French by birth, Mrs. Biddle was more attuned to the war in Europe than most Americans. On June 14, 1940, Nazi German troops had goose-stepped down the Champs-Élysées and through the Arc de Triomphe, parading their occupation of France. Two months later, on September 27, 1940, Japan concluded the belligerent Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in Berlin. Mrs. Biddle reviled the Axis powers and worried about her son. On edge, she perceived Harry as the enemy.
