The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back
As stated in the author’s subtitle, “Eleanor Roosevelt’s Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back,” this nod to Eleanor Roosevelt, wife and First Lady of U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, tells the story of Eleanor’s travels—top secret—to the Pacific Theater during WWII. Eleanor’s mission? To experience the trials and tribulations of American servicemen and share her findings back home. Experience them she did. I relished the author’s description of this intrepid woman’s fear of having her identity absorbed in the role of the traditional First Lady, one who typically was a discreet woman in the background, mostly overseeing social functions. Instead, in the face of disapproval by a frowning American public unaccustomed to this new kind of First Lady, Eleanor made a “precedent-breaking trip” to Puerto Rico to investigate labor and poor living conditions. In 1943, she was the butt of particularly hot criticism for advocating civil rights and practicing social equality at the White House.
Did these harsh judgments deter her? No. Eleanor began her secret travels to the Pacific theater in August 1943, shielding her true activities by, for example, writing in advance the articles published in her almost daily newspaper column. While readers thought Eleanor was in Hyde Park outside NYC, she actually was on her long journey from New York to San Francisco and the South Pacific aboard a military transport plane, along with supplies and sacks of mail. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this remarkable woman, friend of the downtrodden and celebrated, alike (one best friend was Amelia Earhart). No matter her mode of transportation (a U. S. Navy bomber, for one), she didn’t blink. One newspaper headline referencing her visit to Great Britain as First Lady in 1942, read simply, “Mrs. Roosevelt Finally Gets Tired; Reporters Shocked.” Highly recommended.
