HE SAVED THE WORLD!

Your review by Jonathan Kirsch of Robert Shogan’s book, “Hard Bargain,” on June 7 was disappointing and very disturbing. In the entire review there was only one item that was new. That item was entirely irrelevant and certainly malicious--that Roosevelt’s voice did not change until he was in his teens. As for the so-called revisionist revelations there was nothing mentioned that was not clear in 1940. Because Roosevelt had to work with a reactionary Southern wing of his own party and isolationists of all stripes and varieties were moving heaven and earth to keep America neutral, Roosevelt was using every bit of political skill he had to keep England alive. It was all well known, including Joe Kennedy’s isolationist views. We will stay with Winston Churchill’s view that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the greatest man he had ever known and our own well-documented view that Roosevelt not only saved England, but he saved the world.

Roosevelt cannot be blamed for the actions of Truman in Korea, Kennedy, Johnson or Nixon in Vietnam, or Kennedy in Cuba. If he chooses to blacken their memories that is one thing. The fact that Roosevelt moved brilliantly in 1940 has nothing to do with somebody else’s ineptitude.

WALTER A. ROGERS, MONROVIA

EARL COLSTON, MONROVIA

BILLIE C. LERNER, NEWPORT BEACH