December ‘41 by William Martin
William Martin has written a dozen novels, half of which feature book-wiz Peter Fallon and his female companion, Evangeline Carrington, as the main characters. This literary couple unravel various mysteries that somehow connect to American history. In 1979, his first novel, Back Bay, chronicled the search for a missing Paul Revere tea set. The book was a huge success and established Mr. Martin as a major author.
December ‘41 is a bit different. It revolves around a Nazi plot at the beginning of WWII to assassinate President Franklin Roosevelt on Christmas Eve, 1941. The book’s first pages read like a movie script, not surprising since Bill Martin started his career by going to Hollywood and trying to get into the script-writing business. He turned out to be a better novelist than a film writer but the opening of December ‘41 cinematically sets the scene for the plot. Everything begins on December 8, 1941, the day FDR issued a declaration of war against Japan after the Pearl Harbor sneak attack. While the nation is listening to the president’s speech, a Nazi spy was in Los Angeles, shooting at targets and thinking about how he would kill President Roosevelt.
Monday, December 8 Early on, we meet the people who are in the book. Kevin Cusack is a script reader in Hollywood. He goes through all of the work that is submitted and passes the promising ones on to studio management. Kevin had become close to the local German American Bund, which was made up of Nazi sympathizers. They thought he was one of them. In fact, he was spying on them for the local Jewish community who passed information onto the FBI. Vivian Hopewell, really Kathy Schorttman from Maryland, was in Los Angeles trying to become a movie star when she wasn’t waiting on tables at a local restaurant. Special Agent Frank Carter was assigned to the Los Angeles FBI field office. After Pearl Harbor, his job was to track down and detain people of Japanese and German heritage. He and his colleagues went to Murphy Ranch, a huge piece of land that was owned by Nazi sympathizers who used the property to plot and scheme against the United States. Martin Browning was a German agent who was assigned to kill FDR. He hung around Murphy Ranch a lot and left the area as soon as he realized that the FBI was doing a sweep and arresting Germans.
The FBI arrested a lot of Germans wearing silver shirts, a sign of alignment with Hitler. Browning escaped arrest and went on to don his alternative identity as James Costner, a Burbank haberdasher, which we know of as a men’s clothing salesman. He had to hitchhike a ride to work. In his conversation with the driver, Arthur Koppel, who picked him up, James revealed some information tying the haberdasher to the local German Bund, so Costner killed Arthur, who had become a loose end.
Kevin Cusack went to a restaurant to grab dinner after he finished reading Everybody Comes to Rick’s, a script set in Casablanca. He liked it and was trying to think of which actor should play Rick. While he was waiting for his food, he noticed Humphrey Bogart eating at a nearby table. He’ll do, thought Kevin.
After dinner, FBI Agent Frank Carter came in to meet with Kevin – his contact with the local German community – to get the latest information on what Germans were doing now that the US was at war with Japan. Frank told Kevin to go to a meeting at Deutsches Haus, the local bund hangout, and find out what folks were up to. Frank also told Kevin that the FBI was going to raid the hall at 9 PM.
It took Kevin longer than usual to drive to the hall. The military was everywhere, anticipating a possible Japanese attack, and clogging up the roads. Once inside Deutsches Haus, Kevin noticed that the crowd was much more somber than usual. With America in the war now, many Germans were worried that soon their home country would be fighting against the US, a big challenge. Kevin found out that more people were using the target range at the German Murphy Ranch than usual, but he didn’t learn anything about possible German sabotage in Los Angeles.
Martin Browning, recently James Costner, took on a new identity, Harold King, an agricultural goods salesman. He went down to the famous Steam Engine Diner to eat. He saw a woman there who had come into the clothing store where he used to work as Costner. She was trying to get a job but to no avail. It was Vivian Hopewell, the aspiring actress. She was there to meet with Buddy, a guy who set her up on “dates” with rich guys. She didn’t mind just going out with someone for dinner but she hated to provide the sex some expected. Her agent/pimp had set her up with a guy who would meet her in the backseat of a car at Griffith Park. Now this was sleazy. She hated it and walked out, but she was forced into her pimp’s car and driven to meet her date.
