If nothing else, FDR was a very clever politician who knew how to manipulate circumstances to get what he wanted. In the lead up to the US entering WWII many in the country were isolationists. Roosevelt believed that it was necessary to enter the war in Europe, but he knew the fight would be much more difficult if the country remained divided.
Cleverly, Roosevelt used his cabinet appointments to signal bipartisanship. One of the most successful appointments was Harry Stimson as Secretary of War. Stimson worked tirelessly to further the unity of America to prepare for and conduct the war. I found the use of Stimson’s diary in this book very interesting. It gave an intimate perspective of someone close to Roosevelt and at the center of power.
On the positive side, this book is well written and very well researched. I’ve read a lot of WWII history, but this book added additional nuances. I highly recommend the book up until the end of the Epilogue. Here the author airs his own opinions about the current state of the country. I believe that he would like to see more bipartisanship in the government, but I think his point would have been made better without trying to tie the current political situation to FDRs handling of bipartisanship prior to and during WWII.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
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