Long Island's Gold Coast Elite and the Great War

At the outbreak of World War I, the Gold Coast of Long Island was home to the most concentrated combination of financial, political and social clout in the country. Bankers, movie producers, society glitterati, government officials and an ex—president mobilized to arrange massive loans, send supplies and advocate for the Allied cause. The efforts undercut the Wilson administration’s official policy of neutrality and set the country on a course to war with Germany. Members of the activist fa...