Synopses & Reviews
A andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestseller, andlt;iandgt;The Conquerorsandlt;/iandgt; reveals how Franklin Roosevelt's and Harry Truman's private struggles with their aides and Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin affected the unfolding of the Holocaust and the fate of vanquished Nazi Germany.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;With monumental fairness and balance, andlt;iandgt;The Conquerorsandlt;/iandgt; shows how Roosevelt privately refused desperate pleas to speak out directly against the Holocaust, to save Jewish refugees and to explore the possible bombing of Auschwitz to stop the killing. The book also shows FDR's fierce will to ensure that Germany would never threaten the world again. Near the end of World War II, he abruptly endorsed the secret plan of his friend, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, to reduce the Germans to a primitive existence -- despite Churchill's fear that crushing postwar Germany would let the Soviets conquer the continent. The book finally shows how, after FDR's death, President Truman rebelled against Roosevelt's tough approach and adopted the Marshall Plan and other more conciliatory policies that culminated in today's democratic, united Europe.
Review
Jim Hoagland The Washington Post An incomparable account.
Review
andlt;Iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/Iandgt; Opinion Journal, "Editor's Choice" A gripping narrative of the struggles at the end of World War II...to ensure that Nazi Germany would never be allowed to repeat its horrific acts.
Review
Richard Bernstein andlt;Iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; The main lesson of Mr. Beschloss's fine study is that what happens after a war is as important as what happens on the battlefield.
Review
andlt;Iandgt;The New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/Iandgt; Vigorously written....This is history as it was spoken at the time, and there is not a dull page.
Review
Jim Hoagland andlt;Iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/Iandgt; An incomparable account.
Synopsis
A
New York Times bestseller,
The Conquerors reveals how Franklin Roosevelt's and Harry Truman's private struggles with their aides and Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin affected the unfolding of the Holocaust and the fate of vanquished Nazi Germany.
With monumental fairness and balance, The Conquerors shows how Roosevelt privately refused desperate pleas to speak out directly against the Holocaust, to save Jewish refugees and to explore the possible bombing of Auschwitz to stop the killing. The book also shows FDR's fierce will to ensure that Germany would never threaten the world again. Near the end of World War II, he abruptly endorsed the secret plan of his friend, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, to reduce the Germans to a primitive existence -- despite Churchill's fear that crushing postwar Germany would let the Soviets conquer the continent. The book finally shows how, after FDR's death, President Truman rebelled against Roosevelt's tough approach and adopted the Marshall Plan and other more conciliatory policies that culminated in today's democratic, united Europe.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Michael Beschlossandlt;/bandgt; has been called "the nation's leading Presidential historian" by andlt;Iandgt;Newsweek.andlt;/iandgt; He has written eight books on American Presidents and is NBC News Presidential Historian, as well as contributor to PBS's andlt;Iandgt;The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.andlt;/iandgt; He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two sons.
Table of Contents
Contents
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE
The Plot to Murder Hitler
CHAPTER TWO
"Unconditional Surrender"
CHAPTER THREE
"Fifty Thousand Germans Must Be Shot!"
CHAPTER FOUR
"On the Back of an Envelope"
CHAPTER FIVE
The Terrible Silence
CHAPTER SIX
The "One Hundred Percent American"
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Oppressor of the Jews"
CHAPTER EIGHT
"We Will Have to Get Awfully Busy"
CHAPTER NINE
"Not Nearly as Bad as Sending Them to Gas Chambers"
CHAPTER TEN
"Somebody's Got to Take the Lead"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Christianity and Kindness"
CHAPTER TWELVE
"It Is Very, Very Necessary"
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Do You Want Me to Beg Like Fala?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"A Hell of a Hubbub"
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"As Useful as Ten Fresh German Divisions"
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Lord Give the President Strength"
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"The Only Bond Is Their Common Hate"
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"Arguing About the Future of the World"
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"No Earthly Powers Can Keep Him Here"
CHAPTER TWENTY
"What Will We Make of It?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"I Was Never in Favor of That Crazy Plan"
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"You and I Will Have to Bear Great Responsibility"
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"How I Hate This Trip!"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"We Are Drifting Toward a Line Down the Center of Germany"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"The Spirit and Soul of a People Reborn"
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The Conquerors
AUTHOR'S NOTE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
GENERAL SOURCES
NOTES
INDEX