“Mr. President, what’s this about Japan?” asked
Churchill.
“It’s quite true,” the President confirmed. “They
have attacked us at Pearl Harbor. We are all in the same boat now” (60).
The Book
The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941-1942 by Nigel Hamilton focuses on a very specific era of
FDR’s presidency-a few months prior to Pearl Harbor through the success of
Allied forces in North Africa. While it is a specific era, it is not short of anecdotes
and intriguing information regarding the early days of America’s involvement in
World War II.
Hamilton
begins by telling of FDR’s August 1941 meeting with Winston Churchill. The
goals of these two men couldn’t have been more different for this meeting: FDR
wanted to listen, provide supplies and weapons, and discuss a future peace
agreement; Churchill wanted to develop a strategy to win the war with America’s
help. The main takeaway from the meeting was a future peace agreement: the
Atlantic Charter (later to become “A Declaration by the United Nations”). Hamilton then provides the reader with the following events: Pearl Harbor, loss of the Philippines, failures of British forces in the East, and the Allied invasion of North Africa.
One of the
most interesting parts of this biography are the two struggles FDR encounters. First, is the struggle between FDR and his
military generals. It appears that the two had different ideas for the majority
of this time period. The generals wanted a preemptive strike on Japan, FDR
demurred because it was not typical of American action and many Americans were still isolationists. Once America entered World War II, the
generals wanted a cross-Channel invasion of France (precursor to D-Day).
However, FDR recognized the difficulty of such a move and pushed for an
invasion of North Africa. The second struggle was between FDR and the rising American power, and Churchill and the fading British empire. Both had different views about
how and where to strike, in addition to the preservation of the British empire.
The Mantle of Command is a well-written and insightful account of these two years. Hamilton
attempts to tell FDR’s side of the story and relies heavily on first-person
accounts and letters. To truly understand the global nature of this story, the
backgrounds of key players and occurrences are included. 1941-1942 involved
much more than America’s preparation to enter World War II and avenge the
attack at Pearl Harbor. The book does go into military and political detail,
which could be difficult for some readers. In the first half of the book,
Hamilton often editorializes in the nature of an italicized question directed
at the reader. It feels more like an astonished aside that can jar the reader
out of the narrative. But, overall, The
Mantel of Command presents a new insight into a significant era of American
and world history.
The Place
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is located by the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. It is a memorial unlike the others on the National Mall because it focuses on storytelling. The Memorial is split into four rooms that depict each of FDR’s four terms in office. Each room includes quotes, statutes depicting specific events, and a water feature.
As a part of the National Park Service, entrance is free. If you enjoy
reading and spending time in the memorials, plan your schedule accordingly. Due
to its size, there is a lot of walking to move through each outdoor room. The
first time I visited, it was pouring; the bulk of my time was spent in a small
Visitor Center. Before visiting, make sure to check the weather forecast.
