A Blueprint for War

One hundred days that set the stage for the American Century.During Franklin Roosevelt’s “First Hundred Days” in 1933, he dealt with a devastating economic crisis; during the summer of 1935, the period historians call his “Second Hundred Days,” he signed transformational social legislation. Less well-known are the hundred days following his reelection in November 1940, to an unprecedented third term in the White House, when he faced a worldwide military and moral catastrophe. All the European democracies except Great Britain had fallen to the ruthless Nazi forces, and Japan had extended its tentacles deeper into China. Susan Dunn brings to life the most vital and consequential months of FDR’s presidency in the winter of 1940–41, when he initiated the crucial programs and approved the strategic plans for America’s leadership in World War II. As the nation began its transition into the preeminent military, industrial, and moral power on the planet, FDR laid out the stunning blueprint for the American Century.