Dewey,

You were just too young to get your grandfather's joke, such as it was. A lot of people hated FDR, and bitterly, for involving us in the War (a view that is almost unimaginable for those of us who were raised on stories about Nazi atrocities, and never forgave him. The reasons are not too hard to see--for one thing, Italian and German Americans comprised a large percentage of the population--Many retained strong ties and loyalties to their homeland--In Hoboken, we occasionally go to an old Italian Restaurant that is decorated with portraits of great Italians, and there is a large, faded poster of Il Duce in one of the booths--everyone knows it's there, too--