Morgenthaus CL

Sprinkled with backroom revelations of the New Deal, this dramatic family saga focuses on three patriarchs, each driven by a sense of destiny. German cigarmaker Lazarus Morgenthau (1815-1897), financially overextended, moved to New York in 1866, where his fortunes plummeted further. His son, Henry (1856-1946), saw his mission as restoring the family to its rightful position. As Wilson's ambassador to Turkey, he supported the Jews in Palestine and heroically rescued Armenians persecuted by the Turks. Henry Jr. (1891-1967), the author's father, was loyal courtier of FDR, secretary of the Treasury and leader of U.S. efforts on behalf of Holocaust survivors. Morgenthau III casts doubt on the alleged Communist associations of his father's Treasury aide Harry Dexter White, whom Whittaker Chambers accused of being a Soviet spy and conspirator. This history of a resilient family includes closeups of FDR, Al Smith, Ike, Eleanor Roosevelt and the author's brother, Manhattan district attorney Robert Morgenthau. Photos. (Aug.)