Customer Reviews

FDR's Deadly Secret

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In today's world if the president has a hangnail, I'm sure that a reporter will note it and within seconds the information will be all over the world and a topic of discussion on CNN, Fox News, Twitter, Facebook and every other medium of communication on the face of the earth. When Pres Obama and the French President glanced at a woman's butt as she walked by, it made national news!

Such was clearly not the case in the age of FDR. Here was a president who could go and spend a day with his former mistress Lucy Mercer Rutherford in her Aiken, S.C. home and make trips to doctors and hospitals without the item being news worthy. Contemporary Americans find it hard to believe that the vast majority of Americans and the world did not know that FDR was bound to his wheelchair, a secret that was maintained through the cooperation of the media who never photographed him in his wheelchair or getting in and out of a vehicle. Even in the 1960's it's hard to imagine that the relationships that JFK had - which I believe were somewhat exagerated now - but none the less existed to some extent went without media coverage. Today the guest list at the White House is always known. Every move the president makes seems like news. In the "good old days" politicians, candidates and other public figures got by with a lot until Gary Harte got caught on his boat. In our age of paparazzi news coverage, the age of FDR seems much like the stone age.


FDR was only 62 at the time of his death, but from the accounts in this book, he had the body of a man 30 years his senior with numerous health issues. It is surprising to find out his real age at time of death, because most people having only known him from his pictures assume that he was much older. The authors make a good case for the fact that FDR had cancer that caused his death. They also raise serious questions about the physicians who surrounded FDR - what were their motives? Did they act at the direction of FDR or on their own? The truth will never be known.


This is an extremely readable and interesting book for the first time student of FDR and the person with prior knowledge of the President and his life. There are references to the health of other presidents and the concluding chapter has an interesting recap of the issues regarding changes in presidential succession.

Although there is a good deal of speculation because of the lack of verified records as to many of the facts, the book is well footnoted. However, I found some of the astericks distracting. For the most part, the infomation included could have been included in the text of the work.

I'm surprised a publisher like Public Affairs would put out a book with such poor scholarship and sloppy editing as this one. It's the kind of thing I expect from Regnery Publishing. I immediately spotted an error to the effect that Franklin Roosevelt's 1944 acceptance speech (which was delivered via radio while he was aboard a train) was the first time he had not appeared at the Democratic National Convention to accept the nomination personally. Not true. He accepted the 1940 nomination via an address from the White House. (By the way, it was FDR who began the tradition of the nominee accepting his nomination at the convention.)

The thesis of the book is that Roosevelt was in much worse shape for longer in his presidency than has ever been revealed publicly. This has been raised in the media before. In 1979, a doctor named Harry Goldsmith postulated that FDR may have had malignant melanoma. This is based on photographs of FDR showing a dark spot over his left eye that appeared in the late-1920s, slowly grew, then mysteriously disappeared in 1942. The authors pick up on this, further theorizing that, by the time of his death, FDR's (unproven) melanoma had metastasized into stomach and brain cancer. The authors state that it was stomach cancer which caused FDR's weight loss in 1944, and that several incidents when the President seemed "out of it" were seizures caused by brain cancer.

The book's preface is illustrative of the flaws in the authors' work. It recounts FDR's address to the Congress after his return from the Yalta conference in 1945. There were a large number of verbal stumbles in that speech. The authors state that, based on the location of the text in his reading copy of the speech, FDR was having trouble with visual acuity in his left eye. Further, they state that FDR was using his hand to mark his place on the page while reading, and that he had never done so before. This latter statement is demonstrably NOT TRUE. There are newsreels of FDR as early as 1938 showing him using this method, and it increases as the years pass. Could it simply be that FDR's eyesight, as was common in older men, was beginning to fail, and he may have developed an astigmatism? There is no record of FDR's glasses prescription ever being changed during his presidency - and this would easily account for such troubles.

The authors speculate on several instances in the last year of his life when FDR seemed to briefly lose his mental grasp, only to recover a few minutes later. They claim that the President was suffering from seizures. But anyone who has seen someone having a brain seizure knows this is not the usual way it presents itself. It has been speculated elsewhere that FDR was suffering from Transient Ischemic Attacks, sometimes called "mini-strokes" and this seems the more likely cause.

