Joseph Persico, Fall Luncheon November 1, 2007

You are cordially invited to lunch with a master storyteller, a world traveler, and one of the foremost experts on World War II espionage.

The Pritzker Military Library is proud to welcome renowned author and historian Joseph Persico for its Fall Luncheon on November 1, 2007. The interview is free and open to the public; $55 per person includes admission to the reception, lunch, and signed copy of Persico’s classic book Roosevelt’s Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage. The reception will begin at 11:30 a.m., with lunch served at noon. The interview, hosted by Ed Tracy, will follow at 12:30 p.m. It will be webcast live and recorded for broadcast on WYCC Channel 20.

Roosevelt’s Secret War caused a major stir upon publication, revealing a president who had to build his country’s intelligence capabilities on the fly and in a hurry, and did so with an expert touch that belied his straightforward public image. Rife with astonishing revelations from both the freewheeling intelligence efforts of William “Wild Bill” Donovan’s OSS and the socialite spy rings run from Roosevelt’s living room – as well as the devastating successes of foreign agents – Roosevelt’s Secret War is a compulsively readable, thoroughly entertaining work of history.

Joseph Persico entered the U.S. Navy in 1952, serving as Lt. j.g. aboard a minesweeper and also with NATO Headquarters in Naples, Italy. He later became a Foreign Service Officer for the United States Information Agency in Argentina, Brazil, and Washington. In 1966, Persico was tapped as the chief speechwriter for New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. He remained Rockefeller's primary speechwriter as the Governor assumed the office of Vice President from 1974 to 1977, experience that Persico would turn into his acclaimed character study, The Imperial Rockefeller.

In 1977, Persico became a full-time author, focusing on historical subjects from the Civil War to espionage and Nazi Germany, culminating in the landmark Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial, which was adapted for a television miniseries. He also collaborated with former Secretary of State Colin Powell on the biographical My American Journey. Persico’s most recent book is Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day, 1918, World War I and Its Violent Climax.

Seating for this event is limited, so reservations are strongly recommended. Call 312.587.0234 or email [email protected].

Official Website: http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org/events