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Roosevelt and Hopkins: An Intimate History
Because it offers a rare insight into the workings of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s wartime diplomacy, this book is the classic account of FDR’s foreign policy during World War II, examining how Harry Hopkins, his friend and confidant, became the president’s “point man” with Stalin, Churchill, de Gaulle, and other allied leaders. It is the inside history of America’s inevitable wartime rise as a great power, written in wonderfully readable prose by White House speechwriter and prize-winning playwright Robert Sherwood.
880 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
About the author
Robert E. Sherwood
48 books14 followersRobert Emmet Sherwood was an American playwright, editor, and screenwriter.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 29, 2020
During the years Harry Hopkins was a guest in the White House, he was generally considered a sinister figure, a backstairs intriguer, a “Iowan combination of Rasputin, Machiavelli and Svengali”. The one who hated him weren’t always Roosevelt’s enemies. Many of FDR’s closest friends and associates passionately disliked Hopkins and resented the extraordinary position of influence and authority he held. He was undeniably a political liability to Roosevelt, a handy target for any kind of attacks directed at the President; many people wondered why Roosevelt even kept him around.
However, the Presidential aide who developed in the war years and who “rendered a service to his country which will never even vaguely be appreciated” was Roosevelt’s own creation. FDR purposefully educated Hopkins in politics and gave him immense powers of decision for no other reason but that he trusted and needed him. A welfare worker and tactless reformer, Hopkins was very different from Roosevelt in all aspects, but he possessed some qualities, which the President enjoyed. Hopkins knew instinctively when to ask, when to be quiet, when to press, and when to hold back.
For Roosevelt, Harry Hopkins was the perfect ambassador. He didn’t even know the meaning of the word “protocol”. When he saw a red tape, he just pulled out the old garden shears and snipped it. And when he was talking to some foreign dignitary, he knew how to slump back in his chair and put his feet on the conference table and say, “Oh yeah?”.
In the final years, a special bond had developed between Roosevelt and Hopkins, probably due to the fact that both men had fought with death at close range. FDR didn’t talk much about the loneliness of high office, but as a naturally sociable person, he wanted to get away from his job now and then, so when he could choose his own company, he preferred to be with old friends and family, which had nothing to do with government. Hopkins, however, achieved his favored position before his encounter with death, and indeed he was not reluctant to use his friendship with the President to pursue his own line of action.
Interestingly, the author of this amazing book was a personal acquaintance of Hopkins and knew that he was planning to write a memoir about FDR. When Harry Hopkins passed away, his son asked Robert E. Sherwood to finish the book. But Sherwood decided to create his own one instead of faking Harry Hopkins, and he did it very, very well. “Roosevelt and Hopkins: An Intimate History” has the elements of a biography, a memoir, a history, and a novel at once. Humorous, detailed, and with brilliant sketches of all characters, it is a masterfully written story of those two imminent men’s friendship, and it exceeded my expectations immensely. Five stars.
However, the Presidential aide who developed in the war years and who “rendered a service to his country which will never even vaguely be appreciated” was Roosevelt’s own creation. FDR purposefully educated Hopkins in politics and gave him immense powers of decision for no other reason but that he trusted and needed him. A welfare worker and tactless reformer, Hopkins was very different from Roosevelt in all aspects, but he possessed some qualities, which the President enjoyed. Hopkins knew instinctively when to ask, when to be quiet, when to press, and when to hold back.
For Roosevelt, Harry Hopkins was the perfect ambassador. He didn’t even know the meaning of the word “protocol”. When he saw a red tape, he just pulled out the old garden shears and snipped it. And when he was talking to some foreign dignitary, he knew how to slump back in his chair and put his feet on the conference table and say, “Oh yeah?”.
In the final years, a special bond had developed between Roosevelt and Hopkins, probably due to the fact that both men had fought with death at close range. FDR didn’t talk much about the loneliness of high office, but as a naturally sociable person, he wanted to get away from his job now and then, so when he could choose his own company, he preferred to be with old friends and family, which had nothing to do with government. Hopkins, however, achieved his favored position before his encounter with death, and indeed he was not reluctant to use his friendship with the President to pursue his own line of action.
