Commander in Chief: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, His Lieutenants, and Their War - Hardcover

Larrabee, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060390506 ISBN 13: 9780060390501

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1987

Synopsis

Approaches the history of World War II from President and Commander-in-Chief Franklin Delano Roosevelt's perspective

About this title

About the Author:

Eric Larrabee was Provost of the Faculty of Arts and Letters at SUNY Buffalo, has taught there and at Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University, and is now Dean of Arts and Design at Pratt Institute.

Review:

"Larrabee here assembles what, essentially, is a collection of short biographies of four army generals (George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Joseph Stilwell); two air force generals ("Hap" Arnold, Curtis LeMay); one marine general (A. A. Vandegrift); and two admirals (Ernest King, Chester Nimitz)all of whom oversaw the execution of Roosevelt's strategic directives during World War II. The emphasis throughout is on the relationships, direct and indirect, these officers had with the president, illustrating the premise that "more than any man FDR ran the war, and ran it well enough to deserve the gratitude of his countrymen then and since, and of those from whom he lifted the yoke of the Axis tyrannies." The book is well researched and superbly writtenand studded with the author's blunt opinions. Criticizing Roosevelt's China policy ("bad in conception, bad in execution"), Larrabee calls the president's treatment of Stilwell the darkest blot on his record as commander in chief. The chapter on MacArthur and his staff is especially scathing: 'A false giant among real pygmies.' " -- Publishers Weekly

"A delight to read, this book is as fluidly written as it is sophisticated." -- Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0060390506
• ISBN 13: 9780060390501
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 723