The Dark Side of FDR Nobody Talks About - David T. Beito
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What are the hidden criticisms of FDR's presidency?
And I think FDR's policies in many ways delayed recovery. Typically, depressions were over within two to three years. But FDR is sort of fumbling around. And as I said, we still have double digit unemployment in 1940. European countries, other countries in the world generally recover a lot faster than we do. And a lot of that, I think, is because he's doing these weird experiments like the National Recovery Administration. and the triple a which are disasters economically and in many ways the new deal retards a recovery that should have happened much earlier if american history is any guy so i don't buy the argument that he saved the system because i don't think the system was headed towards a revolution
Welcome to Open Book. I am your host, Anthony Scaramucci. Joining me today is a historian and a professor emeritus at the University of Alabama, David Beto. Wrote a great book, FDR, A New Political Life. And David, as you and I had corresponded together, I found this off of the New York Post review of the book, read the book, found it fascinating. I thought it was a good counterdote to some of the pro-FDR, the Dalek books, Comrade Black, et cetera, written over the years. And it was a good historical counter-narrative. But let's start there, if you don't mind.
How did FDR's policies affect economic recovery during the Great Depression?
So tell us a little bit about your background, your work as a historian, and what drew you to re-examine FDR's life and his political career.
All right. Well, I taught at the University of Alabama for... 30 years, and I'm now a professor emeritus there. And I've written on a lot of different topics. I wrote about the history of the welfare state. I wrote about taxpayers' revolts. I wrote about civil rights history. And a few years ago, I did a book about a topic that's always been of interest to me, civil liberties during the New Deal period. The New Deal's War on the Bill of Rights was the title of the book. Out of that, I got a call offering me in advance to write a full biography of FDR. And of course, I jumped at the opportunity. This has always been a fascinating period to me. FDR has always been, you know, he's always loomed large. In my childhood, for example, I saw, you know, he was sort of a hero of my parents in many ways.
What is the significance of the Newport scandal in FDR's early career?
Well, you know, I would say for my grandparents, they also found him to be a hero. You know, most Americans, I would include my grandparents, my parents would say that they grew up thinking that FDR saved the country. But your book argues that he's one of the great political scoundrels. And I guess my first question is related to what's the single most damning thing that you found that even FDR's most ardent critics don't know?
Oh, well, there are a lot of examples. I don't think the Newport scandal is well known. There's been a little bit of writing about it.
Tell us about the Newport scandal.
Well, this occurred while FDR was assistant secretary of the Navy under Woodrow Wilson. And there was this guy that he was investigating. He was a naval officer. He was investigating same-sex relationships in the Navy, right, and trying to force out gays, essentially.
Right.
from the Navy. This investigation was going nowhere, not even the Attorney General, who was no great civil libertarian.
How did FDR handle civil rights issues during his presidency?
Mr. Palmer was interested in funding it, but FDR found out, and he was very supportive of the investigation and took the lead role in it. And he headed a unit in the Navy called Section A. And that was their mission. And what did they do? Well, to root out same-sex relationships, they actually sent in people, spies, basically, to have these relationships with people, to catch them. So it was just that just struck me when I said they really did that. Yes, they really did do that. This was too much even for the period. This is not a very gay friendly period, but there was big pushback against this. And when it was found out and a lot of people was headline news in The New York Times and a lot of people predicted that it was going to end FDR's career.
It didn't. Although it has some interesting long-term implications because only a few weeks after FDR testified before a very hostile Senate committee about the Newport scandal, 1921, he had his first bout of paralysis.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the hidden criticisms of FDR's presidency?
0:00–1:25
2
How did FDR's policies affect economic recovery during the Great Depression?
1:25–2:37
3
What is the significance of the Newport scandal in FDR's early career?
2:37–3:54
4
How did FDR handle civil rights issues during his presidency?
3:54–5:34
5
What were FDR's true motivations behind the New Deal?
5:34–6:47
6
How did FDR's approach to World War II impact the duration of the conflict?
6:47–7:42
7
What are the implications of FDR's unconditional surrender policy?
7:42–8:38
8
How has FDR's legacy shaped modern American politics?
8:38–32:39
Speakers
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