Chapter 12
Roosevelt Deceived Congress Even on His Deathbed

II. A Sick Man Ruling a Nation — A Global Calamity

In the 1976 book The Sick Who Rule the World by French journalist Pierre Accoce and Swiss medical doctor Pierre Rentchnick, it was revealed that many of the 20th century’s most prominent political figures suffered from chronic illnesses. These leaders made crucial decisions while afflicted with disease — sometimes even in a state of mental confusion — causing the world to hold its breath in unease.

After the 1943 Tehran Conference among the leaders of the U.S., Soviet Union, U.K., and China, President Roosevelt began actively planning for the postwar world. He was eager to supplement the military gains of Tehran with political arrangements. A second meeting with Soviet leader Stalin became increasingly urgent.

Stalin, fully aware of Roosevelt’s intent, continually stonewalled and rejected every proposal Roosevelt put forward. It wasn’t until November 1944 that Stalin finally suggested meeting in Odessa. Roosevelt hesitated. The Soviets then proposed Yalta instead — only marginally closer than Odessa in terms of travel.

So why did Roosevelt hesitate? His health had deteriorated. As is well known, Roosevelt had been afflicted with poliomyelitis, leaving him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound for life, navigating his political career with immense physical limitations.

From 1943 onward, Roosevelt began suffering frequent “colds”—in reality, symptoms of arteriosclerosis-induced hypertension and its complications. These included mild dizziness, motor coordination problems, speech difficulties, nerve paralysis, worsening temper, illegible handwriting, inexplicable fatigue, mental fog, dizziness, distorted perception, and blurred consciousness. These are all classic signs of advanced neurosyphilis.

In February 1945, during the historic Yalta Conference in the picturesque Black Sea resort city, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin were photographed together. Seated in the center, Roosevelt looked pale and haggard, while the men flanking him, Churchill and Stalin, appeared upbeat and confident. Few at the time realized just how gravely ill Roosevelt had become.

In 1935, at age 53, Roosevelt’s blood pressure measured a healthy 136/78 mmHg. By 1944–1945, his blood pressure had surged to between 180–230 over 110–126 mmHg. He was already experiencing chronic heart failure and kidney dysfunction. During the Yalta Conference, his blood pressure spiked to 260/150 mmHg. Treatments included phenobarbital, low-sodium and low-fat diets, and digitalis. Just two months after Yalta, on April 12, 1945, Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63.

Eight years after Yalta, Stalin also died of a cerebral hemorrhage caused by hypertension, at age 74. Twenty years after Yalta, Churchill passed away after a series of strokes — the last of which was his tenth. He lived to 91.

Despite this alarming decline, Roosevelt went on to defy precedent by running for a fourth presidential term in 1944. He only narrowly defeated Republican challenger Thomas Dewey in the final stretch. By that time, Roosevelt’s mobility was so limited that even delivering his inaugural address required tremendous effort.

Roosevelt clung to power at all costs — even if it meant endangering the nation. His trip to Yalta to collude with Stalin was grueling. First, he had to travel by naval vessel across the frigid Atlantic Ocean — despite the ship’s modern capabilities, its facilities were far from comfortable. Then came a long-distance flight. Along the way, Roosevelt passed time by reading stacks of detective novels and perusing his prized stamp collection — but he never once opened the materials prepared by the State Department concerning global territorial disputes. No wonder he ceded U.S. interests so easily at the Yalta Conference.

This terminally ill man, ravaged by neurosyphilis, was no longer fit to serve as president — yet he stubbornly clung to office, harming the very nation he was meant to protect. He was so physically and mentally exhausted that even staying alive was a burden. How could he possibly focus on matters of state?