The Hidden Campaign: FDR's Health and the 1944 Election

by Hugh E. Evans

Overview

In early 1944, with the outcome of World War II by no means certain, many in the United States felt that FDR, as wartime Commander-in-Chief, was an indispensable part of prosecuting the war to a victorious conclusion. Yet although only 62, Roosevelt was mortally ill with congestive heart disease - a fact that was carefully shielded from the American public prior to the election of 1944. In a media environment where we get more details about politicians' health than we sometimes prefer, it is hard to imagine how a paper as authoriative as The New York Times could describe FDR's death as "sudden and unexpected" on its front page. Dr. Hugh Evans looks at the issue of Roosevelt's health not only from a medical ethics perspective, but also with a keen eye for the political and media considerations that led to the decision to run and not disclose the extent of Roosevelt's illness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765608550
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/31/2002
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Twentieth-Century Presidency: A High-Risk Occupation; Chapter 2 Pre-Presidential Years: The Defining Experiences; Chapter 3 Presidential Years 1933–1943: The Picture of Health; Chapter 4 Presidential Years 1943–1944: Decline and Deception; Chapter 5 Presidential Years 1944–1945: The Last Campaign; Chapter 6 “The Day of the Lord, April 12, 1945”; Chapter 7 Lessons for the Twenty-First Century;

Editorial Reviews

In contrast to positions on the U.S. Supreme Court and to a lesser extent in Congress, the Presidency is a "killing job" for its occupant. On average, presidents die much earlier than their counterparts in the general population. Written by a professor of medicine (New Jersey Medical Sch.), this book surveys the medical condition of Franklin D. Roosevelt, America's only president to be elected four times. Critics have always charged that in 1944 the Democrats ran a dead man whose health undermined negotiations with the Soviets on the postwar world order at Yalta in early 1945, the year of the President's death. This volume makes it clear that FDR boasted excellent health at least during his first two terms and that he generally enjoyed himself until the end, despite suffering from serious hypertension. Evans points out that both the presidential and vice-presidential candidates on the 1940 Republican ticket, seemingly in robust health, died in 1944. Though much of this material is known to scholars, it is here evaluated in objective and readable manner. In offering a "third opinion" based on medical and historical evaluation of FDR's health, Evans raises serious questions regarding the health of political leaders in the nuclear age. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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