Interestingly, the author of this amazing book was a personal acquaintance of Hopkins and knew that he was planning to write a memoir about FDR. When Harry Hopkins passed away, his son asked Robert E. Sherwood to finish the book. But Sherwood decided to create his own one instead of faking Harry Hopkins, and he did it very, very well. “Roosevelt and Hopkins: An Intimate History” has the elements of a biography, a memoir, a history, and a novel at once. Humorous, detailed, and with brilliant sketches of all characters, it is a masterfully written story of those two imminent men’s friendship, and it exceeded my expectations immensely. Five stars.
May 28, 2015
This is a magnificent biography of Harry Hopkins and Franklin Roosevelt. Most of the book is on the war years, starting in 1939 – and this means over eight hundred pages. And it is much more about Harry Hopkins than Franklin Roosevelt.
Harry Hopkins was the New Deal person for President Roosevelt during the Depression. He was chief of the WPA (Works Progress Administration) of the New Deal era – and this is only one of the many relief programs he was involved in. But during the war years he didn’t have a job title! He served as the personal adviser to the President; in fact he lived in the White House for over three years. Hopkins was a dynamo – an action oriented person who would ruthlessly cut through red tape and bypass bureaucratic boundaries. With Hopkins things got done, whether it was making jobs during the Depression or sending Lend-Lease materials over to the embattled Allies. And this was regardless of the cost; which lead to much criticism of Harry Hopkins.
Through much of these years Hopkins was ill, but he still travelled relentlessly, with his load of medications, as a personal emissary of the President. He died in January, 1946.
This is an essential book that gives a deeper understanding of key political events of World War II. Hopkins was at most of them – from being the first U.S. representative to visit Churchill in England in January, 1941 and going to Moscow to meet with Stalin in July of 1941. By “representative” he was directly mandated by Roosevelt to speak on behalf of the President. Hopkins was also at the conferences at Casablanca, Teheran, and Yalta – plus the many that were in the U.S. during Churchill’s many visits.
Many of the excursions to these far-flung areas during war-time read like adventure yarns. For example when Hopkins and Roosevelt set-off for Casablanca they journeyed for two nights from Washington DC to Miami by train. Then took a plane that stopped at Trinidad, then flew onto Belem in Brazil, from there to Banjul in Gambia (at the time called Bathurst) off the coast of Africa (where they took a tour in a whale-motor boat) – and finally boarded another plane for the last trek to Casablanca. The Hopkins journey from London to Moscow in 1941 was even more fraught with danger!
This book was written in 1948 and is very eloquent. The author met many of the key players, besides the two in the title – George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, Eleanor Roosevelt... He had access to all the notes of Harry Hopkins that were made during his travels and conferences. We get many keen observations – for example of the similarities – and differences - in the personalities of Roosevelt and Churchill. The author was part of a team of speech-writers for Roosevelt – and we gain insights of that process.
The author is somewhat in awe of the Roosevelt era, which is something I don’t mind. One can see clearly, in retrospect, how the democratic allies (Churchill and Roosevelt) did not realize that Stalin was a dictator – and not interested in upholding democratic values (human rights, elections...). This may be excused or understood from the point of view that Stalin’s Soviet Union was needed to defeat Nazi Germany.
All-and-all a wonderful book with a personal view of this tumultuous time.
Page 730 (my book)
With the exception of Eisenhower and Nimitz, there was no theater commander in the war who did not feel that he was the most neglected, most abused and most basely cheated of them all, and that if it hadn’t been for Certain Sinister Influences in High Places his theater would have been recognized as the decisive battleground – and he would have been given top priority in the allocation of men and materiel.
Harry Hopkins was the New Deal person for President Roosevelt during the Depression. He was chief of the WPA (Works Progress Administration) of the New Deal era – and this is only one of the many relief programs he was involved in. But during the war years he didn’t have a job title! He served as the personal adviser to the President; in fact he lived in the White House for over three years. Hopkins was a dynamo – an action oriented person who would ruthlessly cut through red tape and bypass bureaucratic boundaries. With Hopkins things got done, whether it was making jobs during the Depression or sending Lend-Lease materials over to the embattled Allies. And this was regardless of the cost; which lead to much criticism of Harry Hopkins.
