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Secrets of Statecraft is a bimonthly podcast hosted by Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts that explores the effect that the study of history has had on the careers and decision making of public figures. The podcast also features leading historians discussing the influence that the study of history had on their biographical subjects. The title is taken from Winston Churchill’s reply on Coronation Day 1953 to a young American who had asked him for life advice, to whom he said, “Study history, study history, for therein lie all the secrets of statecraft.”
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Monday Jan 12, 2026
Monday Jan 12, 2026
What makes an ordinary person risk everything to save a stranger?
Author and historian Richard Hurowitz joins the show to discuss his book, In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust, which recounts the extraordinary men and women who took immense personal risks to aid people who were being hunted by the Nazis.
The conversation explores unforgettable stories of moral courage, including a Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands with a stamp and lost his career, a world-famous Italian cyclist who used his celebrity and his bicycle to smuggle false papers, and entire communities in Denmark, Albania, and France that refused to betray their Jewish neighbors. Hurowitz explains why rescue remains one of the least studied aspects of the Holocaust, what rescuers had in common, and how early childhood values, faith, and self-confidence shaped their decisions.
This is a powerful and deeply human discussion about moral responsibility, the nature of courage, and what it means to stand up when standing apart is dangerous — and why these stories still matter today.