Chapter 12
Roosevelt Deceived Congress Even on His Deathbed

III. Roosevelt’s Inability to Fulfill His Duties

Roosevelt’s health had always been poor. By the end of 1943, he insisted on a meeting between the Big Three, believing that face-to-face talks would help resolve major issues more easily and strengthen relationships among the leaders.

Roosevelt wanted to travel as freely as Churchill, but he overlooked the fact that his body was already ravaged by disease. In December 1943, he flew from the United States to Britain, and from there to Iran in the Balkans. The long journey further damaged his body, which had already been deteriorated by syphilis, and he never recovered.

President Wilson, who dragged the U.S. into World War I, also suffered from paralysis and was confined to the White House in his later years. In September 1944, when Roosevelt watched the film Wilson, he remarked, “My God, that won’t happen to me, will it?” Sadly, his words proved prophetic. It seems this was historical retribution for Roosevelt allying with the Soviets and “dancing with wolves.”

After returning from the Soviet Union, Roosevelt reported on the Yalta Conference to Congress on March 1. Many were shocked by his aged and withered appearance. He delivered the speech seated in an armchair — an unprecedented concession to his failing health. Yet mentally, he remained stubbornly assertive. ‘the Crimea Conference,” he declared, “ought to spell the end of unilateral action, of exclusive alliances, of spheres of influence, of balance of power, and all the other expedients which have been tried for centuries — and have always failed. We propose to substitute for all these a universal organization in which all peace-loving nations will ultimately have a chance to join.” This fantasy-like rhetoric signaled not only the failure of Roosevelt’s policy, but also his deliberate deception of the U.S. Congress.

Why did Roosevelt perform so poorly? Because he was hiding a fatal secret — he had a terminal illness and had concealed it for years! He hid his true medical condition from Congress, ultimately dragging his administration and the nation into a precarious position.

For a long time, historians believed President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 63. However, a new book challenges this view. It claims Roosevelt died from a cancer that had metastasized to his brain. He was diagnosed with this deadly disease during his second term, but he and his doctors kept it hidden from the public.

Speculation about “Roosevelt’s final days” has long existed, with varying theories including stroke and brain hemorrhage. According to American media, neurologist Dr. Steven Lomazow and journalist Eric Fettmann spent five years researching and co-authored a book titled FDR’s Deadly Secret. The book reveals that Roosevelt had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a fatal skin cancer, before the Pearl Harbor attack. Over four years, the melanoma spread from above his left eye and eventually developed into a malignant tumor, causing his sudden death on April 12, 1945. In the early 1940s, melanoma was considered incurable, and late-stage patients suffered extreme pain.

Lomazow and Fettmann noted visible signs of skin abnormalities in many wartime photos of Roosevelt. In his later years, he developed severe issues with his left eye, attributed to damage in the right hemisphere of the brain affecting his optic nerve. Footage of Roosevelt’s March 1, 1945, congressional address serves as crucial evidence. Many were shocked by his appearance — aged and frail — despite being only 63. His speech was feeble, he struggled to read parts of the speech near the margins, and he often made verbal mistakes. The video footage suggested not only loss of vision in his left eye but also dysfunction in the right hemisphere of his brain. They compared the recorded speech with the written text and found that most errors occurred on the left side of the page.

Surgeon Harry Goldsmith closely studied wartime photos and noted damage around Roosevelt’s left eye and eyelid. Based on experience, he concluded Roosevelt likely had skin cancer. Renowned dermatopathologist Bernard Ackerman agreed, stating that Roosevelt’s skin had been affected by melanoma. There is evidence Roosevelt consulted several cancer specialists between 1944 and 1945. Strangely, all his doctors denied he had cancer after his death, there was no public autopsy, and Roosevelt’s medical records mysteriously vanished.

That’s because Roosevelt hid his illness to run for office! He deceived American voters and the Congress they elected. Ever since contracting what was officially called “polio” (but may have been neurosyphilis) in 1921, Roosevelt had worked hard to maintain an image of health. Hiding his illness became his main “patriotic task.” For instance, there were very few full-body photos of him. In 1944, as war raged, America held a presidential election — but few realized a constitutional crisis loomed. Even 60 years later, this remains a largely hidden story.

Roosevelt was a popular wartime leader and faced little formal opposition within the Democratic Party. While some conservatives increasingly opposed his social and economic policies, few publicly criticized him, so his nomination was all but assured.

Just before the July Democratic Convention, renowned Boston surgeon Dr. Frank Lahey conducted a full examination and privately informed Roosevelt that he would not survive a fourth term. Lahey never disclosed this publicly. Roosevelt’s personal physician, General McIntire, deliberately misled the public, dismissing rumors of cancer. After the examination, Roosevelt told party leaders he would run again.

The New York Post noted that Roosevelt knew winning a fourth term was effectively a “death sentence,” but he insisted on staying in the White House. Why? Because he wanted to live long enough to see America win the war and help form the United Nations. In the summer of 1944, the public only knew Roosevelt had heart problems — his cancer was the “greatest secret,” and he left no written trace of it.

In February 1945, Roosevelt flew to the Soviet Union to attend the Yalta Conference. Lieutenant Houghton, who helped receive the American delegation, later recalled: “I was stunned by his appearance — his face was ashen, deeply wrinkled, and reflected profound fatigue. His skin looked grayish and almost transparent.” Roosevelt was indeed the “Yalta patient.” Among the Big Three, he appeared as a dying man, no longer capable of tough negotiations with the resolute Stalin. Lomazow and Fettmann cited participants at the conference who described Roosevelt as ill and incoherent. Churchill’s personal physician, Lord Moran, wrote in his diary: “From a medical point of view, the president (Roosevelt) was a very sick man …… I wouldn’t give him more than a few months.” And two months later, Roosevelt suddenly died.

Many historians have criticized aspects of the Yalta agreements, believing Roosevelt’s poor health led him to misjudge key decisions and concede too much to Stalin. Though Stalin also suffered from hypertension, he was in far better health. This raises a contentious question among scholars: Was Roosevelt truly fit to carry out his duties as President and Commander-in-Chief?