Monday, January 4, 2010

What Caused the Death of FDR?



New Information -- The Death of FDR

In an incredible story from the New York Post (January 3, 2010) author Eric Fettman and neurologist Dr. Steven Lomazow, after a five-year investigation, concluded in their new book, FDR's Deadly Secret, a striking historical finding about the diagnosis of President Franklin D. Roosevelt:

"It has long been known that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during the last year of his life, was gravely ill with serious cardiac problems: He'd been diagnosed with acute heart failure in March 1944 and suffered from astronomically high blood pressure  and arteriosclerosis.

"But what the public did not know was that four years earlier, while still in the second of his four terms as president, FDR had been diagnosed with a deadly skin cancer, melanoma, in a lesion over his left eyebrow."


Even more interesting, Fettman and Lomazow said Roosevelt had been informed, in no uncertain terms, in the summer of 1944 by Dr. Frank Lahey, an eminent surgeon, that he would not survive a fourth term; however, 24 hours later FDR told Democratic leaders he would run for re-election.

3 comments:

Tom Degan said...

While you make a very good point that Franklin Roosevelt made an unnecessary gamble by running for a third and fourth term (he could at times be exceedingly reckless) remember what the alternatives were: 1940 - Wendle Wilkie; 1944 - Thomas Dewey. Both men would have been complete disasters as president. And remember the top contenders after Roosevelt for the nomination in those years were Jim Farley in 1940 and Robert Hannagan in 1944. Neither one of them had the charisma of Wilkie and Dewey and would probably have gone down to utter defeat.

While it is true that Roosevelt's gamble might have been reckless, in the end I believe it was a gamble worth taking. Fortunately Wallace was dumped at the last minute at the '44 convention for Harry Truman. Can you even imagine President Henry Wallace? This would be a different world to say the least!

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Tom Degan

Unknown said...

Frank, do you think 12 years as President had anything to do with his failing health? Stress can do an awful lot of damage. Glad to see you're still writing. You are missed on Facebook

Frank Thompson said...

Tom, President Henry Wallace, indeed. What a "New Deal" that would have been! I, too, think the gamble was worth taking. I do wonder about what might happen if history ever does repeat itself and Section 4 would need to be evoked.
Todd, I think the lack of advanced medical treatment during that time greatly contributed to FDR's terrible health. He was a relatively young man when he died by today's life expectations; however, then he would have been considered relatively old. Thanks all.