The Eleventh Hour - by L Douglas Keeney (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In late November 1943, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his Joint Chiefs of Staff secretly boarded the battleship USS Iowa to attend a conference in Tehran with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, where the Allies would come to an agreement on a war plan to defeat Germany. Although Roosevelt's preparation at sea established the groundwork for the American position on D-Day, it was in the heated and electrifying debates that followed in Tehran--and only through those intense debates--that a deal was ultimately struck. In The Eleventh Hour, critically acclaimed author L. Douglas Keeney explores FDR's covert conferences on the battleship and provides stunning insight into the formerly secret, behind-the-scenes transcripts from the meetings in Tehran. Brilliantly chronicling the three days of aggressive debates between the heads-of-state, Keeney demonstrates that Tehran, although remembered as a diplomatic conference with a well-known outcome, was in reality chaotic, conflicted, and subject to numerous heated, closed-door sessions--with a petulant, irritable Churchill; a strikingly reserved, detached Roosevelt; and an assertive but unexpectedly diplomatic and even charming Stalin, winning over his guest, President Roosevelt, whose quarters were bugged by the Soviets. Seamlessly stitching together the private papers, diaries, meeting notes, and letters home of those on board, The Eleventh Hour narrates declassified transcripts, exposes surprising secrets, and illuminates how the debates of three men would ultimately end WWII"--From publisher.

Book Synopsis

In late November 1943, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his Joint Chiefs of Staff secretly boarded the battleship USS Iowa to attend a conference in Tehran with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, where the Allies would come to an agreement on a war plan to defeat Germany. Although Roosevelt's preparation at sea established the groundwork for the American position on D-Day, it was in the heated and electrifying debates that followed in Tehran-and only through those intense debates-that a deal was ultimately struck.

In The Eleventh Hour, critically acclaimed author L. Douglas Keeney explores FDR's covert conferences on the battleship and provides stunning insight into the formerly secret, behind-the-scenes transcripts from the meetings in Tehran. Brilliantly chronicling the three days of aggressive debates between the heads-of-state, Keeney demonstrates that Tehran, although remembered as a diplomatic conference with a well-known outcome, was in reality chaotic, conflicted, and subject to numerous heated, closed-door sessions-with a petulant, irritable Churchill; a strikingly reserved, detached Roosevelt; and an assertive but unexpectedly diplomatic and even charming Stalin, winning over his guest, President Roosevelt, whose quarters were bugged by the Soviets.

Seamlessly stitching together the private papers, diaries, meeting notes, and letters home of those on board, The Eleventh Hour narrates declassified transcripts, exposes surprising secrets, and illuminates how the debates of three men would ultimately end WWII.

Review Quotes

"Doug Keeney takes this pivotal, if wrongly forgotten, 36-day episode in World War II and captures the reader with a true tale of suspense and drama. At the last possible moment, the 1943 Big Three Conference in Teheran forged the winning strategy for the most powerful, and the most difficult military alliance in modern history. All know the Three: FDR, Churchill, Stalin, plus, in the wings, Eisenhower. Keeney adds the rest, whose loud arguments, tenacity and surprising diplomacy starts the countdown for D-Day and victory in Europe. Marshall, King and Arnold along with the British and Russian chiefs have it out in an exotic setting complete with spies and assassins, all amid the chess moves of their political leaders. A great read and great history. Keeney has done his research and now serves it up with all of his skills as a wonderful writer."
-Robert Bruce Arnold, author and grandson of General Hap Arnold

"An extraordinary look at the men and decisions that determined how WWII was going to be fought... and won. Should be on every WWII history buff's shelf."
-New York Times Bestselling author Stephen Coonts