Martin Browning/Harold King saw what was going on and followed Vivian to the rendezvous. Buddy had tied Vivian up in his car. Once they got to Griffith Park, she was released and given to a fat guy who had paid to have sex with her, essentially rape in this case. Just as he was about to grab Vivian, Martin Browning shoved him away and knocked him out. Buddy came over to see what was going on and Martin broke his arm with a blackjack. Martin suggested that it was time to go. She had no idea who her savior was but she trusted him enough to follow him away.
Tuesday, December 9 After Martin dropped Vivian at the Roosevelt Hotel, he headed home to his apartment. He had given Vivian $50 which she found in her pocket. He was beginning to have feelings for Vivian, something that could get in the way of his mission of killing FDR on December 24th at the National Christmas Tree lighting.
Kevin was asked to meet with Lewis, his contact in the local Jewish community. Kevin was a Catholic from Boston who had graduated from Boston College, but his mother was half-Jewish so there was mutual trust. Kevin reported on what he saw at the bund hall – not much – and told Lewis that in a few days he was heading back east on the Super Chief cross-country train. Kevin had been roughed up by some local Nazis and he thought that he should get out of town now. Kevin was looking forward to the trip since Sally Drake, a coworker he had a crush on, would also be on the train. She was also heading home after getting nowhere in Hollywood.
Back at the Roosevelt Hotel, Vivian woke up, took a bath, and noticed that someone had delivered some very nice clothes to her. It turned out that Martin, now Harold, was her benefactor and wanted to see her at dinner that night.
Like Kevin, Martin was planning on traveling to Washington, DC, on the Super Chief. Before leaving, he met with his Nazi contact, Gunst, who gave him ammunition and money for the trip to assassinate President Roosevelt. Right after Martin and Gunst finished their business, FBI Agent Carter showed up to ask a few questions. This was bad for Martin who slipped outside and went into a building and out the back door. Carter wanted to ask Martin some questions so he followed him out but lost him. Martin clearly did not want to talk to the FBI. Interesting. Carter went back to talk to Gunst but found him dead, apparently having been poisoned. This made Carter even more interested in the missing Martin.
Vivian was getting sick of getting nowhere in Tinsel Town. She decided to head home to Maryland. But she would have dinner with the man she knew as Harold. He had saved her from awful things. At dinner, they got along well. She told Harold that she was planning to leave town. He offered her a business deal. He was heading east himself and his company gave preference to married men when it came time to promotions. He asked Vivian to pretend to be his wife and he would pay for the train trip. Buying two tickets in a sleeper car would convince his boss that he had gotten married.
This of course is complete balderdash, but this book is a work of fiction. Vivian agreed to the deal.
Martin had one more person to get rid of, Fritz Kessler, who was very active in the Los Angeles German community and who would soon be picked up for questioning by the FBI. To prevent Fritz from giving them any information, Martin put a knife through Kessler’s brain. Martin certainly enjoyed killing people, but that may be a Nazi thing.
Wednesday, December 10 Kevin was wrapping up his work by recommending that Hal Wallis, the head of the studio (and a real person), make a movie of Everybody Comes to Rick’s. Kevin chatted with Sally about the script. He knows that she is heading home and asks her if she wants to share a sleeper compartment with him on the Super Chief train – on a brother/sister basis. That way they’ll each have a bed to sleep in instead of a seat. She’s interested. Kevin also tells Sally that he recommended that the name of the movie in the script was weak. It should be Casablanca.
Thursday December 11 In New York City, a German spy cell, led by Helen and Wilhelm Stauer, is getting ready to help Martin kill the American president. They received a telegram confirming that Martin is on his way, so Helen and Wilhelm would have to go to Washington to get a safe house and help the assassin get the job done.
Martin is leaving LA. He is delighted to hear that Hitler declared war on the US. Now anyone he murders will be part of the war effort, not just random violence. He tells his landlady (and occasional bedmate), Miss Sanchez, that he’ll be out of town for a few days.
