I have started reading Nigel Hamilton's trilogy on FDR as Commander in Chief during the Second World War.

[NNadir]

8. Thank you for the nice reading list. I'm certainly impressed by the first book of the trilogy.

I've been to Springwood (New Hyde Park) twice, with my wife, the second time to attend a seminar on the Four Freedoms speech. The first was to see an exhibit on the decision to seek a fourth term. From that exhibit one could learn that his doctors certainly didn't expect him to survive it. His medical records were displayed when I was there, including some writings of his daughter Anna on his health. He was clearly in heart failure with blood pressure through the roof. (They had a video of the Fala speech, where he overcame his illness to appear vital.) This has always led me to wonder about the selection of Truman to displace Wallace. It proved to be an inspired choice, but certainly not an obvious one to anyone living at the time.

One comes away from touring the museum with a sense of FDRs domestic policy as preeminent. The war is there, of course but it's not at the forefront of the displays. Mostly it focuses on the New Deal.

Thanks for the suggested reading list. I doubt I'll get to all of it, but I have placed the full trilogy in my reading time budget, which is very stretched.