Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Arguably one of the most beloved presidents in American history. But it wasn’t always that way. As a target of an assassination attempt a month before he took office.
For more than twelve years FDR has shepherded the country through the depression and the Second World War, but in 1943, the president’s deteriorating health has become obvious, and most Washington insiders are convinced he will not live to serve another full term. For that reason, his vice-presidential choice is critical, for that person will inevitably become the president.
FDR had been served well by John Nance Garner, his vice-president during his first two terms. But in 1940, Garner’s ambition led him to run against his boss for the Democrat nomination. Roosevelt, thus forced to choose a new vice-president, selected Henry Wallace as his running mate. Wallace is a mild-mannered liberal whose sole ambition is not to be president, but to convince FDR to favor his progressive ideas. Wallace is also a huge fan of the Soviet Union, often arguing for a second front in Europe to take pressure off the communist nation fighting Germany.
Though he’s more annoyance than political rival, Wallace must be replaced on the Democrat ticket in the upcoming election of 1944. This turns the President, one of the most powerful men on earth, into a pawn in an international tug-of-war of conspiracies.
Fearing FDR might die before Wallace leaves office, fascists see assassinating the vice-president the only way to assure no pro-communist can serve as president. The Soviet Union, on the other side, see their only chance for the pro-Soviet Wallace to become president is to assassinate FDR before the election.
Will either side win? If so, which one?
Coming late 2023. The next book by John Stivers. Working title: Brothers, In Arms.