Synopses & Reviews
Nearly seventy-five years after World War II, a contentious debate lingers over whether Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned his back on the Jews of Hitler's Europe. Defenders claim that FDR saved millions of potential victims by defeating Nazi Germany. Others revile him as morally indifferent and indict him for keeping America's gates closed to Jewish refugees and failing to bomb Auschwitz's gas chambers.
In an extensive examination of this impassioned debate, Richard Breitman and Allan J. Lichtman find that the president was neither savior nor bystander. In FDR and the Jews, they draw upon many new primary sources to offer an intriguing portrait of a consummate politician-compassionate but also pragmatic-struggling with opposing priorities under perilous conditions. For most of his presidency Roosevelt indeed did little to aid the imperiled Jews of Europe. He put domestic policy priorities ahead of helping Jews and deferred to others' fears of an anti-Semitic backlash. Yet he also acted decisively at times to rescue Jews, often withstanding contrary pressures from his advisers and the American public. Even Jewish citizens who petitioned the president could not agree on how best to aid their co-religionists abroad.
Though his actions may seem inadequate in retrospect, the authors bring to light a concerned leader whose efforts on behalf of Jews were far greater than those of any other world figure. His moral position was tempered by the political realities of depression and war, a conflict all too familiar to American politicians in the twenty-first century.
Review
The FDR who emerges here is concerned with the fate of European Jewry, but also exquisitely sensitive to the demands of the situation: in short, he is the ultimately political man, and his approach shifts with each turn of major events. This comprehensive work will become the definitive word on the subject. Michael Kazin, author of < i=""> American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation <>
Review
This splendid book should banish forever the notion that Franklin Roosevelt was a blinkered anti-Semite who made little effort to stop the Holocaust. With dazzling research and astute judgments, Richard Breitman and Allan Lichtman portray FDR as a cunning politician who, in the dreadful context of his times, did more to aid Jews than any other leader in the United States or abroad. Kirkus Reviews
Review
Anyone who wishes to be part of the conversation about FDR's response to the Holocaust would do well to read Richard Breitman and Allan Lichtman's FDR and the Jews. In a quiet and sober fashion it reexamines what is already known and lays out new and previously unknown information. Noah Feldman, author of < i=""> Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR ' s Great Supreme Court Justices <>
Review
A penetrating analysis of the historical record, uncovering new sources and answering haunting questions that still linger after 75 years. A must read! Richard Ben-Veniste, Senior Partner, Mayer Brown Llp, And Commissioner, 9/11 Commission
Review
Breitman and Lichtman pursue several telling currents in FDR's record, namely the president's ability to keep the private separate from the public, his reliance on Jewish leaders and his evolving enlightenment toward Jewish issues as he neared the end of his life. Alan Cate - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review
Sadly, Roosevelt left behind a rather thin paper trail. He didn't write a memoir or record many White House conversations, and he refused to allow note-taking at his personal meetings. To fill this gap, Breitman and Lichtman have combed the archives of the leading players who did write down their thoughts and recollections, and the result is quite impressive. Even those who disagree with the book's conclusions must acknowledge the mountain of research on which they rest...The authors rightly note the squeamishness of America's modern presidents in dealing with genocide...Historically speaking, Roosevelt comes off rather well...[An] eminently sensible book. David Oshinsky
Review
While this incisively written study is unlikely to sway anyone whose mind is already made up, readers without fixed views will find plenty to ponder. And it will remind everyone not only of the enormity of the Holocaust but...the ultimate limitations of the presidency, no matter who holds the office. New York Times Book Review
Review
andldquo;Drew Pearson was the insidersandrsquo; insider: He lunched with the powerful, presided over lavish dinner parties with visiting royalty, and in between juggled phone calls with everybody from presidents to prizefight promoters. . . . Political junkies, policy wonks, and people who want to know what Washington was like in the days before it became just a rest stop between political fund-raisers will love this book. Great characters, fascinating gossip, terrific insight.andrdquo;andmdash;Bob Schieffer, anchor of CBSandrsquo;s Face the Nationand#160;
