of the future will be clear.”
As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Iron Curtain speech, we do so not in fear of division, but in confidence that the sinews of peace—shared values, mutual defence, open trade, intellectual exchange, and democratic conviction—remain strong.
Missouri helped launch that vision. It continues to carry it forward.
And for that, as both a Briton and a Missourian by adoption, I remain profoundly grateful.