Through much of these years Hopkins was ill, but he still travelled relentlessly, with his load of medications, as a personal emissary of the President. He died in January, 1946.
This is an essential book that gives a deeper understanding of key political events of World War II. Hopkins was at most of them – from being the first U.S. representative to visit Churchill in England in January, 1941 and going to Moscow to meet with Stalin in July of 1941. By “representative” he was directly mandated by Roosevelt to speak on behalf of the President. Hopkins was also at the conferences at Casablanca, Teheran, and Yalta – plus the many that were in the U.S. during Churchill’s many visits.
Many of the excursions to these far-flung areas during war-time read like adventure yarns. For example when Hopkins and Roosevelt set-off for Casablanca they journeyed for two nights from Washington DC to Miami by train. Then took a plane that stopped at Trinidad, then flew onto Belem in Brazil, from there to Banjul in Gambia (at the time called Bathurst) off the coast of Africa (where they took a tour in a whale-motor boat) – and finally boarded another plane for the last trek to Casablanca. The Hopkins journey from London to Moscow in 1941 was even more fraught with danger!
This book was written in 1948 and is very eloquent. The author met many of the key players, besides the two in the title – George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, Eleanor Roosevelt... He had access to all the notes of Harry Hopkins that were made during his travels and conferences. We get many keen observations – for example of the similarities – and differences - in the personalities of Roosevelt and Churchill. The author was part of a team of speech-writers for Roosevelt – and we gain insights of that process.
The author is somewhat in awe of the Roosevelt era, which is something I don’t mind. One can see clearly, in retrospect, how the democratic allies (Churchill and Roosevelt) did not realize that Stalin was a dictator – and not interested in upholding democratic values (human rights, elections...). This may be excused or understood from the point of view that Stalin’s Soviet Union was needed to defeat Nazi Germany.
All-and-all a wonderful book with a personal view of this tumultuous time.
Page 730 (my book)
With the exception of Eisenhower and Nimitz, there was no theater commander in the war who did not feel that he was the most neglected, most abused and most basely cheated of them all, and that if it hadn’t been for Certain Sinister Influences in High Places his theater would have been recognized as the decisive battleground – and he would have been given top priority in the allocation of men and materiel.
May 8, 2020
An “intimate” narrative of the life and public service of the man who was likely FDR’s closest friend provides a ring-side seat to the New Deal and the Second World War. For those interested in the roles of FDR, Churchill, Stalin, et. al. during the pivotal days of 1940 - 4, this is esstential reading.
August 20, 2013
I found this book compelling and not a slog through the almost 1000 pages. Who would have thought this could have been so interesting. Amazing detail of FDR and Hopkin's work together as well as minute details of meetings,conferences,and plans for Lend Lease as well as plans for the end of the war. It details how much people revered FDR but the ways he had to deal with the isolationists. Shows how politic and international relations worked as well as had many human anecdotes which made the personalities of FDR, Churchill, Stalin and various Generals come alive.
January 31, 2016
I decided to read "Roosevelt and Hopkins: An Intimate History" after seeing David McCullough recommend it as one of his all-time favorite books. Having read most of McCullough's books, I can see why this is one of his favorites, and clearly McCullough learned from Sherwood. Sherwood's book is a comprehensive biography of Harry Hopkins, one of the architects of the New Deal, a person who put more people back to work than most presidents, who served as Secretary of Labor, and who was Franklin Roosevelt's most trusted adviser during the Second World War. No one could ever accuse Sherwood of not being thorough; the book is massive and took me a couple of months to read. Sherwood's accomplishment is a fantastic model for students of history, yet it suffers from a lack of editing. Too often, Sherwood provides pages and pages of primary source material in the text rather than selecting the most important sentences and then providing a summary of the remainder. I got the feeling that Sherwood didn't want to leave anything out, and he certainly didn't. But too frequently he provides far too much source material where the primary sources don't really add to the narrative. He would have benefitted from a competent editor. That criticism aside, the book is fascinating for anyone interested in FDR, the New Deal, and a World War II. Hopkins played a key role in Roosevelt's presidency, and the book capably describes just how important. Sherwood is at his best when describing specific events such as Hopkins' meetings with Churchill and Stalin; you can tell he was trained as a journalist. In these cases, he effectively advances a narrative. Sherwood is less successful when outlining less concrete ideas and policies, and this is where a good editor would have been helpful. Overall, great for those interested in FDR and this era of history.
