FDR and His Enemies: A History

by Albert Fried

Not since the Civil War was America so riven by conflict as it was during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. His bold initiatives and his willingness to break historic precedent in handling the Great Depression and the coming of World War II were challenged by giant figures of the era, powerful public men each with their own fierce constituencies. Albert Fried brings out the tremendous drama in Roosevelt's ideological and personal struggle with five influential ex-New York governor and presidential candidate Al Smith, the enormously popular "radio priest" Charles E. Coughlin, Louisiana Senator Huey Long, labor champion John L. Lewis, and the universally adored aviator Charles A. Lindbergh. An enthralling story of a critical period in twentieth century history, FDR and His Enemies reveals the intellectual, moral, and tactical underpinnings of a great debate in which Roosevelt always triumphed.

Genres: History, Us Presidents, American History

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[Dr. Tami R Peterson]

Fried's account goes into enemies of FDR who were all over the political spectrum and all through his presidency. Though the author uses some purple prose at times and is disjointed at others in telling the story, he does bring to light some important struggles between FDR and those in his own party like leading Democrat Al Smith and those further to the left like United Mine Workers (UMW) head John L. Lewis. This is along with the usually suspects on the right like Charles Lindbergh and Father Coughlin. Fried defends FDR, perhaps a bit too much, in his using the power of his office to spy on, manipulate and stifle opposition. The book could have used a more critical approach but nonetheless it does bring some interesting relationships between FDR and lesser known individuals to light.

[Robert B. B.]

The author details how FDR faced down his most serious rivals during the 1930s. Fried is clearly in love with his thesaurus (fissiparous?), but if you can make your way past these showy displays of erudition, this is an interesting account of how Roosevelt outfoxed extremists on the left and right.

[John]

I read this book as a companion to Scott Berg's bio of Lindbergh. I will save my thoughts for that one, but this one focused on FDR and his "enemies," which included Lindbergh. Fried shows clearly that FDR's political skills (some would say dishonesty and hypocrisy) allowed him to outmaneuver these various "enemies" such as Father Coughlin, Huey Long, Al Smith, John Lewis, and Lindbergh. All five had Achilles' heels, suggests Fried, that allowed FDR to maneuver to his desired goal (whether to enact the New Deal or to come to Great Britain's aid during WW2. As you probably know, these five men ran the gamut in politics from far right to far left, so FDR knew to be successful, he had to keep navigating to the center, never getting to far ahead of his constituents. I am sure that some, as a result, wouldn't admire FDR for his political skills, but I find him remarkable and admirable. I only wish his Democratic descendants were as skilled.

[WW2 Reads]

Fried's account goes into enemies of FDR who were all over the political spectrum and all through his presidency. Though the author uses some purple prose at times and is disjointed at others in telling the story, he does bring to light some important struggles between FDR and those in his own party like leading Democrat Al Smith and those further to the left like United Mine Workers (UMW) head John L. Lewis. This is along with the usually suspects on the right like Charles Lindbergh and Father Coughlin. Fried defends FDR, perhaps a bit too much, in his using the power of his office to spy on, manipulate and stifle opposition. The book could have used a more critical approach but nonetheless it does bring some interesting relationships between FDR and lesser known individuals to light.