Martin meets with Vivian and they work out the details of their pretending to be married. In Crete, Illinois, a seed company owner gets a telegram which has coded information about meeting Martin in Chicago on Sunday, December 14. The good Germans will help him kill FDR.
At the LA coroner’s office, FBI guy Carter learns that several recent random murders were all done with a knife thrust through the throat into the brain, an unusual technique. The same person probably committed all of the murders. Carter thinks more about Martin, who has apparently disappeared, as the key to what’s going on.
Martin and Vivian go to Barstow in eastern California. Our assassin tells the proprietor of a local shop that he needs to buy a varmint gun, code for the assassination rifle. No problem. The Stauers, the Nazis from NYC, will have the rifle and a high-powered pistol for him in Washington. Martin and Vivian stayed in a hotel in separate rooms. The next day, they boarded the Super Chief for their cross-country trip.
Friday, December 12 Kevin went to his favorite restaurant, Musso & Frank’s for a meal before he heads home. The restaurant, a Hollywood landmark, is still in business. He runs into Jerry, a co-worker that is a jerk. Jerry makes fun of Kevin for failing to make it in Hollywood. Kevin decks him as John Wayne looks on approvingly.
The day before he leaves, Kevin meets with FBI Agent Frank Carter to touch base. Carter tells Kevin that the same guy probably killed several people and that he’s pretty sure that Martin Browning is the killer.
Kevin meets Sally and they get on the Super Chief which will take them to Chicago. Kevin will get another train to Boston. Sally is happy to leave. Her father is a communist and many people hold that against her. She is spooked by the fact that Kevin hangs around with FBI agents. Getting out of town is a good idea.
Stanley Smith, their Black (Negro, back then) porter, welcomes them and brings them to their room. Stanley knows a lot of the regulars on the train, including many businessmen who travel to meetings with young women who are not their wives. The rich business guys don’t relate to minorities and they usually forget the name of their porter. One of the guys calls Stanley “George”, but his tips are good. Kevin assures Stanley that he will not forget the porter’s name.
Martin and Vivian get on the train in Barstow, a stop after Los Angeles where Kevin and Sally embarked. The Nazi and his date go to dinner and Vivian goes to bed early. Of course, Martin had put drugs in her wine so that she would pass out. He wants to unwind with a drink or two. Martin goes to the club car and orders a drink. He sits down next to a man who also is sipping a highball. It turns out to be Kevin Cusack. The name rings a bell with Martin. Emile Gunst, one of Martin’s LA contacts who died suddenly, mentioned that he was suspicious of Kevin for hanging around the German bund house.
Saturday, December 13 After a restful night, Vivian wakes up and hears a loudmouth asking Stanley for coffee. It’s Sinclair Cook, an agent who promised her a lot. She got nothing and he got Vivian on the casting couch for fun and games for him.
Martin is nervous about Kevin on the train. He cannot believe it’s just random. He tries to bribe Stanley for information about Kevin. Stanley’s moral code would not let him accept the money and he knows nothing about Kevin Cusack whom he just met. Kevin also asks Stanley about Martin, who ‘s face is ringing a bell with Kevin. Again, Stanley knows nothing. At least Kevin didn’t try to bribe him.
Martin and Kevin run into each other and realize that they both lived in LA. They talk about the city, Hollywood, and the German Bund. Kevin admits that he knows some people in that but he really is all done with Los Angeles.
Sally Drake tells Kevin that she is going home to be with a woman she loves. That takes care of Kevin’s chances with Sally. He goes off to the club car and drinks.
Sally Drake had recognized Martin as someone the FBI was interested in. She gave that away in a conversation with him. Naturally, Martin has to kill her. He sees that Kevin is really drunk and heads off to Sally’s berth where he dispatches her. One less wrinkle.
Sunday December 14 Kevin wakes up in the club car with a hangover. He goes back to his room. He sees that Sally is sleeping - she’s actually dead - and goes out to leave the train for a bit when it stops in Kansas City. Kevin forgets that the time zone had changed and missed the train when it leaves. There’s a dead woman in his compartment and he left the train. The LA police want to talk to him about the murders of two German bund people. Not good.
