At the Pritzker Military Library: David L. Roll & Keith D. McFarland November 3, 2005

5:00 p.m. CST Reception and Book Signing
6:00 p.m. CST Program and Live Webcast

Pritzker Military Library
610 N. Fairbanks Court
Chicago, Illinois 60611

Thursday, November 3rd, David L. Roll & Keith D. McFarland visit the library to talk about their new book Louis Johnson And the Arming of America.

Admission is free, but space is limited. For reservations, call 312.587.0234 or email ncarroll@pritzkermilitarylibrary.net. If you cannot attend in person, visit the home page and access the weblink for our live broadcast at the time of broadcast, or view any of our past programs by accessing the past events pages.

Book Description
Louis Johnson was FDR's Assistant Secretary of War and the architect of the industrial mobilization plans that put the nation on a war footing prior to its entry into World War II. Later, as Truman's Secretary of Defense, Johnson was given the difficult job of unifying the armed forces and carrying out Truman's orders to dramatically reduce defense expenditures. In both administrations, he was asked to confront and carry out extremely unpopular initiatives massive undertakings that each president believed were vital to the nation's security and economic welfare. Johnson's conflicts with Henry Morganthau, Secretary of War Harry H. Woodring, Winston Churchill, Harry Hopkins, Dean Acheson, Averell Harriman, and Paul Nitze find contemporary parallels in the recent disagreements between the national defense establishment and the State Department.