Watching Darkness Fall: FDR, His Ambassadors, and the Rise of Adolf Hitler
Nov 2021 · Macmillan + ORM
star
1 review
Ebook
403
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
A gripping and groundbreaking account of how all but one of FDR's ambassadors in Europe misjudged Hitler and his intentions
As German tanks rolled toward Paris in late May 1940, the U.S. Ambassador to France, William Bullitt, was determined to stay put, holed up in the Chateau St. Firmin in Chantilly, his country residence. Bullitt told the president that he would neither evacuate the embassy nor his chateau, an eighteenth Renaissance manse with a wine cellar of over 18,000 bottles, even though "we have only two revolvers in this entire mission with only forty bullets."
As German forces closed in on the French capital, Bullitt wrote the president, "In case I should get blown up before I see you again, I want you to know that it has been marvelous to work for you." As the fighting raged in France, across the English Channel, Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph P. Kennedy wrote to his wife Rose, "The situation is more than critical. It means a terrible finish for the allies."
David McKean's Watching Darkness Fall will recount the rise of the Third Reich in Germany and the road to war from the perspective of four American diplomats in Europe who witnessed it firsthand: Joseph Kennedy, William Dodd, Breckinridge Long, and William Bullitt, who all served in key Western European capitals—London, Berlin, Rome, Paris, and Moscow—in the years prior to World War II. In many ways they were America's first line of defense and they often communicated with the president directly, as Roosevelt's eyes and ears on the ground. Unfortunately, most of them underestimated the power and resolve of Adolf Hitler and Germany's Third Reich.
Watching Darkness Fall is a gripping new history of the years leading up to and the beginning of WWII in Europe told through the lives of five well-educated and mostly wealthy men all vying for the attention of the man in the Oval Office.
As German tanks rolled toward Paris in late May 1940, the U.S. Ambassador to France, William Bullitt, was determined to stay put, holed up in the Chateau St. Firmin in Chantilly, his country residence. Bullitt told the president that he would neither evacuate the embassy nor his chateau, an eighteenth Renaissance manse with a wine cellar of over 18,000 bottles, even though "we have only two revolvers in this entire mission with only forty bullets."
As German forces closed in on the French capital, Bullitt wrote the president, "In case I should get blown up before I see you again, I want you to know that it has been marvelous to work for you." As the fighting raged in France, across the English Channel, Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph P. Kennedy wrote to his wife Rose, "The situation is more than critical. It means a terrible finish for the allies."
David McKean's Watching Darkness Fall will recount the rise of the Third Reich in Germany and the road to war from the perspective of four American diplomats in Europe who witnessed it firsthand: Joseph Kennedy, William Dodd, Breckinridge Long, and William Bullitt, who all served in key Western European capitals—London, Berlin, Rome, Paris, and Moscow—in the years prior to World War II. In many ways they were America's first line of defense and they often communicated with the president directly, as Roosevelt's eyes and ears on the ground. Unfortunately, most of them underestimated the power and resolve of Adolf Hitler and Germany's Third Reich.
Watching Darkness Fall is a gripping new history of the years leading up to and the beginning of WWII in Europe told through the lives of five well-educated and mostly wealthy men all vying for the attention of the man in the Oval Office.
A gripping and groundbreaking account of how all but one of FDR's ambassadors in Europe misjudged Hitler and his intentions
As German tanks rolled toward Paris in late May 1940, the U.S. Ambassador to France, William Bullitt, was determined to stay put, holed up in the Chateau St. Firmin in Chan...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
1 review
Shirley McAllister
- Flag inappropriate
November 9, 2021
Hitler's Rise This story spans the war years of 1933-to 1941 and the Rise of Adolph Hitler in Europe. It is a story of the inside workings of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration and how they handled the rise of Hitler. It is especially about the four men that president Roosevelt picked to be diplomat's to the four countries in Europe. William Dodd in Germany, Joseph Kennedy in the United Kingdom, Breckenridge Long in Italy and finally Bullitt who was originally posted to Russia and then to France. President Roosevelt often had a personal connection to his appointees and loyalty was expected and received. He got along will all of them except for Mr. Dodd who had difference of opinions with but respected. The problem is that all of his diplomats misjudged Hitler's power and did nothing and wrongly advised FDR that Hitler was less of a threat than he actually was. That is all except for Mr. Dodd who warned the president of the threat from Hitler. Unfortunately his warnings were not heeded. It is the story of each diplomat and how they sit back and watch Hitler take over Europe and are complacent until it is too late. I believe much research has gone into this book and it was well written. An interesting history of this period of time and worth reading. I do recommend it. Thanks to David McKean, ST. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book, all opinions are my own.
About the author
David McKean is the former US Ambassador to Luxembourg, and former director of Policy Planning for the US Department of State. He is currently a Senior Fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Washington, D.C.
David McKean is the former US Ambassador to Luxembourg, and former director of Policy Planning for the US Department of State. He is currently a Senior Fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Washington, D.C.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
