The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941-1942

By Nigel Hamilton

Categories: History

The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941-1942 (2014) is a book by Nigel Hamilton. Hamilton examines Franklin Roosevelt as commander in chief in the year after Pearl Harbor, when he shaped Allied strategy against rivals in his own military and among the Allies. Drawing on diaries and meeting notes, he portrays Roosevelt as an active wartime leader rather than a distant chairman.

Recommended by 1 person

• Fareed Zakaria: “This week's book of the week is "The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941- 1942 by Nigel Hamilton. This might seem like an obscure topic, but it is a brilliant examination of the remarkable skills of Franklin Roosevelt during World War II. He was constantly overruling generals, firing them when they underperformed and keeping larger strategic issues at the center of his approach. It's a super (ph) book. Anyone interested in understanding the nature of good leadership should read it.”