Lost in the Shadow of Fame

by William E. Lemanski

  Chapter IX- Descent into Oblivion

  WHENEVER Richard Cory went down town’

  We people on the pavement looked at him:

  He was a gentleman from sole to crown,

  Clean favored, and imperially slim.

  So on we worked, and waited for the light,

  And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;

  And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,

  Went home and put a bullet through his head.

  From “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson

  Kermit’s upbringing instilled in him a fascination with literature and languages, an overwhelming urge to pursue adventure in uncharted foreign lands and perhaps above all, the need to engage in war. Unlike his father, who needed to prove his manliness and patriotism to absolve the family name of what TR considered the disgrace of his father’s avoidance of combat in the Civil War, Kermit’s obsession with continuing in military service was more complex.

  War meant adventure, an absolute patriotic duty but also the vehicle to maintain his self respect. Knowing that his lifelong predilection towards substance abuse had broken his mother’s heart and imposed untoward hardship on his family, he believed useful military service could be a redeeming endeavor. However, as he approached middle age, the debilitating attacks of malaria and the numerous bruises and scrapes from his careless life coupled with the years of physical abuse sustained from alcohol and drugs diminished his once robust physical constitution to that of a walking skeleton. His once wiry and tough frame now was being reduced at middle age to a bloated hulk constrained by weak and spindly arms and legs. Gone was the stamina in frame and strength of character. This failure coupled with his substance abuse began a cycle of descent that destroyed his self-image and self-respect.

  In the fall of 1939, hoping to regain his shattered sense of self, although physically unfit, Kermit once again enlisted in the British Army as he had during the Great War. Belle gained a degree of relief and hope by believing Kermit’s entry in the war and separation from his old haunts and wayward lifestyle would enable him to recover.

  At the end of 1940, Kermit was a virtual physical and mental wreck since his return to England from military service in the Middle East with the British Army. Besides alcoholism, he developed an addiction to paraldehyde, a drug used by those suffering from severe, acute alcoholic intoxication. An enlarged liver, dental problems and recurrent bouts of malaria and various other diseases added to his anxiety and suffering. Kermit continually struggled with the realization of his total breakdown and incapacity. His physical and mental deterioration was exacerbated by his inability to pursue his lifelong desire to engage in adventure and for a Roosevelt, serving in war with valor was the ultimate. But yet, as many who are afflicted with substance abuse, he was unable to escape its dreadful grasp and continued with his destructive lifestyle. His natural tendency for periodic bouts of melancholia was heightened by drugs and alcohol and contributed to his feelings of failure in the war.

  As the specter of America’s entry into the war loomed large, in June 1940 frustrated with America marking time as Nazism marched across Europe and perhaps to further ingratiate himself with his influential cousin Franklin, he broke a long-standing tradition of the Oyster Bay Roosevelts and wrote to FDR from England and asked his assistance to change his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. He argued against the “Republican isolationist party” in favor of joining the “aggressive Democrats.” However, this wasn’t the first time Kermit had imposed upon his cousin for a favor. While with the International Merchant Marine Company in 1933 as his business interests faltered, he asked FDR to have the Congress influence British shipping companies to repay $11,000,000 he claimed was owed the company writing: “…we possess a very real nuisance value which can be exerted against the British shipping interests….”1

