I'm John Batchel, visiting with Professor Brands, Bill Brands.

His new book is America First, Roosevelt versus Lindberg, in the shadow of war.

The summer of 39, the deterioration on the continent is obvious from great distance in America.

Lindberg watches it in despair.

However, the events are tumbling, and when the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact is made, it's clear that war is imminent.

What will happen is that the Hitlerites attack Poland from the east.

Within weeks, the communists, the Marxists, the Leninists, the Stalinists attack Poland from the east. And within weeks, the communists, the Marxists, the Leninists, the Stalinists,

attack Poland from the West.

And the country is no more.

It is destroyed.

The response to that is various in America.

Mr. Roosevelt immediately uses the word neutrality. He has to because there's been a neutral

decision made by Congress to maintain neutrality in the event of war anywhere. There's been a war

going on in Asia since at least 32 of the Japanese tearing up China. However, it's Lindberg's

reaction that is most, is freshest because he goes on the

radio. Why does he do that, professor? Why does a modest man who values solitary flight at 5,000

feet over the wilderness take to the national radio.

It's something that I wrestled with in writing this book because Lindberg

says again and again, I don't want to do this, I don't want to do this, but he does it again

and again. So is he being perfectly honest with himself? Is there some aspect of the fame, the notoriety that comes from

being Charles Lindbergh that he values? Well, he certainly values it in the sense that it gives him a

platform. He is, in essence, a private figure. But when he calls up the mutual broadcasting system

...