Chequers is the country house of the prime minister of the United Kingdom. It is located about 40 miles northwest of London in Buckinghamshire. After Winston Churchill became prime minister on May 10, 1940, the family would occasionally go there to avoid the London bombing. However, Chequers itself was a target due to its large white gravel driveway, which “lit up white by moonlight” (67). Pamela gave birth to her son Winston there in the midst of a bombing raid on October 10, 1940.

Downing Street is the official residence and offices of the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The Churchills, along with Pamela, moved into Downing Street when Winston Churchill became prime minister in 1940.

Haywire is the name Pamela gave to the country home she purchased in Mount Kisco, about 40 miles from Manhattan, with her then-husband, Leland Hayward. Purnell notes she named “the house Haywire after Leland’s cable address and wanted it to be a bold modernist statement” (214). (A cable address is a unique identifier code for the reception of telegraph messages.) The name “Haywire” was later used by Brooke Hayward, daughter of Leland Heyward, as the title for her tell-all biography, which was full of “venomous attacks” on Pamela.

“The Attic” is the nickname given to Pamela’s apartment at 49 Grosvenor Square in London during World War II. The apartment was cheap because it was on a higher floor and therefore was less safe during bombing raids. Pamela held some of her first political salons there for important Brits and Americans during the war.

The Blitz is the term given to describe the bombing campaign by Germany and Italy of the United Kingdom, particularly London, from September 1940 to May 1941 during World War II. Pamela was “recognized in her courage” for not leaving London during the bombings (121) by political and military leaders.

The Democratic National Committee is the central governing body of the American Democratic Party. After becoming an American citizen, Pamela Harriman became increasingly involved in fundraising and organizing efforts to strengthen the DNC. She supported the elections of Robert Strauss and Ron Brown to the position of chairman, or leader, of the DNC.

The Special Relationship is the term for the close military, intelligence, trade, and diplomatic ties between the United States and the United Kingdom. Prior to World War II, there was no “special relationship” between the two nations. Diplomatic relations between the countries were strained. At the outbreak of World War II, the United Kingdom was desperate for the United States to support them in the war against the Axis powers. At the time, the isolationist United States was not eager to join in a foreign conflict, not least when many Americans supported Germany and Italy's aims. Purnell argues that Pamela Churchill was essential to the creation of the “special relationship” at this time of tension. Pamela “helped to wave, sustain and elevate […] ties between America and Britain” (123) through her seduction of American leaders like Averell Harriman and her transmission of information between the two parties. The Special Relationship endures to this day.

Transatlantic is a term referring to connections across the Atlantic Ocean, such as between the United States and the United Kingdom or the United States and France. Purnell emphasizes that Pamela, as a British and American citizen and later US ambassador to France, was essential to transatlantic relationships.