Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II / Edition 1

by Waldo Heinrichs

Overview

As the first comprehensive treatment of the American entry into World War II to appear in over thirty-five years, Waldo Heinrichs' volume places American policy in a global context, covering both the European and Asian diplomatic and military scenes, with Roosevelt at the center.
Telling a tale of ever-broadening conflict, this vivid narrative weaves back and forth from the battlefields in the Soviet Union, to the intense policy debates within Roosevelt's administration, to the sinking of the battleship Bismarck, to the precarious and delicate negotiations with Japan. Refuting the popular portrayal of Roosevelt as a vacillating, impulsive man who displayed no organizational skills in his decision-making during this period, Heinrichs presents him as a leader who acted with extreme caution and deliberation, who always kept his options open, and who, once Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union stalled in July, 1941, acted rapidly and with great determination. This masterful account of a key moment in American history captures the tension faced by Roosevelt, Churchill, Stimson, Hull, and numerous others as they struggled to shape American policy in the climactic nine months before Pearl Harbor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195061680
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/01/1990
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	302
Product dimensions:	8.54(w) x 5.54(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Waldo Heinrichs is Professor of History at Temple University. He is the author of American Ambassador: Joseph C. Grew and the Development of the U.S. Diplomatic Tradition.

Table of Contents

	Prologue	3
1	March 1941: The Aura of German Power	13
2	April: Balancing Risks	32
3	May: Guarding the Atlantic Line	57
4	June: The Russian Factor	92
5	July: Containment of Japan	118
6	August-September: Crossing the Threshold	146
7	October-November: Race Against Time	180
	Epilogue: Japan Attacks	215
	Notes	221
	Bibliography	261
	Index	269

Editorial Reviews

"Among all of the many studies of American entry into World War II, Threshold of War stands out as one of the most thoughtful and meaningful. Heinrichs brilliantly demonstrates the interrelationship of policies toward both Germany and Japan against the background of the world conflict."—Frank Friedel, Harvard University

"A long-needed account of Franklin Roosevelt's diplomacy in the nine months leading up to American entry into World War II."—Robert A. Divine, University of Texas, Austin

"A work that should stand the test of time as a definitive, balanced picture of...[Roosevelt]."—Kirkus Reviews

"A compelling story of Roosevelt's road to war...Likely to remain the most authoritative account of the coming of the Pacific war."—Akira Iriye, University of Chicago

"The narrative is so well paced that it often reads like a thriller...[Heinrichs] not only advances the debate over U.S. intervention in the Second World War but also helps us to understand why the historical profession, despite all of the bitter criticism that has been leveled at him, persists in ranking Franklin D. Roosevelt as the greatest American president save Lincoln."—William E. Leuchtenburg, The Atlantic

"[A] thoughtful, scholarly book."—The Washington Times

"[A] well-written and -researched history of the U.S. entry into World War II...A worthy successor to William Langer's and L. Everett Gleason's classic, Challenge to Isolation."—Library Journal

"Heinrichs tells a tale of deft executive maneuvering, rendered all the more difficult 'by a chaotic supply of intelligence'—decrypted messages, propaganda, and rumors."—The Wilson Quarterly

"The best synthesis we have of U.S. diplomatic and military history immediately before Pearl Harbor...A deeply researched and splendidly written book."—Robert Dallek, University of California, Los Angeles

"An expert examination of FDR's formulation of policy in the nine critical months before Pearl Harbor. With graceful prose and persuasive detail [Heinrichs] carefully reconstructs the successive choices that confronted FDR in different global theaters as he tried to coordinate moves in the Atlantic with diplomacy toward Japan."—Diplomatic History

"A masterful and valuable contribution to the existing literature...In his meticulously researched book, Heinrichs focuses on the diplomatic and strategic thinking and practice of Roosevelt's government that led to the participation of the United States in the European and Far Eastern Wars."—International History Review

"One of the best treatments of the subject I have ever read...The research is excellent and so thorough...an example of micro-history at its best."—Albert Erlebacher, DePaul University

"Heinrichs's book is outstanding, deserving to be read and studied. Its style is clear, its research thorough, and its conclusions persuasive."—Teaching History

"The inherent drama of the onrushing world catastrophe, coupled with [Heinrichs'] own writing skill, results in a surprisingly readable book."—Kliatt Young Adults Paperback Guide

From the Publisher