A.J. Baime

The Accidental President is a well-written account of President Harry S Truman’s first four months in office, spanning the period between FDR’s death and the end of WWII. Even with a seasoned president at the helm this would have been a critical time in US and world history which to me is why a reluctant VP stepping up to make some of the most crucial decisions in history is fascinating to read about. It’s rare to find an author who can explain historical events and timelines this clearly and also describe historical figures so well they come across as convincingly real human beings. Easily 5 stars.… (altro)

This book is an excellent read. For anyone who wants to know more about the intrigue of Washington, DC and how FDR ran the White House and the WWI war effort, this book is a must read. Baime reveals to the reading the character and ethical backbone of Harry S. Truman the man, the leader, and the husband and father who assumed the reigns of government at an unbelievable difficult time in this nation's history. As I have been reading this ebook, my father's words about HST kept ringing in my head, "History will be kind to HST and reveal the caliber of this man and his character. The press was not nice to him during his time in office, but history will bear out who he was and what he did for our country."… (altro)

In continuing my studies of World War II in conjunction with my presidential biographies, this book was extremely informative not only about how FDR worked to create the American war armaments industry but also how the manufacturing companies accepted the assignments that they were tasked to provided during the war.

Even though the American public was aware of the conflict in Europe, it wasn't until the attack on Pearl Harbor they the American people realized how the war was going to impact them as well. Even though FDR made efforts to transition the automotive industry to assist with military supplies, there were companies that were reluctant to get involved.

The main focus of this book was on the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford was very unwilling to change anything at his plants. As an isolationist along with his friend Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford felt that the US should stay out of Europe's problems. Lindbergh and Ford both received golden Nazi medals from Hitler for their stance. Fortunately, for the war effort, Henry Ford's son, Edsel, was in charge of the plants and he accepted the task of changing the assembly lines from to autos to planes. His vision of completing the construction of one B24 bomber every hour took over his life and he battled constantly with his father about it. Without Ford and other companies, the results of World War II may have been very different. FDR wanted the auto industry to provide 80% of the tanks, 33% of machine guns, 100% of cars and trucks.

What fascinated me most was the volume that the "Arsenal of Democracy" (FDR's term) produced by companies you wouldn't relate with making a particular item.

Kleenex Tissue company built .50 caliber machine gun mounts
An orange squeezer maker produced bullet molds
A casket builder made airplane parts. A pinball-machine maker created Armor piercing shells
GM made aircraft engines and Wildcat fighter planes.
Packard manufactured marine and aviation engines.
Dodge was responsible for gyrocompasses, shortwave radar sets, and ambulances
Chrysler made field kitchens, and .50 caliber machine guns,
Studebaker made troop transporters
Cadillac built tanks and howitzer cannons
Chevrolet fashioned 75 MM high explosive shells
Oldsmobile made cannon shells

But the biggest contribution came from Ford who not only erected an entirely new plant at Willow Run that was more than seven million square feet of floor space but one that was large enough to assemble a B24 bomber within it. The bomber was 66' long, 18' tall, and had 110' wingspan. They assembled 6,972 B24 in 3 years averaging 200 bombers a month.

The book was well-written and even though the topic wasn't the cheeriest, it moved along well and kept your attention.

TREMENDOUS EFFORTS OF THE GREATEST GENERATION reflected in a great book.… (altro)