controversy arose over sculptor william mcvay's depiction of the war time prime minister, not because of his characteristically defiant stance with right hand raised in a trademark v for victory salute. no, it was another churchill icon. the cigar in his left hand. that offended some members of the english-speaking union, the organization responsible for the sculpture. in the end, authenticity and the cigar won out. unveiled a year after churchill's death in 1965, the figure seems even larger than its nine-foot dimensions would indicate. almost half a century on, went ston churchill still imagines to dominate his surroundings. >> by the way, i cannot help reflecting that if my father had been american and my mother british instead of the other way around, i might have got here on my own. [ laughter ] >> throughout the weekend here on american history tv on c-span 3, watch personal interviews about historic events on oral histories. our history book shelf features some of the best-known history writers. revisit key figures, battles and events during the 150th anniversary of the civil w