As to FDR's weight loss, it has been documented as having been deliberate. FDR preferred to keep his weight at 175#, which would be an acceptable weight for a 6'2" paralytic. Due to the doubly sedentary nature of being paralyzed and working behind a desk, his weight fluctuated throughout his presidency, and by the end of 1943, he was nearly obese. It was on the recommendation of his doctors that FDR lose weight to reduce the strain on his heart. The authors trot out several figures for how much FDR weighed at various points, with no documentation to support them. One can only surmise that they are "guestimating" based on photographs.

Perhaps most troubling is the attitude the authors take toward Howard Bruenn, the cardiologist who examined FDR in early 1944 and diagnosed his cardiac failure. This book is a reckless slap at his memory, accusing Bruenn, who
arguably kept the President alive several additional months, of falsifying his accounts of his time with the President. If any physician made such a remark in public about another doctor, he would likely get booted out of the AMA. But Bruenn died in 1995, so he must be a safe target.

The book also relies on some highly suspect accounts, such as those by Walter Trohan, a scandalmonger for the fiercely anti-FDR Chicago Tribune (the newspaper which published the infamous Dewey Defeats Truman headline).

Finally, the authors fail to clearly delineate between the reporting of fact and their own speculations - several times repeating the cancer thesis as if it were a fact.

There is some new information in the book, such as the results of several blood tests in 1941 when the president was severely anemic. (I showed one of the tests to my partner, who performs just these kinds of tests, and looking at FDR's red blood cell count, he said "He was almost dead.") This has been attributed to hemorrhoids, but the amount of blood loss FDR experienced (he needed nine transfusions) would be highly unusual. The authors again speculate cancer, but it could just have easily been diverticulitis. They also print, in full, a previously unpublished account of FDR's embalming, which was depressing to read. The book also further confirms that FDR intended to resign the Presidency as soon as the war was over. So, history would have been little different if he hadn't died on April 12, 1945.

Speculation about FDR's health has surrounded him ever since he ran for Governor of New York in 1928. There were rumors that his paralysis was caused by syphilis. In 2003, a peer-reviewed study concluded that his paralysis was most likely caused by Guillain-Barré syndrome, not Polio (and certainly not syphilis).

No doubt, the controversy surrounding FDR's health and his fitness for office in the last 16 months of his presidency remains some 65 years after his death. Many worthy books have been written which address his physical health and state of mind during that period. This isn't one of them.

As a physician, I bought this because one author is a neurologist, and I thus expected a sound medical orientation. Alas, the neurologist knows little about medicine in the 1940s, and less about oncology. The book is a hash of idle speculation and medical ignorance, with a tedious fixation on 'coverups' by FDRs docs, as if doctor-patient confidentiality should have been ignored. Much effort was expended to bulk up the book with tiresome repetitive retelling of a few relevant facts.
Two thumbs down.

The authors of this book spill a lot of ink supposing that FDR dies of brain cancer and not of the cerebral hemorrhage we have all been lead to believe. They also offer a number of theories which claim that FDR was a much sicker man than anyone ever let on. That may be the case but what they don't do is provide specific examples of where, in the last year of his presidency this may have impacted his ability to lead. FDR's polio was not publicized as we all know but it was not the secret some authors would want you to think.

This book is full of speculation and theorizing, but it doesn't answer two key questions. First, where is the documentation that FDR was as sick as what they claim and two, what could be done. We can't treat the type of melanoma he has today, was he supposed to resign in the middle of a war and go off and die. If anything, I respect FDR more for leading the nation through depression and war despite the immense toll it took on him. If this book is to be believed it literally cost him his life.

I read this book for two reasons. I am possibly one of the oldest long-surviving Melanoma Patients in the US -- Last month it was forty years since my diagnosis with 3rd stage Melanoma, and next month it will be 40 years since I began my "adventure" as a Clinical Research Subject, testing a particular Chemotherapy approach to the disease. I am now in my 70's, and have had no reoccurance since 1970. But since that time I have paid much attention to ongoing research both clinical and epidemiological. Ironically, I was treated at the University of Minnesota Hospitals, the same place where Dr. Lomazow trained.

What I miss in the book is a clear foundational exposition of what Medical Scientists thinks they know about this highly erratic and unpredictable disease today. If we are to find credible the hypothesis that FDR was afflicted with Melanoma, we need to know much more about the disease as it is understood today. Today, much of the research is focused on cell mutations, the propensity of some individuals to have and sustain mutations, of others to reject them at the celluar level. Much current research is focused on the genetic and broadly environmental triggers and of course, whether manipulation of these has potential clinical value. Of course none of this was around 40 years ago, and it certainly wasn't available during FDR's lifetime -- but a foundational exposition would be a huge assist in evaluation of the hypothesis.

