James Forrestal

James Forrestal Historical Figure Nationality: United States Year of Birth: 1892 Year of Death: 1949 Cause of Death: Fall from a window (under suspicious circumstances) Religion: Catholicism Occupation: Fighter pilot, Sailor, Politician Spouse: Josephine Stovall Children: Michael, Peter Military Branch: United States Navy (World War I) Political Party: Democratic Party Fictional Appearances: The Man With the Iron Heart POD: May 29, 1942; Relevant POD: May, 1945 Type of Appearance: Oblique contemporary reference

James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1944-1947, and the first United States Secretary of Defense from 1947 until his death. He led the Navy through World War II, and implemented a policy of racial integration. His death, a fall from a hospital window, has been the center of much speculation.

James Forrestal in The Man With the Iron Heart

By 1947, the Secretary of the Navy was growing very anxious about the possibility of the German Freedom Front introducing a radium bomb into the United States via freighter. This concern was shared by the senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee. Committee member Jerry Duncan (R-Indiana) discounted these concerns.

Literary comment

James Forrestal was not named as the Secretary of the Navy, but the Point of Divergence does not appear to have impacted cabinet positions by this point in the novel.

References

Political offices (OTL)
Preceded by Frank Knox	United States Secretary of the Navy 1944-1947	Succeeded by John L. Sullivan
Preceded by None, Newly Created Office	United States Secretary of Defense 1947-1949	Succeeded by Louis A. Johnson