FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information call:
Clifford Laube at (845) 486-7745
The Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidential Library and Museum
presents a conversation and signing
with Peter Shinkle author of
UNITING AMERICA: HOW FDR AND
HENRY STIMSON BROUGHT
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
TOGETHER TO WIN WORLD WAR II
Thursday, February 2, 2023, 6PM
In-person*: Wallace Center at the
FDR Presidential Library and Home
[*local health metrics permitting;
REGISTER HERE]
Online: Streamed live to the
official FDR Library YouTube,
Twitter and Facebook accounts
HYDE PARK, NY -- The FDR Presidential Library and Museum will present a conversation and book signing with Peter Shinkle, author of UNITING AMERICA: HOW FDR AND HENRY STIMSON BROUGHT DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS TOGETHER TO WIN WORLD WAR II, at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2023. The event will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home and streamed live to the official FDR Library YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts. This is a free public event*, but registration is required for in-person attendance. REGISTER HERE. [*local health metrics permitting]
Synopsis:
As Adolf Hitler’s Nazi armies threatened Europe, Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged a divided America to mobilize to defend democracy and freedom. Many Republicans accused FDR of leading the nation needlessly into war and demanded that America remain neutral. On June 20, 1940, FDR shocked the country by announcing that two prominent Republicans would take posts in his cabinet. Henry Stimson, former President Herbert Hoover’s secretary of state, became secretary of war, and Frank Knox, the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 1936, became secretary of the navy.
Roosevelt intended the appointments to build national unity. But building a coalition across party lines was a risky move that could have backfired politically. It also placed a bipartisan relationship at the center of America’s confrontation with global fascism. FDR’s Republican allies went on to play critical roles in leading the war effort, and many bills passed Congress during the war years with strong backing from both parties. Following Roosevelt’s death, Stimson continued to champion bipartisanship under President Truman in the closing chapter of the war. UNITING AMERICA tells the story of how this alliance stands as an historic example of united leadership in a nation scarred by political division.
PETER SHINKLE worked for 19 years as a reporter at various news organizations, including most recently the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He covered the federal court system and wrote investigative stories on subjects ranging from improper disposal of radioactive waste to contamination spread by a lead mining company. He is the author of IKE'S MYSTERY MAN: THE SECRET LIVES OF ROBERT CUTLER.
Please contact Cliff Laube at (845) 486-7745 with questions about the event.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidential Library and Museum
Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration since 1941, the Library preserves and makes accessible to the American people the records of FDR's presidency. The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit fdrlibrary.org.
# # #