  Unlike the rest of his siblings, Kermit and Belle were the only family members to maintain a friendly relationship with FDR and Eleanor. In fact, Belle maintained a very close and tender relationship with both FDR and Eleanor throughout their lives. She would visit the White House many times, bestowing little gifts that buoyed the enormously challenged wartime President: bottles of Scotch and Rye from her father’s stock, a cocktail shaker for Christmas and small knickknacks for his study. Basically, Kermit was apolitical and unlike his brother Ted Jr. never displayed any interest in carrying on the family legacy of politics. During an interview with historian, Joseph P. Lash, Kermit Jr. commented: “My father was the only one of TR’s sons who never expressed himself publically on any political issue.”2 The rift between the Oyster Bay Republicans and the Hyde Park Roosevelt Democrats with the exception of Kermit and Belle became very venomous through the years dating back to the 1920s as TR Jr. pursued and failed in politics as his cousin FDR gained success. The ongoing battle became hateful during the 1930s when TR Jr. and Alice, both conservative Republicans, publically accused the liberal FDR of attempting to turn the country toward Socialism with his New Deal policies. Both began campaigning across the country against the President, his administration and his growing resistance toward the increasingly aggressive Nazi regime. TR Jr. even became prominent in the America First movement in stern opposition to any U. S. involvement in the growing European War. Sharp-witted Alice maintained a spiteful, critical attitude toward FDR (whom years before she derisively called a feather duster) and Eleanor for the rest of her long life. Following the war, brother Archie became an extreme conservative speaking out publically against the liberal policies near and dear to his Hudson River cousins, even joining the John Birch Society. Kermit and Belle’s friendship with the White House even began to cause a degree of friction with TR Jr. Although resisting FDR in every way possible, the entire Oyster Bay Roosevelt clan, including the aged Edith, immediately did an about-face in support of the war effort following the attack on Pearl Harbor when many of the family, as they did in the Great War, began pulling strings and volunteering to enter the fray in uniform.

  As the war progressed, with American involvement in 1941, TR Jr. would serve with distinction as a field-grade officer under Patton. Archie would also gain military honors as an Army officer in the Pacific. In comparison to the former martial competition with his brothers in the Great War, Kermit’s feelings of inadequacy became overwhelming and uncontrollable and simply added to the solace he gained in a bottle of alcohol.

  By the end of 1940, Captain Kermit Roosevelt had returned to England and in May 1941 he was discharged from the British Army for health reasons. Not willing to be cashiered out of both the military and the war, in desperation he personally appealed to his friend, Prime Minister Winston Churchill; his efforts were in vain. After reviewing Kermit’s condition, Churchill agreed with the army’s medical report, and Kermit was forced to withdraw from the military and return to the United States where he entered a hospital for treatment of his numerous ailments.

  Earlier in the 1930s, as Kermit’s depression induced descent into alcoholism and drug addiction continued to grow, his roving eye for the opposite sex settled on a mysterious woman named Herta Peters*[25], and they began a not so concealed relationship. Upon returning from Europe, he rekindled his illicit relationship with Peters adding to his mounting problems. Although Kermit had flings with many shady women in the past, Peters became a continuous companion if not obsession. His ongoing philandering with Peters rocked his marriage with Belle. Although very distraught and aware of his affair, Belle continued to maintain appearances and discretely ignored her husband’s infidelity, feeling impassionedly that their many years together were worth saving. Belle even went so far as to maintain a communication3 with Peters:

  “At first Belle denied what was happening. Then she became obsessed with preserving appearances. Finding out who Peters was, Belle invited her to their apartment and introduced her as ‘a family friend.’“

  Kermit with wife Belle. In early middle age Kermit is clearly showing signs of bloat and fleshy fac
e; indications of his hard living. Note what appears to be a missing thumb on his left hand.

  Kermit characteristically adopted a nonchalant attitude and continued with the illicit affair and began even rooming on and off with Peters. During these difficult times, Belle continued living in denial while maintaining the hope that Kermit’s infidelity was only a temporary affair, even writing to FDR’s private secretary, Marguerite “Missy” LeHand in March 1941 that she had received “lovely batches of letters from Kermit this last week.”4 This was one of the many desperate letters she wrote to FDR informing him of Kermit’s deteriorating condition and requests for help.

  Despite his busy schedule and overwhelming focus on war preparation, FDR was determined to use his influence to aid his faltering cousin. He searched for a safe occupation for Kermit in a remote region removed from the negative influences of his party life and end his potential for creating a family scandal in public.

  Belle and FDR were not alone in searching for a solution to the unraveling of Kermit’s life; his old friend, Vincent Astor, also became involved. In early July 1941, at the behest of FDR, his friend and senior aide, General Edwin M. Watson directed Assistant Chief of Staff, General Sherman Miles to find an isolated and benign job for Kermit, with the goal of stationing Kermit out of sight and out of mind where he could engage in no mischief. Frustrated with attempting to corral and dry-out Kermit, Miles informed Watson:

  “Commander Astor concurs with me in believing that there is nothing more to be done in this case short of using actual force, and that there is no hope of getting him fit to travel as long as his woman retains her hold on him.”5

  Watson’s orders to Miles were:

  “Have Kermit Roosevelt come to Washington Friday, work him at G-2 reading maps and studying country, have Walter Reed do dentistry and have a squad put him on a boat.”

  This last order implied the use of force if necessary. Miles responded with a suitably exiled location: “He will be doing work for our government especially in the veld region of South Africa with the consent of local authorities.” When this bogus assignment apparently fell through, FDR wrote in desperation to F. Trubee Davison, former President of the American Museum of Natural History, requesting a favor. He asked Davison if while in South Africa Kermit could “…assist your work and indicate to him a mission or line of investigation you would like him to cover.”6

  Kermit didn’t make it to Africa and wasn’t even aware of his cousin’s scheming but was forced to undergo a thorough physical examination the following month. While in the hospital, his excuse to the examining neuropsychiatrist for his drug addiction was that he used drugs frequently for the withdrawal of alcohol. Results of the physical recorded that “his movements were uncoordinated and he spoke in a confused manner, saying that he had been drinking excessively because of a return of an old dysentery.”

  In July 1941 Kermit went missing and FDR and Astor, at the frantic concerns of Belle, enlisted the services of the FBI through Director J. Edgar Hoover to assign federal agents to locate Kermit. The agents found Kermit in New York, apparently living with Peters. Trouble over Kermit’s lifestyle was not the only concern. During war time, the companion of the President’s philandering cousin, also a nationally known figure raised questions about Peter’s background and the potential for her being an enemy agent. The FBI continued to maintain an on-again, off-again surveillance of both Kermit and Peters throughout the month of July and maintained an open file on his whereabouts through September. Watson became frustrated with acting as a coordinator between the White House and the FBI although his intercession was necessary to avoid having FDR continually involved with Kermit’s escapades. He also resented using government resources for what he believed was nurse-maiding Kermit, noting “I know he’s worthless – the fellow, and it makes me sick at the stomach” notifying his boss, FDR, “Vincent says things are going about as bad as possible with Kermit.”7

  The simple fact is that aside from familial loyalty, Kermit’s aberrant behavior could have been a great embarrassment to the administration by feeding FDR’s many detractors with juicy gossip. And during war time, Kermit, who was a close relative and confidant to the President as well as a nationally known figure and former military officer, could pose a threat to national security, a far descent from his failed patriotic intentions.

  As the months wore on Kermit would disappear for periods of time as Belle, Astor and a friend, Major Head would go on a frantic search for him. On one occasion Miles had a Colonel Winslow follow him. Following Kermit’s intermittent disappearances and resurfacings, he ended up in a hospital at the Air Force Replacement Training Center in Santa Ana, California, after absconding to the west coast with Peters. A letter sent to the President on April 9, 1942, from military physician, Russell V. Lee, stated:

  “I am writing you at the request of Mr. Kermit Roosevelt, who desires that you be given an estimate of his physical condition at the present time with view of him qualifying for a commission in the Army. I find his condition now very much better that I have ever found it, and I believe that he is now able to pass the army physical examination, I truly believe that our principal problem is now solved and will not recur again.”

  This optimism was ill-placed despite Kermit’s desire to convince his cousin of improvement and ability to serve in uniform.

  The evasive nature of Kermit’s wanderings stymied the bureaucratic efforts of the government to keep track of his whereabouts and on April 30, a Lt. Col. M. D. Taylor wrote to Lee, questioning Kermit’s location. He once again had a backslide and in late April his brother Archie signed him into the Hartford Retreat in Connecticut for one year, a sanitarium where he could not leave on his own volition. He was even denied the use of a telephone. Archie wrote to FDR “K. is in the Hartford Retreat under voluntary commitment, with a court order in case he tries to get out within four months.” After a four-month detoxification in Connecticut, Kermit’s condition appeared to bounce back to normalcy to a degree where he was released and his cousin arranged for a commission in the army. He was ordered to active duty as a Major, effective July 15, 1942, and assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska; out of sight and hopefully, out of mind. Although Alaska was attacked by Japanese planes at Dutch Harbor that same month, Alaska was still a faraway backwater for any military assignment.

