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Lanny Budd #10
O Shepherd, Speak!
As Presidential Agent 103, Lanny Budd witnesses the collapse of the Nazis, the bombing of Hiroshima, and the Nuremberg Trials in this novel in the Pulitzer Prize–winning saga.
As a spy for President Franklin Roosevelt, Lanny Budd was able to infiltrate the inner circle of the Nazi high command and glean essential information on behalf of the Allied cause. Now, as the terrible global conflict approaches its long-awaited conclusion, the newly commissioned Captain Budd of the US Army is on hand to witness the final collapse of the Third Reich in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge.
The nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brings World War II to an end, but not even the death of Franklin Roosevelt can release Lanny from his obligations as Presidential Agent 103. A devastated Europe needs to be rebuilt, and there is a necessary reckoning still to come in the heart of defeated Germany, where the fanatics who murdered countless millions will stand trial for their crimes.
O Shepherd, Speak! is the penultimate volume of Upton Sinclair’s Pulitzer Prize–winning dramatization of twentieth-century world history. An astonishing mix of adventure, romance, and political intrigue, the Lanny Budd Novels are a testament to the breathtaking scope of the author’s vision and his singular talents as a storyteller.
As a spy for President Franklin Roosevelt, Lanny Budd was able to infiltrate the inner circle of the Nazi high command and glean essential information on behalf of the Allied cause. Now, as the terrible global conflict approaches its long-awaited conclusion, the newly commissioned Captain Budd of the US Army is on hand to witness the final collapse of the Third Reich in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge.
The nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brings World War II to an end, but not even the death of Franklin Roosevelt can release Lanny from his obligations as Presidential Agent 103. A devastated Europe needs to be rebuilt, and there is a necessary reckoning still to come in the heart of defeated Germany, where the fanatics who murdered countless millions will stand trial for their crimes.
O Shepherd, Speak! is the penultimate volume of Upton Sinclair’s Pulitzer Prize–winning dramatization of twentieth-century world history. An astonishing mix of adventure, romance, and political intrigue, the Lanny Budd Novels are a testament to the breathtaking scope of the author’s vision and his singular talents as a storyteller.
749 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1949
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523 people want to read
About the author
Upton Sinclair
712 books1,181 followersUpton Beall Sinclair, Jr. was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle (1906). To gather information for the novel, Sinclair spent seven weeks undercover working in the meat packing plants of Chicago. These direct experiences exposed the horrific conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry, causing a public uproar that contributed in part to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The Jungle has remained continuously in print since its initial publication. In 1919, he published The Brass Check, a muckraking exposé of American journalism that publicized the issue of yellow journalism and the limitations of the “free press” in the United States. Four years after the initial publication of The Brass Check, the first code of ethics for journalists was created. Time magazine called him "a man with every gift except humor and silence." In 1943, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Sinclair also ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Socialist, and was the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of California in 1934, though his highly progressive campaign was defeated.
Sinclair also ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Socialist, and was the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of California in 1934, though his highly progressive campaign was defeated.
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August 13, 2019
The title is from verses quoted when the author writes about FDR passing away - "O Shepherd, speak from the grave!"
The tenth volume in the World's End series, "O Shepherd, Speak!", begins where the previous one, One Clear Call, had left off, with FDR newly elected and Lanny having seen his victory parade of arriving in Washington D.C., after they'd gone for a drive and discussed future of Europe, and next assignment for Lanny; Lanny had gone walking and seen Lincoln Museum from the sidewalk and reflected on the similarity of the two great leaders, worried about his boss's health.
Here Lanny has arrived in Europe, in Paris, heard from Laureland from Raoul Palma, and Jerry Pendleton, and Beauty, and gone to work with the two groups as diverse as they can get - the Monuments group, working at retrieving art objects subjected to theft by Nazi occupation, and restoring them to their previous owners whom nazis stole them from.
"In Paris is a museum which was once the handball court of the playful monarchs, the Musée du Jeu de Paume. The Nazi plunderers had used it as a sort of clearing house, where their trophies were brought and exhibited to the privileged few.
"The large staff of the Musée had been mostly German, but several French employees had managed to win favor and be retained. One of these was secretly a member of the Resistance and had made it her business to smuggle out copies of the lists and records of the institution, and even photographs of its employees, so that they could not change their names and hide."
and Alsos, the scientists, who are worried about Germany acquiring atomic weapons before U.S., and are looking at papers and talking with scientists, and with workers and technicians, who know more than the bosses might be aware of;
"Presently came word that the American Seventh Army had taken Strasbourg, a great French city on the upper reaches of the Rhine. This was of importance to Alsos, for there was a famed university there, and it had a competent physics department—German for the past four years and part of a fifth. Alsos sent a representative, and first he telegraphed that he had been unable to locate any of the physicists; then came a second telegram—the nuclear laboratory had been situated in a wing of the Strasbourg Hospital, and its four physicists had been posing as physicians. Just a little matter of changing two letters in a word!
"They were put under arrest—the head physicist in jail, so that he would have no chance to agree upon a story with the others. The Alsos men set out for Strasbourg, full of anticipation, hoping to find clues that would tell them what German science had achieved in one remote and difficult field.
"The Germans were questioned closely but apparently didn’t have much to tell, except the names of their colleagues who had fled: Weizsäcker, a leading theoretical physicist, and Haagen, who was a virus specialist, believed to be preparing dreadful diseases to be turned loose behind the American armies.
"The invaders confiscated all the papers in the laboratory, and in Weizsäcker’s office at the University. All night they sat studying these, by the light of candles and one compressed gas lamp.
"Planes flew overhead, and bombs and shells exploded; American mortars roared near by, but the scientists paid no heed, for they had come upon an alarming discovery, an envelope with the imprint: “The Representative of the Reichsmarshall for Nuclear Physics.” The implications of this were obvious: a Reichsmarshall is the highest rank in the German military system, and if they had one of these in charge of nuclear physics they must have a colossal establishment, possibly even greater than that of the Americans; they might be producing bombs wholesale!
"The son of Budd-Erling pointed out the obscurity in this title; it might just as well mean the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Nuclear Physics, which would mean one of Göring’s assistants, and he might be a person of less importance than, for example, the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Stag Hunting. The American scientists drew an audible breath of relief.
"They found still greater comfort before this night and early morning had passed, for in the Weizsäcker papers they got the information they were seeking. It took no skill in divination to know that “Lieber Walter” was Professor Gerlach and that “Lieber Werner” was Professor Heisenberg. Evidently it had never occurred to “Lieber Carl Friedrich” that American physicists might get to Strasbourg, and in his hurry to get out he must have forgotten these papers.
"There was another professor, named Fleischmann, who had been even more indiscreet. He was a gossipy person who liked to record interesting events and personalities. He dated everything, which was a great help. He put down names and addresses of the leading physicists of Germany, and even the telephone numbers of secret laboratories. The Americans would have liked to call them up—if the Germans hadn’t cut the lines across the river. Professor Fleischmann wrote in shorthand part of the time, but one of the Americans knew the Gabelsberger system, so that was easy. Sometimes he wrote formulas, and if they were wrong, this gave the Americans satisfaction and made up for the strain of reading by candlelight."
Lanny helped with the interactions, interpretation and of course, his knowledge of languages, places and people was the value factor. He sent his report from Paris, after he returned from Strasbourg.
"But Lanny was growing more and more uncomfortable every time he returned to Europe, for he knew that the time to shape iron is while it is hot, and that when it has grown cold it may be steel-hard. The Army didn’t know who its true friends were; it considered Socialists to be crackpots, just as they were called in America, and the people who knew how to get things done were the powerful ones at the top—the same who had hired the Nazi-Fascist gangsters to put down labor and keep political control in the hands of the well-born and well-to-do. F.D.R. himself understood this quite clearly; but how many in his administration understood it, and how many in Congress—and how many in AMG—the American Military Government that was being set up in so many strange parts of the world?"
......................................
Laurel had written to say that Emily Chattersworth had established a trust named American Peace Foundation with Lanny as the sole trustee, and bequeathed it a million dollars, with the aim to stop wars. She sent a copy of the will. Lanny's two groups had to wait for allied armies to progress, so he caught a plane ride and was in Cannes soon, and got a ride in a jeep going East. Laurel was at the villa on the estate at Bienvenu with a servant from the family that had served the place for decades, and she was writing about the local people.
"The Midi, like the rest of France, had withstood a four-year siege of hunger, cold, and terror. The Nazis had wielded this three-thonged whip over them, with the help of renegade Frenchmen, and the rest of the people hated the renegades with a fury beyond description.
"There was a woman known as “Catherine,” recuperating here in Cannes, who had become a legend already. She had helped a total of sixty-eight American and British flyers and secret agents to escape from the enemy—many of them persons who had been under sentence of death. The Nazis had known all about her—except who she was. ... There were fishermen who had carried men out, hidden under their nets, or even wrapped up in them; there were peddlers of fish or vegetables who carried in their carts radio sending sets by which messages were sent and appointments made for meeting such fugitives at sea. The enemy had detecting devices by which they could instantly locate the spot from which such messages came, but before they could get to the spot the cart would have moved and been safely hidden.
"But often the plans had gone awry, and there were stories of failure and martyrdom. Women whose husbands and sons had been tortured to death hated the collaborateurs even more than they hated the Nazis; they would have torn these wretches limb from limb if the victorious armies had not intervened. As it was, many had been hunted down and shot or hanged in the first turbulent days. Now the rest were being tried, and the trials were public spectacles; the women came and sat with their knitting, reincarnations of the tricoteuses of the Revolution of a century and a half ago."
Lanning Prescott Budd and his third and final wife, Laurel Creston Budd, went up to Sept Chênes, the home and estate of Emily Chattersworth which she'd lived on in her final years, having sold her other properties near Paris at the behest of Lanny who'd expected war soon; they rented a bicycle and carried their coats and lunch, and came to the house where Lanny had since childhood been a silent listener to the conversations of various thinkers, writers and artists Emily had entertained, including Anatole France and Bernard Shaw, Paul Valéry and Romain Rolland, Auguste Rodin and Isadora Duncan, Blasco-Ibáñez and Henri Bergson, in her lifelong career as a salonnère. She'd bequeathed this home and property to Lanny as part of the trust, and proved her approval of Laurel Creston as his wife, by naming her as the one to take over after Lanny.
Laurel made Lanny take the necessary legal steps to establish the will and his own identity, in France and in U.S..
......................................
"One front all the way from the North Sea to the Alps, another across Italy, and the longest of all from the White Sea down to the Black, with ten million men in a death struggle in snow and arctic cold. Not to mention all the fronts in China and Burma, and some thousands of islands and millions of square miles of water in the Western Pacific!
"Lanny told his wife of a GI in North Africa who had remarked, “First the Japs attack us and then we attack the Germans; I don’t get it.” And one in France who had attended Christian Front meetings in New York and who remarked, “We are fighting the wrong guys.”
"The best of all stories of American military education was one that Laurel had read in Ernie Pyle’s newspaper column. A week or so after D-day Ernie had observed an ack-ack gunner sitting on a heap of sand and reading a copy of Stars and Stripes, the Army paper. Ernie met all the men he could, so he got up a conversation with this one, and was asked, “Where is this here Normandy beachhead that it talks about here?” The newspaperman looked at the gunner, to make sure that he wasn’t spoofing. Then he said, “Why, you’re sitting on it.” The gunner replied in astonishment, “Well, I’ll be damned! I never knowed that.”"
Allied armies were stretched long in Saar and those aimed at Cologne were bogged down in December weather, ground waterlogged and not yet frozen, Lanny got a telegram from Monuments and packed and caught a ride to the airport, and the telegram assured him of a seat assigned; he was set down in Versailles as a special favour, and walked over to the offices of Monuments over the stables.
"There could be meaner weather than Paris in December, but you would have to go to London to find it."
The first person he encountered was Peggy Remsen. She was thrilled at the opportunity to deal with art treasures of Europe, and vexed at being not allowed closer to war front, being a woman. The men told Lanny about the reason for the telegram.
"A telegram had come from G-2 of the 28th Infantry Division, stationed in the Ardennes, reporting that a German truck, carrying art treasures from Paris at the time of the evacuation, had broken an axle; the Germans, being desperately short of transportation, were believed to have hidden the art works somewhere on a hunting estate in the forest. Would Monuments care to come and look for them? Monuments surely would, and a dozen volunteered for a job to which only two would be assigned. These happened to be admirers of the son of Budd-Erling and had asked his help."
They rode a staff car next morning via Reims, its cathedral destroyed yet again by Germans, and Sedan with its fortifications. They were fed by the army which was everywhere, working, tired. They went through Ardennes forest and Belgium and Luxembourg to a town called Wiltz, headquarters of Major General Cota, called Dutch, commander of 28th division, greatly feared by Germans who called it "Bloody Bucket" division. They were put up for the night and started before full daylight escorted by jeeps of armed soldiers behind and in front, picking up more arms and ammunition on the way, and arrived at a rustic hunting lodge of a steel baron after losing way once, and were met by the old caretaker and his wife who were frightened, relieved to find someone who spoke the language, and said they knew nothing of any artworks.
They searched the property and grounds thoroughly and there was nothing, and sent out scouting parties, and found a hut on a hill hidden in forest that was locked.
"The cars followed the leader, and the next couple of hours were spent examining the stuff with flashlights—it was packed in so closely that it was difficult to move anything, and they did not want to carry it outside on account of the weather. There were objects screwed up in wooden cases, and others in heavy leather. There were framed paintings tied in burlap, presumably a hasty job. There were rugs rolled up, doubtless old and valuable, but there was no way to tell without unrolling them, and that could not be done in snow-covered underbrush.
"In the back part of the little structure were medieval saints, some carved in wood and some in stone, some plain and others multicolored. This obviously was ancient stuff and might have come out of a museum. One ancient saint might be worth thousands of dollars. The excitement of Monuments work lay in the fact that you could never tell when you might hit a jackpot. Among the treasures to be sought were the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, the Ghent altarpiece, the stained glass from the Strasbourg Cathedral, and the treasures which had been taken from the Cathedral of Metz. You weren’t apt to find any of these on the outskirts of Germany, but you never could tell. Somebody might have been careless or overconfident."
They brought it to the lodge and discovered a Cranach, a Watteau and a whole lot of modern french; they settled down to wait for transport, having sent of a telegram and there being no shortage of firewood or game, and the caretakers serving willingly.
"Blazing color, magnificence of costume, beauty of person, elegance of surroundings—farm boys from Maine and the Carolinas, ranch boys from California and Texas, stood awe-stricken and whispered, “Jeepers, I never knew there were such things in the world!”"
In three days all but the heavy stuff was catalogued, repacked and ready for transport, which was arriving, but they heard enemy planes overhead and woke up to a barrage in east; they consulted, and decided that they had to leave, and couldn't carry it, but if enemy came it was no use leaving a guard, and if not the caretakers had no way of taking it away.
They rushed through the forest, Lanny destroying his papers since he was the most vulnerable if caught, and suddenly came to an opening, and halted; there were four men in American uniform, but the troops accompanying Lanny expected German paratroopers in American uniform, and when questioned - "what's the river that's the East border of Iowa?", asked after the guys claimed they were from Iowa - they opened fire. The soldiers retaliated, and Lanny's driver turned and drove through the forest.
A while later the car skidded and hit a tree, and they decided they'd better walk West, and they took the weapons from the dead man amongst them. Lanny told them to leave the baggage, for they needed to be able to move. They didn't know it, of course, but they were in midst of what would be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
......................................
"The fugitives avoided the roads, on which the enemy was most apt to travel; they avoided the thickets because they could not see through them or penetrate them without making a noise; they preferred stretches of forest with great trees because they could stand behind trees and see a long way. The land was cut up with ravines, and these were bad because, both in descending and climbing, you might set a loose stone to tumbling, and were a helpless target because you couldn’t move fast. Frozen swamps were bad too, for they wouldn’t hold your weight, and if you got your legs wet, how would you get them dry? These and other things you had to learn, and your first mistake might be your last."
They came across a Panzer Grenadier battalion, and lay flat to hide.
"Germans were sending in four whole divisions of them, about sixty thousand men; also four Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions, that is, of the regular Army, and four SS Panzer Divisions, who were Hitler’s own chosen troops, his private army, as you might say, trained from childhood to be cruel and deadly killers."
The enemy had broken through allied lines, and headed to where Americanforces were known to be; they couldn't go in that direction. Presently they came to a farmhouse, and hid in the hayloft, only to have a bunch of troops from the SS take shelter under the loft. Lanny had to think fast about what to do, for himself and for others, but soon there came a knock below and more crowded in, which turned out to be Americans, prisoners of war. Lanny contacted one and he came up, and they thought of the hayloft window. They managed to escape and marched to safety of the forest, Lanny speaking German so anyone hearing in dark would take them for another part of their own.
"They did not know where they were; they could only say that there had been an overwhelming offensive. The 9th Armored had been ordered to hold at all costs and they had done so; the noncombatants—the cooks, clerks, mechanics, and even members of the band—had caught up weapons and stood fast until their last cartridges had been fired. They had fallen back, got more ammunition, and fought again. They had surrendered only when they found themselves surrounded and helpless. The Germans had taken everything they had, so they could not offer the Monuments officers so much as a can of bully beef."
In the forest they scattered, groups of three, and the Monuments group went independently, resting in the night by turns since they were afraid of dying of cold if they fell asleep while starving.
"It was one of the most beautiful forests in Europe, but they wholly failed to appreciate it. They did not admire the snow-laden fir trees which now and then dropped loads upon their heads; they did not like the high ridges, strewn with rocks behind which snipers might hide and take potshots; they did not like the deep ravines which filled up with snow, and sometimes with treacherous ice-covered water. If you slipped you might lose all your toes when you stopped walking and started freezing."
Next day they finally caught up with a bunch of GIs, chopping trees to block roads, and drove back with them to rejoin army, still surrounded by the enemy in the thick of the siege, at Longwilly. Lanny offered to help by interrogating the prisoners, and other Monuments men learned by listening until they too could on their own; soon they began to see the pattern emerge.
"The offensive had been in preparation for weeks, with extraordinary precautions being taken to keep the troops hidden in forests. The assault had been made on a front of at least fifty miles, and there were more than a score of divisions named as taking part: Paratroopers, Panzers, Panzer grenadiers, Volksgrenadiers, everything the enemy had."
The tenth volume in the World's End series, "O Shepherd, Speak!", begins where the previous one, One Clear Call, had left off, with FDR newly elected and Lanny having seen his victory parade of arriving in Washington D.C., after they'd gone for a drive and discussed future of Europe, and next assignment for Lanny; Lanny had gone walking and seen Lincoln Museum from the sidewalk and reflected on the similarity of the two great leaders, worried about his boss's health.
Here Lanny has arrived in Europe, in Paris, heard from Laureland from Raoul Palma, and Jerry Pendleton, and Beauty, and gone to work with the two groups as diverse as they can get - the Monuments group, working at retrieving art objects subjected to theft by Nazi occupation, and restoring them to their previous owners whom nazis stole them from.
"In Paris is a museum which was once the handball court of the playful monarchs, the Musée du Jeu de Paume. The Nazi plunderers had used it as a sort of clearing house, where their trophies were brought and exhibited to the privileged few.
"The large staff of the Musée had been mostly German, but several French employees had managed to win favor and be retained. One of these was secretly a member of the Resistance and had made it her business to smuggle out copies of the lists and records of the institution, and even photographs of its employees, so that they could not change their names and hide."
and Alsos, the scientists, who are worried about Germany acquiring atomic weapons before U.S., and are looking at papers and talking with scientists, and with workers and technicians, who know more than the bosses might be aware of;
"Presently came word that the American Seventh Army had taken Strasbourg, a great French city on the upper reaches of the Rhine. This was of importance to Alsos, for there was a famed university there, and it had a competent physics department—German for the past four years and part of a fifth. Alsos sent a representative, and first he telegraphed that he had been unable to locate any of the physicists; then came a second telegram—the nuclear laboratory had been situated in a wing of the Strasbourg Hospital, and its four physicists had been posing as physicians. Just a little matter of changing two letters in a word!
"They were put under arrest—the head physicist in jail, so that he would have no chance to agree upon a story with the others. The Alsos men set out for Strasbourg, full of anticipation, hoping to find clues that would tell them what German science had achieved in one remote and difficult field.
"The Germans were questioned closely but apparently didn’t have much to tell, except the names of their colleagues who had fled: Weizsäcker, a leading theoretical physicist, and Haagen, who was a virus specialist, believed to be preparing dreadful diseases to be turned loose behind the American armies.
"The invaders confiscated all the papers in the laboratory, and in Weizsäcker’s office at the University. All night they sat studying these, by the light of candles and one compressed gas lamp.
"Planes flew overhead, and bombs and shells exploded; American mortars roared near by, but the scientists paid no heed, for they had come upon an alarming discovery, an envelope with the imprint: “The Representative of the Reichsmarshall for Nuclear Physics.” The implications of this were obvious: a Reichsmarshall is the highest rank in the German military system, and if they had one of these in charge of nuclear physics they must have a colossal establishment, possibly even greater than that of the Americans; they might be producing bombs wholesale!
"The son of Budd-Erling pointed out the obscurity in this title; it might just as well mean the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Nuclear Physics, which would mean one of Göring’s assistants, and he might be a person of less importance than, for example, the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Stag Hunting. The American scientists drew an audible breath of relief.
"They found still greater comfort before this night and early morning had passed, for in the Weizsäcker papers they got the information they were seeking. It took no skill in divination to know that “Lieber Walter” was Professor Gerlach and that “Lieber Werner” was Professor Heisenberg. Evidently it had never occurred to “Lieber Carl Friedrich” that American physicists might get to Strasbourg, and in his hurry to get out he must have forgotten these papers.
"There was another professor, named Fleischmann, who had been even more indiscreet. He was a gossipy person who liked to record interesting events and personalities. He dated everything, which was a great help. He put down names and addresses of the leading physicists of Germany, and even the telephone numbers of secret laboratories. The Americans would have liked to call them up—if the Germans hadn’t cut the lines across the river. Professor Fleischmann wrote in shorthand part of the time, but one of the Americans knew the Gabelsberger system, so that was easy. Sometimes he wrote formulas, and if they were wrong, this gave the Americans satisfaction and made up for the strain of reading by candlelight."
Lanny helped with the interactions, interpretation and of course, his knowledge of languages, places and people was the value factor. He sent his report from Paris, after he returned from Strasbourg.
"But Lanny was growing more and more uncomfortable every time he returned to Europe, for he knew that the time to shape iron is while it is hot, and that when it has grown cold it may be steel-hard. The Army didn’t know who its true friends were; it considered Socialists to be crackpots, just as they were called in America, and the people who knew how to get things done were the powerful ones at the top—the same who had hired the Nazi-Fascist gangsters to put down labor and keep political control in the hands of the well-born and well-to-do. F.D.R. himself understood this quite clearly; but how many in his administration understood it, and how many in Congress—and how many in AMG—the American Military Government that was being set up in so many strange parts of the world?"
......................................
Laurel had written to say that Emily Chattersworth had established a trust named American Peace Foundation with Lanny as the sole trustee, and bequeathed it a million dollars, with the aim to stop wars. She sent a copy of the will. Lanny's two groups had to wait for allied armies to progress, so he caught a plane ride and was in Cannes soon, and got a ride in a jeep going East. Laurel was at the villa on the estate at Bienvenu with a servant from the family that had served the place for decades, and she was writing about the local people.
"The Midi, like the rest of France, had withstood a four-year siege of hunger, cold, and terror. The Nazis had wielded this three-thonged whip over them, with the help of renegade Frenchmen, and the rest of the people hated the renegades with a fury beyond description.
"There was a woman known as “Catherine,” recuperating here in Cannes, who had become a legend already. She had helped a total of sixty-eight American and British flyers and secret agents to escape from the enemy—many of them persons who had been under sentence of death. The Nazis had known all about her—except who she was. ... There were fishermen who had carried men out, hidden under their nets, or even wrapped up in them; there were peddlers of fish or vegetables who carried in their carts radio sending sets by which messages were sent and appointments made for meeting such fugitives at sea. The enemy had detecting devices by which they could instantly locate the spot from which such messages came, but before they could get to the spot the cart would have moved and been safely hidden.
"But often the plans had gone awry, and there were stories of failure and martyrdom. Women whose husbands and sons had been tortured to death hated the collaborateurs even more than they hated the Nazis; they would have torn these wretches limb from limb if the victorious armies had not intervened. As it was, many had been hunted down and shot or hanged in the first turbulent days. Now the rest were being tried, and the trials were public spectacles; the women came and sat with their knitting, reincarnations of the tricoteuses of the Revolution of a century and a half ago."
Lanning Prescott Budd and his third and final wife, Laurel Creston Budd, went up to Sept Chênes, the home and estate of Emily Chattersworth which she'd lived on in her final years, having sold her other properties near Paris at the behest of Lanny who'd expected war soon; they rented a bicycle and carried their coats and lunch, and came to the house where Lanny had since childhood been a silent listener to the conversations of various thinkers, writers and artists Emily had entertained, including Anatole France and Bernard Shaw, Paul Valéry and Romain Rolland, Auguste Rodin and Isadora Duncan, Blasco-Ibáñez and Henri Bergson, in her lifelong career as a salonnère. She'd bequeathed this home and property to Lanny as part of the trust, and proved her approval of Laurel Creston as his wife, by naming her as the one to take over after Lanny.
Laurel made Lanny take the necessary legal steps to establish the will and his own identity, in France and in U.S..
......................................
"One front all the way from the North Sea to the Alps, another across Italy, and the longest of all from the White Sea down to the Black, with ten million men in a death struggle in snow and arctic cold. Not to mention all the fronts in China and Burma, and some thousands of islands and millions of square miles of water in the Western Pacific!
"Lanny told his wife of a GI in North Africa who had remarked, “First the Japs attack us and then we attack the Germans; I don’t get it.” And one in France who had attended Christian Front meetings in New York and who remarked, “We are fighting the wrong guys.”
"The best of all stories of American military education was one that Laurel had read in Ernie Pyle’s newspaper column. A week or so after D-day Ernie had observed an ack-ack gunner sitting on a heap of sand and reading a copy of Stars and Stripes, the Army paper. Ernie met all the men he could, so he got up a conversation with this one, and was asked, “Where is this here Normandy beachhead that it talks about here?” The newspaperman looked at the gunner, to make sure that he wasn’t spoofing. Then he said, “Why, you’re sitting on it.” The gunner replied in astonishment, “Well, I’ll be damned! I never knowed that.”"
Allied armies were stretched long in Saar and those aimed at Cologne were bogged down in December weather, ground waterlogged and not yet frozen, Lanny got a telegram from Monuments and packed and caught a ride to the airport, and the telegram assured him of a seat assigned; he was set down in Versailles as a special favour, and walked over to the offices of Monuments over the stables.
"There could be meaner weather than Paris in December, but you would have to go to London to find it."
The first person he encountered was Peggy Remsen. She was thrilled at the opportunity to deal with art treasures of Europe, and vexed at being not allowed closer to war front, being a woman. The men told Lanny about the reason for the telegram.
"A telegram had come from G-2 of the 28th Infantry Division, stationed in the Ardennes, reporting that a German truck, carrying art treasures from Paris at the time of the evacuation, had broken an axle; the Germans, being desperately short of transportation, were believed to have hidden the art works somewhere on a hunting estate in the forest. Would Monuments care to come and look for them? Monuments surely would, and a dozen volunteered for a job to which only two would be assigned. These happened to be admirers of the son of Budd-Erling and had asked his help."
They rode a staff car next morning via Reims, its cathedral destroyed yet again by Germans, and Sedan with its fortifications. They were fed by the army which was everywhere, working, tired. They went through Ardennes forest and Belgium and Luxembourg to a town called Wiltz, headquarters of Major General Cota, called Dutch, commander of 28th division, greatly feared by Germans who called it "Bloody Bucket" division. They were put up for the night and started before full daylight escorted by jeeps of armed soldiers behind and in front, picking up more arms and ammunition on the way, and arrived at a rustic hunting lodge of a steel baron after losing way once, and were met by the old caretaker and his wife who were frightened, relieved to find someone who spoke the language, and said they knew nothing of any artworks.
They searched the property and grounds thoroughly and there was nothing, and sent out scouting parties, and found a hut on a hill hidden in forest that was locked.
"The cars followed the leader, and the next couple of hours were spent examining the stuff with flashlights—it was packed in so closely that it was difficult to move anything, and they did not want to carry it outside on account of the weather. There were objects screwed up in wooden cases, and others in heavy leather. There were framed paintings tied in burlap, presumably a hasty job. There were rugs rolled up, doubtless old and valuable, but there was no way to tell without unrolling them, and that could not be done in snow-covered underbrush.
"In the back part of the little structure were medieval saints, some carved in wood and some in stone, some plain and others multicolored. This obviously was ancient stuff and might have come out of a museum. One ancient saint might be worth thousands of dollars. The excitement of Monuments work lay in the fact that you could never tell when you might hit a jackpot. Among the treasures to be sought were the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, the Ghent altarpiece, the stained glass from the Strasbourg Cathedral, and the treasures which had been taken from the Cathedral of Metz. You weren’t apt to find any of these on the outskirts of Germany, but you never could tell. Somebody might have been careless or overconfident."
They brought it to the lodge and discovered a Cranach, a Watteau and a whole lot of modern french; they settled down to wait for transport, having sent of a telegram and there being no shortage of firewood or game, and the caretakers serving willingly.
"Blazing color, magnificence of costume, beauty of person, elegance of surroundings—farm boys from Maine and the Carolinas, ranch boys from California and Texas, stood awe-stricken and whispered, “Jeepers, I never knew there were such things in the world!”"
In three days all but the heavy stuff was catalogued, repacked and ready for transport, which was arriving, but they heard enemy planes overhead and woke up to a barrage in east; they consulted, and decided that they had to leave, and couldn't carry it, but if enemy came it was no use leaving a guard, and if not the caretakers had no way of taking it away.
They rushed through the forest, Lanny destroying his papers since he was the most vulnerable if caught, and suddenly came to an opening, and halted; there were four men in American uniform, but the troops accompanying Lanny expected German paratroopers in American uniform, and when questioned - "what's the river that's the East border of Iowa?", asked after the guys claimed they were from Iowa - they opened fire. The soldiers retaliated, and Lanny's driver turned and drove through the forest.
A while later the car skidded and hit a tree, and they decided they'd better walk West, and they took the weapons from the dead man amongst them. Lanny told them to leave the baggage, for they needed to be able to move. They didn't know it, of course, but they were in midst of what would be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
......................................
"The fugitives avoided the roads, on which the enemy was most apt to travel; they avoided the thickets because they could not see through them or penetrate them without making a noise; they preferred stretches of forest with great trees because they could stand behind trees and see a long way. The land was cut up with ravines, and these were bad because, both in descending and climbing, you might set a loose stone to tumbling, and were a helpless target because you couldn’t move fast. Frozen swamps were bad too, for they wouldn’t hold your weight, and if you got your legs wet, how would you get them dry? These and other things you had to learn, and your first mistake might be your last."
They came across a Panzer Grenadier battalion, and lay flat to hide.
"Germans were sending in four whole divisions of them, about sixty thousand men; also four Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions, that is, of the regular Army, and four SS Panzer Divisions, who were Hitler’s own chosen troops, his private army, as you might say, trained from childhood to be cruel and deadly killers."
The enemy had broken through allied lines, and headed to where Americanforces were known to be; they couldn't go in that direction. Presently they came to a farmhouse, and hid in the hayloft, only to have a bunch of troops from the SS take shelter under the loft. Lanny had to think fast about what to do, for himself and for others, but soon there came a knock below and more crowded in, which turned out to be Americans, prisoners of war. Lanny contacted one and he came up, and they thought of the hayloft window. They managed to escape and marched to safety of the forest, Lanny speaking German so anyone hearing in dark would take them for another part of their own.
"They did not know where they were; they could only say that there had been an overwhelming offensive. The 9th Armored had been ordered to hold at all costs and they had done so; the noncombatants—the cooks, clerks, mechanics, and even members of the band—had caught up weapons and stood fast until their last cartridges had been fired. They had fallen back, got more ammunition, and fought again. They had surrendered only when they found themselves surrounded and helpless. The Germans had taken everything they had, so they could not offer the Monuments officers so much as a can of bully beef."
In the forest they scattered, groups of three, and the Monuments group went independently, resting in the night by turns since they were afraid of dying of cold if they fell asleep while starving.
"It was one of the most beautiful forests in Europe, but they wholly failed to appreciate it. They did not admire the snow-laden fir trees which now and then dropped loads upon their heads; they did not like the high ridges, strewn with rocks behind which snipers might hide and take potshots; they did not like the deep ravines which filled up with snow, and sometimes with treacherous ice-covered water. If you slipped you might lose all your toes when you stopped walking and started freezing."
Next day they finally caught up with a bunch of GIs, chopping trees to block roads, and drove back with them to rejoin army, still surrounded by the enemy in the thick of the siege, at Longwilly. Lanny offered to help by interrogating the prisoners, and other Monuments men learned by listening until they too could on their own; soon they began to see the pattern emerge.
"The offensive had been in preparation for weeks, with extraordinary precautions being taken to keep the troops hidden in forests. The assault had been made on a front of at least fifty miles, and there were more than a score of divisions named as taking part: Paratroopers, Panzers, Panzer grenadiers, Volksgrenadiers, everything the enemy had."
August 3, 2019
The title is from verses quoted when the author writes about FDR passing away - "O Shepherd, speak from the grave!"
The tenth volume in the World's End series, "O Shepherd, Speak!", begins where the previous one, One Clear Call, had left off, with FDR newly elected and Lanny having seen his victory parade of arriving in Washington D.C., after they'd gone for a drive and discussed future of Europe, and next assignment for Lanny; Lanny had gone walking and seen Lincoln Museum from the sidewalk and reflected on the similarity of the two great leaders, worried about his boss's health.
Here Lanny has arrived in Europe, in Paris, heard from Laureland from Raoul Palma, and Jerry Pendleton, and Beauty, and gone to work with the two groups as diverse as they can get - the Monuments group, working at retrieving art objects subjected to theft by Nazi occupation, and restoring them to their previous owners whom nazis stole them from.
"In Paris is a museum which was once the handball court of the playful monarchs, the Musée du Jeu de Paume. The Nazi plunderers had used it as a sort of clearing house, where their trophies were brought and exhibited to the privileged few.
"The large staff of the Musée had been mostly German, but several French employees had managed to win favor and be retained. One of these was secretly a member of the Resistance and had made it her business to smuggle out copies of the lists and records of the institution, and even photographs of its employees, so that they could not change their names and hide."
and Alsos, the scientists, who are worried about Germany acquiring atomic weapons before U.S., and are looking at papers and talking with scientists, and with workers and technicians, who know more than the bosses might be aware of;
"Presently came word that the American Seventh Army had taken Strasbourg, a great French city on the upper reaches of the Rhine. This was of importance to Alsos, for there was a famed university there, and it had a competent physics department—German for the past four years and part of a fifth. Alsos sent a representative, and first he telegraphed that he had been unable to locate any of the physicists; then came a second telegram—the nuclear laboratory had been situated in a wing of the Strasbourg Hospital, and its four physicists had been posing as physicians. Just a little matter of changing two letters in a word!
"They were put under arrest—the head physicist in jail, so that he would have no chance to agree upon a story with the others. The Alsos men set out for Strasbourg, full of anticipation, hoping to find clues that would tell them what German science had achieved in one remote and difficult field.
"The Germans were questioned closely but apparently didn’t have much to tell, except the names of their colleagues who had fled: Weizsäcker, a leading theoretical physicist, and Haagen, who was a virus specialist, believed to be preparing dreadful diseases to be turned loose behind the American armies.
"The invaders confiscated all the papers in the laboratory, and in Weizsäcker’s office at the University. All night they sat studying these, by the light of candles and one compressed gas lamp.
"Planes flew overhead, and bombs and shells exploded; American mortars roared near by, but the scientists paid no heed, for they had come upon an alarming discovery, an envelope with the imprint: “The Representative of the Reichsmarshall for Nuclear Physics.” The implications of this were obvious: a Reichsmarshall is the highest rank in the German military system, and if they had one of these in charge of nuclear physics they must have a colossal establishment, possibly even greater than that of the Americans; they might be producing bombs wholesale!
"The son of Budd-Erling pointed out the obscurity in this title; it might just as well mean the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Nuclear Physics, which would mean one of Göring’s assistants, and he might be a person of less importance than, for example, the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Stag Hunting. The American scientists drew an audible breath of relief.
"They found still greater comfort before this night and early morning had passed, for in the Weizsäcker papers they got the information they were seeking. It took no skill in divination to know that “Lieber Walter” was Professor Gerlach and that “Lieber Werner” was Professor Heisenberg. Evidently it had never occurred to “Lieber Carl Friedrich” that American physicists might get to Strasbourg, and in his hurry to get out he must have forgotten these papers.
"There was another professor, named Fleischmann, who had been even more indiscreet. He was a gossipy person who liked to record interesting events and personalities. He dated everything, which was a great help. He put down names and addresses of the leading physicists of Germany, and even the telephone numbers of secret laboratories. The Americans would have liked to call them up—if the Germans hadn’t cut the lines across the river. Professor Fleischmann wrote in shorthand part of the time, but one of the Americans knew the Gabelsberger system, so that was easy. Sometimes he wrote formulas, and if they were wrong, this gave the Americans satisfaction and made up for the strain of reading by candlelight."
Lanny helped with the interactions, interpretation and of course, his knowledge of languages, places and people was the value factor. He sent his report from Paris, after he returned from Strasbourg.
"But Lanny was growing more and more uncomfortable every time he returned to Europe, for he knew that the time to shape iron is while it is hot, and that when it has grown cold it may be steel-hard. The Army didn’t know who its true friends were; it considered Socialists to be crackpots, just as they were called in America, and the people who knew how to get things done were the powerful ones at the top—the same who had hired the Nazi-Fascist gangsters to put down labor and keep political control in the hands of the well-born and well-to-do. F.D.R. himself understood this quite clearly; but how many in his administration understood it, and how many in Congress—and how many in AMG—the American Military Government that was being set up in so many strange parts of the world?"
......................................
Laurel had written to say that Emily Chattersworth had established a trust named American Peace Foundation with Lanny as the sole trustee, and bequeathed it a million dollars, with the aim to stop wars. She sent a copy of the will. Lanny's two groups had to wait for allied armies to progress, so he caught a plane ride and was in Cannes soon, and got a ride in a jeep going East. Laurel was at the villa on the estate at Bienvenu with a servant from the family that had served the place for decades, and she was writing about the local people.
"The Midi, like the rest of France, had withstood a four-year siege of hunger, cold, and terror. The Nazis had wielded this three-thonged whip over them, with the help of renegade Frenchmen, and the rest of the people hated the renegades with a fury beyond description.
"There was a woman known as “Catherine,” recuperating here in Cannes, who had become a legend already. She had helped a total of sixty-eight American and British flyers and secret agents to escape from the enemy—many of them persons who had been under sentence of death. The Nazis had known all about her—except who she was. ... There were fishermen who had carried men out, hidden under their nets, or even wrapped up in them; there were peddlers of fish or vegetables who carried in their carts radio sending sets by which messages were sent and appointments made for meeting such fugitives at sea. The enemy had detecting devices by which they could instantly locate the spot from which such messages came, but before they could get to the spot the cart would have moved and been safely hidden.
"But often the plans had gone awry, and there were stories of failure and martyrdom. Women whose husbands and sons had been tortured to death hated the collaborateurs even more than they hated the Nazis; they would have torn these wretches limb from limb if the victorious armies had not intervened. As it was, many had been hunted down and shot or hanged in the first turbulent days. Now the rest were being tried, and the trials were public spectacles; the women came and sat with their knitting, reincarnations of the tricoteuses of the Revolution of a century and a half ago."
Lanning Prescott Budd and his third and final wife, Laurel Creston Budd, went up to Sept Chênes, the home and estate of Emily Chattersworth which she'd lived on in her final years, having sold her other properties near Paris at the behest of Lanny who'd expected war soon; they rented a bicycle and carried their coats and lunch, and came to the house where Lanny had since childhood been a silent listener to the conversations of various thinkers, writers and artists Emily had entertained, including Anatole France and Bernard Shaw, Paul Valéry and Romain Rolland, Auguste Rodin and Isadora Duncan, Blasco-Ibáñez and Henri Bergson, in her lifelong career as a salonnère. She'd bequeathed this home and property to Lanny as part of the trust, and proved her approval of Laurel Creston as his wife, by naming her as the one to take over after Lanny.
Laurel made Lanny take the necessary legal steps to establish the will and his own identity, in France and in U.S..
......................................
"One front all the way from the North Sea to the Alps, another across Italy, and the longest of all from the White Sea down to the Black, with ten million men in a death struggle in snow and arctic cold. Not to mention all the fronts in China and Burma, and some thousands of islands and millions of square miles of water in the Western Pacific!
"Lanny told his wife of a GI in North Africa who had remarked, “First the Japs attack us and then we attack the Germans; I don’t get it.” And one in France who had attended Christian Front meetings in New York and who remarked, “We are fighting the wrong guys.”
"The best of all stories of American military education was one that Laurel had read in Ernie Pyle’s newspaper column. A week or so after D-day Ernie had observed an ack-ack gunner sitting on a heap of sand and reading a copy of Stars and Stripes, the Army paper. Ernie met all the men he could, so he got up a conversation with this one, and was asked, “Where is this here Normandy beachhead that it talks about here?” The newspaperman looked at the gunner, to make sure that he wasn’t spoofing. Then he said, “Why, you’re sitting on it.” The gunner replied in astonishment, “Well, I’ll be damned! I never knowed that.”"
Allied armies were stretched long in Saar and those aimed at Cologne were bogged down in December weather, ground waterlogged and not yet frozen, Lanny got a telegram from Monuments and packed and caught a ride to the airport, and the telegram assured him of a seat assigned; he was set down in Versailles as a special favour, and walked over to the offices of Monuments over the stables.
"There could be meaner weather than Paris in December, but you would have to go to London to find it."
The first person he encountered was Peggy Remsen. She was thrilled at the opportunity to deal with art treasures of Europe, and vexed at being not allowed closer to war front, being a woman. The men told Lanny about the reason for the telegram.
"A telegram had come from G-2 of the 28th Infantry Division, stationed in the Ardennes, reporting that a German truck, carrying art treasures from Paris at the time of the evacuation, had broken an axle; the Germans, being desperately short of transportation, were believed to have hidden the art works somewhere on a hunting estate in the forest. Would Monuments care to come and look for them? Monuments surely would, and a dozen volunteered for a job to which only two would be assigned. These happened to be admirers of the son of Budd-Erling and had asked his help."
They rode a staff car next morning via Reims, its cathedral destroyed yet again by Germans, and Sedan with its fortifications. They were fed by the army which was everywhere, working, tired. They went through Ardennes forest and Belgium and Luxembourg to a town called Wiltz, headquarters of Major General Cota, called Dutch, commander of 28th division, greatly feared by Germans who called it "Bloody Bucket" division. They were put up for the night and started before full daylight escorted by jeeps of armed soldiers behind and in front, picking up more arms and ammunition on the way, and arrived at a rustic hunting lodge of a steel baron after losing way once, and were met by the old caretaker and his wife who were frightened, relieved to find someone who spoke the language, and said they knew nothing of any artworks.
They searched the property and grounds thoroughly and there was nothing, and sent out scouting parties, and found a hut on a hill hidden in forest that was locked.
"The cars followed the leader, and the next couple of hours were spent examining the stuff with flashlights—it was packed in so closely that it was difficult to move anything, and they did not want to carry it outside on account of the weather. There were objects screwed up in wooden cases, and others in heavy leather. There were framed paintings tied in burlap, presumably a hasty job. There were rugs rolled up, doubtless old and valuable, but there was no way to tell without unrolling them, and that could not be done in snow-covered underbrush.
"In the back part of the little structure were medieval saints, some carved in wood and some in stone, some plain and others multicolored. This obviously was ancient stuff and might have come out of a museum. One ancient saint might be worth thousands of dollars. The excitement of Monuments work lay in the fact that you could never tell when you might hit a jackpot. Among the treasures to be sought were the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, the Ghent altarpiece, the stained glass from the Strasbourg Cathedral, and the treasures which had been taken from the Cathedral of Metz. You weren’t apt to find any of these on the outskirts of Germany, but you never could tell. Somebody might have been careless or overconfident."
They brought it to the lodge and discovered a Cranach, a Watteau and a whole lot of modern french; they settled down to wait for transport, having sent of a telegram and there being no shortage of firewood or game, and the caretakers serving willingly.
"Blazing color, magnificence of costume, beauty of person, elegance of surroundings—farm boys from Maine and the Carolinas, ranch boys from California and Texas, stood awe-stricken and whispered, “Jeepers, I never knew there were such things in the world!”"
In three days all but the heavy stuff was catalogued, repacked and ready for transport, which was arriving, but they heard enemy planes overhead and woke up to a barrage in east; they consulted, and decided that they had to leave, and couldn't carry it, but if enemy came it was no use leaving a guard, and if not the caretakers had no way of taking it away.
They rushed through the forest, Lanny destroying his papers since he was the most vulnerable if caught, and suddenly came to an opening, and halted; there were four men in American uniform, but the troops accompanying Lanny expected German paratroopers in American uniform, and when questioned - "what's the river that's the East border of Iowa?", asked after the guys claimed they were from Iowa - they opened fire. The soldiers retaliated, and Lanny's driver turned and drove through the forest.
A while later the car skidded and hit a tree, and they decided they'd better walk West, and they took the weapons from the dead man amongst them. Lanny told them to leave the baggage, for they needed to be able to move. They didn't know it, of course, but they were in midst of what would be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
......................................
"The fugitives avoided the roads, on which the enemy was most apt to travel; they avoided the thickets because they could not see through them or penetrate them without making a noise; they preferred stretches of forest with great trees because they could stand behind trees and see a long way. The land was cut up with ravines, and these were bad because, both in descending and climbing, you might set a loose stone to tumbling, and were a helpless target because you couldn’t move fast. Frozen swamps were bad too, for they wouldn’t hold your weight, and if you got your legs wet, how would you get them dry? These and other things you had to learn, and your first mistake might be your last."
They came across a Panzer Grenadier battalion, and lay flat to hide.
"Germans were sending in four whole divisions of them, about sixty thousand men; also four Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions, that is, of the regular Army, and four SS Panzer Divisions, who were Hitler’s own chosen troops, his private army, as you might say, trained from childhood to be cruel and deadly killers."
The enemy had broken through allied lines, and headed to where Americanforces were known to be; they couldn't go in that direction. Presently they came to a farmhouse, and hid in the hayloft, only to have a bunch of troops from the SS take shelter under the loft. Lanny had to think fast about what to do, for himself and for others, but soon there came a knock below and more crowded in, which turned out to be Americans, prisoners of war. Lanny contacted one and he came up, and they thought of the hayloft window. They managed to escape and marched to safety of the forest, Lanny speaking German so anyone hearing in dark would take them for another part of their own.
"They did not know where they were; they could only say that there had been an overwhelming offensive. The 9th Armored had been ordered to hold at all costs and they had done so; the noncombatants—the cooks, clerks, mechanics, and even members of the band—had caught up weapons and stood fast until their last cartridges had been fired. They had fallen back, got more ammunition, and fought again. They had surrendered only when they found themselves surrounded and helpless. The Germans had taken everything they had, so they could not offer the Monuments officers so much as a can of bully beef."
In the forest they scattered, groups of three, and the Monuments group went independently, resting in the night by turns since they were afraid of dying of cold if they fell asleep while starving.
"It was one of the most beautiful forests in Europe, but they wholly failed to appreciate it. They did not admire the snow-laden fir trees which now and then dropped loads upon their heads; they did not like the high ridges, strewn with rocks behind which snipers might hide and take potshots; they did not like the deep ravines which filled up with snow, and sometimes with treacherous ice-covered water. If you slipped you might lose all your toes when you stopped walking and started freezing."
Next day they finally caught up with a bunch of GIs, chopping trees to block roads, and drove back with them to rejoin army, still surrounded by the enemy in the thick of the siege, at Longwilly. Lanny offered to help by interrogating the prisoners, and other Monuments men learned by listening until they too could on their own; soon they began to see the pattern emerge.
"The offensive had been in preparation for weeks, with extraordinary precautions being taken to keep the troops hidden in forests. The assault had been made on a front of at least fifty miles, and there were more than a score of divisions named as taking part: Paratroopers, Panzers, Panzer grenadiers, Volksgrenadiers, everything the enemy had."
The tenth volume in the World's End series, "O Shepherd, Speak!", begins where the previous one, One Clear Call, had left off, with FDR newly elected and Lanny having seen his victory parade of arriving in Washington D.C., after they'd gone for a drive and discussed future of Europe, and next assignment for Lanny; Lanny had gone walking and seen Lincoln Museum from the sidewalk and reflected on the similarity of the two great leaders, worried about his boss's health.
Here Lanny has arrived in Europe, in Paris, heard from Laureland from Raoul Palma, and Jerry Pendleton, and Beauty, and gone to work with the two groups as diverse as they can get - the Monuments group, working at retrieving art objects subjected to theft by Nazi occupation, and restoring them to their previous owners whom nazis stole them from.
"In Paris is a museum which was once the handball court of the playful monarchs, the Musée du Jeu de Paume. The Nazi plunderers had used it as a sort of clearing house, where their trophies were brought and exhibited to the privileged few.
"The large staff of the Musée had been mostly German, but several French employees had managed to win favor and be retained. One of these was secretly a member of the Resistance and had made it her business to smuggle out copies of the lists and records of the institution, and even photographs of its employees, so that they could not change their names and hide."
and Alsos, the scientists, who are worried about Germany acquiring atomic weapons before U.S., and are looking at papers and talking with scientists, and with workers and technicians, who know more than the bosses might be aware of;
"Presently came word that the American Seventh Army had taken Strasbourg, a great French city on the upper reaches of the Rhine. This was of importance to Alsos, for there was a famed university there, and it had a competent physics department—German for the past four years and part of a fifth. Alsos sent a representative, and first he telegraphed that he had been unable to locate any of the physicists; then came a second telegram—the nuclear laboratory had been situated in a wing of the Strasbourg Hospital, and its four physicists had been posing as physicians. Just a little matter of changing two letters in a word!
"They were put under arrest—the head physicist in jail, so that he would have no chance to agree upon a story with the others. The Alsos men set out for Strasbourg, full of anticipation, hoping to find clues that would tell them what German science had achieved in one remote and difficult field.
"The Germans were questioned closely but apparently didn’t have much to tell, except the names of their colleagues who had fled: Weizsäcker, a leading theoretical physicist, and Haagen, who was a virus specialist, believed to be preparing dreadful diseases to be turned loose behind the American armies.
"The invaders confiscated all the papers in the laboratory, and in Weizsäcker’s office at the University. All night they sat studying these, by the light of candles and one compressed gas lamp.
"Planes flew overhead, and bombs and shells exploded; American mortars roared near by, but the scientists paid no heed, for they had come upon an alarming discovery, an envelope with the imprint: “The Representative of the Reichsmarshall for Nuclear Physics.” The implications of this were obvious: a Reichsmarshall is the highest rank in the German military system, and if they had one of these in charge of nuclear physics they must have a colossal establishment, possibly even greater than that of the Americans; they might be producing bombs wholesale!
"The son of Budd-Erling pointed out the obscurity in this title; it might just as well mean the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Nuclear Physics, which would mean one of Göring’s assistants, and he might be a person of less importance than, for example, the Reichsmarshall’s Representative for Stag Hunting. The American scientists drew an audible breath of relief.
"They found still greater comfort before this night and early morning had passed, for in the Weizsäcker papers they got the information they were seeking. It took no skill in divination to know that “Lieber Walter” was Professor Gerlach and that “Lieber Werner” was Professor Heisenberg. Evidently it had never occurred to “Lieber Carl Friedrich” that American physicists might get to Strasbourg, and in his hurry to get out he must have forgotten these papers.
"There was another professor, named Fleischmann, who had been even more indiscreet. He was a gossipy person who liked to record interesting events and personalities. He dated everything, which was a great help. He put down names and addresses of the leading physicists of Germany, and even the telephone numbers of secret laboratories. The Americans would have liked to call them up—if the Germans hadn’t cut the lines across the river. Professor Fleischmann wrote in shorthand part of the time, but one of the Americans knew the Gabelsberger system, so that was easy. Sometimes he wrote formulas, and if they were wrong, this gave the Americans satisfaction and made up for the strain of reading by candlelight."
Lanny helped with the interactions, interpretation and of course, his knowledge of languages, places and people was the value factor. He sent his report from Paris, after he returned from Strasbourg.
"But Lanny was growing more and more uncomfortable every time he returned to Europe, for he knew that the time to shape iron is while it is hot, and that when it has grown cold it may be steel-hard. The Army didn’t know who its true friends were; it considered Socialists to be crackpots, just as they were called in America, and the people who knew how to get things done were the powerful ones at the top—the same who had hired the Nazi-Fascist gangsters to put down labor and keep political control in the hands of the well-born and well-to-do. F.D.R. himself understood this quite clearly; but how many in his administration understood it, and how many in Congress—and how many in AMG—the American Military Government that was being set up in so many strange parts of the world?"
......................................
Laurel had written to say that Emily Chattersworth had established a trust named American Peace Foundation with Lanny as the sole trustee, and bequeathed it a million dollars, with the aim to stop wars. She sent a copy of the will. Lanny's two groups had to wait for allied armies to progress, so he caught a plane ride and was in Cannes soon, and got a ride in a jeep going East. Laurel was at the villa on the estate at Bienvenu with a servant from the family that had served the place for decades, and she was writing about the local people.
"The Midi, like the rest of France, had withstood a four-year siege of hunger, cold, and terror. The Nazis had wielded this three-thonged whip over them, with the help of renegade Frenchmen, and the rest of the people hated the renegades with a fury beyond description.
"There was a woman known as “Catherine,” recuperating here in Cannes, who had become a legend already. She had helped a total of sixty-eight American and British flyers and secret agents to escape from the enemy—many of them persons who had been under sentence of death. The Nazis had known all about her—except who she was. ... There were fishermen who had carried men out, hidden under their nets, or even wrapped up in them; there were peddlers of fish or vegetables who carried in their carts radio sending sets by which messages were sent and appointments made for meeting such fugitives at sea. The enemy had detecting devices by which they could instantly locate the spot from which such messages came, but before they could get to the spot the cart would have moved and been safely hidden.
"But often the plans had gone awry, and there were stories of failure and martyrdom. Women whose husbands and sons had been tortured to death hated the collaborateurs even more than they hated the Nazis; they would have torn these wretches limb from limb if the victorious armies had not intervened. As it was, many had been hunted down and shot or hanged in the first turbulent days. Now the rest were being tried, and the trials were public spectacles; the women came and sat with their knitting, reincarnations of the tricoteuses of the Revolution of a century and a half ago."
Lanning Prescott Budd and his third and final wife, Laurel Creston Budd, went up to Sept Chênes, the home and estate of Emily Chattersworth which she'd lived on in her final years, having sold her other properties near Paris at the behest of Lanny who'd expected war soon; they rented a bicycle and carried their coats and lunch, and came to the house where Lanny had since childhood been a silent listener to the conversations of various thinkers, writers and artists Emily had entertained, including Anatole France and Bernard Shaw, Paul Valéry and Romain Rolland, Auguste Rodin and Isadora Duncan, Blasco-Ibáñez and Henri Bergson, in her lifelong career as a salonnère. She'd bequeathed this home and property to Lanny as part of the trust, and proved her approval of Laurel Creston as his wife, by naming her as the one to take over after Lanny.
Laurel made Lanny take the necessary legal steps to establish the will and his own identity, in France and in U.S..
......................................
"One front all the way from the North Sea to the Alps, another across Italy, and the longest of all from the White Sea down to the Black, with ten million men in a death struggle in snow and arctic cold. Not to mention all the fronts in China and Burma, and some thousands of islands and millions of square miles of water in the Western Pacific!
"Lanny told his wife of a GI in North Africa who had remarked, “First the Japs attack us and then we attack the Germans; I don’t get it.” And one in France who had attended Christian Front meetings in New York and who remarked, “We are fighting the wrong guys.”
"The best of all stories of American military education was one that Laurel had read in Ernie Pyle’s newspaper column. A week or so after D-day Ernie had observed an ack-ack gunner sitting on a heap of sand and reading a copy of Stars and Stripes, the Army paper. Ernie met all the men he could, so he got up a conversation with this one, and was asked, “Where is this here Normandy beachhead that it talks about here?” The newspaperman looked at the gunner, to make sure that he wasn’t spoofing. Then he said, “Why, you’re sitting on it.” The gunner replied in astonishment, “Well, I’ll be damned! I never knowed that.”"
Allied armies were stretched long in Saar and those aimed at Cologne were bogged down in December weather, ground waterlogged and not yet frozen, Lanny got a telegram from Monuments and packed and caught a ride to the airport, and the telegram assured him of a seat assigned; he was set down in Versailles as a special favour, and walked over to the offices of Monuments over the stables.
"There could be meaner weather than Paris in December, but you would have to go to London to find it."
The first person he encountered was Peggy Remsen. She was thrilled at the opportunity to deal with art treasures of Europe, and vexed at being not allowed closer to war front, being a woman. The men told Lanny about the reason for the telegram.
"A telegram had come from G-2 of the 28th Infantry Division, stationed in the Ardennes, reporting that a German truck, carrying art treasures from Paris at the time of the evacuation, had broken an axle; the Germans, being desperately short of transportation, were believed to have hidden the art works somewhere on a hunting estate in the forest. Would Monuments care to come and look for them? Monuments surely would, and a dozen volunteered for a job to which only two would be assigned. These happened to be admirers of the son of Budd-Erling and had asked his help."
They rode a staff car next morning via Reims, its cathedral destroyed yet again by Germans, and Sedan with its fortifications. They were fed by the army which was everywhere, working, tired. They went through Ardennes forest and Belgium and Luxembourg to a town called Wiltz, headquarters of Major General Cota, called Dutch, commander of 28th division, greatly feared by Germans who called it "Bloody Bucket" division. They were put up for the night and started before full daylight escorted by jeeps of armed soldiers behind and in front, picking up more arms and ammunition on the way, and arrived at a rustic hunting lodge of a steel baron after losing way once, and were met by the old caretaker and his wife who were frightened, relieved to find someone who spoke the language, and said they knew nothing of any artworks.
They searched the property and grounds thoroughly and there was nothing, and sent out scouting parties, and found a hut on a hill hidden in forest that was locked.
"The cars followed the leader, and the next couple of hours were spent examining the stuff with flashlights—it was packed in so closely that it was difficult to move anything, and they did not want to carry it outside on account of the weather. There were objects screwed up in wooden cases, and others in heavy leather. There were framed paintings tied in burlap, presumably a hasty job. There were rugs rolled up, doubtless old and valuable, but there was no way to tell without unrolling them, and that could not be done in snow-covered underbrush.
"In the back part of the little structure were medieval saints, some carved in wood and some in stone, some plain and others multicolored. This obviously was ancient stuff and might have come out of a museum. One ancient saint might be worth thousands of dollars. The excitement of Monuments work lay in the fact that you could never tell when you might hit a jackpot. Among the treasures to be sought were the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, the Ghent altarpiece, the stained glass from the Strasbourg Cathedral, and the treasures which had been taken from the Cathedral of Metz. You weren’t apt to find any of these on the outskirts of Germany, but you never could tell. Somebody might have been careless or overconfident."
They brought it to the lodge and discovered a Cranach, a Watteau and a whole lot of modern french; they settled down to wait for transport, having sent of a telegram and there being no shortage of firewood or game, and the caretakers serving willingly.
"Blazing color, magnificence of costume, beauty of person, elegance of surroundings—farm boys from Maine and the Carolinas, ranch boys from California and Texas, stood awe-stricken and whispered, “Jeepers, I never knew there were such things in the world!”"
In three days all but the heavy stuff was catalogued, repacked and ready for transport, which was arriving, but they heard enemy planes overhead and woke up to a barrage in east; they consulted, and decided that they had to leave, and couldn't carry it, but if enemy came it was no use leaving a guard, and if not the caretakers had no way of taking it away.
They rushed through the forest, Lanny destroying his papers since he was the most vulnerable if caught, and suddenly came to an opening, and halted; there were four men in American uniform, but the troops accompanying Lanny expected German paratroopers in American uniform, and when questioned - "what's the river that's the East border of Iowa?", asked after the guys claimed they were from Iowa - they opened fire. The soldiers retaliated, and Lanny's driver turned and drove through the forest.
A while later the car skidded and hit a tree, and they decided they'd better walk West, and they took the weapons from the dead man amongst them. Lanny told them to leave the baggage, for they needed to be able to move. They didn't know it, of course, but they were in midst of what would be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
......................................
"The fugitives avoided the roads, on which the enemy was most apt to travel; they avoided the thickets because they could not see through them or penetrate them without making a noise; they preferred stretches of forest with great trees because they could stand behind trees and see a long way. The land was cut up with ravines, and these were bad because, both in descending and climbing, you might set a loose stone to tumbling, and were a helpless target because you couldn’t move fast. Frozen swamps were bad too, for they wouldn’t hold your weight, and if you got your legs wet, how would you get them dry? These and other things you had to learn, and your first mistake might be your last."
They came across a Panzer Grenadier battalion, and lay flat to hide.
"Germans were sending in four whole divisions of them, about sixty thousand men; also four Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions, that is, of the regular Army, and four SS Panzer Divisions, who were Hitler’s own chosen troops, his private army, as you might say, trained from childhood to be cruel and deadly killers."
The enemy had broken through allied lines, and headed to where Americanforces were known to be; they couldn't go in that direction. Presently they came to a farmhouse, and hid in the hayloft, only to have a bunch of troops from the SS take shelter under the loft. Lanny had to think fast about what to do, for himself and for others, but soon there came a knock below and more crowded in, which turned out to be Americans, prisoners of war. Lanny contacted one and he came up, and they thought of the hayloft window. They managed to escape and marched to safety of the forest, Lanny speaking German so anyone hearing in dark would take them for another part of their own.
"They did not know where they were; they could only say that there had been an overwhelming offensive. The 9th Armored had been ordered to hold at all costs and they had done so; the noncombatants—the cooks, clerks, mechanics, and even members of the band—had caught up weapons and stood fast until their last cartridges had been fired. They had fallen back, got more ammunition, and fought again. They had surrendered only when they found themselves surrounded and helpless. The Germans had taken everything they had, so they could not offer the Monuments officers so much as a can of bully beef."
In the forest they scattered, groups of three, and the Monuments group went independently, resting in the night by turns since they were afraid of dying of cold if they fell asleep while starving.
"It was one of the most beautiful forests in Europe, but they wholly failed to appreciate it. They did not admire the snow-laden fir trees which now and then dropped loads upon their heads; they did not like the high ridges, strewn with rocks behind which snipers might hide and take potshots; they did not like the deep ravines which filled up with snow, and sometimes with treacherous ice-covered water. If you slipped you might lose all your toes when you stopped walking and started freezing."
Next day they finally caught up with a bunch of GIs, chopping trees to block roads, and drove back with them to rejoin army, still surrounded by the enemy in the thick of the siege, at Longwilly. Lanny offered to help by interrogating the prisoners, and other Monuments men learned by listening until they too could on their own; soon they began to see the pattern emerge.
"The offensive had been in preparation for weeks, with extraordinary precautions being taken to keep the troops hidden in forests. The assault had been made on a front of at least fifty miles, and there were more than a score of divisions named as taking part: Paratroopers, Panzers, Panzer grenadiers, Volksgrenadiers, everything the enemy had."
March 10, 2024
Upton Sinclair's ten-volume history of the first half of the 20th century concludes with O SHEPHERD, SPEAK! I have read all ten books in succession and believe the series to be a valuable resource for young people who want to learn about this period. It is also a series in which parents do not need to worry about content that they might consider inappropriate for teenagers.
In the finale Sinclair covers the key events of 1945, of which there were many. In speaking with friends about these books, I have often characterized Lanny Budd as a Forrest Gump, a person who seems to be at the right place (?) at the right time (?). Perhaps only a fictional character could see so much and still keep his head on straight while many around him are losing theirs.
As an early Baby Boomer, I am familiar with these events and the personalities who shaped Lanny's world (and mine). What I was not attuned to were the political and economic issues that ignited conflicts around the world. Sinclair spends much ink and paper delving into these arguments that not only divided nations but also his own family.
As one who has worked (off and on) in radio for the last fifty-four years, Lanny's introduction into radio stimulated my reading. Radio was king of the airwaves at that time; it was an era I often wish I had lived in.
What the first readers of this book did not know was that there would be another Lanny Budd book. I am looking forward to reading that, but I will take a couple of weeks off from Lanny, coming back to Laurel, Rick and Nina, Robbie and Beauty, Frances and the rest of Lanny's inner circle around Labor Day weekend.
Four stars waxing
In the finale Sinclair covers the key events of 1945, of which there were many. In speaking with friends about these books, I have often characterized Lanny Budd as a Forrest Gump, a person who seems to be at the right place (?) at the right time (?). Perhaps only a fictional character could see so much and still keep his head on straight while many around him are losing theirs.
As an early Baby Boomer, I am familiar with these events and the personalities who shaped Lanny's world (and mine). What I was not attuned to were the political and economic issues that ignited conflicts around the world. Sinclair spends much ink and paper delving into these arguments that not only divided nations but also his own family.
As one who has worked (off and on) in radio for the last fifty-four years, Lanny's introduction into radio stimulated my reading. Radio was king of the airwaves at that time; it was an era I often wish I had lived in.
What the first readers of this book did not know was that there would be another Lanny Budd book. I am looking forward to reading that, but I will take a couple of weeks off from Lanny, coming back to Laurel, Rick and Nina, Robbie and Beauty, Frances and the rest of Lanny's inner circle around Labor Day weekend.
Four stars waxing
August 13, 2020
O Shepherd, Speak! (BOOK 10) like the other books in the series is a collection of short stories tied together by the main character Lanny Budd. FDR is the “Shepherd” in the book’s title.
The FIRST major storyline is Lanny Budd and “The Monument Men” recovering artwork stolen by the Nazis; and finding themselves trapped in The Battle of the Bulge.
Lanny Budd’s mission with “The Monument Men” also takes him to Italy where he uses his contacts to help locate stolen artworks.
The SECOND major storyline is the Yalta conference - the last meeting of Stalin, Churchill, and FDR. The thing that I most enjoyed about the Lanny Budd series is that Upton Sinclair adds trivia tidbits. In the Yalta conference, the US military and the secret service were so afraid that Russian anti-aircraft gunners would misidentify and shoot down US airplanes carrying FDR and other US delegates. To avoid this, the US Army assigned an NCO as an airplane spotter to every Russian anti-aircraft battery covering the route that US aircraft bound for the Yalta Conference would fly.
In the THIRD storyline, Lanny Budd is recalled by FDR for a new mission. While Lanny Budd is visiting FDR, the President collapses and dies. Upton Sinclair does a masterful job in describing America’s reaction to FDR’s death. Lanny Budd takes FDR’s death especially hard. With FDR’s death, Lanny Budd’s mission as a Presidential Agent comes to an abrupt end.
The FOURTH storyline is Lanny Budd returns to Europe as Allied forces enter Germany. He continues his work with “The Monument Men” and with Allied scientists collecting scientific works by Nazi scientists. While on this mission, Lanny Budd takes a side trip to the Dachau and views the horrors of the concentration death camp. At another concentration camp, Lanny Budd finds a loved one whose body, mind and spirit has been shattered by torture; and she no longer remembers him or anyone or anything.
The FIFTH storyline is about the US development of the atomic bomb and Lanny Budd travels to Los Alamos to get a upfront and close view of the first detonation.
The war is over. Lanny Budd is no longer a Presidential Agent. There is no longer the adventure and intrigue that drives the Lanny Budd series. This brings the SIXTH storyline which is the least interesting because it’s a dizzy array of political, social and economic topics that are more scholarly than interesting to the general readers. The topics range from American socialism vs. democratic socialism of western Europe and Scandinavia vs. Communism; the post-war US economy; the new role of women; birth control and religion; news media and propaganda; etc. In no other book in the Lanny Budd series does Upton Sinclair promote in detail his democratic socialist views as he does in O Shepherd, Speak! The one thing that I did notice is that the political, social and economic arguments have NOT changed much over the past 75 years.
The SEVENTH storyline has Lanny Budd called as a witness to Nuremberg trials. It’s not much of a storyline as a reflection of Lanny Budd’s past experience with Nazis leaders and their crimes against humanity. It also finally exposes to the world Lanny Budd’s role as a Presidential Agent who hoodwinked the Nazi leadership for so many years. This exposure gives new notoriety to Lanny Budd.
The EIGHTH storyline is Lanny Budd meets President Truman. Truman explains the political and business special interests groups within and outside his administration that have tried to take control of the new POTUS. Lanny Budd explains what he had done for FDR as his Presidential Agent and the last assignment FDR gave to him before he died - visit Stalin. Truman recruits Lanny Budd as his Presidential Agent to fulfill FDR’s last assignment.
There are numerous other minor storylines, e.g., the Allies administration of post-war Germany, the Soviets reneging on all their promises for a democratic eastern Europe, the threat of an atomic war between communism and capitalism, etc.
The FIRST major storyline is Lanny Budd and “The Monument Men” recovering artwork stolen by the Nazis; and finding themselves trapped in The Battle of the Bulge.
Lanny Budd’s mission with “The Monument Men” also takes him to Italy where he uses his contacts to help locate stolen artworks.
The SECOND major storyline is the Yalta conference - the last meeting of Stalin, Churchill, and FDR. The thing that I most enjoyed about the Lanny Budd series is that Upton Sinclair adds trivia tidbits. In the Yalta conference, the US military and the secret service were so afraid that Russian anti-aircraft gunners would misidentify and shoot down US airplanes carrying FDR and other US delegates. To avoid this, the US Army assigned an NCO as an airplane spotter to every Russian anti-aircraft battery covering the route that US aircraft bound for the Yalta Conference would fly.
In the THIRD storyline, Lanny Budd is recalled by FDR for a new mission. While Lanny Budd is visiting FDR, the President collapses and dies. Upton Sinclair does a masterful job in describing America’s reaction to FDR’s death. Lanny Budd takes FDR’s death especially hard. With FDR’s death, Lanny Budd’s mission as a Presidential Agent comes to an abrupt end.
The FOURTH storyline is Lanny Budd returns to Europe as Allied forces enter Germany. He continues his work with “The Monument Men” and with Allied scientists collecting scientific works by Nazi scientists. While on this mission, Lanny Budd takes a side trip to the Dachau and views the horrors of the concentration death camp. At another concentration camp, Lanny Budd finds a loved one whose body, mind and spirit has been shattered by torture; and she no longer remembers him or anyone or anything.
The FIFTH storyline is about the US development of the atomic bomb and Lanny Budd travels to Los Alamos to get a upfront and close view of the first detonation.
The war is over. Lanny Budd is no longer a Presidential Agent. There is no longer the adventure and intrigue that drives the Lanny Budd series. This brings the SIXTH storyline which is the least interesting because it’s a dizzy array of political, social and economic topics that are more scholarly than interesting to the general readers. The topics range from American socialism vs. democratic socialism of western Europe and Scandinavia vs. Communism; the post-war US economy; the new role of women; birth control and religion; news media and propaganda; etc. In no other book in the Lanny Budd series does Upton Sinclair promote in detail his democratic socialist views as he does in O Shepherd, Speak! The one thing that I did notice is that the political, social and economic arguments have NOT changed much over the past 75 years.
The SEVENTH storyline has Lanny Budd called as a witness to Nuremberg trials. It’s not much of a storyline as a reflection of Lanny Budd’s past experience with Nazis leaders and their crimes against humanity. It also finally exposes to the world Lanny Budd’s role as a Presidential Agent who hoodwinked the Nazi leadership for so many years. This exposure gives new notoriety to Lanny Budd.
The EIGHTH storyline is Lanny Budd meets President Truman. Truman explains the political and business special interests groups within and outside his administration that have tried to take control of the new POTUS. Lanny Budd explains what he had done for FDR as his Presidential Agent and the last assignment FDR gave to him before he died - visit Stalin. Truman recruits Lanny Budd as his Presidential Agent to fulfill FDR’s last assignment.
There are numerous other minor storylines, e.g., the Allies administration of post-war Germany, the Soviets reneging on all their promises for a democratic eastern Europe, the threat of an atomic war between communism and capitalism, etc.
July 16, 2022
This is final book of the first ten books in the Lanny Budd series - the eleventh was not planned at the time the tenth was finished and only published in 1953 - the first ten were published - one a year - from 1940 to 1949.
These books are historical fiction about the development of WWII around a fictional character Lanny Budd who grows up and participates in a Forrest Gump type role, meeting all the important player of history along the way, but in a more deliberate and competent way.
This volume covers the end of the war the beginning of the UN, the presidency of Harry Truman and other events - in the afterward of the book the author explains how he had, thru the series, verified the details. Also in reading a biography of Sinclair I read that he had a photographic memory type mind.
What has happened however in the last three books after the war was certainly won by the allied forces- the sixth though published in 1946 was likely written in 1945 - is that Sinclair has let or led his socialist ideas to have a strong role and he developed in this book what I think was for him a fiction dream wish of a blossoming socialist movement in the USA.
Also his constant judgements of the evils of capitalism are wearing thin for me and are really disrespectful of the enterpreneurs who have led our society to our standard of living and, during the war, to the industrial powerhouse that enabled us to win the war.
I hope the last book will be better and maybe the aggressive/totalitarian face of the communist world that had emerged by 1952/3 may have changed Sinclair's perspective.
Like the other nine books the chapter were short and easy to read in short bursts - in the midst of a train ride or waiting for something. I started the first book in March (I think) of last year and Lanny Budd has been my companion for the last 15 - 16 months on a daily basis - I think if one has read the first several novels in the series one would have inertia to finish them up. The third won a Pulitzer prize in 1943.
These books are historical fiction about the development of WWII around a fictional character Lanny Budd who grows up and participates in a Forrest Gump type role, meeting all the important player of history along the way, but in a more deliberate and competent way.
This volume covers the end of the war the beginning of the UN, the presidency of Harry Truman and other events - in the afterward of the book the author explains how he had, thru the series, verified the details. Also in reading a biography of Sinclair I read that he had a photographic memory type mind.
What has happened however in the last three books after the war was certainly won by the allied forces- the sixth though published in 1946 was likely written in 1945 - is that Sinclair has let or led his socialist ideas to have a strong role and he developed in this book what I think was for him a fiction dream wish of a blossoming socialist movement in the USA.
Also his constant judgements of the evils of capitalism are wearing thin for me and are really disrespectful of the enterpreneurs who have led our society to our standard of living and, during the war, to the industrial powerhouse that enabled us to win the war.
I hope the last book will be better and maybe the aggressive/totalitarian face of the communist world that had emerged by 1952/3 may have changed Sinclair's perspective.
Like the other nine books the chapter were short and easy to read in short bursts - in the midst of a train ride or waiting for something. I started the first book in March (I think) of last year and Lanny Budd has been my companion for the last 15 - 16 months on a daily basis - I think if one has read the first several novels in the series one would have inertia to finish them up. The third won a Pulitzer prize in 1943.
January 8, 2020
Just finished the 10 volume, 3 million word Lanny Budd series of spy novels crafted by Upton Sinclair during the 1940s. The books cover the period 1913 to 1946 with a granular look at the War to End All Wars (WWI), the rise fascism, national socialism, militarism and communism in the 1920s and 1930s and the causes and crises of World War II.
And while I would not recommend reading them all, I do believe Sinclair’s Dragons Teeth, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943, gives us a starling look at the forces unleashed in Italy, Spain and Germany and the evil that stalked Europe in the 1930s. History does repeat itself but not always as farce. Sometimes the evil that men do reappears on the world stage wearing different costumes.
And while I would not recommend reading them all, I do believe Sinclair’s Dragons Teeth, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943, gives us a starling look at the forces unleashed in Italy, Spain and Germany and the evil that stalked Europe in the 1930s. History does repeat itself but not always as farce. Sometimes the evil that men do reappears on the world stage wearing different costumes.
December 21, 2023
Blindness
A detailed and good history of the Second World War. I can’t help but note his blindness to the atrocities of communism and of socialism. And his blindness to the individual freedoms that this country identified, put in its constitution and prospered by. Earned wealth is not the public property and confiscating wealth by those who have not earned it is a way to despotism every time.
A detailed and good history of the Second World War. I can’t help but note his blindness to the atrocities of communism and of socialism. And his blindness to the individual freedoms that this country identified, put in its constitution and prospered by. Earned wealth is not the public property and confiscating wealth by those who have not earned it is a way to despotism every time.
January 31, 2020
Another long novel in the Lanny Budd series. This novel takes place at the end of WWII. It shifts between exciting action and intense philosophical discussions about peace and what that might look like. At times it was very engaging and other times stilted and laborious. He certainly has done an incredible amount of research. He presents the problems of the “Red Menace” in accessible terms.
October 11, 2020
History’s Hero
Budd is inserted in the history of the early twentieth century - much like Forest Gump was in the movie of the same name. Because of Budd we are able to be present as that history develops. I enjoyed being in this history, but found that the telling of it did drag a bit at times. It did inspire me though to look at Sinclair’s other novels for future reading.
Budd is inserted in the history of the early twentieth century - much like Forest Gump was in the movie of the same name. Because of Budd we are able to be present as that history develops. I enjoyed being in this history, but found that the telling of it did drag a bit at times. It did inspire me though to look at Sinclair’s other novels for future reading.
November 21, 2019
With the death of FDR and the end of WWII, Sinclair's compulsively readable saga drags a bit as he focuses on pet themes of advocacy for peace and social justice, communal living, and the paranormal. Still, great stuff and it's interesting to think that these books were once immensely popular.
January 1, 2023
Harry S Truman and Stalin
This has been a fascinating series and I am pleased I had the time to read through all of the books. Economics, spies, diplomacy, science, war, music, dance, and the changing roles of women over two decades. And well written.
This has been a fascinating series and I am pleased I had the time to read through all of the books. Economics, spies, diplomacy, science, war, music, dance, and the changing roles of women over two decades. And well written.
April 18, 2025
Probably the weakest entry in the series as over long discussions on socialism and parapsychology slow things down, and his prognostications on the future were well off. Apparently Sinclair wanted this to be the last book in the series, but it is not. Will read the last book just to wrap things up.
June 5, 2017
One more left in the series #11, The Return of Lanny Budd. Sinclair wrote that the 10th was the last in the series but we know Lanny Budd would never leave us hangin' like that!
November 11, 2020
Loved the story line until it got preachy about socialism. Though I loved the ending.
November 17, 2020
Excellent history
In one word - fascinating. I thought that this volume will go up to reconstruction of Europe and the Marshal Plan - I shall wait for the next volume.
In one word - fascinating. I thought that this volume will go up to reconstruction of Europe and the Marshal Plan - I shall wait for the next volume.
February 25, 2021
Interesting, but very long and detailed! It took me quite a while to read, but I did learn a lot.
March 21, 2021
Amazing amount of information. Exciting at times. End of WWII, Roosevelt, Truman, Stalin, Nuremberg etc
December 19, 2022
enlightening
An amazing read that pulls you forth from the war years into new terrain with vastly high stakes at risk. Beautifully written, as is the entire series.
An amazing read that pulls you forth from the war years into new terrain with vastly high stakes at risk. Beautifully written, as is the entire series.
June 5, 2015
O SHEPHERD, SPEAK!
O Shepherd, Speak! Is the tenth book in the epic Upton Sinclair’s Lanny Budd series, written in 1949. This was to be the last in this great historical narrative covering World History from 1913-1947. This book concludes the ending of World War Two and the Nuremberg trials. When the story opens in November 1944 Lanny is still Presidential Agent 103 but has been commissioned as a Captain in the US Army for the purposes of retrieving the Nazi looted artworks and returning them to the rightful owners. He also participates in numerous interrogation sessions with leading Nazi’s, including Reichsmarschall Goring.
At the beginning of the story Lanny is with the Seventh Army just before the Battle of the Bulge. He watches as Germany is virtually destroyed by the Allies from the East and the Russians from the West. There is a race by both to reach Berlin first.
We are witness to Hitler in his final days and the collapse of the German military. We are given the privilege of following Lanny and Laurel as they travel to New Mexico to witness the explosion of the first Atom Bomb. Witnessing the atomic bomb forever changes Lanny. He saw what destruction this dreadful creation could do in a controlled environment and would later see the actual human destruction at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Lanny is willed a million dollars by his dear friend since his childhood, Emily Chatterworth. The purpose of the million dollars was to create a means to avoid another world war. Lanny, Laurel, Rick and Nina then begin work of the Peace Group. A nonprofit foundation created to educate anyone who would listen about the destructive power of atomic bombs.
The saddest and most shocking part of the story is the death of President Roosevelt. Lanny is at Warm Springs for a meeting with the man he loved the most in the world when FDR is taken by a stroke. After months of morning Lanny is introduced to President Truman and continues as a Presidential Agent by visiting Marshall Stalin in Moscow. President Truman is trying to understand Russian aims following the Potsdam conference with Stalin, Churchill and Truman following the death of FDR.
Lanny finally tracks Marceline down and finds her a shell of her old self. Having saved Lanny’s life with the phone call warning him to get out of Germany immediately, she is captured and tortured by the Nazi’s who think she knows where Lanny is. Through his patient healing manner, Lanny is able to help Marceline restore herself as a human being but in a completely different and better way than her selfish, self absorbed ways prior to the war.
Frances, the daughter of Lanny Budd and Irma Barnes makes a startling decision which will surprise the reader and make Lanny proud.
In the most anticipated trial in world history, the remaining Nazi leaders are tried at Nuremberg. Goring, delusional to the end, makes a decision that shocks the world at the end of the trials. Numerous Nazi’s are convicted and sentenced to hang and many more are imprisoned for decades to come. Unfortunately, many top German scientists and military experts are relocated by the US to work on methods to control the “Reds.” This could be construed as a “Hobson’s Choice”, the absence of a real choice for the victorious Allies by either relocating to America these “brilliant minds” who had worked on Atomic Energy and knew the Russians better than the US did or allowing the “Reds” to have them. Such was the dilemma that confronted President Truman.
All loose ends are tied up by the close of the story. Rick, Nina, Alfy, Scrubbie, Robbie and his family, Beauty and Parsifal, Monck, Raoul and their families and all of the rest of this rich and warm family of characters brought to life in such a marvelous way by Upton.
Please visit our website at: www.uptonsinclairinstitute.com. You may read reviews of all 11 books in the series and learn much much more about Upton and his works. You may also purcase directly from the publisher and save up to 30% off the retail price with free shipping. Quality is guaranteed. You may contact the publisher, Frederick Ellis at frederick659@hotmail.com, or me at jsc12109@hotmail.com.
Stephen Courts
July 23, 2011
Columbus, Ohio
O Shepherd, Speak! Is the tenth book in the epic Upton Sinclair’s Lanny Budd series, written in 1949. This was to be the last in this great historical narrative covering World History from 1913-1947. This book concludes the ending of World War Two and the Nuremberg trials. When the story opens in November 1944 Lanny is still Presidential Agent 103 but has been commissioned as a Captain in the US Army for the purposes of retrieving the Nazi looted artworks and returning them to the rightful owners. He also participates in numerous interrogation sessions with leading Nazi’s, including Reichsmarschall Goring.
At the beginning of the story Lanny is with the Seventh Army just before the Battle of the Bulge. He watches as Germany is virtually destroyed by the Allies from the East and the Russians from the West. There is a race by both to reach Berlin first.
We are witness to Hitler in his final days and the collapse of the German military. We are given the privilege of following Lanny and Laurel as they travel to New Mexico to witness the explosion of the first Atom Bomb. Witnessing the atomic bomb forever changes Lanny. He saw what destruction this dreadful creation could do in a controlled environment and would later see the actual human destruction at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Lanny is willed a million dollars by his dear friend since his childhood, Emily Chatterworth. The purpose of the million dollars was to create a means to avoid another world war. Lanny, Laurel, Rick and Nina then begin work of the Peace Group. A nonprofit foundation created to educate anyone who would listen about the destructive power of atomic bombs.
The saddest and most shocking part of the story is the death of President Roosevelt. Lanny is at Warm Springs for a meeting with the man he loved the most in the world when FDR is taken by a stroke. After months of morning Lanny is introduced to President Truman and continues as a Presidential Agent by visiting Marshall Stalin in Moscow. President Truman is trying to understand Russian aims following the Potsdam conference with Stalin, Churchill and Truman following the death of FDR.
Lanny finally tracks Marceline down and finds her a shell of her old self. Having saved Lanny’s life with the phone call warning him to get out of Germany immediately, she is captured and tortured by the Nazi’s who think she knows where Lanny is. Through his patient healing manner, Lanny is able to help Marceline restore herself as a human being but in a completely different and better way than her selfish, self absorbed ways prior to the war.
Frances, the daughter of Lanny Budd and Irma Barnes makes a startling decision which will surprise the reader and make Lanny proud.
In the most anticipated trial in world history, the remaining Nazi leaders are tried at Nuremberg. Goring, delusional to the end, makes a decision that shocks the world at the end of the trials. Numerous Nazi’s are convicted and sentenced to hang and many more are imprisoned for decades to come. Unfortunately, many top German scientists and military experts are relocated by the US to work on methods to control the “Reds.” This could be construed as a “Hobson’s Choice”, the absence of a real choice for the victorious Allies by either relocating to America these “brilliant minds” who had worked on Atomic Energy and knew the Russians better than the US did or allowing the “Reds” to have them. Such was the dilemma that confronted President Truman.
All loose ends are tied up by the close of the story. Rick, Nina, Alfy, Scrubbie, Robbie and his family, Beauty and Parsifal, Monck, Raoul and their families and all of the rest of this rich and warm family of characters brought to life in such a marvelous way by Upton.
Please visit our website at: www.uptonsinclairinstitute.com. You may read reviews of all 11 books in the series and learn much much more about Upton and his works. You may also purcase directly from the publisher and save up to 30% off the retail price with free shipping. Quality is guaranteed. You may contact the publisher, Frederick Ellis at frederick659@hotmail.com, or me at jsc12109@hotmail.com.
Stephen Courts
July 23, 2011
Columbus, Ohio
September 17, 2012
Filled with amazing historical details, none of which are found in standard history books. Nothing new there, though. All the books in the series are that way. However, I think Lanny must visit more locations in this book than any other in the series.
My father was in Berlin in 'late '45 and '46, and he confirms what Sinclair says about that place and time.
Only reason I only gave 4 stars is because I though the section on the Peace Program dragged. Doesn't mean that it will for everyone.
My father was in Berlin in 'late '45 and '46, and he confirms what Sinclair says about that place and time.
Only reason I only gave 4 stars is because I though the section on the Peace Program dragged. Doesn't mean that it will for everyone.
Read
December 12, 2017Entertaining & informative.
Read
July 20, 2018The war is over, and Lanny is founding/setting up an anti-war organization in compliance with the terms of a million-dollar bequest from a friend of his mother. Unfortunately, Sinclair’s eyewitness-to-history format that drove this series like a runaway train through nine books has, in my opinion, derailed here in the tenth. I fell in love with Lanny as the secret agent/spy whose life was always in danger of exposure by the forces of true evil; but I just cannot make myself care about the post-war businessman. Abandoning at the 52% point, I stayed on board through Nagasaki; then it felt like the series was just coasting to a stop. Farewell, Lanny, thanks for the ride. Bravo, Upton!
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