FDR and His Enemies

Not since the Civil War was America so riven by conflict as it was during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. His bold initiatives and his willingness to break historic precedent in handling the Great Depression and the coming of World War II were challenged by giant figures of the era, powerful public men each with their own fierce constituencies. Albert Fried brings out the tremendous drama in Roosevelt's ideological and personal struggle with five influential men: ex-New York governor and presidential candidate Al Smith, the enormously popular "radio priest" Charles E. Coughlin, Louisiana Senator Huey Long, labor champion John L. Lewis, and the universally adored aviator Charles A. Lindbergh. An enthralling story of a critical period in this century's history,FDR and His Enemiesreveals the intellectual, moral, and tactical underpinnings of a great debate in which Roosevelt always triumphed.

Albert Fried is Professor of history at the State University of New York, Purchase. He has published many books and was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. His most recent works are Communism in America; McCarthyism: The Great American Red Scare; and The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America.