The Pilgrims

The Pilgrims was a leading Anglo-American society devoted to maintaining close ties between the two countries. Its annual stag dinner at the Savoy in London became a notable occasion during Harry S. Truman’s visit to Britain: the gathering offered a prominent social setting for his appeal to Anglo-American unity and vigilance.

Identity and Purpose

The account identifies The Pilgrims by its work to sustain close relations between Britain and the United States. It supplies no further detail about the society’s membership or organization, but its annual dinner brought together people engaged in that transatlantic connection.

Truman at the Savoy

The dinner took place the night after Truman’s appearance at Oxford. He was received warmly, and Lord Halifax offered a compliment that conveyed the guests’ regard for him. In his remarks, Truman observed that many difficulties between the two countries arose not from their differences but from their similarities. He also likened the turbulence of election years to the behavior of primitive peoples during a full moon.

The Dinner’s Political Message

Truman’s central warning was that a great and peaceful future could be lost through neglect, division, and inaction as surely as through a spectacular disaster. He urged the two countries not to become careless about their strength and unity. He also rejected the idea that public judgment should be guided by mass psychology rather than by what people honestly believed to be wise and right, invoking Mark Twain’s admonition to do right. The occasion thus joined the society’s stated purpose of fostering Anglo-American ties with Truman’s argument that their preservation required conviction and sustained attention.