ROOSEVELT'S VICE PRESIDENT, HENRY WALLACE, WAS DETERMINED TO DISSOLVE THE
BRITISH EMPIRE AFTER THE WAR. HE WAS REPLACED BY HARRY TRUMAN, AND
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT WAS ASSASSINATED ON APRIL 12, 1945.

The planning for the assassination of President Roosevelt began at the 1944 Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, Illinois, from July 19–21. President Roosevelt was running for an unprecedented 4th term, and his popular Vice President was Henry A. Wallace.

President Roosevelt—the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces—had trouble making decisions!

A less stressful looking President Roosevelt making his State of the Union Address on Jan. 11, 1944.
A less stressful looking President Roosevelt making his State of the Union Address on Jan. 11, 1944.

On July 20, 1944, President Roosevelt gave his acceptance speech via radio for an unprecedented 4th term from San Diego, California.

Roosevelt was under tremendous pressure to dump his Vice President, Henry Wallace, and replace him with "Assistant President" Jimmy Byrnes, so he stayed away from the Convention.

 

fe magazine photo of Roosevelt making his nomination speech via radio on July 20, 1944. The man seated on the left is Navy lieutenant Dr. Howard Bruenn.
Life
magazine's photo of Roosevelt making his nomination speech via radio on July 20, 1944. The man seated on the left is Navy lieutenant Dr. Howard Bruenn.

In April 1944, President Roosevelt was assigned a new doctor, a young Navy lieutenant named Dr. Howard Brueen. It was very unusual that the President would be accompanied by a low-ranking lieutenant. Obviously, skill in the use of poison was all that was necessary for Dr. Bruenn.

Roosevelt stayed away from the Convention because he was under tremendous pressure to get rid of his faithful Vice President and replace him with "Assistant President" Jimmy Byrnes. The President's wife Eleanor despised Jimmy Byrnes and the aggressive Roman hierarchy, so the tug of war was putting tremendous stress on the President.

Vice President Henry A. Wallace was a plain spoken farmer's son from Iowa . . . and he was just too honest to engage in the strong conspiracy. He fully expected to be re-nominated for Vice President at the Convention.

Vice President Henry A. Wallace
Vice President Henry A. Wallace
(1888–1965).
 

In July 1944, President Roosevelt was nominated for an unprecedented 4th term.

His popular Vice President was named Henry A. Wallace.

A ferocious fight broke out between the supporters of Wallace and another aspirant named James F. "Jimmy" Byrnes.

 
We Want Wallace posters at the 1944 Democratic National Convention. 
We Want Wallace posters at the 1944 Democratic National Convention.
 

MI6 agent Roald Dahl became a close "friend" of Henry Wallace. Unknown to Wallace, Dahl was spying on him and sending his private papers to Sir William Stephenson at 30 Rockefeller Plaza:

Marsh had given him a draft of a pamphlet written by his close friend Henry Wallace. Entitled "Our Job in the Pacific," it summarized the vice president's postwar goals, among them international control of the airways, economic assistance for the industrial development of Asia, and the demilitarization of Japan. Wallace was also in favor of 'the emancipation of colonial subjects" in the British Empire, including India, Burma, and Malaya. Dahl could feel his "hair stand on end." Dahl immediately realized the document's importance, and knowing that his superiors would want to see it, he excused himself saying that he was going to finish reading it downstairs. He quickly phoned his BSC contact, explained the urgency of the situation, and convinced him to meet him on the corner as soon as possible. The agent knew something was up and materialized on the street in front of Marsh's house in a matter of minutes.
Dahl sneaked out of the house and handed the document through his car window, warning his partner in crime to be back in half an hour or there would be hell to pay. "He flashed off," recalled Dahl, "and I'm around downstairs, near the lavatory door, and if the chap upstairs had come down looking for me saying, `have you finished reading it?' then I'd of been in the lavatory you see, saying `I'm sorry I'm caught short."' As it turned out, the agent went straight to the BSC's Washington offices to make copies and made it back within the allotted time. Dahl nipped back out, collected the paper, and no one was the wiser. (Conant, The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington, pp. 121-122).

The British spy ring, led by Dahl, made sure that Wallace was not re-nominated for Vice President.

RAF officer Roahl Dahl
RAF officer Roald Dahl
(1916–1990).

RAF officer Roald Dahl headed the British spy ring in Washington City.

His cover was "author of childrens' books," but all his books were ghost written by MI6 employees in London.

Dahl reported to Canadian Sir William Stephenson at the spymasters HQ, 630 5th Ave., Rockefeller Plaza, New York City.

Stephenson in turn reported to Sir Stewart Menzies, who kept Winston Churchill informed of everything that was happening in Washington City . . . and throughout the United States.

The Gremlins by Roald Dahl
The Gremlins by Roald Dahl
was published in 1943.

A ferocious fight broke out in Chicago between the supporters of Vice President Wallace and the supporters of Jimmy Byrnes. Everybody seemed to know that Roosevelt would not survive his 4th term so his Vice President would become President.


James F. "Jimmy" Byrnes
(1882–1972).

 

"Assistant President" Jimmy Byrnes was determined to reach the White House no matter what the cost.

The refusal of President Roosevelt to make him his Vice President was a staggering blow to his pride, so he tried to sneak in though the back door via the position of Secretary of State.

 

 
Byrnes' ambition was boundless. In 1943 he appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Byrnes' ambition was boundless. In 1943, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

Jimmy Byrnes arrived at the convention on the morning of July 20, fully confident that he would be the next Vice President . . . and then the next President of the United States:

Across town Byrnes was enjoying a cheerful breakfast with Mayor Kelly and Hannegan. They gave him some further details of Roosevelt's reaction when FDR was told that the danger of losing the black vote with Byrnes had been exaggerated. "Well, you know Jimmy has been my choice from the very first," they quoted Roosevelt as having said to them. "Go ahead and name him." Hannegan did add that Roosevelt had requested that Byrnes' nomination first be discussed with the leadership of the CIO at the convention, but this request was in Hannegan's opinion simply a courtesy of prior notification. Later that same day, after Byrnes had left the breakfast, Mayor Kelly met with Alben Barkley, majority leader of the Senate, and the mayor told Barkley to pass the word that Roosevelt wanted Byrnes and that "it was in the bag for Jimmy." (Robertson, Sly and Able: A Political Biography of James F. Byrnes. p. 354).

Byrnes was to face a big disappointment however, as nothing could persuade the absent Roosevelt to name him as his heir apparent.

Jimmy Byrnes was one of the few people at the Convention who knew that a new deadly weapon called the atomic bomb was under development. This weapon could change the course of the war . . . and its sole possessor could rule the world unchallenged.

Fleet Admiral William D.
Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy
(1875–1959).

Admiral Leahy was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Leslie R. "Dick" Grove founded the Pentagon and he was the driving force behind the development of the atomic bomb!!

Both men were ardent supporters of Jimmy Byrnes for Vice President.

General Leslie R. "Dick" Groves (1896 -1970).
General Leslie R. "Dick" Groves (1896–1970).

Roosevelt would not give his final word to Vice President Wallace . . . or Jimmy Byrnes . . . so a compromise candidate was chosen named Harry Truman.

Truman came to the Convention as an ardent Byrnes supporter and he had no real Presidential ambitions....Commander in Chief Roosevelt could not make a decision, so Truman was nominated by default.

Harry Truman with his wife and daughter at the 1944 Democratic Convention.
Harry Truman with his wife and daughter
at the 1944 Democratic Convention.

Truman came to the Convention as an ardent Byrnes supporter.

When Roosevelt refused to nominate Wallace or Byrnes, Truman was the 3rd choice.

Truman was expected to be a good Byrnes puppet.

Harry Truman (1883 -1972). Vice President from July '44 to April '45.
Harry Truman (1883–1972). Vice President from July '44 to April '45.

Having failed to gain the nomination, Jimmy Byrnes left the Convention in disgust....his Presidential ambitions were still very much alive . . . and there was another door to the Presidency: the office of Secretary of State.

Jimmy Byrnes became Truman's Secretary of State!!

Just 2 hours after the assassination, senator Harry Truman visited the White House to be sworn in as the new President. No Bible could be found anywhere until the chief receptionist located a Douay-Rheims Version in William Hassett's desk:

He looked at the Chief Justice. Harlan Stone said that the chief receptionist had gone to look for a Bible. Truman nodded. The clock on the wall pointed to 7:05. The waiting time was an embarrassment. Bill Simmons came back, saying that he had searched everywhere and had found a Roman Catholic Bible in William Hassett's desk. Mr. Truman said it would do. The Chief Justice motioned for the Truman women to come closer. Harlan Stone intoned: "I, Harry Shippe Truman . . ." This was wrong; the Chief Justice had been told that the S stood for Shippe, Truman's grandfather's name. It stood for nothing. The new President had no middle name. He said, "I, Harry S. Truman . . ." Less than two minutes later, it was over. No one, including the Trumans, looked joyful. The handshaking was solemn. Steve Early asked permission to bring the news photographers in. The event, he thought, should be preserved for posterity. Truman had an appreciation of that word. The cameramen came in. The photos they made show the wall clock at 7:09 P.M. (Bishop, FDR'S Last Year, p. 609).

Then as now a real Bible was a rare book in Washington City.

President Truman took the oath of office on the Douay-Rheims Version. In the background can be seen the sinister admiral Leahy.
President Truman took the oath of office on the Douay-Rheims Version. In the background can be seen the sinister Admiral Leahy.

President Truman was sworn in as President immediately after the assassination of Roosevelt.

On July 3, Truman announced that Byrnes would be his new Secretary of State.

This position put Byrnes just one heartbeat from the Presidency!!

President Truman and his new Secretary
President Truman and his new Secretary
of State Jimmy Byrnes.

By appointing Jimmy Byrnes as Secretary of State, Truman was putting his own life at risk. Here is the order of succession to the Presidency as it stood in 1945:

Act of 1792
Act of 1886
1. President. 1. President.
2. Vice President. 2. Vice President.
3. President Pro Tempore of Senate. 3. Secretary of State.
4. Speaker of the House. 4. Secretary of the Treasury.

Truman realized right away that he could be the next Presidential victim of the poison cup . . . so he called on Congress to immediately change the law back to the original 1792 order of succession.

Jimmy Byrnes totally dominated President Truman!!

Truman knew absolutely nothing about the atomic bomb . . . as Roosevelt had failed completely to keep him in the loop.

Just as the most destructive war in the history of the world was ending, the President of the United States was taken on an ocean voyage . . . and then sightseeing in Berlin, Germany!!

Admiral Leahy and Secretary of State Jimmy Byrnes with President Truman aboard the Augusta on their way to Potsdam, Germany.
Admiral Leahy and Secretary of State Jimmy Byrnes with President Truman aboard the Augusta on their way to Potsdam, Germany.

On July 8, 1945, Jimmy Byrnes took President Truman on an ocean voyage and then sightseeing in Berlin.

This was to prevent a delegation of atomic scientists from seeing the President.

In Berlin, Byrnes met Marshall Stalin and Stalin told him that he believed Hitler was in Spain or Argentina.

President Truman was touring Berlin with Byrnes and Leahy in July 1945. Truman is on the left in the back seat next to Byrnes and Leahy.
President Truman was touring Berlin with Byrnes and Leahy in July 1945. Truman is on the left in the back seat next to Byrnes and Leahy.

On July 17, 1945, the atomic bomb was tested for the SECOND time in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

The Pentagon was frantic to get Japan to surrender before the Russians entered the war, and they were itching to use their new super weapon to force a quick Japanese surrender!!

In order to prevent President Truman from meeting with the atomic scientists, he was sent out of the country to Potsdam, Germany, to meet with Stalin and Churchill. Unlike Roosevelt, who flew to his meetings, Truman left by slow moving ship on July 6, and did not return until August 7—the day after the bombing of Hiroshima.

Atomic destruction of Hiroshima on
Atomic destruction of Hiroshima on
August 6, 1945.

President Truman did not return to the U.S. until August 7, the day after the bombing of Hiroshima.

After the bombing of Nagasaki, Truman ordered the Pentagon to stop bombing without his permission.

 

Atomic destruction of Nagasaki on
Atomic destruction of Nagasaki on
August 9, 1945.

The real reason why the bombs were used were to force the Japanese to surrender before the Soviet had a chance to invade Manchuria and reoccupy the Kurile Islands, which were lost to Russia during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.

Truman finally fired Jimmy Byrnes in 1947

In January 1947, President Truman took a momentous step and fired Jimmy Byrnes. Congress finally passed the succession act in 1947, and this removed the Secretary of State from 3rd in line to the Presidency:

Act of 1792
Act of 1886
Act of 1947
1. President. 1. President. 1. President.
2. Vice President. 2. Vice President. 2. Vice President.
3. President Pro Tempore of Senate. 3. Secretary of State. 3. Speaker of the House.
4. Speaker of the House. 4. Secretary of the Treasury. 4. President Pro Tempore of Senate.

By 1947, it was too late to bring back the hundreds of thousands killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truman continued to be a puppet of the British by allowing Churchill to start the Cold War and NATO (North Atlantic Terrorist Organization).

Truman was also a puppet of the British by agreeing to the establishment of a British spying station in the Mideast known as the state of "Israel."

After the assassination of President Kennedy, the top secret 25th Amendment was passed that allows the President to appoint his Vice President.


Vital links



References

Bishop, Jim. FDR'S Last Year (April 1944–April 1945). William Morrow & Co., New York, 1974.

Conant, Jennet. The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2008.

Culver John C, & Hyde, John, American Dreamer: the Life and Times of Henry A. Wallace. W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 2000.

Klara Robert, FDR's Funeral Train. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2010.

Persico, Joseph E. Franklin & Lucy. Random House, New York, 2008.

Robertson, David, Sly and Able: A Political Biography of James F. Byrnes. W. W. Morton & Co., New York, 1994.

Walton, Richard J. Henry Wallace, Harry Truman, and the Cold War. The Viking Press, New York 1976.


Copyright © 2017 by Patrick Scrivener


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