Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945 (The Pacific War Trilogy Book 3)

by Ian W. Toll

the persistent confusion in the historical literature about Leahy’s role in the war. The admiral is alternately named as “White House chief of staff” or “chairman of the Joint Chiefs.” Both jobs exist to this day, but they are vastly different, and a single individual would never occupy them simultaneously. So what was Leahy, exactly? Was he a mere staffer? A dependable loyalist? A sophisticated message-runner? FDR’s best friend? Or was he really the almighty chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? The answer seems to be that Bill Leahy was all of these things. He was the president’s alter ego, especially in the last year of FDR’s life; but he was also deeply respected by his fellow joint chiefs as a strategist, a former CNO, and a global statesman. The JCS made policy by consensus, rather than by majority vote. At the very least, therefore, Leahy was one of four equal voices in this powerful quartet. When and if the chiefs failed to muddle through to a unanimous decision, their deadlock would be appealed to the commander in chief, to whom Leahy was the principal link.