Watching Darkness Fall

FDR, His Ambassadors, and the Rise of Adolf Hitler

De: David McKean

Narrado por: Tom Perkins

Duración: 13 h y 1 m

Resumen del Editor

As German tanks rolled toward Paris in late May 1940, the US Ambassador to France, William Bullitt, was determined to stay put, holed up in the Chateau St. Firmin in Chantilly, his country residence. Bullitt told the president that he would neither evacuate the embassy nor his chateau.

As German forces closed in on the French capital, Bullitt wrote the president, "In case I should get blown up before I see you again, I want you to know that it has been marvelous to work for you." As the fighting raged in France, across the English Channel, Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph P. Kennedy wrote to his wife Rose, "The situation is more than critical. It means a terrible finish for the allies."

David McKean's Watching Darkness Fall will recount the rise of the Third Reich in Germany and the road to war from the perspective of four American diplomats in Europe who witnessed it firsthand: Joseph Kennedy, William Dodd, Breckinridge Long, and William Bullitt, who all served in key Western European capitals - London, Berlin, Rome, Paris, and Moscow - in the years prior to World War II. In many ways, they were America's first line of defense and they often communicated with the president directly, as Roosevelt's eyes and ears on the ground. Unfortunately, most of them underestimated the power and resolve of Adolf Hitler and Germany's Third Reich.

©2021 David McKean (P)2021 Tantor

Excellent!!!

This is a perfect complement to the common story of the 1930s story of the fall into war.
We all know the story of Berlin in the 20s and Paris between the wars, the Kennedy family in London and how close America First was to influencing our action. I went to National Guard activation with my parents and marvel how lucky I was to have FDR on our side and the stupid opponents making errors on the other side. I was 4 and ready to fight.

Interesting book

I picked this up randomly figuring I’d return it - but I’ll darned if it didn’t turn out to be an interesting and well written book. Keep in mind, however, the author is an FDR apologist - just something to keep in mind and important if you don’t already know FDR and his quest for power and control. Also I have no dog in this fight as I’m not a fan of FDR or Joe Kennedy, but the author goes out of his way to make Kennedy look like a clown - giving the worst possible view of him.

But, again, with that said I made it through a 10+ hour book about diplomats - and that’s a credit to the authors story telling ability.

Excellent and Meticulous…

McKean has done a marvelous job revealing an era potentially mirroring present volatile events. Have today’s political leaders learned enough from past events?