Book Summary and Reviews of The Mantle of Command by Nigel Hamilton

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L. E. Johnson

"Revisionist History of FDR and Churchill"
This is revisionist history with the usual goals of inverting the historical perspective. As Nigel Hamilton admits in his "Acknowledgements," his goal was to revise the reputations of Churchill, Marshall, MacArthur, and Stimson and that his "main perspective ...is unabashedly that of Franklin D. Roosevelt." Indeed, the book is the apotheosis of FDR. This is accomplished by denigrating the other leaders, especially Churchill. It is apparent from Hamilton's book that neither FDR nor Churchill was well served by the generals and admirals then serving when war broke out. Britain had been in the war two years and had suffered the bombing of London before the first chapter of Hamilton's book begins, thus it should be no surprise that Churchill (and Stalin) was eager for USA to enter the war. One of the promises FDR made in the 1940 presidential campaign was that he would keep USA out of the European war; hence, he could hardly agree with Churchill's hopes before Pearl Harbor. Hamilton does properly give FDR credit for his excellent leadership and insistence on the north African second front and his decision to emphasize Europe first. There is a tendency for military leaders to prepare for the last war; FDR did properly refocused the military thinking. Hamilton second guesses all of FDR's military leaders' suggestions and proposals. General Marshall has "silly" ideas, but there is nary a one from FDR. Churchill is blamed for not producing any military victories by 1942; I would say keeping Great Britain free of invasion and defeat from 1940 to 1942 is a major victory. Roosevelt did rightly assume allied leadership, but what is accomplished by dismissing Churchill with descriptions as "Poor Churchill," "bullheaded, chubby-faced," "pudgy," "menacing," "short, squat, bald, chubby-cheeked." Roosevelt in his wheel chair he claims towers over short Churchill. Hamilton gives an abundance of detailed historical references to support his thesis of FDR's leadership, but bends over backwards to denigrate all other leaders, even blaming MacArthur for FDR's decision to intern Japanese-Americans. Hamilton's book is an interesting read to be put on the pile of books on WWII; he clearly offers a different perspective and that is good in itself; we will see what he has to offer in his second volume.