FDR and Civil Aviation

"In a twentieth century dominated by airpower, no figure loomed larger than Franklin Roosevelt, both as a global strategist and as a key definer of the aerial world. No scholar better captures Roosevelt s thinking on this crucial issue than Alan Dobson, the true historian of aviation s diplomacy." - Jeffrey A. Engel, Kruse 52 Professor, Texas A&M University and author of Cold War at 30,000 Feet: the Anglo-American Fight for Aviation Supremacy

"Amazingly, the story of FDR and international civil aviation has gone untold; yet it is perhaps his most lasting and important legacy. Alan Dobson's well-written book is more than the story of Roosevelt's vision of what commercial aviation could become in the postwar world, however. It is an essential contribution to understanding globalization." - Lloyd C. Gardner, Professor Emeritus of History, Rutgers University, and author of Three Kings: The Rise of an American Empire in the Middle East After World War II"Alan P. Dobson has established a reputation as the world s leading authority on the international diplomacy of civil aviation, and this book demonstrates just how well-earned is that reputation. FDR and Civil Aviation constitutes a major contribution to our understanding of the rise and evolution of today s globe-spanning network of commercial airlines. Central to the fascinating story Dobson tells is the role played by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the oft-unacknowledged but very real architect of today s civilian-aviation regime - a regime that has been erected very much in accordance with the president s liberal-internationalist preferences and ideals. For anyone seeking insight into the wartime roots of a contemporary global civil-aviation order characterized by the aspiration toward open skies, this book will be indispensable reading." - David G. Haglund, Professor, Department of Political Studies, Queen s University, Canada