The Beloved FDR

Letter from R.W. to Ralph Raico:

“Dear Professor Raico,

“Re: the continuing Roosevelt apotheosis, here’s an anecdote from WW II you might find interesting.

“About ten years ago, one of my wife’s in-laws related how, having almost lost a leg during the Battle of the Bulge (as a cook, I believe), he found himself early in 1945 at a US Army convalescent hospital filled with the blind, disfigured, and psychologically damaged–among which he considered himself relatively fortunate. One day a doctor appeared in the man’s ward to solemnly announce that ‘President Roosevelt has died.’

“What happened next forever cemented that moment in his mind. Instead of adopting a respectful silence–or sobs; I can see the movie now–the wardmates erupted in a cacophony of cheers, jeers, and shouts of derision. “The most memorable comment: ‘I hope that bastard burns in hell!’ The doctor rushed out in embarrassment.

“Knowing the source, a man of calm and modest determination and not one prone to the career verteran-hood that plagues us today, I have no reason to doubt the tale’s veracity. (He was a member of the Knights of Columbus rather than the VFW.)

“If true, who can also doubt that scene was reprised many times over during the week of April 12, 1945? Paul Fussell’s Wartime would appear to vindicate such a view.

“If that’s indeed the case, it’s discouraging for me to contemplate the Establishment’s success in suppressing the true feelings of so many during and after the ‘Crusade in Europe.’ While we can expect such a suppression during war, will Americans yet be celebrating the ‘leadership’ of Bush II fifty years from now?”

The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.