A.J. Baime is the author of 'The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War.' / A.J. Baime
'The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War' looks at Detroit's role in armament for World War II. / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
‘The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War’
By A.J. Baime
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 384 pages, $27
A.J. Baime is author of the new book “The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War,” the story of how American car companies led the charge to make Detroit the most important war production city during World War II. At the heart of the book is Ford Motor’s construction of the Willow Run Bomber Plant, home to the B-24 Liberator bomber.
In a fast-paced narrative, Baime shows how Edsel Ford’s vision to produce a bomber an hour at Willow Run, which is now in the process of being demolished, eventually changed the course of the war for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Allied powers. Through meticulous research, the best-selling author and journalist brings a little-known page of history to life and takes on the challenging and controversial characters of Henry Ford and his son, Edsel — and their critical, and sometimes contentious, involvement in the war efforts. (Henry Ford was a pacifist and a known anti-Semite who had past ties to Hitler.)
Baime’s first book, “Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans,” is being developed into a film by 20th Century Fox.
QUESTION: Can you explain how the relationship between Detroit and the war invokes the tale of the Ford family? And how they are intertwined?
ANSWER: I saw an opportunity with this book, given what’s happening in Detroit right now to tell a rich story about the most important collective achievement of any city in the nation’s history, and that’s Detroit during World War II. The reason why I chose Henry Ford and Edsel Ford and the Ford empire is to illuminate what was happening in Detroit. This story offers up the most drama, but also Henry Ford was really the star character of Detroit during the first half of the 20th Century. By telling his story I could illuminate the whole story of the Motor City and how it came to be that.
Q: In the book Edsel Ford stands out in many ways as the strongest character. Why were you drawn to him?
A: Edsel’s reputation never really reflected who he was. He’s more known for this flop of a car named after him (the Edsel) than who he was. He watched his father go from this backyard tinkerer to the Bill Gates and the Steve Jobs of his day put together. He refused to allow (Edsel) to serve in World War I. At a young age Edsel was brutally maligned by powerful people. He was overshadowed by his father for his entire life. As a dying man during World War II, he saw one last chance at achieving honor in his life, and that’s what the book’s about.
Q: How did you discover this was the story that you wanted to tell?
A: I was fascinated with Edsel and how he died. He had lived this incredibly tragic life and he was a heroic figure and extremely important to his son Henry Ford II. While writing “Go Like Hell” I had all this material on Edsel that ended up being condensed to 1½ pages in that book. I put the pieces together on how I could tell (this) in a meaningful way.
Q: Edsel is a sympathetic character, but you also bring Charles Lindbergh to life. How did you make the decisions to take on those characters?
A: Edsel Ford and (Ford executive) Charlie Sorensen tried to create the biggest airplane factory in the world and set out to turn it into the biggest, vastest bomber plant in our arsenal of all time. If you want to tell the story as a way to illuminate everything FDR was trying to do with the arsenal of democracy concept, you tell that story with the main characters — Edsel Ford, Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, (Ford executive) Harry Bennett and Charlie Sorensen.
Q: You explore America’s history during the war and Detroit’s role in it.
A: Think about the fact that Willow Run was such an important piece of World War II machinery, and it was the most high-profile war factory. To think that it’s getting the wrecking ball, is incredible. It’s happening right now, as we speak.