Back in LA, FBI Agent Carter has done some digging. He is sure that Martin Browning, or whatever his name is now, is responsible for several killings and is on his way east to do something bad.
The Super Chief is about to stop at Chicago, Martin wants to take no chances so he bribes Stanley to let him and Vivian off early before the train is fully stopped. Stanley refuses until Vivian lies and tells the porter that she’s pregnant and needs to get to a hospital. Martin gets what he wants.
Kevin is still in Kansas City. He’s on the news, wanted for two murders in Los Angeles, and he is touted as a Nazi sympathizer. Of course, he was the opposite, but Martin’s people framed the story to make Kevin the bad guy. Kevin calls Lewis, his Jewish contact in LA, to protest his innocence which Lewis believes. Lewis gives Kevin the phone number of a friend of his in Kansas City, Dilly, who is delivering a meat order to Lexington, KY, and will drop Kevin off there.
Martin and Vivian leave the train and get picked up by Max Diebold, the Chicago Nazi connection who will get them a car they can drive to DC.
They go back to Diebold’s farm to rest. Max is on the radio, reporting to his superiors that Martin has endangered the mission by having a woman with him. Eric Diebold, Max’s son, is attempting to rape Vivian. Not a smart thing to do since Vivian is pretty good at defending herself. She stabs Eric. He screams and Martin and Max go out to see what’s happening. Martin is sick of the drama so he kills both of the men. Martin tells Vivian that both men are on their way to the hospital.
Back in LA, FBI Agent Carter has come up with more evidence linking Martin to a plot to harm FDR.
Monday, December 15 After stopping in St. Louis and seeing a newspaper picture of Kevin as a man wanted for murder, Dilly confronts Kevin and threatens him with a knife. They work it out. Dilly knows that his friend in LA, Lewis, would not have told him to help out a murderer.
Martin and Vivian take off in the dead Diebold’s car. Vivian asks who Martin really is and he tells her that he’s working on a secret government project. She doesn't believe him but she backs off.
Kevin calls FBI guy Frank and tells him that Martin killed Sally. He also tells Frank that Martin was on the Super Chief. Frank had checked the passenger list for the train of people getting on in LA and Martin - now going by the name Harry Kellogg - had gotten the train with Vivian in Barstow. Harry doesn’t know where Martin is going but Vivian was heading to Maryland. Frank is starting to think that Martin is heading to Washington, DC.
Wednesday, December 16 -17 Kevin contacts Frank again and learns that the FBI wants him to go to DC to help them out in identifying Martin, who is definitely up to no good. Dilly gets to Lexington and says goodbye to Kevin while giving him a wad of cash that Kevin desperately needs to keep going. Kevin takes a bus to DC.
In Los Angeles, Frank uses his FBI contacts to find out more about Martin and Vivian, who is pretending to be his wife. Before he left Martin had met with some nasty Nazis, the Gobels, who live in Barstow and plan violent acts. Frank will talk to them.
Thursday, December 18 Because of bad weather, Frank’s bus trip takes a long time to get to DC. At a stop, Kevin calls his parents in Dorchester, MA, to tell them not to believe what people are saying about him.
While driving towards Washington, Martin Browning, aka Harry Kellogg, is thinking about what he’s about to do in killing FDR. He rationalizes that getting rid of the president will make the Americans work out a settlement with Germany right away. That will end up preventing a widening war and save many lives. Martin’s beginning to think that he’s a good guy. They stay in a fancy hotel in Gettysburg, PA and sleep together for real. Martin has some concerns about this since he'll probably have to kill Vivian, but he succumbs to the pleasures of the flesh.
Friday, December 19 Kevin finally reached Washington and checked into a hotel using a fake name. Martin and Vivian were staying at the fancy Willard Hotel in DC.
Frank and a female private eye, Stella, went to Barstow where they got into a gun fight with the Gobels, who lost the contest. There was evidence that Harold King, who was really Martin Browning, had done business there. There was also a wall map with the route to Washington, DC. highlighted. Martin was indeed going to Washington. Stella and Frank are off to fly to DC.
