He sold out the Eastern Europeans at Yalta and condemned two generations of people to Soviet rule. Yalta helped create the Berlin wall and a lot of the Cold War. (The Cold War would have still happened but more countries would have been free.)
Either he was too friendly with Stalin or he didn't correctly percieve how evil he was. This mistake is a large black mark against him and pulls him down off the "greatest list."
"Either he was too friendly with Stalin or he didn't correctly percieve how evil he was. This mistake is a large black mark against him and pulls him down off the "greatest list.""
You are onto something here; but I would go farther.
FDR was pink through and through, and had a dozen or more Communist sympathizers as advisers. He admired and supported Stalin, and instituted aid to the USSR (equipment, advisors) before we were at war, and in variance with the desires of the American people (and his promises to them, to keep the USA out of the war) and against America's neutrality law/position.
His choice for VP in his final Presidential run was a Communist sympathizer by the name of Harry Wallace (I am struggling to remember the name, something like that?). The Democratic Senators balked at that, and went to FDR and basically said "No Way" -- that is how Truman got on the ticket; and Thank God for that!
His call for the Unconditional Surrender of Germany is inexplicable, leading to millions of more deaths, and the handing over of Eastern Europe to Stalin. Eisenhower and Dulles advised FDR to accept Rommel's behind the scenes negotiations to surrender the entire Western front! FDR refused. His plan for Germany was the Morgenthau plan, under which Germany would be turned into a pastoral country with no industry, much less arms. THE MORGENTHAU PLAN IS ONE REASON THE GERMAN PEOPLE AND ORDINARY FORCES FOUGHT AS LONG AS THEY DID. And FDR left them NO out except unconditonal surrender and hence, acceptance of the Morgenthau plan.
He refused to work with the brave German resistance, which, according to Wm. Casey's book (recall, Casey was Reagan's CIA director) could have ended the war BEFORE the bloody Normandy invasion.
Frankly I am SICK of conservatives calling FDR a great president! Hannity, Rush, too. Read some history, guys! Don't swallow the conventional liberal propaganda about FDR! Enough time has passed for a critical historical assessment- and there are books out there which do. Geesh! Should I go on? ;)