October 27, 2018
I just finished reading Roosevelt and Hopkins by Robert Sherwood published in 1948. Anderson, a playwright who had become a Roosevelt speechwriter, worked with both Roosevelt and Hopkins and had all of Hopkins notes and papers as source material. He started out to write a conventional biography of the 2 men, but realized he was so close to his subject that he would write in the first person. A brilliant decision because he was able to put the reader unusually close to his subjects, with only a bit of downside because he was able to quote so much. The book is 934 pages of smallish print!
This book was assigned reading in my sophomore American history class in college, and it was an eye opener for me. Part of my interest stems from the fact that it was on my parents bookshelf and I remembered my father reading it—which convinced me my parents knew important things after all! I too enjoyed the book though my decision to reread it came about when I considered how far I had come since 1960/1 when I was a sophomore and how many more connections I could make if I read it now. Back then I identified my father, a tall, slim, straight-haired, Midwesterner, with Harry Hopkins. I see now that my father was really like me, determined to understand our nation's history, particularly in this period. My father lived through that time; I came along at the end. Fittingly, an early memory is of walking in the park across from our house on a spring day which can’t have been all that warm because8 was wearing a sweater. Church bells were ringing, I asked why since it wasn’t Sunday. He told me the President had died.
This book was assigned reading in my sophomore American history class in college, and it was an eye opener for me. Part of my interest stems from the fact that it was on my parents bookshelf and I remembered my father reading it—which convinced me my parents knew important things after all! I too enjoyed the book though my decision to reread it came about when I considered how far I had come since 1960/1 when I was a sophomore and how many more connections I could make if I read it now. Back then I identified my father, a tall, slim, straight-haired, Midwesterner, with Harry Hopkins. I see now that my father was really like me, determined to understand our nation's history, particularly in this period. My father lived through that time; I came along at the end. Fittingly, an early memory is of walking in the park across from our house on a spring day which can’t have been all that warm because8 was wearing a sweater. Church bells were ringing, I asked why since it wasn’t Sunday. He told me the President had died.
March 7, 2014
Absolutely fascinating, and it made me ponder how in hell FDR kept his sanity under the monumental pressure of the events of 1939-45. While we know how it ended, this book takes you inside the highest reaches of power while the war unfolded. Also mind-boggling, the political invective he and Hopkins endured: makes the Tea Party nonsense (birthers, etc.) seem like child's play.
I read this book after finishing "Roosevelt's Second Act: The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War" by Richard Moe, which was also spell-binding.
I read this book after finishing "Roosevelt's Second Act: The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War" by Richard Moe, which was also spell-binding.
September 27, 2016
https://bestpresidentialbios.com/2016...
“Roosevelt and Hopkins: An Intimate History” is Robert Sherwood’s 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Hopkins (a close friend and adviser to FDR). The author was a successful playwright who served as one of FDR’s speechwriters (alongside Hopkins) for nearly five years. Sherwood died in 1955 at the age of 59.
Sherwood wrote this lengthy biography at the request of the Hopkins family following Harry’s death in 1946. After two years of exhaustive research (including access to Hopkins’s uniquely insightful and revealing personal papers) this 934-page tome was published. Esteemed biographer David McCullough recently confessed in a New York Times interview that “Roosevelt and Hopkins” is one of his two favorite presidential-related biographies.
