American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II

AMERICAN WARLORDS: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II Jonathan W. Jordan, NAL Caliber, New York, 2015, 624 pagesAmerican Warlords is a popular biography of four key American World War II leaders: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Gen. George Catlett Marshall, and Adm. Ernest J. King. Author Jonathan Jordan examines the impact of these leaders, or warlords, as he often refers to them, on the American war effort. This books spans from 1940 to 1945 and tends to focus on the strategic level. That is not to say that it is an impersonal, dull look at strategy; rather, it examines the men who made American strategy and how they overcame the monumental challenges they faced, including the mistakes they made. In this regard, Jordan does an admirable job providing a vivid account of the daily pressures these men endured, with the fate of the Nation, and even the world, in the balance.Jordan organizes the book into a prologue, three chronological parts, and an epilogue. The prologue sets the stage by recounting one of America's tragedies-the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The initial installment of the three major parts of the book is titled Bringing the War Home: 1940-1941. This section not only discusses the events leading to American involvement in World War II but also provides background on the strategic leaders upon whom the author later concentrates his narrative. While the state of American politics and the lack of American military strength take center stage in the early reading, Jordan provides great insight into each of the four key leaders. For example, he highlights Roosevelt's statement that if war does come, we will make it a New Deal war. Jordan continues his portrayal of Roosevelt by giving many examples of the president's deft political abilities.The author also details Marshall and Stimson's organizational capabilities, such as when they worked to get the Selective Service Act passed. Jordan similarly describes the abilities and rise of King, including his leadership of the undeclared naval war in the Atlantic. In addition to the four warlords, Jordan incorporates many important characters into his narrative, including Winston Churchill, Henry Morgenthau, William Franklin Knox, Harold L. Stark, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Hopkins, and others. The first third of the book ends with two events of 1941: the Anglo-American conference to discuss defeating Germany, at Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, in August, and the day of infamy-the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December.Jordan's second part is titled A New Doctor: 1942-1945, and it is the longest part of American Warlords. It begins in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The title is a nod to Roosevelt's famous radio fireside chats in which he sometimes referred to himself as Dr. New Deal, while he sought to cure the U.S. patient of the disease of the Great Depression. During World War II, Roosevelt changed his persona to Dr. …

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