My Dear Mr. Stalin: The Complete Correspondence of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin [Hardcover]

Susan Butler (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2006

My Dear Mr. Stalin is the first publication that contains the complete correspondence between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin. This collection of more than three hundred hot-war messages, never before fully available in any language, is an invaluable primary source for understanding the relationship that developed between these two great world leaders during a time of supreme world crisis.

The correspondence, secret at the time, begins with a letter Roosevelt wrote to Stalin offering aid to the Soviet Union following Hitler’s surprise attack in 1941. It ends with a message that was an attempt to minimize the differences between the two leaders, approved by Roosevelt only minutes before his death in 1945. The book traces the evolution of their unique relationship, revealing the statesmanship of the two men and their thinking about the grave events of their time. An informative introduction to the volume and generous annotations set the letters in context.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This collection is a history junkie's delight. Many of the letters—the final one was approved by Roosevelt only minutes before his death in 1945—are filled with understanding and praise for the sufferings that the U.S.S.R. is going through. Roosevelt expresses this sympathy repeatedly (and understandably, given the wartime miseries of the Soviet Union): "We are filled with admiration for your magnificent resistance," he wrote in August 1942. More interesting, perhaps, are the maneuverings over their differences, most of which are known to students of the war: Stalin's desire for a second front against the Nazis; debates over how to deal with the wartime Polish government and the postwar borders with Poland. There are no big surprises, but the correspondence shows how the groundwork for what would become the Cold War was already in place even when the United States and the U.S.S.R. were allies. Butler's introduction and explanatory text help thread the messages together. Those who read this will gain a firsthand look into the minds of two world leaders thrown together by Hitler and the contingencies of war. (Jan.)
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Review

“This is a very important book of source and reference material which ought to stay in print for many years, and of enduring interest not only for scholarship about Stalin, but perhaps even more about Roosevelt.”—John Lukacs

(John Lukacs )

“My Dear Mr. Stalin is a fascinating historical collection of letters between the two most powerful men on earth—hence this is both highly important and vibrantly human. The result is a captivating book that will be obligatory for all scholars of the Grand Alliance and those interested in how the World War was won.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Potemkin: Catherine the Great’s Imperial Partner and Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar

 

(Simon Sebag Montefiore )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (January 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2952633002
• ISBN-13: 978-2952633000
• ASIN: 0300108540
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,461,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Roosevelt, Franklin D.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Black and White--the Betrayal of Poland, January 23, 2006

By 

William H. Szych "Lt Col, USAF Retired" (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Dear Mr. Stalin: The Complete Correspondence of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin (Hardcover)

The review you posted by Publishers Weekly literally made me want to gag. This book is not a "history junkie's delight"; it is the essence of Poland's 50 year nightmare from 1939 to 1989.

As a retried U.S. military officer and Polish-American baby-boomer whose father fought at places like Iwo Jima during WWII, I have great interest in the betrayal of Poland during WWII. Anyone who knows about the Katyn Forest Massacre (done by Dear Mr. Stalin), the Warsaw Rising of 44 (when Dear Mr. Stalin refused to allow the Allies to come to the aid of the people of Warsaw) and the mass deportations and genocide against the Polish people, will be highly interested in this book.

A great percentage of the letters are about the "Polish Problem." And I am afraid the Polish Problem still exists today whereby people glorify the contributions of the Soviet Union led by a mass-murderer whilst at the same time being almost totally ignorant of the contributions of Poland to the defeat of Nazi Germany. The effectiveness and impact of Poles of the 1st Polish Armored Division, the two Polish Fighter Squadrons during the Battle of Britain, and the Poish heroics and sacrifices at places like Monte Cassino are either unknown or minimized. To this, add the contributions of hundreds of thousands of Polish Americans, sons and grandsons of Poland, like my father and more famous (maybe not so famous) Polish Americans like Col Gabreski and Lt Col Urban.

At Amazon.com, you stock books like "A Question of Honor" which should be read by all those who want to truly know what wartime misery is all about. Shame on anyone who tries to varnish or glorify the abject misery that Stalin (not Hitler) brought to his own people but especially to the Polish nation.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really insightful! Fantastic read and research book, June 21, 2006

By 

Andie Hoett "Andie" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Dear Mr. Stalin: The Complete Correspondence of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin (Hardcover)

This is a really good resource book to have. A friend gave it to me as a gift, and jsut as I thought I already knew everything about WWII, this book surprises me with new facts straight from Stalin and Roosevelt themselves! The book guides you through each president's thought process and how they dance through political fires with wit and strategy. Roosevelt is much more fascinating now that I see how he thinks. I wished this book has some pictures I can refer to. That will be even better. Highly recommended if you want to read about 2 impt leaders and WWII.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roosevelt legacy, September 10, 2009

By 

Rodolfo Torres Rendon (Guadalajara Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Dear Mr. Stalin: The Complete Correspondence of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin (Paperback)

Very nice compilation of Roosevelt writings to Stalin, had he lived a while longer we might've had a better world!