Synopses & Reviews
The death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945 sent shock waves around the world. His lifelong physician swore that the president had always been a picture of health. Later, in 1970, Roosevelts cardiologist admitted he had been suffering from uncontrolled hypertension and that his deathfrom a cerebral hemorrhagewas a cataclysmic event waiting to happen.” But even this was a carefully constructed deceit, one that began in the 1930s and became acutely necessary as America approached war.
In this great medical detective story and narrative of a presidential cover-up, an exhaustive study of all available reports of President Franklin Delano Roosevelts health, and a comprehensive review of thousands of photographs, an intrepid physician-journalist team reveals that Roosevelt at his death suffered from melanoma, a skin cancer that had spread to his brain and abdomen. Roosevelts condition was not only physically disabling, but also could have affected substantially his mental function and his ability to make decisions in the days when the nation was imperiled by World War II.
Review
David Margolick, author ofBeyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink “Anyone reading this fascinating and disturbing book will have to reassess Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose insistence on remaining president despite an arsenal of illnesses subjected his country to grave danger in the most perilous of times. FDR’s Deadly Secret makes us wonder how much different history would be had Roosevelt been healthy, and how catastrophic a turn it nearly took because he was not. Scientifically and politically savvy (and suspenseful!), it offers a highly original take on epochal events.”
Slate.com
“[An] astounding argument…If Lomazow and Fettman are right, Republican Thomas E. Dewey or a different Democrat should have been elected president in 1944. In that case, Harry S. Truman, FDR's vice president, would almost certainly not have been commander-in-chief from 1945 to 1952. The Cold War and subsequent American history might have taken a very different path.”
Library Journal
“Unlike most conspiracy buffs, the authors are objective enough to admit that their thesis is…Regardless, their book is readable and interesting and should appeal to both specialists and the general public.”
Washington Times
“a valuable contribution to presidential history”
The Boston Globe
“The authors present their material in an engaging, though not sensationalistic manner. As a result, “FDR’s Deadly Secret’’ will find a wide following among those interested in one of American history’s most compelling medical mysteries.””
Macleans
“Neurologist Steven Lomazow and journalist Eric Fettmann… are the first to crack wide open the secrecy that has shrouded Roosevelt’s health until now”
Palm Beach Post"Well-told ... The authors make a good case for their thesis ... Lomazow and Fettmann have gone as deeply into the medical evidence as is possible, and produced a convincing sidelight to history."
Irish Times“FDR’s Deadly Secret is about one man and his myriad health problems. It is about the obsessive secrecy designed to keep the nature and extent of his illnesses away from public scrutiny… This is a fascinating medical detective story.”
Synopsis
This persuasive re-examination of Roosevelts last years reveals a more profoundly disabled president than the nation knewand a massive cover-up
About the Author
Steven Lomazow, M.D. is a board-certified neurologist in practice for more than twenty-five years. He is assistant professor of neurology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a member of the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners and former president of the Neurological Association of New Jersey. A frequent lecturer on U.S. periodical history, he is a consultant to the Freedom Forum Newseum.
Eric Fettmann is associate editorial-page editor of the New York Post, where he has spent most of his thirty-plus-year journalism career. He is the former managing editor of The Jerusalem Post and has written for New York, The Nation, National Review and USA Today. A journalism historian, he has contributed to numerous encyclopedias and has been a history consultant on documentary projects for the BBC and PBS.