Charles In Charge
Charles In Charge
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History August 26 - September 1.
My brother gave me the historical fiction book The Plot Against America many years ago. The hardcover catches your attention with a Nazi symbol, and the words are all capitalized. In the typical reading fashion, I did not read it for numerous years until I finally picked it up and finished it in early 2018.
If you don’t know the novel, it’s an alternative history story in which Franklin D. Roosevelt lost the presidential election in 1940 to American aviator and military officer Charles Lindbergh. (In case you are wondering, the 1940 presidential election ranks 40 on my presidential election rankings, right after the election of 1936).
Roth tells the story of Lindbergh’s rise through his family's experience of being American Jews, the beginnings of Nazism in Germany, and the emerging World War across the ocean.
Lindbergh was a surprise guest at the 1940 Republican Party National Convention and walked out as their presidential nominee. He ran on a policy of isolationism, praised Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, and was a member of, get this, the America First Party.
This is an excellent time to remind everyone that Roth published this book in 2004.
After defeating FDR, Fictional President Lindbergh signed a treaty with Germany, agreeing that the US would stay out of the war, and then agreed to the same thing with Japan.
Antisemitism, fear, and division ruled America during the first two years of the Lindbergh administration. To make a long story somewhat shorter, the president’s plane disappeared, people blamed Jews, riots broke out, people were assassinated, and somehow, we had a special election, and FDR came back. I think everyone dies at the end. I can’t remember; it’s been a long time since I read it.
Trust me, it’s a great book.
Why am I bringing up this book now? Because the real Charles Lindbergh died on August 26, 1974.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:
1. Edwin Drake drilled the first successful oil well on August 27, 1859. Edwin and I are a lot alike. People always put an “R” in my last name, while Eddie put a drill into the Pennsylvania ground, and crude oil came up—Black Gold, Texas tea. The Drake Well Museum opened in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1934. I now need to check it out.
2. The first televised professional baseball game aired on August 26, 1939. The Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds played two games on the New York City NBC television affiliate. Legendary broadcaster Red Barber was the announcer for both games. The Reds won the first game 5-2, while the Dodgers took the twilight by a score of 6-1. A year later, all 16 Major League teams had their games played over the radio because it was the Golden Age of Radio. It wouldn’t be until 1947 when the World Series aired on TV. If you ever need a nap, watch baseball.
3. American Traitor John Bell Hood died on August 30, 1879. Hood was born in Kentucky and finished 44th out of 52 cadets in his graduating class at West Point in 1852. When the Civil War broke out, and Kentucky remained in the Union, Hood donated his services to Texas. His losses as a Confederate General included battles in Tennessee, Gettysburg, and Atlanta. He lost a leg, and his left arm was pretty much useless. For some reason, we named a military base in Texas after this ding dong. Luckily, Hood had one more loss in him. His name was removed in 2023 and replaced with Cavazos, named after an American General, Richard Cavazos. Cause that’s what you do. You name stuff after Americans.
Roth connected many truths about Lindbergh in real life in the book.
Here are a few things Charles actually did.
Lindbergh disliked our intervention in World War II. His son was kidnapped years before he became the aviator hero that launched into the national spotlight.
As part of his America First Committee work, Lindbergh gave a national speech about how Jews controlled the newspapers and radio, and once people knew the truth, there would be no way America would enter the war. He once said in an interview that the races were definitely not created equal.
He thought very highly of himself and his white race. He lived that belief so much that he secretly fathered a bunch of German children, including knocking up a set of sisters. He even wrote to his mistresses and told them to keep their yappers shut about everything, even after he died.
That last part wasn’t in the book, but my goodness, a lot of Charles In Charge vibes are going on here – at least the Scott Baio part.
Thanks for supporting Okay History. I’ll see you on Friday and until then, have a great week!
Okay,
Chris
