Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #433541 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 723 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Larrabee (The Self-Conscious Society, etc.) 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." Illustrations.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Larrabee does for World War II what T. Harry Williams did for the Civil War in his classic Lincoln and His Generals (1952). President Roosevelt was the most active Commander-in-Chief in U.S. history. He planned grand strategy, assumed leadership of the wartime alliance, and provided much of the day-by-day direction of vast armed forces. Larrabee shows how FDR brought the same formidable array of leadership skills to the nations's wartime problems as he did to its social illsdetailed scrutiny, deviousness, and remorseless "informal" conferences and letters. Along the way, the author provides beautifully detailed studies of FDR's relationships with Marshall, King, Arnold, Vandegrift, MacArthur, Nimitz, Eisenhower, Stilwell, and LeMay. A delight to read, the book is as fluidly written as it is sophisticated. Recommended for most libraries. Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog., Los Angeles
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
Noted historian Eric Larrabee challenges the popular view of FDR. He shows that Roosevelt, more than any other president but Lincoln, was an authentic warlord--subtle yet determined in his use of all the prerogatives of a commander in chief.