Saturday, December 20 Will and Helen Stauer, devoted Nazis, traveled from New Your City to Washington with the assassination rifle and a pistol for Martin, who is still at the Willard with Vivian. Kevin saw an article in the local paper about how Stanley Smith, a porter on the Super Chief who lived in DC, had been fired for taking money to let two passengers off before the train had fully stopped, breaking company policy. Kevin knows Stanley and Stanley knows Martin so Kevin has to find the porter to ask him questions. There are lots of S. Smiths in the DC phone book, but Kevin remembers Stanley talking about where he and his mother shopped Saturday mornings at a certain food store. Kevin finds the porter there and they chat. Stanley is reluctant to speak to Kevin since the police are after him, but he does take Kevin’s card with the hotel's phone number written on it.
Vivian and Martin arrived at her parent’s house in Annapolis, MD. Martin impressed her parents and headed back to DC. He switched hotels and identities. Now he’s Nigel Hawkins of London, an importer. He meets the Stauers at a pre-arranged place. They exchange the proper code words and discuss the assignment.
Private eye Stella and FBI Agent Carter are having a rough time flying from LA to Washington. In the early 1940s, airlines were not very comfortable. The planes were loud and bounced around a lot. Flying anywhere was not enjoyable.
Sunday, December 21 Stanley called and arranged to meet Kevin in Baltimore to see Sinclair Cook, the agent who took advantage of Vivian when she was trying to become a star. Although he spends a lot of time in LA, he lives in Maryland with his wife and kids. He doesn’t want Stanley to embarrass him in front of his family so he agrees to talk about what he knows about Vivian who is with Martin. Sinclair tells them that she lives in Annapolis but he’s not sure where. That doesn’t help much so Stanley and Kevin go back to DC.
Kevin decides to play tourist until Frank and Stella arrive. He gets in line to take the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument. As fate would have it, the Stauers and Martin are also going to the top of the monument to identify good places to take the shot to kill the president. They are leaving. Kevin tries to follow them but loses them. Martin did see Kevin and he’s worried about why Mr. Cusack is in DC. The Stauers say that they will kill Cusack to eliminate any problems.
Martin - now Nigel Hawkins - is reading the papers to get an understanding of security for the Christmas Eve tree lighting. He sees that VIPs with the right ticket can get inside the security lines and get close enough to use the pistol. He needs to figure out how to get that ticket.
Vivian is getting bored at home. Her parents dragged her to Sunday Mass after which she ran into an old high school boyfriend, Johnny Beavers. Johnny let on that he has two tickets for the DC tree lighting on Christmas Eve and invites her to go with him. She’s interested.
Monday, December 22 As Stella and Frank are finally landing in Washington, Martin is scouting to find a tree from which he can take the shot. He also checks out the security setup and finds it lacking, which is good for him. Martin calls up Vivian to keep tabs on her. She tells him that she is bored. Her old high school boyfriend had tickets for the tree lighting on Christmas Eve and invited her. That’s all the excitement in her life. Martin sees this as his chance to get inside the security perimeter.
Frank Carter meets with a friend of his who is in the Espionage Division of the FBI, the unit that handles attempted presidential assassinations. He wants to meet with Kevin to see what he knows. Frank also meets with the Secret Service and asks them to cancel the tree lighting. That won't happen. President Roosevelt sees the lit tree as a powerful symbol of the country’s determination to win the war.
Kevin had figured out where Vivian’s parents lived. He staked out her place and followed her as she took the train into DC where she met Martin, who introduced her to the Stauers, who are supposedly big-deal managers in the US Department of Agriculture. Martin assures Vivian that having tickets to see the tree lighting up close will really help his career.
Vivian went home and Martin left. Frank Carter happened to recognize Martin on the street and followed him. As Frank begins to question him, Martin shoots him dead.
Tuesday, December 23 Martin wakes up to the news that Winston Churchill will be visiting Washington and lighting the tree with FDR. This is great news. The two great enemies of the Reich can be taken out at one time.
