For over more than a century the Pilgrims have played a very important role in cementing good relations between the two countries and have acted as one of the principal custodians of what has come to be known as the ‘Special Relationship.’

Founded in 1902 with the explicit aim of fostering solid diplomatic, economic and cultural relations between Britain and the United States; the society is rooted in the basic principle that good personal relations make for better public decisions. Accordingly, the society aimed to connect British and American decision-makers in a social forum get to know one another and air perspective on important issues of the day.

A dinning society first and foremost, the society has resisted more formal characterisation. The title of the Pilgrims is not to be confused with the Pilgrim Trust, and has nothing whatever to do with the genealogical descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers of 1620, but was instead chosen as a concise way to express the idea of members of the English-speaking union, founded in the principles of common law which the Pilgrim Fathers had brought to to America.

Towards the end of the 19th century, closer coordination between decision-makers on both sides of the Atlantic was necessary as the US grew in global influence. Against this changing geopolitical backdrop, the Pilgrims Society able to act as a semi-official channel between the two governments. In the months and years following its establishment, the Pilgrims Society was involved with some of the most challenging and important issues in Anglo-American diplomacy. As the 1903 Times article noted, bringing Britain and the US together as the two ‘great manufacturers and traders of the world, and therefore the great advocated of international peace.’

The principle vehicle for fostering these new and improved relations were dinners and soirees. The Pilgrims Society held opulent banquets which offered an enviable invitation if you could get it and served the real purpose of connecting influential individuals in the US with the British decision-makers of the time, including the Royal family. The Pilgrims also sought to secure ties, hosting publicised speeches on key issues in an effort to sway opinion of decision-makers towards Anglo-American compromise and accord.

During World War I, the Pilgrims Society supported the U.S. entry into the war through “public diplomacy.” While then President Woodrow Wilson cautioned Americans to remain ‘neutral in thought as well as action,’ the Pilgrims worked to solidify support for US entry into the war. When, on the 12th of April, 1917; immediately following US entry into the war, the Pilgrims hosted US Ambassador Walter Hines Page at the Savoy in London, he described Anglo-American wartime cooperation as the ‘supreme political event of all history.’

As the mission of the society grew in importance, so to did its reach. The Pilgrims Society developed strong connections with other social clubs – both in London and in New York – bringing together decision-makers of the time to socialise ideas and connect opportunities. In 1921, key members of the Pilgrims Society of the United States – including Morgan, Warburg and Rockefeller – founded the Council on Foreign Relations to sit alongside the organisation and help to bring the key messages of the Pilgrims to Washington DC.

During the interwar period, the activities of the Pilgrims were necessarily limited by America’s isolationism and the Great Depression. While the society continued to play a critical role in hosting key dignitaries, relations were slow to advance. Importantly, however the society persevered through these difficult times. As as Frederick Coudert, a member of the then Executive, articulated:

“I cannot feel that the Pilgrims Society is only meant to articulate fine sentiments on sunshiny says and that it retires underground when the skies are darkened and the tempest is on.”

The society’s work also helped legitimize greater governmental involvement in public diplomacy, laying the groundwork for official bodies like the British Council and the US Division of Cultural Relations.

This paid dividends with the onset of World War II and the bombing of Britain by the Germans, which led to expressions of solidarity from American Pilgrims with the British. In March 1941, Winston Churchill delivered a speech before the Pilgrims in London in which he tried to present the Americans’ entry into the war and victory over the Axis powers as inevitable. Addressing the newly appointed British Ambassador to the United States, Lord Halifax, the speech emphasized the critical importance of Anglo-American relations and the need for shared purpose and resolve in the face of the war effort. Churchill also highlighted the identity of purpose and persistence of resolve prevailing throughout the English-speaking world, which he believed would determine the way of life of future generations.

