Keith Eiler
Published: 2022-12-14
Total Pages: 594
Get eBook
Judge Robert P. Patterson resigned from the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City in 1940 to join the War Department to help prepare the country for a war he knew was coming. As Under Secretary of War he was responsible under Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson for industrial mobilization and procurement for the army and the army air force. The study documents Patterson’s extraordinary and largely unrecognized contributions to the war effort, recounts how the federal government transformed itself for war and converted a vast market-oriented economy into an effective war machine, and documents numerous issues about the evolution of civil-military relations during the emergency. Patterson emerges as a self-effacing public servant of unusual ability and character. “This splendid biography does belated justice to one of the unsung heroes of the Second World War. Robert P. Patterson, a quiet man of commanding ability and sturdy purpose, played a key role in the mobilization of American men and resources that made victory possible. Mobilizing America illuminates both the integrity of the man and the complexity of his achievement.” — Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. “In Mobilizing America, Keith E. Eiler... makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the mobilization by describing the contributions of Robert P. Patterson, a heretofore neglected yet pivotal figure in making President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision of America as the Arsenal of Democracy into a reality... Mobilizing America is a worthy work of scholarship. Gracefully written... it deftly examines Patterson’s style and numerous issues of wartime policy and reminds us that a ‘purposeful’ individual can make a difference in a vast national endeavor.” —The Journal of Military History “Students of the Second World War, even professional military officers, are often woefully uninformed about the vast and complex war effort waged on the home front to provide the supplies, trained manpower, and munitions necessary to ultimate victory. Keith Eiler has found a way to portray this mobilization effort vividly by telling the story through the eyes of Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson, a modest but dynamic man whose contributions, in the author’s words, were ‘comparable only to those of the army’s chief of staff, General George C. Marshall, and of the president himself.’ I recommend this book to anyone seeking to attain a full understanding of the entire United States war effort.” — John S. D. Eisenhower “As a study of the domestic economy during WWII, this book is unparalleled.” — Choice “Eiler has written a comprehensive account of Patterson’s Herculean efforts (largely unrecognized then or later), which were so essential for the final victory. Patterson emerges as a patriot and ideal public servant.” — Library Journal “This account of the career of one of the 20th century’s great public servants... is a dramatic story, ably narrated and documented, about a side of World War II — the domestic war against entrenched bureaucracy — in which Patterson played an heroic role.” — Washington Times “[A] detailed, well-researched book.” —The Journal of American History
