Barry Blitt In The New York Times Book Review, Jacob Heilbrunn considers two new books that revisit the arguments over America’s entrance into World War II: “Those Angry Days,†by Lynne Olson, and “1940,†by Susan Dunn. Mr. Heilbrunn writes:
Now that it has become the good war fought by the greatest generation, the ferocity of the disputes over entering World War II has largely been forgotten. But the story of America’s anti-interventionist lobby is not only historically fascinating, it also echoes in debates today over whether America should engage abroad or hold back. The historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. â€" whose memoir, Philip Roth said, inspired his novel “The Plot Against America,†about an alternative reality where the isolationists, led by Charles Lindbergh, defeat Roose¬velt for the presidency â€" recalled the dispute as the “most savage political debate in my lifetime,†eclipsing those over McCarthyism and Vietnam in its intensity.
On this week’s podcast, Ms. Olson discusses “Those Angry Daysâ€; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Mark Leibovich talks about “This Townâ€; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.