Stella is getting nervous. Frank still hasn’t returned to the hotel. She checks in with Frank’s FBI contact in DC who told her that Frank was supposed to meet Kevin.
The Stauers have been following Johnny Beavers, Vivian’s ex, in hopes of stealing the passes from him. They’ve had no luck so far.
Kevin continues to track Vivian. She meets Johnny at a diner and they chat. Kevin follows Vivian home and talks to her, trying to convince her that Martin/Harry Kellogg, is an enemy. She’s not persuaded so Kevin leaves as her dad comes over to see what’s going on.
Kevin meets up with Stanley, his ride, and stops at a payphone to call the FBI. He gets right through and learns that Frank is dead. His body was just found.
Martin calls Vivian to put pressure on her for the special tickets. Vivian tears into him, saying that Kevin told her that Martin had killed several people. He denies it and tells her to get into DC to spend a couple of days. Martin then calls Mrs. Stauer to have her get Martin and Vivian a safe house. Vivian is attracting too much attention living at home. Martin takes Vivian to the safe house in the swanky Kalorama neighborhood of Washington where they are greeted by Mrs. Colbert, a Nazi sympathizer.
Kevin sends Stanley to contact Stella at the Willard Hotel where she and Frank were staying. Kevin can’t show his face because the cops are after him. Kevin expresses his sympathy to Stella who is upset but also determined to bring Martin down. Stella tells Stanley and Kevin that Frank believed that Martin was going to shoot FDR at the tree lighting ceremony on Christmas Eve.
The Stauers finally confront Johnny Beavers, kill him, and take the two tickets needed to get close to the tree lighting. They call Martin and he tells Vivian that Johnny has graciously agreed to give Martin the tickets. Vivian has been drinking champagne for much of the evening and is happy to hear the news.
Vivian goes off to the bathroom to freshen up. Once she’s gone, the Nazis plot and scheme about the assassinations of Roosevelt and Churchill the next day. Vivian sees some cufflinks and other things in the bathroom that connect Martin – now Harold Kellogg to her – to Los Angeles. She realizes that Kellogg is not her date’s real name. She realizes that she is in trouble. She tries to call Kevin using the number he gave her when he visited her at home. She has to hang up when Martin/Harry Kellogg bangs on the bathroom door. Martin sees the piece of paper with Kevin’s name and phone number on it that Vivian had. She is in trouble. She tries to leave but Mrs. Colbert drugs her so that she will sleep until the morning at which time Martin can figure out what to do with her. Mrs. Colbert knows what she would do to Vivian who is a dangerous loose end.
At the White House, the Secret Service detail knows that the president is in danger. Mike Wilson is the head of the detail and he’s coordinating the security efforts of all of the law enforcement agencies. The revised plan includes having soldiers stationed next to each other along the entire perimeter. Important people have urged FDR to not appear in public, but he is determined to light the tree in front of tens of thousands of Americans.
Back at the safe house, Martin is having doubts about the mission. He is in love with Vivian. He surely will not survive the mission. He’s thinking about skipping out to South America with Vivian and letting the murderous Stauers kill FDR and Churchill. He decides to do his duty.
Will Stauer decides that Kevin is a nuisance who needs to be eliminated. After her husband leaves, Helen comes on to Martin but does not let him do the deed. She is just being mean, something she’s good at doing.
Kevin arranges to meet Stella so that they can nail Martin. As he leaves his hotel, he sees Will Stauer. Will corners Kevin and tries to shoot him. Naturally, he misses and Kevin gets away.
Vivian wakes up and realizes that she needs to get away. She’s locked into her room but the Stauers, exemplars of the Master Race, forgot about the windows. She bolts but runs into Martin who convinces her that he is on a mission to capture the Stauers, who are nasty Nazis. She buys it.
Martin doesn’t trust anyone now except Vivian, so he shoots Mrs. Colbert, her butler and her cook. Martin tells Vivian that he is really FBI Agent Frank Carter and shows the ID he stole from the real Carter after he killed him. Martin tells Vivian that he is going to get the Stauers before they hurt the president.