Melanoma is not a disease common among dark skinned persons. It occurs among Northern European origin groups, Eastern Europeans, Scandinavians, Germans and yes, the Dutch -- and it follows their migration patterns. There are interesting longitudinal studies out of Harvard Medical School that correlate both ethnic origin and suspect genetic markers with cumulative skin damage from sunburn beginning in early childhood and subsequently. In earlier years, Melanoma seemed to affect Scandinavian Farmers -- yes, 12 hour days in mid summer on a tractor can lead to lots of cumulative skin damage. Today, with cabs and other protection, the rate seems to be decreasing. It was historically rare among women, but as generations that heavily sunbath emerged -- the rate among women increased. Given FDR's ethnic background, his heavy exposure to the sun-on-water as a sailor beginning as a child, there is much to support a foundation for Lomazow's hypothesis. But what I found missing in the argument was the evidence that the "brown blob" on FDR's forehead was the primary leasion. If he had earlier "cosmetic surgery" to remove imperfections, they could easily have been undiagnosed primary sites. We cannot know, obviously, but the argument needs to allow for this possibility, and the possibility that FDR nurtured the cellular mutations much of his adult life.

But what profoundly distressed me about this book was Lomazow's approach to what makes an effective politician. He is just too willing to suggest some sort of deeply considered conspiracy. His constant reference to the term deceit without comprehending that all political leaders practice the arts of blue smoke and mirrors reflects, I believe, a profound misunderstanding of the nature of political leadership. You simply cannot "do" politics without such skills. A good Politician offers up a narrative that attracts a following, and uses the blue smoke and mirrors to draw others into the narrative and thus the direction in terms of policy that suggests. It is a most rare skill, and FDR had it in spades.

For all the contemporary hubba-hubba about FDR not being photographed in his wheel chair, or otherwise exhibiting his disability, no one should believe that those of us alive in the 30's and 40's didn't understand that FDR had been seriously affected by Polio. We knew about it because he regularly spoke to the public health recommendations for avoiding the virus. Every January on his Birthday, we raised money for the March of Dimes in every classroom. If you went to the movies, they turned up the lights, passed the bucket, and offered up a short subject film on the work of the National Foundation. The need for funds for rehabilitation and research were prime topics. Women went door to door, and people displayed their stickers indicating they had contributed on front doors. It was all about following FDR's leadership to both care for Polio's victims and support basic research to conquere the disease. Moreover, what FDR organized for Polio with private funds is very much the model for the way Medical Research is done today with public funds. The NIH with its peer review system is the grandchild of FDR's National Foundation. Creating the model took political leadership and a good deal of blue smoke and mirrors. So what if we didn't actually see him roll by in his wheel chair. Do people not, for instance, imagine that those of us who remember him as President didn't understand why he always campaigned from the back seat of an open car? Of course we did. There was no deceit to it.

If we can accept that FDR was a politician, then we have to look for essentially political reasons why he ran in 1944 when he knew his health was failing in major ways. I would call attention to two matters -- first, there was no obvious successor in the wings who would continue his progressive policy in the late war and post war period in the Democratic field who would not have seriously divided the party by breaking up the FDR coalition. The second reason was FDR's knowledge that if he did not run, the Republicans would have turned to General Douglas MacArthur, and FDR was quite unwilling to chance an opening to a MacArthur Presidency.

Having recently read FDR's Funeral Train, I view this book as the flip side of the events leading up to the death of FDR. 'Funeral Train' looks at the 'facts' surrounding FDR's death and builds upon the intrigue involved in planning a president's funeral. I loved it, but couldn't help but wonder what all the underlying causes were that contributed to FDR's very obvious decline and 'sudden' death. This book provides a "factual autopsy" based on sketchy medical records, varied personal memoirs and recollections of people close to FDR, and the diaries of FDR's distant cousin Daisy Suckley (an FDR insider and close confidant). As FDR was not autopsied after his death, a certain amount of speculation by the author based upon his medical knowledge and the analysis of factual information leads to the conclusion that in all probability FDR's brain hemorage was actually the result of skin cancer/malignant melanoma which traveled to his brain and resulted in his death. Found this all fairly interesting and based upon my very sketchy and non-professional knowledge, I found the author's conclusion plausible and possible.
While there is no way to conclusively determine the actual cause of death some 60+ years after the fact, the lengths to which FDR and his associates went to conceal the facts regarding his medical problems were staggering as well as fascinating. This charade pre-dates FDR's presidency and really begins with his polio diagnosis. However, according to this book, this situation was not without precedence. Most notably, Woodrow Wilson's health problems which threatened the final years of his presidency, were artfully masked by his personal physician and his aides.
This book is interesting and would probably appeal to anyone interested in FDR's presidency, american history, medicine, or political conspiracies.

The health of state leaders has always been a controversial and problematic subject:should the public be informed about the true medical condition of the one who was elected to govern or rule, or should certain aspects be kept as a secret? After all,even public figures have the right to some privacy,
despite the fact that they are responsible for the lives of millions, tens or hundreds of millions.
Enter "FDR's Deadly Secret"- a book co-authored by a neurologist and the other a journalist.The two claim that FDR was more sick and suffered from a deadly disease,namely:a cancerous condition of melanoma which has metastasized to his brain and had finally caused his death.It is a well-known fact that at the age of thirty-nine the President has contracted polio and since then has made all the possible efforts to conceal his condition from the public.One was was to show his cropped photographs,thus concealing his paralyzed legs.However, the authors write in this interesting book that there was a whole trail of deception and a cover-up of truth led by the President's doctors,who conspired to hide the sad fact that FDR was a very sick man, more than one could have imagined.The reader will face a medical thriller-like book interspersed with historical episodes(and many photos) demonstrating the length of this conspiracy to withhold from the world-and not just the American public- the truth.Understandibly,a thing like this could have happened in the forties because of the political situation the Western countries and democracies were facing.No one would have wanted to weaken the coalition against Hitler and one can be sure that this was one of the main reasons this secret was well-kept until recently.What seems more amazing is that FDR has kept secrets even fro his closest family members.Had it not been the death of FDR's cousin,Margaret Suckley, who kept a diary in which FDR many secrets were revealed,we would not have known the truth about him at all.In addition,the authors are extremely careful and let the reader know that we would never know FOR SURE what really was the factor that killed the ailing president.This is because no one has ever performed an autopsy of the deceased FDR and even his most intiamte and important personal medical files are missing.
A thing like that cannot happen today because secrets are at risk of being made public in matter of seconds thanks to the mass media and the Internet by kosher or not so kosher means.This book is a kind of "What if" counterfactual detective history and asks the reader to consider the possibility of having another,healthy FDR at the negotiation table of Yalta or at other occasions.It also demonstrates the possibility that even today the Chief Executive can keep secret his personal health condition from the public because of certain constitutional flaws.

I could not put this book down once I started to read it. A must for anyone who has read about FDR. Medical professionals will be fascinated by the roles famous and respected names still in operation today. The founder of the Lahey clinic is a key person in this book. A great contrast to the "must know all" the facts about our current political leaders.

The authors of this book did an amazing job of researching the health of Franklin Roosevelt in his last years as president. I was amazed at how much effort went into this book. It must have taken years to research!
I found this book was not an expose of a president, but rather a fair account of the health of Roosevelt in his last years of office.

I couldn't put this book down!

Steven Lomazow and Eric Fettmann make a strong and compelling (if not definitive and irrefutable) case that FDR had, and knew that he had, life-threatening medical conditions. The authors are less successful in their contention that the president, nevertheless, was able to carry out his duties ably and successfully (with the possible exception of his performance at Yalta). I beg to disagree. FDR was unconscionably wrong in his decision to run for a third term, let alone a fourth. Most of all, the president's exhaustion and debilitated state at Yalta resulted in a living nightmare for millions who wound up in the anything-but-tender embrace of Uncle Joe. But there's an even more fundamental issue, and one that Lomazow and Fettmann fail to address. What motivated FDR to run for third and fourth terms, given his dreadful medical state? Was he delusional? An egomaniac? It's an historical mystery that "FDR's Deadly Secret" does nothing to resolve.

A couple of other negatives. Although quite well written, the book is a tad more detailed than necessary. Not every presidential fainting spell needs to be documented, surely. Also, the authors sometimes get a bit carried away. On page 186, for instance, they positively intone that upon FDR's death, "Franklin Delano Roosevelt had passed into the pages of history." Cue dramatic music. And cue my gorge to rise.

All that being said, I enjoyed this book and do indeed recommend it.