However, while its title suggests this is a dual-biography of FDR and Harry Hopkins (or at least an examination of their relationship) it is much more focused on Hopkins than Roosevelt. And in many respects it is not a biography at all – it is more like a doctoral thesis offering a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the Roosevelt administration’s prosecution of World War II.
Enormous value accrues from the fact the author knew FDR and Hopkins personally. But Sherwood also knew Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower and several other important characters in this cast (with varying levels of familiarity). As a result, the narrative is extremely well-informed and offers a bird’s-eye-view of history from the inside out.
The first one-third of the book (covering ground preceding US involvement in World War II) is exceptional, and here the book proves nearly impossible to put down. These chapters are like sitting in a comfortable chair listening to an old sage tell stories; Sherwood’s writing is engrossing and eloquent, if a bit dated. These early chapters provided one of the most enjoyable “dense” reading experiences I can remember.
Most of the book’s thirty-six chapters, however, focus on the war years. While there is much of interest in these pages, the pace slows significantly and the text becomes much more difficult to navigate. Where the book’s earliest chapters often focus on the fascinating characters surrounding FDR, the narrative in these later chapters devolves into an extremely detailed – almost day-by-day and blow-by-blow – account of the war, with a clear diplomatic, rather than military, emphasis.
But while such a unique perspective could be interesting, the broad strategic strokes of World War II prove elusive and the “tops of the trees” are seldom observed. Instead, the focus is on the forest floor with all its microscopic minutiae. Much of this was (and presumably is) of great interest to historians, but many readers will become lost in a sea of unfamiliar detail. The chapters relating to Hopkins’s visits with Winston Churchill and Stalin, however, are extremely rewarding.
For fans of efficient history it will be regrettable that Sherwood did not resist the temptation to frequently embed lengthy blocks of primary source material in the text. Rarely are there more than a few consecutive pages without multi-paragraph (or even multi-page) quotes from letters, memos, speeches and cables. These add color and substance to the discussion but may well account for one-third (or more) of the book’s length. In a crisply-edited 600-page form this book might be incredible.
Overall, “Roosevelt and Hopkins” offers the reader a unique and richly detailed behind-the-scenes examination of the Roosevelt presidency with an emphasis on 1940-1945 (when the author worked in the administration). Readers seeking a modern, easy-flowing narrative or a comprehensive dual-biography will be disappointed. But as a second or third book on FDR, Sherwood provides the patient reader with a front-row seat to some of America’s most dramatic history.
Overall rating: 3¼ stars
“Roosevelt and Hopkins: An Intimate History” is Robert Sherwood’s 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Hopkins (a close friend and adviser to FDR). The author was a successful playwright who served as one of FDR’s speechwriters (alongside Hopkins) for nearly five years. Sherwood died in 1955 at the age of 59.
Sherwood wrote this lengthy biography at the request of the Hopkins family following Harry’s death in 1946. After two years of exhaustive research (including access to Hopkins’s uniquely insightful and revealing personal papers) this 934-page tome was published. Esteemed biographer David McCullough recently confessed in a New York Times interview that “Roosevelt and Hopkins” is one of his two favorite presidential-related biographies.
However, while its title suggests this is a dual-biography of FDR and Harry Hopkins (or at least an examination of their relationship) it is much more focused on Hopkins than Roosevelt. And in many respects it is not a biography at all – it is more like a doctoral thesis offering a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the Roosevelt administration’s prosecution of World War II.
Enormous value accrues from the fact the author knew FDR and Hopkins personally. But Sherwood also knew Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower and several other important characters in this cast (with varying levels of familiarity). As a result, the narrative is extremely well-informed and offers a bird’s-eye-view of history from the inside out.
The first one-third of the book (covering ground preceding US involvement in World War II) is exceptional, and here the book proves nearly impossible to put down. These chapters are like sitting in a comfortable chair listening to an old sage tell stories; Sherwood’s writing is engrossing and eloquent, if a bit dated. These early chapters provided one of the most enjoyable “dense” reading experiences I can remember.
