A Strong and Active Faith (1944-1962)

The war - and the resulting levels of work and security - had kept Franklin Roosevelt out of public sight. By the spring of 1944 however, he was seriously ill with bronchitis. This information was kept from the public with his doctor issuing far more positive medical reports. The event most had been waiting for finally occurred on June 6, 1944 when Allied forces landed in France. Among those going ashore was FDR's cousin and longtime political foe Theodore Roosevelt Jr., a Brigadier General who led his men in the attack at Utah beach. Less than a month later however, Theodore Jr. died of a massive heart attack. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his D-Day heroism. FDR's failing health was hidden from the public but apparent to all those he met including Stalin and Churchill. After his death, Eleanor continued with her own causes at one point saying that now felt free to speak her own mind for the first time in her life. She died in November 1962.