Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 1
The description of the book states that it is about "a cast of historical giants." Actually, when you see the way many of these 'giants' behaved, you begin to wonder if these powerful men ever grew up from their school day games of 'Who is the most popular."
I have read other books that maintain Roosevelt was not the great presidential leader that many of our history books state he was. This book provides even more evidence that he, like Hitler, played his subordinates, in this case mostly cabinet officers, against each other. Certainly, this is not the mark of a leader and Truman never made this mistake. An excuse can be made that Roosevelt should never have run for a fourth term, and probably not a third. Frankly, Roosevelt, as depicted in this book, seems full of himself. Did we really have such an egotist for president?
At the same time, despite some of his mid-western prejudices, Truman is depicted as a solid leader that even Roosevelt's cabinet officials welcomed, This was despite the fact that Truman entered the presidency knowing almost nothing of international military and political concerns, due to Roosevelt's deliberate denial of granting Truman access to any knowledge of what was happening.
Not all is bad, as the author concludes by showing how Roosevelt and Truman helped defeat Nazi Germany, develop democracy in a defeated Germany, and limit Soviet expansion. The author also shows how Stalin and his cronies often made serious mistakes in their policy decisions due to their innate paranoia, or profited from some mistakes of the other Allies.
For those interested in World War II or Cold War politics, this book is a must.
I have read other books that maintain Roosevelt was not the great presidential leader that many of our history books state he was. This book provides even more evidence that he, like Hitler, played his subordinates, in this case mostly cabinet officers, against each other. Certainly, this is not the mark of a leader and Truman never made this mistake. An excuse can be made that Roosevelt should never have run for a fourth term, and probably not a third. Frankly, Roosevelt, as depicted in this book, seems full of himself. Did we really have such an egotist for president?
At the same time, despite some of his mid-western prejudices, Truman is depicted as a solid leader that even Roosevelt's cabinet officials welcomed, This was despite the fact that Truman entered the presidency knowing almost nothing of international military and political concerns, due to Roosevelt's deliberate denial of granting Truman access to any knowledge of what was happening.
Not all is bad, as the author concludes by showing how Roosevelt and Truman helped defeat Nazi Germany, develop democracy in a defeated Germany, and limit Soviet expansion. The author also shows how Stalin and his cronies often made serious mistakes in their policy decisions due to their innate paranoia, or profited from some mistakes of the other Allies.
For those interested in World War II or Cold War politics, this book is a must.
James B. (Kilroy) reviewed The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 (Audio Cassette) (Abridged) on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting insights into the machination behind the waging of WWII, especially as it pertains to how to proceed with the fate of Germany after its defeat.
