Synopses & Reviews
For most of three decades, Drew Pearson was the most well-known journalist in the United States. In his daily newspaper columnandmdash;the most widely syndicated in the nationandmdash;and on radio and television broadcasts, he chronicled the political and public policy news of the nation. At the same time, he worked his way into the inner circles of policy makers in the White House and Congress, lobbying for issues he believed would promote better government and world peace.and#160;Pearson, however, still found time to record his thoughts and observations in his personal diary. Published here for the first time, Washington Merry-Go-Round presents Pearsonandrsquo;s private impressions of life inside the Beltway from 1960 to 1969, revealing how he held the confidence of presidentsandmdash;especially Lyndon B. Johnsonandmdash;congressional leaders, media moguls, political insiders, and dozens of otherwise unknown sources of information. His direct interactions with the DC glitterati, including Bobby Kennedy and Douglas MacArthur, are featured throughout his diary, drawing the reader into the compelling political intrigues of 1960s Washington and providing the mysterious backstory on the famous and the notorious of the era.and#160;and#160;
Review
"Susan Dunn, a prolific and outstanding historian, has crafted a fast-paced, serious, and extraordinarily well-researched book about the events surrounding the pivotal 1940 election. Her main charactersand#8212;FDR, Wendell Willkie, Lindbergh, Hitlerand#8212;come brilliantly to life.and#160;I could hardly put the book down." and#8212;James T. Patterson, author of Bancroft Prize-winning Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974and#160;
Review
"Susan Dunn's gripping book shows us that the further we get from 1940, the more obvious it is that this moment was a turning point for Western civilization. and#160;With fresh research and original insights, Dunn allows us to watch and assess such figures as FDR, Hitler and Churchill, Charles Lindbergh, Wendell Willkie, Henry Wallace, Joseph Kennedy and others as they play out their roles, large and small, in the horrifying, onrushing drama. and#160;Anyone today who believes that U.S. involvement and the ultimate Allied triumph in World War II was inevitable must read this important history."and#8212;Michael Beschloss, New York Times bestselling author of Presidential Courage
Review
"A brilliant portrait of an America in transition. . . . Captivating. . . . Few years turn out to be as perilous as 1940, or as portentous."and#8212;David M. Shribman, Wall Street Journal
Review
and#8220;1940 is a useful account of an important time in American history.and#8221;and#8212;Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
Review
“Susan Dunns 1940: FDR, Willkie, Lindbergh, Hitler—the Election Amid the Storm delivers a richly detailed Making of the President-style look back at the 1940 race.”—Marc Wortman, The Daily Beast Jonathan Yardley - The Washington Post
Review
and#8220;A warmly characterized study of Franklin Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie as they battled for the presidency of 1940 within a yawning national chasm over the war. . . Dunn paints a lively portrait of the many currents during the year. . . A sympathetic, entertaining portrayal of two presidential opponents and ultimate colleagues.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Review
and#8220;[A] gripping narrative that both scholars and presidential history buffs will enjoy.and#8221;and#8212;Library Journal
Review
and#8220;Some elections really are watersheds. A gripping narrative of the dramatic 1940 contest for the White House.and#8221;and#8212;Harvard magazine
Review
and#8220;Dunn superbly depicts the 1940 election between Roosevelt, who was seeking an unprecedented third term, and his internationalist Republican opponent, Wendell Willkie.and#8221;and#8212;Jacob Heilbrunn, New York Times Book Review (cover review, Editor's Choice selection)
Review
and#8220;Susan Dunnand#8217;s 1940: FDR, Willkie, Lindbergh, Hitlerand#8212;the Election Amid the Storm delivers a richly detailed Making of the Presidentand#8211;style look back at the 1940 race.and#8221;and#8212;Marc Wortman, The Daily Beast
Review
andldquo;Drew Pearson was the insidersandrsquo; insider: He lunched with the powerful, presided over lavish dinner parties with visiting royalty, and in between juggled phone calls with everybody from presidents to prizefight promoters. . . . Political junkies, policy wonks, and people who want to know what Washington was like in the days before it became just a rest stop between political fund-raisers will love this book. Great characters, fascinating gossip, terrific insight.andrdquo;andmdash;Bob Schieffer, anchor of CBSandrsquo;s Face the Nationand#160;
Review
andldquo;One of the most influential columnists in the country, Drew Pearson unabashedly used his clout to lobby for the leaders and legislation he liked, and he tells all in his diaries. Better yet, he reports on private conversations and a few titillating personal peccadilloes of the people whose names dominated the news but who we usually only know through their public utterances. This diary is not only fascinating history, itandrsquo;s a fun read.andrdquo;andmdash;Cokie Roberts, commentator for NPR and ABC News
Review
andldquo;Gossip is the lifeblood of Washington, and no one was better at getting it and spreading it than muckraking columnist Drew Pearson. At the same time, he was a wise adviser to ambassadors, senators, and Supreme Court justices. He was unique in his time and unthinkable today. His diaries from the 1960s read like the true inside story of power at the top.andrdquo;andmdash;Evan Thomas, author of Ikeandrsquo;s Bluff and#160;and Robert Kennedy
Review
andldquo;No American journalist exposed more wrongdoing, irritated more politicians, or entertained more readers than did Drew Pearson. His diaries provide us with another memorable spin on the Washington merry-go-round and offer insights into how he got the news that made his columns so potent.andrdquo;andmdash;Donald A. Ritchie, author of Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps
Review
andldquo;From the beginning of recorded history, andlsquo;the storyandrsquo; has been enriched by firsthand accounts of events of the time. Letters, journals, and diaries have humanized our view of a specific time or event. The publication of his diaries is a wonderful example of that firsthand account. . . . Drew Pearson left us an amazing gift!andrdquo;andmdash;David S. Ferriero, former Andrew W. Mellon director of the New York public libraries
Review
andldquo;The diaries give us an insiderandrsquo;s account of how power is really exercised in Washington. Anyone wanting to understand what happened in an era that began with the triumphs of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson and ended with assassinations, riots, and a quagmire in Vietnam will want to read these diaries.andrdquo;andmdash;Nick Kotz, Pulitzer Prizeandndash;winning reporter and author of
Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Laws That Changed America and#160;Review
andldquo;Indeed, in subtle but sophisticated fashion, Dunn offers a celebratory account of the triumph of American democracy, showing the importance of moderation and compromise to the successful functioning of politics in the country. Her book is required reading for political historians of modern America.andrdquo;andmdash;Nancy Beck Younger, University of Houston
Synopsis
The spellbinding story of the Roosevelt-Willkie election season, when bitterly dividedand#160;Americans debated the fate of the nation and the world
Synopsis
This spellbinding story of the Roosevelt-Willkie election season explores the deep divisions in the United States on the eve of World War II, the pull of Lindbergh's staunch isolationism, and the courageous candidates and politicians who forged crucial agreements across the aisle.
Synopsis
In 1940, against the explosive backdrop of the Nazi onslaught in Europe, two farsighted candidates for the U.S. presidencyandmdash;Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, running for an unprecedented third term, and talented Republican businessman Wendell Willkieandmdash;found themselves on the defensive against American isolationists and their charismatic spokesman Charles Lindbergh, who called for surrender to Hitler's demands. In this dramatic account of that turbulent and consequential election, historian Susan Dunn brings to life the debates, the high-powered players, and the dawning awareness of the Nazi threat as the presidential candidates engaged in their own battle for supremacy.and#160;1940 not only explores the contest between FDR and Willkie but also examines the key preparations for war that went forward, even in the midst of that divisive election season. The book tells an inspiring story of the triumph of American democracy in a world reeling from fascist barbarism, and it offers a compelling alternative scenario to todayandrsquo;s hyperpartisan political arena, where common ground seems unattainable.
About the Author
Drew Pearson (1897and#8211;1969) was an active journalist for nearly fifty years. At the time of his death, his column Washington Merry-Go-Round was carried by 650 newspapers. He was well known for his extensive use of investigative journalism. Peter Hannafordand#8217;s long career in public affairs consulting was centered in Washington DC. He is the author of eleven books, including
Reaganand#8217;s Roots: The People and Places That Shaped His Character and
Presidential Retreats: Where the Presidents Went and Why They Went There. Richard Norton Smith is an authority on the U.S. presidency and the author of acclaimed books about George Washington, Herbert Hoover, and Thomas Dewey.