About the Program
Charles Peters describes the fight for the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican convention in June 1940. Mr. Peters gives a detailed overview of candidates Tom Dewey, Robert Taft, Arthur Vandenberg and Wendell Willkie. He describes the floor rallies, rousing speeches, backroom deals, and terrifying international news that led to dark-horse candidate Wendell Willkie's nomination at the convention. Mr. Peters shows how the Republican convention events are significant to Franklin Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie's bipartisan alliance which helped the U.S. on the eve of World War II. This talk is part of the annual Roosevelt Reading Festival held at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.