Chapter Eleven: On Her Own Summary and Analysis

After FDR's death, Eleanor was sure she would play no role on the world stage. But it was not long before she was called on—President Truman trusted her wisdom and asked her advice and respected the influence she could wield. After the war ended on August 14, 1945, Truman asked Eleanor to be one of the American delegates to the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to be held in London. At first she hesitated, but after the urging of her friends, she accepted. She felt that she was honoring her husband and that the UN would be his greatest legacy. She was assigned to Committee Three, which was in charge of humanitarian, educational and cultural issues—the men in the American delegation thought it was a safe place for...