There is a misspelled word in the last paragraph of page 65 and a missing word on the last line on page 66.
Interesting minutia: "Drole de guerre" is French for "Phony War." The Germans called it "Sitzkreig."
Starting on page 110, the author gives the historical background for the two-term presidency. Its more than just Washington choosing not to run for a third term.
Footnote 26 on page 118: It would have been nice if the author mentioned where this story was published and how it got to the media. The book lauds Roosevelt unabashedly; I would like to think the author didn't not include this because it went against his thesis.
Page 121: The author says the allied troops at Gallipoli were "systematically annihilated." Surely that is an exaggeration.
Page 131: I wish more was written about New Dealer criticism of Roosevelt for using the private sector for military industrialization. The Democrats similarly criticized President Trump in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
Page 132: The mysterious three-day halt of the German advance toward Dunkirk; apparently it was not that mysterious, at least according to Wikipedia.
Page 168: Gerald Ford later called 1940 GOP national committeeman Frank McKay, a "crook." It would have been nice to know why.
I would love to know more about Russian-born theosophist Nicholas Roerich whose correspondence with Henry Wallace nearly torpedoed the latter's chances for the vice presidency. ( )

Though ostensibly an account of the presidential election of 1940, Richard Moe's book is essentially the history of a decision — specifically, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's decision to go against nearly a century and a half of American political tradition and run for a third term. It was an incredibly critical choice, one with momentous significance for Roosevelt's historical legacy, American political history, and indeed even the history of the world itself, for it determined that it would be he rather than a successor who would lead the United States to war in December 1941 and to the cusp of victory less than four years later.

Roosevelt's decision was also an incredibly controversial one, though, as it flew in the face of decades of presidential custom. One of the strengths of Moe's book is his summary of the two-term tradition itself, in which he argues that it was really not until well into the 19th century that serving only eight years as president became a standard expectation of presidential office holders. Yet even before Franklin Roosevelt became president in 1933 that custom was fraying at the edges, as Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and even (unacknowledged by Moe) Wilson all had sought to extend their terms, Franklin Roosevelt himself seemed accepting of it until the outbreak of the war in Europe, when the worsening geopolitical situation led him to reconsider. Part of the issue for Roosevelt was his low assessment of his potential successors from the party's ranks, namely John Nance Garner and James Farley, The lack of a clear heir led Roosevelt to conclude that he needed to run for another term, a decision that then had to be managed into a staged "draft" at the Democrats convention in an effort to counter animosity to defying the longstanding tradition.

Moe's book offers an interesting look at how Roosevelt made his momentous choice within the context of politics and world war. Yet there is little that is original in Moe's account, as he relies mainly on the mass of secondary works about Roosevelt and his contemporaries in order to construct his narrative. His dependency on them invariably channels him towards a standard narrative that makes the same points as many of the previous authors (such as the ultimately unverifiable view that, but for the issue of war, Roosevelt's Republican opponent Wendell Willkie would have won in 1940), with little fresh consideration of the subject. In this respect, Moe's book is a useful examination of an event fully justifying its inclusion in a series about the "pivotal moments in American history," but one that ultimately has little that is new to say about its subject. ( )

A really well written look at Franklin Roosevelt’s run for a third term as President in 1940 and the impending war that convinced him to stand for a third term. Richard Moe rivals David McCullough in being able to turn what could be a dry recitation of history into a real page turner. He does an excellent job weaving the events that would ultimately involve the United States into WWII with Roosevelt’s eventual decision to run again for President. Historical figures that don’t get much ink now such as Wendell Willkie, James Farley, and John Nance Garner are brought to life. A few things stood out for me.

First, despite his well deserved reputation as a master politician, Roosevelt often let pure stubbornness derail him. His misguided and arrogant effort to pack the supreme court hurt him with Congress and Democratic Party movers and shakers right up until the U.S. entered WWII. And his insistence that Henry Wallace be named his running mate almost caused the 1940 Democratic convention to end in chaos, to the point where FDR had actually drawn up a statement declining the nomination when it appeared the delegates would defy him and nominate Speaker William Bankhead of Alabama instead. Fortunately they did not, as Bankhead would die two months later. Only a last minute save engineered by Frances Perkins and Eleanor Roosevelt saved the day and Wallace was nominated.

Second, history has often glossed over the inner turmoil Roosevelt felt at running for a third term. Politicians are usually – and(not without some justification – viewed as only interested in a craven lust for power. That does not seem to be the case here. Roosevelt was very conflicted about the prospect of another term and seemed to genuinely wish to step down. Only the fact he could not identify a clear successor that would carry on the progressive policies he had started, and his desire to make sure the United States did not sit back as Naziism spread through Europe induced him to run for a third term.

Third was the closeness of the 1940 election. The Republicans nominated a very appealing candidate in Wendell Willkie. He was young, charismatic, an internationalist, and up to a year before the 1940 campaign a Democrat and New Deal supporter. As election day drew near it was clear the momentum was with Willkie, and many in the Democratic Party viewed a Roosevelt defeat as a distinct possibility. On election night, as the first returns came in Roosevelt himself believed he might be defeated. Moe really draws out the tension here. Even though I obviously knew what the outcome would be I still found myself getting drawn in by the uncertainty of it.

Lastly, even though I knew from the outset that this book was limited to the events surrounding the 1940 election and Roosevelt’s effort to prepare the country for the possibility that the country would be drawn into war, I was disappointed at the abrupt end of the book. I guess it is a testament to Moe’s ability as a writer that I felt this way, but it did feel incomplete to me.

There have been thousands of books written about Franklin Roosevelt, many of them very good. This book belongs in that category. If you have any interest in politics, FDR, or the events precipitating the U.S. entry into WWII this book is for you.

Highly Recommended! ( )