Kennedy Dbq

Franklin Delano Roosevelt could have done so much more to prevent the killing of 6 million jews. Even if that meant deciding that it would be best to drop the bomb on Auschwitz and kill 2,000 people. FDR thought about helping in various ways however, he never followed through. Agreeing with Beschloss, there was so much more FDR could have done to prevent the genocide or at least stop it once it had begun. FDR, along with most of the nation in World War II, focused on isolation but when it comes to the killing of such a mass amount of people, that is a time that it would be worth stepping in. Roosevelt did not have the power to declare war but he did have the power to discuss it with congress. Roosevelt had countless opportunities, militarily

He did not fear and once he saw an issue that needed to be solved he attacked it. For someone who had such a loud and powerful voice and position in the country it is troubling to know that he did not use this voice when there were millions of jews being killed in such a familiar nation. He began to withdraw his voice when it came to the Holocaust and did not do enough considering all of the information he was given. Before the Holocaust started, Roosevelt suspected issues with jews in Germany therefore providing 5,000 visas for Germans which is much less than the 25,957 Germans maximum quota in the United States. On November 13, 1935 FDR wrote to Governor Herbert Lehman about his ideas of providing more visas than they typically do. “The Immigration Act of 1944 is a considerate and humane manner consistent with a faithful discharge with their responsibilities under the law.” This is a great start to Roosevelt's’ involvement in the Holocaust, before the holocaust even begins, however whether he decides to keep this up during the genocide is what will sway public opinion. On November 15, 1938, six days after Kristallnacht, Roosevelt wrote a draft to convey his fury at Kristallnacht which he read at his press conference. In the draft Roosevelt states, “The news of the past few days from Germany has shocked public opinion in the United States.” The Americans are not well informed enough about the Holocaust as it is beginning which is proven here because it is nearly a week into it and the only words Roosevelt uses to describe the reaction of Americans is “shocked”. A horrifying event is taking place and deserves more of an explanation to the people of America. Roosevelt expressed a pro-Jewish standpoint however the way he acted upon the crisis leaned closer towards an anti-semitic perspective. On March 24, 1944 the president made a statement about the Atrocities of War and in this statement Roosevelt mentions, “Which international