Chapter 11 Summary and Analysis

Lindbergh returned to the United States in April 1939, and immediately resigned his commission in the military so that he could speak freely about political issues, as a civilian. He advocated an isolationist foreign policy, and he urged the United States not to enter World War II. Lindbergh felt that Nazi Germany was invincible, and besides, Nazi Germany wasn't that bad anyway. Lindbergh issued a nationwide radio address that attracted a large audience, and many in America agreed with him at that time. Roosevelt offered him a cabinet post if he would tow the administration's line, but Lindbergh refused.

By late 1940, American public opinion was changing as Nazism became a more obvious threat, and Lindbergh started to become a minority voice. Then, at the Battle of Dunkirk, England's Royal Air Force scored decisive wins against the German Luftwaffe, casting into doubt Lindbergh's...