At the end of World War II, FDR suggested that Pius XII should be among those consulted on the fate of post-war Europe. Stalin disagreed. "How many divisions," he contemptuously asked, "does the pope have?"

[This line was later used by Israeli diplomatic historian Michael Oren with regard to Sari Nusseibeh, the Palestine Liberation Organization's worldly and moderate (if toothless) chief representative in Jerusalem. "Sari is a wonderful guy," he said, "but how many divisions does he have?"]