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Driven Patriot: The Life and Times of James Forrestal
A haunting portrait of one of the most fascinating and influential figures of the mid-twentieth century, this biography takes a penetrating look at James Forrestal's life and work. Brilliant, ambitious, glamorous, yet a perpetual outsider, Forrestal forged a career that took him from his working-class origins to the social and financial stratosphere of Wall Street, and from there to policy making in Washington. As secretary of the navy during World War II, he was the principal architect in transforming an obsolescent navy into the largest, most formidable naval force in history. After the war, as the nation's first secretary of defense, he played a major role in shaping the anti-Communist consensus that sustained the U.S. policy of containment during the Cold War. Despite his many achievements, Forrestal's life ended in tragedy with his suicide in 1949.
This absorbing study not only takes an understanding look at the many-sided man but presents an authoritative history of the great but troubled years of America's rise to world primacy. Winner of the 1992 Roosevelt Naval History Prize, the book enjoyed wide acclaim when first published and is now considered a definitive work.
This absorbing study not only takes an understanding look at the many-sided man but presents an authoritative history of the great but troubled years of America's rise to world primacy. Winner of the 1992 Roosevelt Naval History Prize, the book enjoyed wide acclaim when first published and is now considered a definitive work.
608 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 1992
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About the author
Townsend Hoopes
13 books1 followerTownsend Walter Hoopes II was an American historian and government official, who served as Under Secretary of the Air Force from 1967 to 1969.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 6, 2021
There is no shortage of tragic figures in public life. How many famous people, whether by birth or by deed, end up cratering out after reaching high office or significant success in their chosen occupation? Far too many. Of those, how many end up taking their own lives? Even one is too many. Unfortunately, James Forrestal is in that sad category. He is one of the very few high government officials to do so. So, while you go into every biography of a historical figure knowing that the person is going to die, the self-inflicted demise of this man makes for a very somber reading experience.
Forrestal was the last Secretary of the Navy when that position was still of Cabinet rank, and the very first Secretary of Defense, presiding at precisely the time in 1947 when then government underwent a major reorganization that saw the birth of the CIA, the Defense Department, the National Security Council, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Forrestal had been Under Secretary of the Navy first, under Franklin Roosevelt, but acceded to the top job when Navy Secretary Frank Knox died in 1944.
But the biographers, Townsend Hoopes and Douglas Brinkley, do not just focus on Forrestal's time in high office, although that naturally takes up a significant chunk of the book. They cover his entire life, and unlike many biographers, they do not scrimp on the personal side of Forrestal. This was a man who in some ways seemed doomed from the beginning: an unhappy childhood (as soon as he could he moved away and literally stopped communicating with his family - as in they were no longer in his life at all); success at Princeton as a budding student journalist only to abruptly withdraw from the University a few weeks prior to graduation because he was one credit short (he never graduated although he stayed connected to Princeton); someone who desperately wanted success and to make money and have nice things yet disliked those who did make money and had nice things (despite making a career on Wall Street, he was never comfortable there); a person occupying a political position in the government yet someone who despised politics and the nature of getting things done; someone who disliked confrontation yet held jobs that often required that he force people to do things they did not want to do.
Forrestal worked all the time. In some respects, one could say that he worked himself to death, although it is not that straightforward. One of the reasons that he did so is because his personal life (what little he had of it) was a mess. He was an absent father to his two sons and was never close to either of them. His wife, Jo, was an alcoholic who had wildly fluctuating moods even when she was sober. They were a mismatch almost from the start, and Forrestal chose to ignore the warning signs of her poor mental health. She embarrassed him in public at parties. One of the reasons that he stayed at his office so much was to avoid her.
It is painful to read about Forrestal's mental deterioration. He worked at a feverish pace, never letting up after WWII was done, always convinced that a large war with the Soviet Union was just around the corner. He had a good relationship with FDR, but was not close to him. His relationship with Harry Truman was more professional, and also somewhat strained. I got the sense that Forrestal did not respect Truman as much as he did FDR (he would not have been alone in that category at that time), frowning upon Truman's machine politician background and accidental thrust into the presidency. I have to think that Truman may well have sensed this also. Yet he kept Forrestal on and, while not his first choice to be Secretary of Defense, he did choose him and seemed to put up with almost at times insubordinate behavior by Forrestal.
