Reviews of Our Book

Aside from what appears to be a viscious and intentional effort to reduce our book sales on Amazon.com (you see we are conspriracy theorists after all!), the overwhelming majority of reviews have been favorable. We have yet to hear from a single expert specialty physician who has controverted our scenario in any significant way.

“An engrossing medical biography. … Given what we know now about cancerous lesions and the dangers of malignant melanomas, the authors make a plausible case. ... Their work is buttressed by an array of private notes and diary entries from those who dealt with Roosevelt in the White House and were alarmed by what they saw but did not publicize.”—David Shribman, Wall Street Journal

“The authors present their material in an engaging, though not sensationalistic manner. As a result, 'FDR’s Deadly Secret’ will find a wide following among those interested in one of American history’s most compelling medical mysteries." -- Claude R. Marx, Boston Globe

“The most provocative evidence the authors present is that Roosevelt had a left-sided hemianopia — a loss in vision — toward the end of his life. This indicated a mass in the right side of his brain. Lomazow and Fettmann arrive at this conclusion based on an ingenious bit of research.” – New York Times Week in Review

“[An] astounding argument…If Lomazow and Fettmann are right, Republican Thomas E. Dewey or a different Democrat should have been elected president in 1944. In that case, Harry S. Truman, FDR's vice president, would almost certainly not have been commander-in-chief from 1945 to 1952. The Cold War and subsequent American history might have taken a very different path. Lomazow and Fettmann's research is of great importance.” – Dr. Barron H. Lerner, Slate

“An increasingly feeble and distracted FDR died in office and was succeeded by Harry Truman, who performed well as the 33rd president. But this chilling new book by Eric Fettmann and Steven Lomazow reveals that America had a narrow escape. … The point of this well-researched book is not to score points off a deceased president, but to assert the vital importance of honesty in discussions of presidential health.” — Geoffrey Wawro, University of North Texas, History Book Club and Book of the Month Club

“This is a superior addition to the diseases-of-famous-men genre. … Journalist Fettmann and neurologist Lomazow assert that they’ve discovered the true cause of FDR’s 1945 death … We will never know the truth, but the authors make a reasonable case.” – Publishers Weekly
“Effective and thought-provoking ... easy to entertain the authors’ charges of a medical cover-up ... intriguing.” -- Kirkus Reviews

“Readable and interesting and should appeal to both specialists and the general public. Recommended.” – Library Journal

"Fascinating and grisly ... graphic and telling ... If Roosevelt was suffering from even a fraction of the diseases Lomazow and Fettmann say he was, the disclosure ... at the very least casts Roosevelt's presidency in a new light." -- Ira Stoll, Commentary

"A persuasive case ... The documentation the authors cite is thorough enough to be compelling. ... [A] meticulously pieced-together case study." — Elizabeth Lopatto, Bloomberg News
"Well-told ... The authors make a good case for their thesis ... Lomazow and Fettmann have gone as deeply into the medical evidence as is possible, and produced a convincing sidelight to history." — Palm Beach Post

"‘FDR's Deadly Secret’ documents a pattern of deceit about the president's health." -- Glenn C. Altschuler, Tulsa World

“Historians and lovers of history might smother their valentines with kisses if they receive Steven Lomazow and Eric Fettmann’s ‘FDR’s Deadly Secret’ today. … ‘FDR’s Deadly Secret’ will likely be fodder for those who believe FDR was impaired when he went to Yalta to meet with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin near the end of World War II.” — Howard Dukes, South Bend (IN) Tribune

“A lively and readable account of a fascinating subject and, taken for what it is—a strong possibility rather than a slam dunk—its argument is a valuable contribution to presidential history.” — Martin Rubin, Washington Times

“Lomazow and Fettmann are right that this ancient history matters. It raises anew the moral argument over whether a political leader has any right to medical privacy.” — Brian Bethune, Macleans

"An extraordinary medical detective story that will force some re-evaluation of the nation’s longest-serving president. ... the first-hand testimony of so many involved, and the brilliant medical detective work of the authors, makes their scenario accurate, in my opinion, beyond a reasonable doubt."—Barry Casselman, Racefor2012.com

Our article in Neurology Today. What was FDR's Deadly Secret?

The currrent issue of the American Academy of Neurology publication Neurology Today contains a long and well-written article on our book.

http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2010/02040/What_Was_Franklin_D__Roosevelt_s_Deadly_Secret_.13.aspx

Response to a comment.

This comment was left by an anonymous reader but since it epitomizes many that have been posed, I felt compelled to address it.

The commentors remarks are in regular type and I have interjected my answers in Italics.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "FDR's Deadly Secret.":

i found this subject most interesting but it will prove a frustrating thesis due to lack of definitive proof....however that does not mean that we cannot know....

i was surprised to learn that fdr was a frequent visitor to bethesda naval hospital and needed 9 pints during a blood transfusion...

the nine pints (and possibly more) were administered not in one session, but over a period of two months. These are only the ones that we can prove with certainty

of interest is why there was no autopsy of roosevelt and why all of his medical records were destroyed....bethesda surely has some for which an enterprising investigator should submit a foia request to have those records released....

No autopsy was performed because it would have revealed many facts about FDR's health that were hidden then and many that are still hidden today. There have been many FOIA (freedom of information act) requests over the years, a nunber of which have reavealed considerable information, vis a vis those of Kenneth Crispell and Carlos Gomez in 1981. Virtually every Roosevelt historian interested in pursuing FDR's health has gone down this avenue. There is very little that can be accomplished with further requests.

a medical file as deep as fdr's does not just disappear without concerted help...

quite true indeed. See: Ross T. McIntire and Howard G. Bruenn

a cranky reviewer on amazon suggests that fdr's reading by hand was due to failing eyesight - astigmatism from old age and that he had used that method since 1938 rather than de novo during the congressional report as this book reports although the reviewer offers no proof about the old age causation.

the reviewer you mention is a non-physician with an obvious desire to discredit the book. his ideas about failing eyesight are laughingly inept. Our conclusions are based on four years of intensive research in consultation with hundres of top physicians. I am a board certified neurologist and stand by my findings without qualification. If the commentor can produce a single expert of equal standing, I would be more apt to listen. To this point, none of the hundreds of my colleagues have found reason to dispute my findings.

this same reviewer mentions that fdr's paralysis was due to Guillain-Barré syndrome rather than polio and that the blood transfusion could have been due to diverticulitis....again no proof was offered....

See our blog post that discusses Guillain Barre Syndrome. FDR had polio. Likewise, the diverticulitis theory has been discussed with dozens of board certified gastroenterologists and surgeons and is not the reason for the GI bleed.

this book covers an excellent subject and should not be dismissed out of hand as some know-nothing types are wont to do...

Thank you!