FDR and His Enemies (review)

FDR and His Enemies. By Albert Fried. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999; pp. xi + 288. $27.95.

According to the popular press, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the greatest U.S. president of the twentieth century. Praised for his eloquence and leadership, particularly for his ability to pull the United States out of the Great Depression, it is easy for people outside of Roosevelt's generation to hold the misperception that the only challenges FDR faced came from outside the United States or from his battle with polio. In fact, many would be surprised to hear the well-praised statesman described as "a rather shallow man . . . lacking definition" (55). Albert Fried's book, FDR and His Enemies, challenges readers to understand the domestic opposition he faced from very powerful and vocal men of his time.

Fried examines the relationships between FDR and five powerful and influential men: Al Smith, Father Coughlin, Huey Long, John L. Lewis, and Charles Lindbergh. Chronologically organized around FDR's political career, this book revisits each of these men in multiple chapters, highlighting how FDR's personal and private politics changed each one's perception of the popular politician.

Beginning with FDR's pre-presidential politics and his subsequent 1932 election, Fried first focuses on Al Smith, Father Coughlin, and Huey Long. Each of these three men began as Roosevelt supporters, but grew to become some of his strongest opponents. This initial chapter paints Roosevelt through the eyes of his supporters as a sort of puppet, with each interested in controlling the strings. Seeing opportunities for themselves in FDR's election, each of the men in the first chapter endorsed Roosevelt. The second chapter begins by focusing on the early years of Roosevelt's extended tenure as president. It also highlights the deterioration of his relationships with the three who so fervently supported him in the 1932 campaign. Rather than succumbing to the pressures around him, Roosevelt emerged as a strong, directed man who "knew America to its depths" (9) and who no longer needed the advice or support of the party and opinion leaders who helped get him elected. Instead, Roosevelt was relying on the public support he was quickly gaining en masse.

The second and third chapters of Fried's book focus on the particular policy differences between Roosevelt and his detractors. Looking at issues such as Long's Share the Wealth movement, the GM strike, and the difficulties with privatized Air Mail carriers, it becomes clear that the fundamental beliefs of men like Long, Lewis, and Lindbergh directly conflicted with Roosevelt's idealistic yet pragmatic approach to government. By this time, even the considerable popularity of "Lone Eagle" Lindbergh was no match for Roosevelt's tenacity and strength.

In chapter four, Fried focuses on the impulse toward isolationism in the face of rising international woes. He looks at the internal strife manifesting itself in the battles of the AFL and CIO, and at Roosevelt's attempts to combine these labor forces. In this chapter, Fried also highlights some of the battles among Roosevelt's enemies, particularly those between Coughlin and Lewis. Fried also outlines the travels of Lindbergh, emphasizing his pro-Germany stance. Overall, Fried lays out very clearly the contrast between Roosevelt's drive to support Britain in "her lonely, desperate resistance to Nazi Germany" (209), Coughlin's staunch isolationism in the face of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Lindbergh's anti-Semitic argument that the Jews were "trying to lead America by the nose" into war (201).

The final chapter summarizes the relationships between FDR and the five men at the end of Roosevelt's life. He reconciled with Smith, even after Smith's departure from politics and the Democratic Party. This was not the case with Coughlin. Quietly directing others, Roosevelt helped silence Coughlin using religious connections and pressure from a supervisory archbishop. Somewhat ironically, Lewis's "golden age" ended up being the age of Roosevelt. Though he outlived FDR by 24 years, Lewis...