unemployment went as high as 19% and they came home and were devastated by what the economy at home so they started americanization to transform the residents of the community into agents of economic change. a bright young people back to the fellows and teach florescent shop owners how to use social media and how to learn new skills. they created a program to encourage rather than by local products. they are a great example of young people not in cities, not in the spotlight during the son of hard work to move issues forward and make impact. people like him are represented in the over the country who have been newly empowered to create

change. >> host: looking back over the course of history, every generation is known for something. what do you think the millennial generation will be known for in 50 years? >> guest: we will be known as the people who pushed the country and world in a better direction to help her in the world and a little bit of a course correction for most than good i don't think the generation of solve every problem in the world. are definitely on a good course to help change some of the ways for thinking about our world to be more responsible social minded good to waste the push businesses, successes we've had of toppling dictators all over the world are pretty impressive. creating companies connect in a billion people around the world. the results are impressive for a generation that hasn't turned 30

a. >> host: will be interested in seeing how this generation progresses and i know we'll all be keeping an eye out. david burstein, thanks for joining us. >> guest: thank you.

one of the professors who spoke to was allan lichtman, his latest book cowritten with richard brightman is "fdr and the jews." watch that interview now. >> host: now on your screen is a familiar is for those of you who watch cable news station and c-span in its american university history professor, allan lichtman, who is just completed another book and this one is titled "fdr and the jews." professor lichtman, wended a policy discussion about european jews begin in the united states? >> guest: well, one could argue it begins as early as the woodrow wilson administration because great britain issued of course it statements balfour

declaration in 1917, which said his majesty's government will do whatever it can to provide a homeland for jews in palestine, provided did not validate the rights of the people already there, leading to decades of controversy and woodrow and backed it up a ration that was very, very important. then of course franklin roosevelt to the presidency in 1933, almost exactly coincide with adolf hitler's gaining control in germany. these two men, the democrat and tatar repealing it for another dozen years, first in conflict and then of course and bloody war in his early as the roosevelt administration, discussions began over the persecution of jews in germany.

>> host: who is leading those in germany? >> guest: the leading person was an informal adviser and that was felix frankfurter, who roosevelt had no much earlier when he was assistant secretary of the navy and they reestablished a friendship on roosevelt ran for governor in 1928 in new york, actually ran again to jewish opponent and frankfurter was very important and initiating discussions regarding the plaintiff persecuted jews and what americans can do about it. also important was the secretary of labor, frances perkins who roosevelt knew new york is an activist and she was a major advocate for refugees. >> host: secretary perkins,

frankfurter, with a jewish? >> guest: he was jewish but frances perkins was not. oddly she was attacked by anti-semites for being jewish based on anyone who supported jewish issues was jewish. franklin roosevelt himself was accused of being jewish. people talked about president rosenfeld or rosenberg and he had a wonderful response. i'm not jewish, but the jewish people are wonderful and i wouldn't mind if i was. >> host: was the consensus among fdr regarding the jews? >> guest: at the time there was an absolute consensus. the jews were the strongest supporters are president of the united states. jews were very important donors to the democratic party and jews revered franklin delano

roosevelt understood he did everything possible and we can talk about that to help persecuted supplement here. he was vastly better than any other world leader, including winston churchill, who talked a lot, but didn't do anything for the jews and was not even after the horrors of the concentration camps revealed continue to revere franklin roosevelt. his severe criticisms of policy towards someone didn't emerge until critical books are written in the late 1960s. >> host: professor allan lichtman, was there an opportunity to change or to effect was about to happen in germany? >> guest: it would've been

difficult to change the course of events. hitler had his own plan for world domination. he had his teacher had a jews in this persecution and daughter was not secondary. i was primary to his ideology and approach to the world. people wondered including the united states and i posted it comes why in the world during this terrible struggle of world war ii with tens of millions dying in the fate of the world in the balance would germany divert resources come in our misery services to hunting down and killing someone. for hitler, the killing of jews was never a diversion from the war. it was a primary object is to which he would devote resources. in all of history, a model state was devoting its resources.

to hunting down of people wherever they may be found and exterminating them. with the goal of wiping out the biological substance of jews was a primary goal of hitler, not anything secondary. >> host: wenden american policymakers become aware of that? >> guest: american policymakers became aware of the holocaust by the late 1941. this involved with jewish organization sent a telegram who came to rabbi stephen wise, head of the american jewish congress and went to the state department providing reliable evidence of the final solution for the holocaust. everybody believed it of course, that information was piling up

in lots of other services by late-night in 41 that hitler was engaged in this terrific camp came of singling out in a november night in 41, rabbi stephen wise holiday press conference and is one of the great ironies of history releasing news of the holocaust is hope ina official of the united states government and the reason was the state department didn't want to get involved with releasing the explosive, cover traversal about the slaughter. throughout the war and even before was an obstacle, a sticking point. was developed often had to override it on state department

and ultimately the secretary around the state department of obstructionism and might 1943 to get a war refugee board established to rescue most of whom have been slaughtered. >> host: she was brought on as the outbreak of world war ii in europe. prior to the outbreak during a second term had been very generous about admitting to the united states. he could override our quota system, which has some 25 to 30,000 in greater germany because only congress could do that in congress was restrictionist and isolationists. they probably would've cut the

quota, but our quota was actually tens of thousands of refugees are greater germany. then world war ii breaks out and roosevelt has a couple things. his biggest thing is revising the neutrality act study could aid the allies resisting aggression. i was not easy and ultimately adopting a major aid program which in 1941 became released. he was also interested in uniting the country. he knew eventually we'd get involved in a war and he was very worried if we continue to let in a lot of jewish refugees that the nazis but have spies

among them. kind of a subversion from within the united states, aided and abetted by the nazis. it is greatly overgrown, but the climate at the time is not unlike that after 9/11 the united states back in 2001. the united states and roosevelt used breckenridge on his instrument to restrict down to a trickle refugees coming into the united states. he was clearly anti-cinematic. ultimately he does get discredited and was forced out, but not before he shut down immigration to the united states. >> host: professor allan lichtman, what did the group america first, what was there

involvement in jewish immigration to the united states? >> guest: they were not primarily to learn. and america was formed during the war to prevent america from getting involved. even if britain was about to go down to fall to germany, they said america should not get involved in this war under any circumstances. their absolute isolationists. their famous spokesperson was none other than the great american hero, charles lindbergh , the man who flew solo across the atlantic. in 1941, he gave a controversial speech in des moines, iowa in which he said un-american influences are pushing us into the water and specifically stated britain and the jews.

