- The relationship that FDR had with Martha, obviously, it's a very complex one, and it moved through different phases.
I think initially meeting her, it was one of compassion.
- When Crown Princess Martha had to flee Norway, the president invited her to come to America, and they were invited into Roosevelt's inner circle of family and friends.
- Thank you for everything you've done for my family.
- This is a woman in a difficult situation with children, trying to keep her country intact.
- You have a lot more going for you than I think you realize, Martha.
- I think he enjoyed her company.
He knew that she had these leadership qualities that just had never had a chance to flourish.
And he found, in that, a kindred spirit.
- It's hard to imagine what it's like to have that amount of power that the president has, or that a royal person has, and the kind of loneliness you can suffer from when you sit there with all your power but you can never trust who really likes you.
I imagine that they could meet on that level, on a more philosophical level.
- I think early on, he saw someone who had a similar belief that the war that was happening in Europe was a war that involved the world.
- Very early in the war, British intelligence reported that the American president was infatuated with the Norwegian crown princess.
And there were many rumors about their relationship.
- No one knows what happened behind closed doors between Martha and FDR.
So we have to fantasize, but we know that, for instance, his grandson wrote such, she was a big love of his.
Apart from the advisors that Roosevelt had, Martha was the person that he spent the most time with during the war.
So they must've been close.
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