KENNEDY AND ROOSEVELT: The Uneasy Alliance

by Michael R. Beschloss ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 1980

Both Joseph Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt went to Harvard, both were Democrats, and both had a fling with ships (Kennedy worked at building and selling them, Roosevelt bought them for the Navy). These links are scant reason for a book on the two of them, but the added fact that they tussled a lot without falling out completely--first over whether or not Kennedy would get paid in advance for his ships (he didn't), and later over U.S. entry into World War II--is enough excuse for Harvard grad student Beschloss. The point is to try out an idea of Beschloss' mentor, James MacGregor Burns, about the different kinds of leadership demanded by different arenas of action. As the plot goes here, Kennedy, coming from a modest Boston Irish background, sought power through wealth and became a successful businessman; but because he put the security and future of his family first, he lacked ideals needed to effect big political goals, so he never made it as a politician (i.e., he never got to be President). Roosevelt, on the other hand. . . well, we know about him: he started out with all this money and family and security, and he had big ideas, so he didn't do too well in business but he was practically born to be President. If you see JFK down the road, don't be surprised, since Burns' other big hero is no one but. Sandwiched in between is a traditional narrative, tracing the two friends' and competitors' careers, with considerable soft-peddling of Joe Kennedy's sanguine view of Hitler. Beschloss' opening seems to promise the true story of how FDR talked Kennedy out of abandoning him when Joe returned from a stint as Ambassador to Great Britain in 1940, apparently ready to denounce Roosevelt as a war-monger; but, it turns out, Beschloss has no more idea of what deal was struck than anyone else. The ""Political Man"" vs. ""Economic Man"" setup is a non-starter, and the filling isn't worth the effort.

Pub Date: April 28, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION