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FDR's Deadly Secret
by
The death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945 sent shock waves around the world. His lifelong physician swore that the president had always been a picture of health. Later, in 1970, Roosevelt’s cardiologist admitted he had been suffering from uncontrolled hypertension and that his death—from a cerebral hemorrhage—was “a cataclysmic event waiting to happen.” But even this
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Hardcover, 296 pages
Published
January 5th 2010
by PublicAffairs
(first published December 22nd 2009)
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Having recently visited Warm Springs, Ga, for the first time (in 2012), my interest in FDR, was piqued. This book set forth an intriguing thesis; that being that FDR's physical challenges went well beyond the polio which struck him down relatively early in his life; or even the cardiac issues that ultimately took his life; but that another, more insidious malady fell this historic figure; melanoma. With so much of the medical records destroyed, and such a wall of misinformation; especially from
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Even in the most recent, supposedly well-researched books about FDR, there is virtually no mention of his medical condition, status, or treatment. He needs to rest a lot, but you never hear that he was visited by a doctor several times a day, and often travel to Bethesda Naval Hospital and other hospitals and clinics, some out of town, secretly. Perhaps this is because it took a physician to sort out the available, published facts, and discover new ones by research and interviews of the involved
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Tis was an interesting read, but there were a lot of assertions made with limited evidence to back them up. There was also a lot of editorial commenting (One sentence I remember was something to the effect of "Ross McIntyre hid the truth, as was his way.") that has no place in a historical account. Though it was fascinating to read an in-depth analysis of FDR's health in his final days, their conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945): One of America's three greatest presidents, along with Washington and Lincoln (the country's father and its preserver, respectively). Roosevelt led the nation through its most trying time since slavery and the Civil War 80 years prior. But while he was a genuinely great president, FDR was also one of the most secretive. And the sickest. His biography's well-known. A charming young politician on the rise, he was struck with polio at 39 in 1921. He struggled
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A well written investigation into the causes of Franklin Roosevelt’s death. It is now well known that FDR suffered from high blood pressure and heart ailments, but these conditions were kept hidden from the public. In addition to these problems, Fettman and Lomazow argue that he also had cancer – melanoma – and the disease had metastasized in his brain and digestive system.
The book clearly shows how the President’s doctors, aides and almost all of the media acted to hide his condition. They were ...more
The book clearly shows how the President’s doctors, aides and almost all of the media acted to hide his condition. They were ...more
loved this. didn't know anything about this until I read it.
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I read this for a book club. I didn't think I'd be as interested in it, because it sounded very technical and heavy with medical jargon, but to my surprise it was very easy to read. The material was engaging and presented in a linear and coherent fashion. The authors present facts and link them to their theory regarding FDR's illnesses, especially the speculation that he may have died ultimately from cancer complications. Reading this book gave me a deeper insight into the strength of FDR's reso
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I found this book quite interesting. It was a thorough look at accounts of FDR's illness and symptoms. An examination of pictures shows a discolored lesion right above his eye which gradually disappears. FDR's cousin Daisy's journal was published fairly recently and she tells a lot about his condition and actions, which reveals a lot about his health.
The authors make some very good points supporting their theory. Most of FDR's medical records have disappeared. At any rate, he was treated under s ...more
The authors make some very good points supporting their theory. Most of FDR's medical records have disappeared. At any rate, he was treated under s ...more
FOUND THIS BOOK ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING IN ITS DOCUMENTATION OF FDR'S HEALTH BEFORE AND WHILE PRESIDENT. WHAT IS MIND BOGGLING IS HOW MUCH WAS COVERED UP BY THOSE AROUND HIM AND THE PRESS. IT OPENS UP A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW DECISIONS SHAPE EVENTS FOR GOOD OR NOT SO GOOD. BUT HINDSIGHT IS GREAT BUT DOESN'T CHANGE THINGS. THIS BOOK MAKES A GOOD ARGUMENT FOR TERM LIMITS NOT ONLY FOR LEGISLATORS BUT ALSO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES TOO.
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"The deadly secrets" is what is should be called as it details a myriad of serious illnesses that afflicted FDR. His resilience was amazing, but it's appalling he was in office for the last two terms when he was so often incapacitated. Among other things, he had melanoma, suspected strokes, cancer of the prostate which probably metastasized to the brain. There is a frightening photograph in it showing him with his mouth hanging open, jaw slack, eyes staring straight ahead.
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Interesting thesis that FDR kept a bigger secret from the public than the extent of his polio: he was dying of melanoma. While I find the evidence somewhat sketchy it's still within the realm of possibility this is what happened to Roosevelt. It also does an excellent job of detailing just how frail he was in the last year or two of his life. A fascinating and sobering read.
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Amazing to think how Roosevelt was able to run the country while dealing with so many serious and fatal illnesses. How to deal with a president that is dying and refuses to give up power will I am sure happen again sooner or later.
Well, it turns out that despite rumors that FDR was replaced by a double after he died at Yalta, the reality is that he was just very very sick, with at least three fatal diseases. You'd think it would take only one.
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Interesting book about the possibility that Roosevelt might have been suffering from cancer throughout his term of office, based on researching his medical records and reviewing the comments of his various physicians.
Apr 05, 2010
Alan Tulppo
marked it as to-read
I received this book as a gift from Kay, and have not read it yet. I am looking forward to enjoying it this summer.
I'm no conspiracy theorist, but the author tells a convincing story about FDR's secret health issue...and no, it's not that he was paralyzed. Pretty interesting.
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My review in AND Magazine: http://www.andmagazine.com/content/an...
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While at times overtly critical and seemingly biased against FDR, this account of his medical problems and the question of his fitness to be President is an interesting and informative one.
Looking for additional martial on this subject. Wondering how true the authors's hypothesis is that FDR died of metastatic melanoma.
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