"Little-known facts bring new perspective to WWII"

THE CONQUERORS describes the politics surrounding World War II rather than the military campaigns and propaganda that are typically written about and featured in documentaries. The purpose of this book can be summed up in one sentence: The actions and strategies of first Franklin Roosevelt and then Harry Truman directly resulted in a peaceful and stable Germany today. They knew that to punish the German people harshly would bring about either the creation of another Hitler, thriving on the bitterness and dissent of the people, or an alliance with the Russians and therefore Communism, neither of which were palatable to western countries. A quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower at the beginning of the book puts it best. "The success of this occupation can only be judged fifty years from now. If the Germans at that time have a stable, prosperous democracy, then we shall have succeeded."

But how did that happen? What did FDR do to bring about this success? How did Truman carry out FDR's wishes without really ever knowing what they were? How did the influence of countless politicians and world leaders affect American actions in the war? What alliances were formed and others broken that played a role in the two presidents' actions? It is these questions that Beschloss answers. As he mentions in the prologue, the book ultimately took ten years to write because of the mammoth amount of documents and sources he used to provide a complete, complex history of the politics of the war.

Rather than a dry, unappealing tome that is enjoyed by only the most devout historian, this is a lively, quick-paced, and utterly readable work of nonfiction that almost anyone will eagerly take on. It is chock full of interesting facts, such as the assassination attempts on Hitler by his own officers, that, had they been successful, would have potentially changed the fate of the world. The soap opera-like atmosphere of Washington D.C. also adds to the drama. And the general consensus of American people today that the United States entered the conflict to free the oppressed Jews and dissenters in concentration camps is soundly disproven. It wasn't an act of goodwill, it was a power- struggle that just happened to also free the Jews. Providing an enormous bibliography, including previously classified government texts, personal diaries, interviews, and oral histories, Beschloss uses facts to back up his statements.

While I enjoyed reading THE CONQUERORS, I admit that I have always liked history and especially when it fills in the gaps that textbooks ignore. Not everyone feels that way, but if more history books were written like this one, there would be far more people who think back fondly on their high school U.S. History class.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartshorn
Posted October 23, 2003

Summary

From one of America's most respected historians, The Conquerors reveals one of the most important stories of World War II. As Allied soldiers fought the Nazis, Franklin Roosevelt and, later, Harry Truman fought in private with Churchill and Stalin over how to ensure that Germany could never threaten the world again. Eleven years in the writing, drawing on newly opened American, Soviet and British documents as well as private diaries, letters and secret audio recordings, Michael Beschloss's gripping narrative lets us eavesdrop on private conversations and telephone calls among a cast of historical giants. The book casts new light upon Roosevelt's concealment of what America knew about Hitler's war against the Jews and his foot-dragging on saving refugees; FDR's actions so shocked his closest friend in the Cabinet, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., that Morgenthau risked their friendship by accusing the President of "acquiescence" in the "murder of the Jews." After the Normandy invasion, "obsessed" by what he had learned about the Nazis and the Holocaust, Morgenthau drew up a secret blueprint for the Allies to crush Germany by destroying German mines and factories after the European victory. As The Conquerors shows, FDR endorsed most of Morgenthau's plan, and privately pressured a reluctant Churchill to concur. Horrified, Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Secretary of War Henry Stimson leaked the plan to the press at the zenith of the 1944 campaign. Hitler's propagandist Joseph Goebbels denounced the Roosevelt- Churchill "Jewish murder plan" and claimed it would kill forty-three million Germans. Republican presidential candidate Thomas Dewey charged that by stiffening German resistance, publicity about Morgenthau's plan had cost many U.S. soldiers' lives. The Conquerors explores suspicions that Soviet secret agents manipulated Roosevelt and his officials to do Stalin's bidding on Germany. It reveals new information on FDR's hidden illnesses and how they affected his leadership -- and his private talk about quitting his job during his fourth term and letting Harry Truman become President. It shows us FDR's final dinner, in April 1945, in Warm Springs, Georgia, at which the President and Morgenthau were still arguing over postwar Germany. Finally it shows how the unprepared new President Truman managed to pick up the pieces and push Stalin and Churchill to accede to a bargain that would let the Anglo-Americans block Soviet threats against Western Europe and ensure that the world would not have to fear another Adolf Hitler.