A police officer spotted Vivian and an unidentified man – Martin? – heading into a house in Kalorama. By the time police get there, the couple is gone.
Kevin meets with the Secret Service in the White House and describes what Martin looks like – screen actor Leslie Howard of Gone with the Wind fame. Kevin meets FDR and is awed but he has to leave and track down Martin.
The Stauers have the VIP tickets but they decide not to use them. There has been a change in security, and all VIP guests are being frisked. Since Will has a monster pistol with him, he and his wife bolt. It’s up to Martin to get the job done. After the Stauers leave, Martin goes to the tree that he will climb to get a good shot at the president and Churchill.
Kevin finally tracks down Vivian who refuses to believe that Martin is an assassin. She sees Martin approaching a tree and she realizes that he is. He tells her to go away but she attacks him. He hits her on the head with his rifle, killing her. Martin climbs the tree and sees the president beginning his speech. As Martin lines up his shot, the floodlights are turned away from Roosevelt and Churchill and towards the audience, blinding Martin. He takes two random shots and climbs down the tree where Kevin tackles him. They fight and Kevin hears a shot. Stella has come to the rescue by shooting the failed assassin.
The lights go back to normal and FDR lights the tree and gives a rousing speech. Churchill gives an even better speech that ends: “Here, then, for one night only, each home throughout the English-speaking world should be a brightly lighted island of happiness and peace.”
Kevin goes to Frank Carter's funeral in DC and Vivian's in Annapolis. Kevin and Stella seem to be getting along, but Kevin will be fighting in the war soon. Stanley Smith, the helpful porter, is also joining the military. The police track the Stauers down in New York City and find the couple dead. Helen killed Will and then took poison.
That’s a wrap.
Bob’s Take
William Martin is a local treasure. Bill Martin talked about this book in mid-November at the annual meeting of the Friends of the West Roxbury Branch Library. He’s no stranger to the local library since he grew up in the area and spent many afternoons after school studying in the reading room before he went off to Harvard.
Bill has talked about many of his books here. He also was a featured guest at the Friends’ 40th Anniversary Celebration a few years ago. We couldn’t get Bono.
This book covers the same time period as the one I wrote about two weeks ago, Hitler’s American Gamble. That massive volume looked at what led Hitler to make the foolish decision to declare war on the United States on December 11, 1941. December ‘41 does have some overlap with that material, but it was a lot more enjoyable to read and a lot shorter.
Communication was very challenging in 1941. There were no cell phones, only pay phones and collect calls. They didn’t even have Rolodexes. Names and phone numbers handwritten. Many times in the book, someone would make a collect call to someone who wasn’t on the other end so there was no communication.
Identifying bad guys was difficult. There were no databases or photo libraries back then. In this book, no one except two people knew what Martin the Nazi assassin looked like. They described him as resembling Leslie Howard, who played Ashley in Gone with the Wind which was released in 1939. Apparently, there were no identification artists back then to produce an image of the person of interest.
This is a work of fiction but some elements are true. There was no serious plot to assassinate President Roosevelt, but there were Nazi enclaves all over the country, especially in Los Angeles and Chicago. The German Bund was a very organized anti-America organization. It’s ironic/racist that Japanese Americans were isolated in secure camps while German Americans roamed free. I am not aware of any Japanese spy cells that were dedicated to doing bad things to America.
Winston Churchill showed up almost unannounced in Washington in late December of 1941. FDR did not want him in DC to plead his case to have us enter the war. Hitler took care of that problem on December 11 by declaring war on our country. We were in. Churchill used the trip to plan the war with FDR. His Christmas Eve speech to the country and his address to Congress a few days later were masterpieces.
There were no tree lightings during the rest of the war. December, 1941, was the last tree lighting until President Truman did the honors in December of 1945, eight months after FDR died.
This was a very enjoyable book. It has everything – Hollywood stars, evil Nazis, a great cross-country train trip, interesting characters, motivated citizens who track down the bad guys, FDR and Winston Churchill, and, as a bonus, it takes place at Christmas.