  The expectation by the White House was that his duty as a garrison soldier outside of Anchorage would enable him to maintain his sobriety and ensure the end of his scandalous threat to the family and the President. Upon reporting for duty on July 29, Major Kermit Roosevelt was assigned as Assistant Chief of Staff in Operations. His driving urge to engage with a combat unit was stifled by his desk job, so he unofficially hitched rides on reconnaissance flights and maintained a friendship and fleeting involvement with Major Marvin “Muktuk” Marston, who was organizing a tundra army of Eskimos to guard the eastern coast of Alaska. However, desire a fighting role as he may, he was denied any official combat duty.

  On December 2 he was reassigned to staff work in the G-2 intelligence section at Fort Richardson. Later stated: “His duties included procuring, compiling and recording information for the ‘Alaska Digest’. Such duties necessitated pursuit of information work.” The Alaska Digest was “a compendium on the economic, geographic and political aspects of Alaska”.8 According to testimony given on June 9 during the investigation following Kermit’s death, from January 25, 1943 to February 20, 1943 he was in the base hospital receiving treatment for hemorrhage. His diagnosis was “secondary anemia moderately severe due to intestinal bleeding of unknown cause.”9 Following six blood transfusions for massive blood loss, he was transferred to Barnes General Hospital in Vancouver, Washington, where he underwent extensive testing and had some dental work attended. He complained his current illness began on January 19 when he first noticed dark reddish stools and increasing weakness and dizziness. Later he was too weak to rise from his bed. While at Barnes, he gave a past medical history of bacillary
dysentery in 1912 and 1922, Asiatic cholera in 1931, amebic dysentery in 1939, 1940 and 1941 while serving in the British Army and malaria on several occasions.

  Despite Kermit’s distant isolation, concern was still evinced from the White House. On March 18 FDR sent a memorandum to Watson stating he “thinks it would be a fatal mistake to assign K. to the United States and I am inclined to recommend Hawaii.”10 Kermit’s frame of mind at this time was clearly troubled.

  While at Barnes, Kermit was informed that he was virtually under arrest. He called the White House and requested a Court Martial to clarify his position. Fearing a public scandal, General Watson then placed a call to the hospital administration permitting his release. On April 17 he was declared “clinically cured” and “general condition good” by the Barnes medical staff and on April 20 he received orders from the War Department returning him to full duty. However, confusion clearly abounded in regard to Kermit’s condition and suitability for service. No mention is made in any of his medical records at Barnes for this period of any abnormal mental state or any alcoholism or any requirement for detoxification. In fact, he was released for return to his former duty station. However, the record indicates that by this time he was persona non grata at Fort Richardson. On April 24 the War Department in Washington received a radio message from Headquarters, Fort Richardson stating: “…he is considered physically unfit to be again subjected to Asaskan (sic) Service and it is requested that he not be reassigned to duty (Sgd. Whittaker DECOM ADC) in this command.”11

  Records indicate he returned to Alaska on April 23. However, on April 29 an incoming message from Fort Richardson to the War Department stated Kermit was awaiting transportation back to Alaska. A May 11 message from Fort Richardson informed that Kermit was still in Seattle and once again requested that he not be “summoned to service in Alaska.” No reason was given for these rejections by the Alaska command of Kermit continuing duty in Alaska. This request was overruled by the Secretary of War and on May 18 he arrived at Fort Richardson. On the 20th of May he was back at the post hospital complaining of “having a hard shaking chill” which was attributed to his history of malarial infection. A June 2 letter from Camp Roberts in California to Barnes requests “…present status of officer” and claims, “To date Major Roosevelt has not reported at this station.” A response from Barnes: “Letter orders dated April 3, 1943 were received at this General Hospital from the Adjutant General, directing Major Kermit Roosevelt, 0-188985, Infantry, to report to another station.” Interestingly, this transmittal was sent on June 10, six days following his death! Ongoing confusion clearly abounds within the military as to his whereabouts during this period and astonishing misinformation about his condition.