In 1938, Joseph P. Kennedy was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Known for his Irish roots and staunch Catholicism, not to mention his "plain-spoken" opinions and womanizing, he was a curious choice as Europe hurtled toward war. Initially welcomed by the British, in less than two years Kennedy was loathed by the White House and the British Government. How did it happen? In this trenchant biography, Susan Ronald notes that Kennedy—believing that Fascism was the wave of the future—consistently misrepresented official U.S. foreign policy, while his only loyalty was to his family's political advancement.