The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 - Softcover

Beschloss, Michael R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743244540 ISBN 13: 9780743244541

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2003

Synopsis

As Presidents Roosevelt and Truman led the United States in World War II in Europe, they had to deal 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 colour of how Roosevelt 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 this question. Roosevelt did not react to increasing evidence of the Holocaust, but close friend and Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., privately pressed Roosevelt to accept what was soon called the 'Morgenthau plan' - teach the Germans a lesson and destroy their ability to make war by destroying their industrial base and letting many Germans starve to death. Beschloss also revels how Harry Truman, on abruptly assuming the Presidency, was briefed on the Morgenthau Plan and was appalled. Truman, backed by Cabinet members, turned his back on the plan, fired Morgenthau, and moved toward Germany's division between East and West, allowing West Germany to become the bulwark of Western opposition to Soviet expansionism in Europe.

About this title

Review:

The New York Times Book Review Vigorously written....This is history as it was spoken at the time, and there is not a dull page.

The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal, "Editor's Choice" A gripping narrative of the struggles at the end of World War II...to ensure that Nazi Germany would never be allowed to repeat its horrific acts.

Richard Bernstein The New York Times The main lesson of Mr. Beschloss's fine study is that what happens after a war is as important as what happens on the battlefield.

Jim Hoagland The Washington Post An incomparable account.

About the Author:

Michael Bechloss has been called 'the nation's leading presidential historian.'by Newsweek, (U.S). Author of six previous books on the history of American presidents and global affairs, he is a frequent lecturer and regular commentator on US television.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0743244540
• ISBN 13: 9780743244541
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416