Ambassador Joseph Kennedy 1938-1940: An Anatomy of Appeasement (American University Studies)

Joe Kennedy, in return for his extensive support for President Franklin Roosevelt, became the first Irish-American and the first Catholic to attain the highest U.S. diplomatic post: Ambassador to Great Britain's Court of St. James. But his complete lack of knowledge of Hitler and Nazism and his devotion to international trade led him to a staunch appeasement which lasted even longer than did Chamberlain's. His reports and ambassadorial conversations became increasingly distorted by his appeasement bias. Recalled when his defeatist remarks were no longer tolerable in a Britain under enemy siege, he continued his appeasement and isolationist speeches in the U.S. until the outbreak of war.