so the jews represented in the forefront by the chief spokesperson for america first as a primary force for pushing us into the war. the speech backfired. there's a lot of semitism. he crossed the line. support for his position with 15% in the poll. ironically, they were both at the time but showed very few americans actually blamed the jews for trying to push us into the war. so this is a great canard that this is somehow a jewish concern in america might be fighting a jewish work. the roosevelt administration was worried about that. they are constantly attacked by germany and extreme anti-semites in the united states were being too pro-jewish.

the roosevelt administration. in retrospect they were unduly concerned about this anti-semitic backlash in the united states. >> host: professor lichtman, after the holocaust press conference is the became a publicly known, how does that play out in the u.s. press and what was the reaction of the administration? >> guest: is covered by the press, but not on the front page. historians have excoriated "the new york times" and the newspaper of record for not putting it on its front page. none of the mainstream press putting on their front page. they covered it, but not on the front page in part because it wasn't an official press conference. it was rabbi stephen wise is a jewish congress and the state department which didn't want to get involved in this kind of put it on the back burner.

roosevelt was in late 1942. this was late 1942 after the united states is in the war and the administration didn't want to get deeply involved in this issue, particularly the state department. the other problem was what could the united states do about the holocaust? we had troops anywhere near the killing grounds of europe. we would have no troops except in italy on the continent of europe until june of 1944 and didn't secure a position until later in 1944. >> host: that said, after the war roosevelt dies. was very change in policy at all

tories european jews? >> guest: not so much. the holocaust was over. >> host: 's first establishment establishment as opposed to need state clinics >> guest: ultimately establishment of the palestinian state and the state of israel was a hugely controversial issue within the united states. on the roosevelt who had not been much of an advocate during the war becomes a major advocate of the establishment of a jewish state. the state department is against it. threatens to resign if harry truman supports the creation of the state of israel. but ultimately of course we know truman does come out and support the creation of israel and immediately recognized the state of israel and becomes a hero of the jews, even the earlier heap and criticized for being

typically entice a minute. >> host: if fdr had to put it in the the same thing? >> guest: ftn was very strong on the establishment of a jewish homeland palace. when he was governor and he was president he supported jewish homeland in palestine. he opposed in the 1930s the so-called british white paper, restricting immigration to palestine. he tried constantly to back channel, to pressure the british into modifying this white paper and allowing someone to emigrate were freely to palestine. he spoke out in favor of a jewish homeland. at the end of his life, agree with l. franklin roosevelt traveled to suez canal to meet

with king of saudi arabia, influential arab leader to persuade him to accept a jewish state in palestine. even try to offer various incentives. got absolutely nowhere. the man was gravely ill as one of his aides said. he was operating. they underpin yet vignette incentive flying back to the u.s., she goes back in palestine. >> host: hominy chairman jews are able to get out of germany into the u.s. in the 1930s? >> guest: certainly well over 100,000 were able to get out of germany and into the united states, particularly during the middle to late years of the 1930s come of it. after franklin roosevelt's reelection in the out break of world war ii.

over a hundred thousand chairman jews got to the united states because roosevelt number one use restrictions in effect since the hoover administration blocking refugees coming to the united states and secondly, he allowed those on temporary visas to stay in the united states. roosevelts executive actions after his reelection cert to save the lives of well over 100,000 jews. >> host: finally, professor lichtman, 65, 75, eight years later, with the reputation with american jews? >> guest: though work has fallen into two extremes. on one extreme heated views like the abandonment of the jews basically saying fdr was

different or even worse than could have done far more. on the other hand you get works like saving the jews which says fdr is the great savior. our work shows both extremes are flatly wrong. fdr was far from perfect when it came to jewish, but far better than political opposition or any other world leader at the time. it is not monolithic site these extreme works would have us believe. we identified the four roosevelts are at the first his first term was fighting the depression and getting his new deal and. just as fircrest african-americans. he didn't want new deal programs to become minority programs. roosevelt did allow.

he eased visa restrictions. he organized a major initiative to recognize a major conference on the resettlement around the world. he pressed latin american countries and he has been excoriated for turning down admission to the united states 937 passengers aboard the u.s.a. and lewis june of 1939 but denied entry to cuba. yet those of your roosevelts initiatives allowed 5000 to 6000 jews to reach cuba before cuba changed policies with respect and worked with american jewish relief organizations to find safe haven in western europe. this is before the holocaust on the war. in britain and france and belgium and the netherlands was

safe. the whole story at the st. louis has been badly distorted. he'll surround palace time during the second period. they needed a third roosevelt after the up rate of world war ii who was tightfisted and worried about spies. imagine if they'd gotten in. it would've been a political disaster for the roosevelt administration. it might have undermined top priority, to prepare the nation for a possible war and immediately for aid to the allies. he does syntax to the british to keep the germans from overrunning egypt and palestine. they would've been no israel, no jewish state without that. then you have the fourth roosevelt, the final roosevelt who sets up a war refugee board,