Hoopes and Brinkley manage to keep the narrative flowing throughout most of the book, partially by focusing so much on the personal side of Forrestal. Yes it can start to bog down a bit in discussions over the formation of the Defense Department, but it never felt like a slog. They are admiring of Forrestal but also quick to point out his many flaws, and how oftentimes he was his own worst enemy. I do think they are too uncharitable to FDR, and especially Truman. Not excessively so, but those two were often put in a bad light as compared to Forrestal. For instance, they provide a fairly compelling case that Forrestal had engaged in talks with Thomas Dewey, Truman's 1948 Republican opponent, about remaining as Defense Secretary in the (at that time) widely expected event that Dewey beat Truman. Yet Forrestal was surprised that Truman asked for his resignation prior to the beginning of his second term. Well, what would a rational person expect to happen? Unfortunately, by that point, Forrestal was not very rational (no doubt another reason that Truman replaced him).
The final few chapters deal with his downfall and his legacy. Forrestal committed suicide not quite two months after his resignation took effect. Reading about someone growing old and dying is sad. Reading about someone who dies suddenly in an accident of some sort or who is killed is sad and heartbreaking. Reading about someone who kills himself is sad, heartbreaking, and wrenching. You are left wondering: just what was the final straw that caused him to hang himself out a 16th floor window and then fall? Could someone, anyone, have said something to stop him, even years earlier? What was going through his mind at that moment? Was he at all rational? Or did he think he was being rational? Unanswered questions that he took with him.
The final chapter, and a very brief afterword, discuss Forrestal's legacy. This is balanced and insightful, just like the rest of the book. The last few pages are given to what happened to his wife and two sons (more sad news for all three, especially the sons). Forrestal is someone largely forgotten now, yet he was a critical figure during and after WWII. This book is absolutely worth reading, and he is worth reading about. But remember what comes at the end.
Grade: A-
Forrestal was the last Secretary of the Navy when that position was still of Cabinet rank, and the very first Secretary of Defense, presiding at precisely the time in 1947 when then government underwent a major reorganization that saw the birth of the CIA, the Defense Department, the National Security Council, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Forrestal had been Under Secretary of the Navy first, under Franklin Roosevelt, but acceded to the top job when Navy Secretary Frank Knox died in 1944.
But the biographers, Townsend Hoopes and Douglas Brinkley, do not just focus on Forrestal's time in high office, although that naturally takes up a significant chunk of the book. They cover his entire life, and unlike many biographers, they do not scrimp on the personal side of Forrestal. This was a man who in some ways seemed doomed from the beginning: an unhappy childhood (as soon as he could he moved away and literally stopped communicating with his family - as in they were no longer in his life at all); success at Princeton as a budding student journalist only to abruptly withdraw from the University a few weeks prior to graduation because he was one credit short (he never graduated although he stayed connected to Princeton); someone who desperately wanted success and to make money and have nice things yet disliked those who did make money and had nice things (despite making a career on Wall Street, he was never comfortable there); a person occupying a political position in the government yet someone who despised politics and the nature of getting things done; someone who disliked confrontation yet held jobs that often required that he force people to do things they did not want to do.
Forrestal worked all the time. In some respects, one could say that he worked himself to death, although it is not that straightforward. One of the reasons that he did so is because his personal life (what little he had of it) was a mess. He was an absent father to his two sons and was never close to either of them. His wife, Jo, was an alcoholic who had wildly fluctuating moods even when she was sober. They were a mismatch almost from the start, and Forrestal chose to ignore the warning signs of her poor mental health. She embarrassed him in public at parties. One of the reasons that he stayed at his office so much was to avoid her.
It is painful to read about Forrestal's mental deterioration. He worked at a feverish pace, never letting up after WWII was done, always convinced that a large war with the Soviet Union was just around the corner. He had a good relationship with FDR, but was not close to him. His relationship with Harry Truman was more professional, and also somewhat strained. I got the sense that Forrestal did not respect Truman as much as he did FDR (he would not have been alone in that category at that time), frowning upon Truman's machine politician background and accidental thrust into the presidency. I have to think that Truman may well have sensed this also. Yet he kept Forrestal on and, while not his first choice to be Secretary of Defense, he did choose him and seemed to put up with almost at times insubordinate behavior by Forrestal.
Hoopes and Brinkley manage to keep the narrative flowing throughout most of the book, partially by focusing so much on the personal side of Forrestal. Yes it can start to bog down a bit in discussions over the formation of the Defense Department, but it never felt like a slog. They are admiring of Forrestal but also quick to point out his many flaws, and how oftentimes he was his own worst enemy. I do think they are too uncharitable to FDR, and especially Truman. Not excessively so, but those two were often put in a bad light as compared to Forrestal. For instance, they provide a fairly compelling case that Forrestal had engaged in talks with Thomas Dewey, Truman's 1948 Republican opponent, about remaining as Defense Secretary in the (at that time) widely expected event that Dewey beat Truman. Yet Forrestal was surprised that Truman asked for his resignation prior to the beginning of his second term. Well, what would a rational person expect to happen? Unfortunately, by that point, Forrestal was not very rational (no doubt another reason that Truman replaced him).
The final few chapters deal with his downfall and his legacy. Forrestal committed suicide not quite two months after his resignation took effect. Reading about someone growing old and dying is sad. Reading about someone who dies suddenly in an accident of some sort or who is killed is sad and heartbreaking. Reading about someone who kills himself is sad, heartbreaking, and wrenching. You are left wondering: just what was the final straw that caused him to hang himself out a 16th floor window and then fall? Could someone, anyone, have said something to stop him, even years earlier? What was going through his mind at that moment? Was he at all rational? Or did he think he was being rational? Unanswered questions that he took with him.
The final chapter, and a very brief afterword, discuss Forrestal's legacy. This is balanced and insightful, just like the rest of the book. The last few pages are given to what happened to his wife and two sons (more sad news for all three, especially the sons). Forrestal is someone largely forgotten now, yet he was a critical figure during and after WWII. This book is absolutely worth reading, and he is worth reading about. But remember what comes at the end.
Grade: A-
May 6, 2021
Solid 4 stars, maybe more.
Started reading this book in the middle to correspond with my reading in "The Wise Men" (which I'd recommend highly, by the way). Then went back to the start of the book to learn about his pre-government career and his intellectual development.
Forrestal is a major figure in the development of the U.S. military and also post-WW II policy; he is all the more fascinating because of his very unusual personality and mental breakdown.
Chapter 21 is a fascinating examination of Forrestal's relationship to George Kennan and the "X Article" that led to formalizing the doctrine of containment.
The co-author of this book is Douglas Brinkley in one of his early-career efforts. The research and writing are excellent throughout. The treatment is sympathetic without making excuses for Forrestal's shortcomings.
I purchased another, earlier bio of Forrestal at the same time as I purchased this (by Arnold Rogow), but not sure I really need to read it (completely) now.
Started reading this book in the middle to correspond with my reading in "The Wise Men" (which I'd recommend highly, by the way). Then went back to the start of the book to learn about his pre-government career and his intellectual development.
Forrestal is a major figure in the development of the U.S. military and also post-WW II policy; he is all the more fascinating because of his very unusual personality and mental breakdown.
Chapter 21 is a fascinating examination of Forrestal's relationship to George Kennan and the "X Article" that led to formalizing the doctrine of containment.
The co-author of this book is Douglas Brinkley in one of his early-career efforts. The research and writing are excellent throughout. The treatment is sympathetic without making excuses for Forrestal's shortcomings.
I purchased another, earlier bio of Forrestal at the same time as I purchased this (by Arnold Rogow), but not sure I really need to read it (completely) now.
September 13, 2024
Driven Patriot: The Life And Times of James Forrestal by Townsend Hoopes and Douglas Brinkley is a lifelong biography of the United States guest Secretary of Defense James Forrestal.
This is an outstanding biography that is not for everyone as it is over 600 pages and is detail packed on the life of James Forrestal (1892-1949) ending with his tragic suicide while being treated at Bethesda Naval Hospital.
He began his professional life in bond sales with Dillon Reed, later becoming a partner, vice-president, and later president of Dillon Reed.
James Forrestal served in World War I as a lieutenant. He later served under Frank Knox as Under Secretary of the Navy and later succeeded him as Secretary of the Navy. Attributed as the man responsible for creating the U.S. Navy, which fought World War II. He was a witness to the raising of the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima. Was Integral to introducing racial integration in the navy and was then party to the post-war demobilization.
