President Obama refused to take David Cameron’s telephone calls at key moments and was nicknamed “Spock” for his detached, deliberative manner by Downing Street staffers.
According to Sir Anthony Seldon’s biography, No 10 believed that the president gave an impression of lacking warmth and collegiality.
Mr Cameron often found him “too rational and considered” and, within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, he was nicknamed Spock, the Vulcan from Star Trek, the book says.
It says that Mr Obama exhibited his indecision over Libya when Mr Cameron and the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy wanted military action to oust Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.
“He won’t take our calls because he doesn’t know where he stands. It’s not very impressive,” one Downing Street aide is quoted as saying in extracts printed by The Mail on Sunday.
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Britain and France warned that they would take military action with or without America. First Mr Obama “sat on the fence” but then had a change of heart. He told Mr Cameron that the US would take part for the first week, after which it would be a British and French operation.
Tensions also arose over Syria after a chemical attack by President Assad’s forces prompted plans for retaliatory missile strikes. Mr Obama deliberated for three days before telling the prime minister he would launch strikes, but called them off after Mr Cameron lost a Commons vote on the action.
“Cameron camp ire is directed at Obama: they blame him for his prevarication which put them in an almost impossible position,” the book says.