Recommended by
- Marc Andreessen: "Six books on the deep history of the American right." source ↗
Summary
Susan Ronald examines Joseph P. Kennedy's tumultuous tenure as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1940, during which he advocated appeasement of Nazi Germany and opposed American entry into World War II. The book draws on diplomatic cables, personal correspondence, and intelligence reports to reveal Kennedy's increasingly strained relationships with President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. It argues that Kennedy's isolationism and defeatism damaged Anglo-American relations and nearly cost him his political future.