The first Secretary of Defense, he valiantly tried to integrate the Armed services under one civilian authority, a plan he originally opposed as Naval Secretary. He was also an early champion of George Kennan and the policy of containment.
A man who died from suicide after being worn down by 8 years of service to his country and was laid to rest by Pallbearers, which included Herbert Hoover. Dwight Eisenhower, Fred Vinson, Dean Acheson, George Marshall, and Bernard Baruch.
A must-read for serious students of World War. II.
This is an outstanding biography that is not for everyone as it is over 600 pages and is detail packed on the life of James Forrestal (1892-1949) ending with his tragic suicide while being treated at Bethesda Naval Hospital.
He began his professional life in bond sales with Dillon Reed, later becoming a partner, vice-president, and later president of Dillon Reed.
James Forrestal served in World War I as a lieutenant. He later served under Frank Knox as Under Secretary of the Navy and later succeeded him as Secretary of the Navy. Attributed as the man responsible for creating the U.S. Navy, which fought World War II. He was a witness to the raising of the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima. Was Integral to introducing racial integration in the navy and was then party to the post-war demobilization.
The first Secretary of Defense, he valiantly tried to integrate the Armed services under one civilian authority, a plan he originally opposed as Naval Secretary. He was also an early champion of George Kennan and the policy of containment.
A man who died from suicide after being worn down by 8 years of service to his country and was laid to rest by Pallbearers, which included Herbert Hoover. Dwight Eisenhower, Fred Vinson, Dean Acheson, George Marshall, and Bernard Baruch.
A must-read for serious students of World War. II.
December 4, 2019
James Vincent Forrestal was America's first Secretary of Defense, appointed to the cabinet position by President Harry S. Truman in September of 1947. As former Secretary of the Navy under FDR, during WWII, Forrestal continued to be heavily focused on Naval operations even though his new position encompassed all branches of the military.
Because of said loyalties, in 1954 the Navy's first supercarrier was named the USS Forrestal in his honor - 5 years after his death by suicide or assassination. Whichever it was, in February 1949, James V Forrestal fell to his death from the 16th floor of Bethesda Naval Hospital where he was undergoing psychiatric care for severe depression, the cause attributed to the high stress factor of his job, to increasingly erratic behavior, to his forced resignation ordered by Truman.
I bought this comprehensive biography by Townsend Hoopes primarily for a better understanding of circumstances that drove Forrestal insane. There are many conspiracy theories afloat from 24/7 surveillance by Israeli espionage agents, to heated arguments with the Commander-in-Chief regarding appropriations for a strong peacetime military, to anxiety regarding the spector of world communism, and even to becoming 'unglued' because he saw, up close and personal, the bodies of aliens found inside the UFO spacecraft that crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.
Whatever broke James Forrestal, it was an ignoble end for a true patriot... a Driven Patriot, as the title declares.
Because of said loyalties, in 1954 the Navy's first supercarrier was named the USS Forrestal in his honor - 5 years after his death by suicide or assassination. Whichever it was, in February 1949, James V Forrestal fell to his death from the 16th floor of Bethesda Naval Hospital where he was undergoing psychiatric care for severe depression, the cause attributed to the high stress factor of his job, to increasingly erratic behavior, to his forced resignation ordered by Truman.
I bought this comprehensive biography by Townsend Hoopes primarily for a better understanding of circumstances that drove Forrestal insane. There are many conspiracy theories afloat from 24/7 surveillance by Israeli espionage agents, to heated arguments with the Commander-in-Chief regarding appropriations for a strong peacetime military, to anxiety regarding the spector of world communism, and even to becoming 'unglued' because he saw, up close and personal, the bodies of aliens found inside the UFO spacecraft that crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.
Whatever broke James Forrestal, it was an ignoble end for a true patriot... a Driven Patriot, as the title declares.
March 17, 2015
Another "Roaring 20's" banker with Irish Catholic guilt on top of that ends up in charge of the military as our first Secretary of Defense at the very beginning of the Cold War. Mr. Forrestal finishes as being literally insane with paranoia regarding atheistic/satanic Communism in the period 1946 to 1949. Following his decent into insanity makes one wonder at the legality of amphetamines at the time. He suffered from insomnia too as well as paranoid delusions.
July 21, 2007
A really good biography on our first Secretary of Defense and one of the best Navy Secretaries ever. Well researched and well written.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews