FDR Lives

[Strike For The South]

On April 12 1945, FDR was in Hot Springs Georiga (with his mistress, all the good ones had mistresses, but I digress) having a portrait done when all of a sudden he dropped dead due to deficit spending a brain aneryuesm.

Things we know:

Stalin was a bastard
FDR was charming
Truman was gutless and to make matters worse he overcompensated by posturing.

FDR and Stalin had struck up a "friendshp" (term used loosely, like a nickel hooker when paris island is on a weekend pass)

Had FDR lived could the west have gotten more concessions in the post WWII world?

[Brandy Blue]

Was Truman a "gutless bastard?" That wasn't Churchill's impression: "He's a man of immense determination. He takes no notice of delicate ground, he just plants his foot firmly on it."

http://books.google.com/books?id=KUf9RFtxCG4C&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&dq=He's+a+man+of+immense+determination.+He+takes+no+notice+of+delicate+ground.+He+just+plants+his+fo ot+down+firmly+on+it&source=bl&ots=2cZSg7bBKq&sig=R-pu176yS694eTYsT8zANO-AmV4&hl=en#v=onepage&q=He's%20a%20man%20of%20immense%20determination.%20He%20takes%20no%20notice%20of%20delicate%20ground .%20He%20just%20plants%20his%20foot%20down%20firmly%20on%20it&f=false

He's also the guy who changed the relations between the US and the Soviet Union from cozy to cold war (Truman doctrine)

People have accused him of warcrimes because of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. You certainly don't hear people calling him gutless in that context.

OK, Truman did not do much about keeping the Soviets out of eastern Europe (except Greece and Turkey, which is partly in Europe), but by the time WWII was over the Soviets had occupied eastern Europe already. I don't see how anyone could have kept them out.

By contrast FDR trusted Stallin too much:
" ... I think that if I give him everything I possibly can and ask for nothing from him in return, noblesse oblige, he won't try to annex anything and will work with me for a world of democracy and peace."

http://books.google.com/books?id=1UEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94&lpg=PA94&dq=I+just+have+a+hunch+that+Stalin+is+not+that+kind+of+a+man.+...+I+think+that+if+I+give+him+everyth ing+I+possibly+can+and+ask+for+nothing+from+him+in+return,+noblesse+oblige,+he+won't+try+to+annex+an ything+and+will+work+with+me+for+a+world+of+democracy+and+peace.&source=bl&ots=DHT983DXfQ&sig=iKrt4UN4pGVmVBAQ5T5Kt8zAyw8&hl=en#v=onepage&q=I%20just%20have%20a%20hunch%20that%20Stalin%20is%20not%20that%20kind%20of%20a%20man.%20...%20I%20t hink%20that%20if%20I%20give%20him%20everything%20I%20possibly%20can%20and%20ask%20for%20nothing%20fr om%20him%20in%20return%2C%20noblesse%20oblige%2C%20he%20won't%20try%20to%20annex%20anything%20and%20 will%20work%20with%20me%20for%20a%20world%20of%20democracy%20and%20peace.&f=false

That's my take based on a bit of googling. I'm looking forward to hearing from people who really know about the era.

[PershsNhpios]

Churchill said such things about everybody if it was pertinent to political necessity. He just used small nuances from historic quotes stitched together in an almost generically grandiose manner.

[Fisherking]

I think that FDR was too prone to appease Stalin for any great hope on a better outcome.

FDR also favored dismemberment of Germany into several smaller states. He had acceded to Stalin’s desires on Polish territories and the pre German invasion Soviet Borders by 1942 or 43 without bothering to tell Churchill.

He also expected to withdraw US forces from Europe within two years of victory.

I am sure you can guess how that may have played out. That seems to me as setting the wolf to watch the sheep.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/amdipl_6/stefan.html

Have a go.

Truman mistrusted the Soviets. He was not likely to give in as easy in some regards.

With FDR I wonder more how much worse it would have been.