The conquerors : Roosevelt, Truman, and the destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945

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.

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.

publishers Weekly

beschloss Provides An Engaging, If Not Revelatory, Narrative Of Key Events Leading Up To The Conferences At Yalta (roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin) And Potsdam (truman, Churchill, Stalin) And The Allies' Decisions About How To Prevent Future Aggression By Post-wwii Germany. In His Preface, Beschloss Makes Much Of The Fact That This Study Draws On Newly Released Documents From The Former Soviet Union, The Fbi And Private Archives. But Beschloss Has Unearthed Nothing To Change Accepted Views Of How Fdr Developed And Then Began To Implement His Vision For Postwar Germany. The Tales Beschloss Gathers Here Are No Different From Those Already Told In Such Books As Eric Larrabee's Commander-in-chief: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, His Lieutenants And Their War (1987) And Henry Morgenthau Iii's Mostly Morgenthaus: A Family History (1991). With Reference To The Latter Volume, One Of Beschloss's Major Subplots Traces Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr.'s Efforts To Interest Fdr In A Draconian, Retributive Plan (the Morgenthau Plan) To Destroy What Little Might Remain Of Germany's Infrastructure After The War. Wisely, Fdr Demurred. Although Breaking No New Ground, This Book By Noted Presidential Historian Beschloss (who Has Published A Trilogy On Lyndon Johnson's White House Tapes) Will Fill The Bill For Those Who Need A Readable Account Of How American Officials And Their Allied Counterparts Came To Draw The Map Of Postwar Europe. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

As Allied troops advanced, Franklin Roosevelt &, later, Harry Truman fought in private with Churchill & Stalin over how to ensure Germany could never threaten peace again. Eleven years in the writing, drawing on newly opened American, Soviet & British documents as well as private diaries, letters & audio recordings, this narrative eavesdrops on private conversations between historical giants. It illuminates FDR's concealment of what America knew about Hitler's war against the Jews & his foot-dragging on saving refugees. FDR's actions so shocked his closest Cabinet friend, Treasury Sec. Henry Morgenthau Jr, that Morgenthau risked their friendship by accusing the FDR of acquiescence in the "murder of the Jews." After Normandy, obsessed by what he'd learned about the Nazis & the Holocaust, Morgenthau drew up a secret blueprint for the Allies to crush Germany by destroying German mines & factories after victory. FDR endorsed most of the plan & pressured a reluctant Churchill to concur. Horrified, Sec. of State Cordell Hull & Sec. of War Henry Stimson leaked the plan to the press during the '44 campaign. Propagandist Joseph Goebbels denounced the Roosevelt-Churchill "Jewish murder plan" & claimed it would kill 43,000,000 Germans. Republican presidential candidate Dewey charged that by stiffening German resistance, publicity about the plan had cost lives. "The Conquerors" explores suspicions that Soviet agents manipulated FDR & his officials to do Stalin's bidding on Germany. It reveals new information on FDR's illnesses & how they affected his leadership--& his private talk about quitting his job during his 4th term. It shows FDR's final dinner, in 4/45, in Warm Springs, GA, at which he & Morgenthau were still arguing over postwar Germany. Finally it shows how an unprepared new president managed to pick up the pieces & push Stalin & Churchill to accede to a bargain that would let the Anglo-Americans block Soviet threats against Western Europe & ensure the world wouldn't have to fear another Hitler. 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. As Presidents Roosevelt and Truman led the United States in World War II in Europe, they dealt with the question of what kind of government should be imposed on Nazi Germany to ensure that Germany could never again drag the world into war. The Conquerors tells the story with much intimate detail and color of how FDR and Truman privately struggled in their own minds and with titanic allies like Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin, through summits and secret messages, to answer that question. Based on recently released documents, one of the nation's most celebrated historians reveals one of the little-known secrets of World War II--FDR's and Truman's sometimes shocking plans for a postwar Germany.