As WWII accelerated, The Pilgrims of Great Britain continued to provide a vital bridge for US support to the War and common cause of the Allies. While activities were restricted due to the Blitz, the Pilgrims of the United States provided two mobile canteen trailers as a token of their admiration for the courage of the British people during the air raids.

In December 1947, the Pilgrims hosted US Secretary of State George Marshall, architect of the financial aid programme for Europe for his only speech in England. He spoke of ‘a natural relationship’ and ‘a special relationship’ saying:
“There is no more natural relationship in international life than that between the United States and the British Commonwealth. This relationship requires no special political initiative. It is not embodied in any formal treaty or pact.”

If one were to look for a tangible representation of the Anglo-American relationship and the role of the Pilgrims, the Roosevelt Memorial in Grosvenor Square would provide a perfect example of this. In February 1946, at a dinner in honour of Eleanor Roosevelt, the idea was mooted by Lord Derby, then President of the Pilgrims of Great Britain, that the Pilgrims should take the lead in erecting in the heart of London a Memorial to the late President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was decided that Grosvenor Square, in view of its strong American historical associations, especially during the World War II, would be the most suitable site.

The Pilgrims’ Roosevelt Memorial Committee decided not to raise the £40,000 needed for the project from the Pilgrims Membership alone, but rather to spread the appeal as widely as possible to allow all British admirers of the late President to contribute. A maximum contribution of five shillings (25p) was suggested, both on the BBC radio appeal and in The Times, which printed a special Memorial brochure to be given to each person who contributed. This was announced in November 1946 and so great was the public response that the appeal was closed before the end of the first week – a fitting testimonial to the enormous esteem and admiration which the people of this country held for FDR and everything he represented.

The unveiling of the statue took place on 12 April 1948, the third anniversary of FDR’S death, and perhaps the greatest day in the annals of the British Pilgrims. Mrs Roosevelt returned to London to unveil the statue and wreaths were laid by King George VI and other dignitaries, including Lord Greenwood on behalf of the Pilgrims. There were moving words from the American Ambassador, the Hon Lewis Douglas, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, pronounced the benediction. Thousands of people thronged Grosvenor Square and the whole proceedings were filmed by the principal newsreel companies and by the then infant BBC television service.

Notably, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip also made their first public appearance together in 1948 at a dinner hosted by The Pilgrims of Great Britain at The Savoy in London.

With the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War, the focus of the Pilgrims’ meetings changed. Now, the main priority became creating a unified Europe and growing the strength of NATO to help contain communism. Dinners were hosted for Dag Hammarskjold, then Secretary General of the UN; Harry Truman; Richard Nixon (Vice President of the United States); Eugene Black (President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development); Dwight D. Eisenhower (President of the United States 1953-1961); Air Marshall Sir Thomas Pike (Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe); General Andrew Goodpaster (Supreme Allied Commander Europe) and Henry Kissinger (Secretary of State of the United States). Active members included NATO Secretary General Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, and Margaret Thatcher. The society’s activities helped maintain strong ties between the two nations, even during periods of tension or disagreement, like the Falklands War and the Grenada invasion.

Underlining the network’s importance for Anglo-American relations during the Cold War, The Pilgrims of the United States membership grew to include Henry Kissinger, Caspar Weinberger, Alexander Haig and George Shultz, who played important roles in the Nixon and Reagan administrations. Notably, the US President acted as honorary president of the New York branch from Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950’s through Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s.

In 1970’s, with the ascendency of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, herself a member, women became more active with the Queen Mother providing her first ever after-dinner speech, US Ambassador Anne Armstrong and later the Prime Minister herself addressing the Pilgrims.

In 2002, the Pilgrims Society celebrated its 100th anniversary at St James’s Palace in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and then Prince Charles.

The Pilgrims’ archives are lodged with London Metropolitan Archives. Please see http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visiting-the-city/archives-and-city-history/london-metropolitan-archives/the-collections/Pages/pilgrims-of-great-britain.aspx for an LMA article on the Pilgrims’ archives, and please contact ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk for further information regarding access.