Most of the book’s thirty-six chapters, however, focus on the war years. While there is much of interest in these pages, the pace slows significantly and the text becomes much more difficult to navigate. Where the book’s earliest chapters often focus on the fascinating characters surrounding FDR, the narrative in these later chapters devolves into an extremely detailed – almost day-by-day and blow-by-blow – account of the war, with a clear diplomatic, rather than military, emphasis.
But while such a unique perspective could be interesting, the broad strategic strokes of World War II prove elusive and the “tops of the trees” are seldom observed. Instead, the focus is on the forest floor with all its microscopic minutiae. Much of this was (and presumably is) of great interest to historians, but many readers will become lost in a sea of unfamiliar detail. The chapters relating to Hopkins’s visits with Winston Churchill and Stalin, however, are extremely rewarding.
For fans of efficient history it will be regrettable that Sherwood did not resist the temptation to frequently embed lengthy blocks of primary source material in the text. Rarely are there more than a few consecutive pages without multi-paragraph (or even multi-page) quotes from letters, memos, speeches and cables. These add color and substance to the discussion but may well account for one-third (or more) of the book’s length. In a crisply-edited 600-page form this book might be incredible.
Overall, “Roosevelt and Hopkins” offers the reader a unique and richly detailed behind-the-scenes examination of the Roosevelt presidency with an emphasis on 1940-1945 (when the author worked in the administration). Readers seeking a modern, easy-flowing narrative or a comprehensive dual-biography will be disappointed. But as a second or third book on FDR, Sherwood provides the patient reader with a front-row seat to some of America’s most dramatic history.
Overall rating: 3¼ stars
February 9, 2022
This is a pretty obscure book about the FDR administration and Harry L. Hopkins’ assistance from the New Deal through WWII and into the formation of the United Nations.
It was written and compiled (there are copious notes) by the playwright Robert Sherwood who was also a part of the FDR Administration.
Even with a perfunctory knowledge of the history of that time, this book enriches the many events which navigated the difficult and often treacherous occurrences from 1933 to 1946. Certainly, there were many contributors to both the tremendous war effort and the response to the Great Depression. Hopkins was an oft-criticized official and, later, unofficial advisor to FDR. His trips overseas during the war to meet with Churchill, Stalin, Chiang Kai-Shek, and many other world leaders is truly remarkable. He was a reasonable and focused force for equity at a time in world history that seemed to have never heard of it. His dedication to FDR was very obvious. His ability to steer Roosevelt or encourage him almost never created insurmountable blocks.
It is a long book; it is not often checked out of my local library—I think the last time was 1963–but at 934 pages it is well worth the read by folks who are interested in that era. Sherwood’s narration, and excellent summation, make it very readable.
It was written and compiled (there are copious notes) by the playwright Robert Sherwood who was also a part of the FDR Administration.
Even with a perfunctory knowledge of the history of that time, this book enriches the many events which navigated the difficult and often treacherous occurrences from 1933 to 1946. Certainly, there were many contributors to both the tremendous war effort and the response to the Great Depression. Hopkins was an oft-criticized official and, later, unofficial advisor to FDR. His trips overseas during the war to meet with Churchill, Stalin, Chiang Kai-Shek, and many other world leaders is truly remarkable. He was a reasonable and focused force for equity at a time in world history that seemed to have never heard of it. His dedication to FDR was very obvious. His ability to steer Roosevelt or encourage him almost never created insurmountable blocks.
It is a long book; it is not often checked out of my local library—I think the last time was 1963–but at 934 pages it is well worth the read by folks who are interested in that era. Sherwood’s narration, and excellent summation, make it very readable.
January 20, 2023
A brilliant biography of the two men that shaped the future of the American economy and foreign policy, written by a dear friend of both. This book provides a fascinating insight in the practical outpourings of their political philosophy.
This book is full of primary source material, which can make it a bit dry at times, as a fair warning to other readers.
This book is full of primary source material, which can make it a bit dry at times, as a fair warning to other readers.
October 29, 2021
An extraordinary book! Winner of 1948 Pulitzer Prize for History.
January 18, 2017
Actually a great book, but far too much detail for my present interest
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews