The Deadlock between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Charles de Gaulle

This book explores the contentious wartime relationship between Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) and Charles de Gaulle. Despite mutual dislike, both leaders manipulated each other to defeat Hitler, liberate France, and shape post-WWII Europe. De Gaulle’s determination to prove himself as France’s saviour, coupled with his prima donna attitude, led FDR to keep him at arm’s length and out of key Allied plans. Frustrated by FDR’s refusal to treat him as an equal to Churchill, de Gaulle, who lacked official leadership of France, still managed to gain authority as the leader of Free France. Their relationship, characterized by four years of distrust and animosity, played a critical role in the Allies' path to victory. The full story of their complex interactions, drawn from diaries, interviews, and reminiscences, has not been publicly told until now.