“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II

Thomas G. Corcoran was a corporate lawyer who worked for the Roosevelt administration. His narrative illustrates how the world of international corporate commerce took shape in the 1940s, despite the anticorporate thrust of FDR’s policies. He also describes how Joe Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy, opposed the United States entering World War II.

Another veteran of the FDR administration who became a corporate lawyer, James Rowe describes how he “believed business had been a bad influence on the country” (322). However, his attitude later became more conservative and pro-corporate. James argues that it was the war and the resulting prosperity that made the American public, even the working class, more pro-big business.

This narrative from John Kenneth Galbraith discusses how difficult it was to impose price controls and rationing with the opposition of big businesses.