Status Updates From Roosevelt's Secret War: FDR...

While interesting, it’s just a hodgepodge of anecdotes about FDR’s presidency and some events impacting it during WW2. Many, but not all, are espionage-related, but some are political, some personal, and some just events. It seems to generally be following the timeline of the war but it also jumps back and forth a lot, often without clarity as to the date currently being discussed.

There are a lot of anecdotal stories that aren’t espionage-related. It’s also a little hard to follow as the dates seem all jumbled and unclear. It jumps back and forth and all around.

Interesting to see Operation Torch mentioned in view of having just read “An Army at Dawn” about the North African campaign.

Seems FDR has a flair for the fantastical, preferring independent, rambunctious actors over more conventional intelligence. This, despite proven benefits of interceptions and decrypts.

May 42, 8 Germans apprehended for “attempted sabotage” (Operation Pastorius). FDR called for treason against 2 US citizens & death for others even tho hadn’t done anything but land in US. He argued they’d crossed battle lines, including naval coastal patrols. FDR moved cases to military tribunals. 7 GOs convicted 8 defendants, sentenced to death. So Bush’s “enemy combatants” isn’t so novel after all.

Donovan is given the nebulous job of Coordinator of Information in Spring 1941. Don’t want to step on the Office of Naval Intelligence, Army’s Military Intelligence Division, or FBI.

Oh, and it seems FDR likes to split stuff up and play games, sort of a divide and conquer. But the author paints him as anti-Hitler from at least 1940.

It’s interesting to get some insight into how FDR ran things as president.