The Ambassador: Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940

Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the truth about Joseph P. Kennedy's deeply controversial tenure as Ambassador to Great Britain on the eve of World War II.

On February 18, 1938, Joseph P. Kennedy was sworn in as US Ambassador to the Court of St. James. To say his appointment to the most prestigious and strategic diplomatic post in the world shocked the Establishment was an understatement: known for his profound Irish roots and staunch Catholicism, not to mention his “plain-spoken” opinions and womanizing, he was a curious choice as Europe hurtled toward war.

Initially welcomed by the British, in less than two short years Kennedy was loathed by the White House, the State Department and the British Government. Believing firmly that Fascism was the inevitable wave of the future, he consistently misrepresented official US foreign policy internationally as well as direct instructions from FDR himself. The Americans were the first to disown him and the British and the Nazis used Kennedy to their own ends.

Through meticulous research and many newly available sources, Ronald confirms in impressive detail what has long been believed by many: that Kennedy was a Fascist sympathizer and an anti-Semite whose only loyalty was to his family's advancement. She also reveals the ambitions of the Kennedy dynasty during this period abroad, as they sought to enter the world of high society London and establish themselves as America’s first family. Thorough and utterly readable, The Ambassador explores a darker side of the Kennedy patriarch in an account sure to generate attention and controversy.

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The Ambassador: Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940

Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the truth about Joseph P. Kennedy's deeply controversial tenure as Ambassador to Great Britain on the eve of World War II.

On February 18, 1938, Joseph P. Kennedy was sworn in as US Ambassador to the Court of St. James. To say his appointment to the most prestigious and strategic diplomatic post in the world shocked the Establishment was an understatement: known for his profound Irish roots and staunch Catholicism, not to mention his “plain-spoken” opinions and womanizing, he was a curious choice as Europe hurtled toward war.

Initially welcomed by the British, in less than two short years Kennedy was loathed by the White House, the State Department and the British Government. Believing firmly that Fascism was the inevitable wave of the future, he consistently misrepresented official US foreign policy internationally as well as direct instructions from FDR himself. The Americans were the first to disown him and the British and the Nazis used Kennedy to their own ends.

Through meticulous research and many newly available sources, Ronald confirms in impressive detail what has long been believed by many: that Kennedy was a Fascist sympathizer and an anti-Semite whose only loyalty was to his family's advancement. She also reveals the ambitions of the Kennedy dynasty during this period abroad, as they sought to enter the world of high society London and establish themselves as America’s first family. Thorough and utterly readable, The Ambassador explores a darker side of the Kennedy patriarch in an account sure to generate attention and controversy.

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The Ambassador: Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940

The Ambassador: Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940

by Susan Ronald
The Ambassador: Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940

The Ambassador: Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940

by Susan Ronald

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Overview

Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the truth about Joseph P. Kennedy's deeply controversial tenure as Ambassador to Great Britain on the eve of World War II.

On February 18, 1938, Joseph P. Kennedy was sworn in as US Ambassador to the Court of St. James. To say his appointment to the most prestigious and strategic diplomatic post in the world shocked the Establishment was an understatement: known for his profound Irish roots and staunch Catholicism, not to mention his “plain-spoken” opinions and womanizing, he was a curious choice as Europe hurtled toward war.

Initially welcomed by the British, in less than two short years Kennedy was loathed by the White House, the State Department and the British Government. Believing firmly that Fascism was the inevitable wave of the future, he consistently misrepresented official US foreign policy internationally as well as direct instructions from FDR himself. The Americans were the first to disown him and the British and the Nazis used Kennedy to their own ends.

Through meticulous research and many newly available sources, Ronald confirms in impressive detail what has long been believed by many: that Kennedy was a Fascist sympathizer and an anti-Semite whose only loyalty was to his family's advancement. She also reveals the ambitions of the Kennedy dynasty during this period abroad, as they sought to enter the world of high society London and establish themselves as America’s first family. Thorough and utterly readable, The Ambassador explores a darker side of the Kennedy patriarch in an account sure to generate attention and controversy.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781250238733
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date: 08/03/2021
Sold by: Macmillan
Format: eBook
Pages: 400
Sales rank: 523,233
File size: 14 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Born and raised in the United States, SUSAN RONALD is a British-American biographer, historian, and author of several books, including Conde Nast, A Dangerous Woman, Hitler’s Art Thief, and Heretic Queen. She lives in rural England with her writer husband.
Born and raised in the United States, SUSAN RONALD is a British-American biographer and historian of more than half a dozen books, including Conde Nast, The Ambassador, A Dangerous Woman, Hitler’s Art Thief, and Heretic Queen. She lives in rural England with her writer husband.

Table of Contents

Joseph Patrick Kennedy Family Tree xi

Note on Names and Spelling xiii

Prologue xix

Part I The Winters of Our Discontent

1 The President's Man 3

2 An Imperfect Family Portrait 17

3 The Presidential Envoy 23

4 The Importance of being Catholic 30

5 Project Kennedy 40

6 "The Loaded Pause" 46

7 The Movie Mogul and the Trade Deal 56

8 The Last Family Christmas 61

Part II Sunshine at the Court of St. James's

9 The Celebrity Ambassador 73

10 Hitting the Ground Running 79

11 "Spring Manoeuvres" 88

12 The Pilgrims 98

13 The English Swans 106

14 Trading Insults 118

15 The Emerald Isle and "Case Green" 127

16 To Be Or Not To Be - President 136

17 Return to Albion 145

18 A French Interlude 155

Part III Sunset and "The Gathering Storm"

19 The "Faraway Country" 163

20 Trafalgar Day 179

21 The Ambassador and the Jews 189

22 A Welter of Ruffled Feathers 202

23 A Coronation to Remember 212

24 "A Wave of Perverse Optimism" 220

25 The Last Season 230

26 This Country is at War with Germany" 240

Part IV Into the Darkness

27 Sinking the SS Athenia 257

28 "Depressed Beyond Words" 265

29 "Beware the Bear" 277

30 Shadowing Welles 286

31 Kennedy and the "King's Weather" 298

32 A Treacherous Friend 309

33 "Jittery Joe" 318

34 Come Hell or High Water 328

35 The Dragon Slayers 339

Epilogue 351

Author's Note and Acknowledgments 363

Dramatis Personae 367

Notes 377

Selected Bibliography 417

Index 427

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