Jack, there were a number of right-wing radio commentators and newspaper columnists at the time who made their careers out of trying to dig up dirt on the Roosevelts. Old stuff, actually. He was the target of the same kind of trash that Obama is now.

From the article I linked to above:

To awaken his country from its isolationist slumber, Roosevelt began a long, urgent, eloquent campaign of popular education, warning that unchecked aggression abroad would ultimately endanger the U.S. itself. "Let no one imagine that America will escape, that America may expect mercy," he said. The debate in 1940-41 between isolationists and interventionists was the most passionate political argument of my lifetime. It came to an abrupt end when Japanese bombs fell on Pearl Harbor.

Roosevelt had the foresight to prepare for war even when he hoped (vainly, he knew) that it wouldn't come. Roosevelt haters like to point to those preparations and claim that they are evidence that he fully intended to START a war.

The war was already going. We got into it pretty late, actually, and some of our British cousins are still resentful that we didn't jump in with both feet much ealier.

Don Firth