Review
andldquo;One of the most influential columnists in the country, Drew Pearson unabashedly used his clout to lobby for the leaders and legislation he liked, and he tells all in his diaries. Better yet, he reports on private conversations and a few titillating personal peccadilloes of the people whose names dominated the news but who we usually only know through their public utterances. This diary is not only fascinating history, itandrsquo;s a fun read.andrdquo;andmdash;Cokie Roberts, commentator for NPR and ABC News
Review
andldquo;Gossip is the lifeblood of Washington, and no one was better at getting it and spreading it than muckraking columnist Drew Pearson. At the same time, he was a wise adviser to ambassadors, senators, and Supreme Court justices. He was unique in his time and unthinkable today. His diaries from the 1960s read like the true inside story of power at the top.andrdquo;andmdash;Evan Thomas, author of Ikeandrsquo;s Bluff and#160;and Robert Kennedy
Review
andldquo;No American journalist exposed more wrongdoing, irritated more politicians, or entertained more readers than did Drew Pearson. His diaries provide us with another memorable spin on the Washington merry-go-round and offer insights into how he got the news that made his columns so potent.andrdquo;andmdash;Donald A. Ritchie, author of Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps
Review
andldquo;From the beginning of recorded history, andlsquo;the storyandrsquo; has been enriched by firsthand accounts of events of the time. Letters, journals, and diaries have humanized our view of a specific time or event. The publication of his diaries is a wonderful example of that firsthand account. . . . Drew Pearson left us an amazing gift!andrdquo;andmdash;David S. Ferriero, former Andrew W. Mellon director of the New York public libraries
Review
andldquo;The diaries give us an insiderandrsquo;s account of how power is really exercised in Washington. Anyone wanting to understand what happened in an era that began with the triumphs of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson and ended with assassinations, riots, and a quagmire in Vietnam will want to read these diaries.andrdquo;andmdash;Nick Kotz, Pulitzer Prizeandndash;winning reporter and author of
Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Laws That Changed America and#160;Synopsis
A contentious debate lingers over whether Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned his back on the Jews of Hitler's Europe. FDR and the Jews reveals a concerned leader whose efforts on behalf of Jews were far greater than those of any other world figure but whose moral leadership was tempered by the political realities of depression and war.
Synopsis
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, April 2013
Synopsis
2013 American Jewish Studies Celebrate 350 Award, Jewish Book Council
Synopsis
Finalist, 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize (History Category)
Synopsis
For most of three decades, Drew Pearson was the most well-known journalist in the United States. In his daily newspaper columnandmdash;the most widely syndicated in the nationandmdash;and on radio and television broadcasts, he chronicled the political and public policy news of the nation. At the same time, he worked his way into the inner circles of policy makers in the White House and Congress, lobbying for issues he believed would promote better government and world peace.and#160;Pearson, however, still found time to record his thoughts and observations in his personal diary. Published here for the first time, Washington Merry-Go-Round presents Pearsonandrsquo;s private impressions of life inside the Beltway from 1960 to 1969, revealing how he held the confidence of presidentsandmdash;especially Lyndon B. Johnsonandmdash;congressional leaders, media moguls, political insiders, and dozens of otherwise unknown sources of information. His direct interactions with the DC glitterati, including Bobby Kennedy and Douglas MacArthur, are featured throughout his diary, drawing the reader into the compelling political intrigues of 1960s Washington and providing the mysterious backstory on the famous and the notorious of the era.and#160;and#160;
About the Author
Drew Pearson (1897and#8211;1969) was an active journalist for nearly fifty years. At the time of his death, his column Washington Merry-Go-Round was carried by 650 newspapers. He was well known for his extensive use of investigative journalism. Peter Hannafordand#8217;s long career in public affairs consulting was centered in Washington DC. He is the author of eleven books, including
Reaganand#8217;s Roots: The People and Places That Shaped His Character and
Presidential Retreats: Where the Presidents Went and Why They Went There. Richard Norton Smith is an authority on the U.S. presidency and the author of acclaimed books about George Washington, Herbert Hoover, and Thomas Dewey.