Roosevelt - Hail To The Chief

Oh [Music] we call it the depression president Hoover's America was in the state of economic collapse the quarter of the labor force was unemployed with men and women of all skills frantically looking for jobs red lines stretched black effort in every major city a means for caring for the destitute were running out public morale was at zero the Republicans had failed what could the Democrats do their candidate won power by promising a new deal he would hold it longer than any other president in American history Franklin Delano Roosevelt or as everyone knew him FDR [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] FDR came from a family well-acquainted with power his wife Eleanor was a distant cousin the niece of the Republican President Theodore Roosevelt FDR was always a Democrat and in his 30s he served for 7 years as assistant secretary of the Navy in Woodrow Wilson's cabinet but in 1921 while holidaying in New Brunswick he caught polio at the age of 39 he was paralyzed in the legs a cruel blow to an active and ambitious man but it taught Roosevelt patience and self-control it gave him to a sympathy for the underdog and deepened his interest in social problems slowly he learned to do without his crutches in public in 1928 he was elected governor of New York and within reach of supreme power a close observer of FDR throughout his years in power was Turner Katla's of the New York Times the main use of power an American system power for the president is to gain consent of Congress and the community for measures that he wants to boy wants to put through for what he would consider himself the benefit of the community mr. Roosevelt Franklin Roosevelt was a past master at the use of power but he was even more skillful at the acquisition of power acquisition of power became in him a quiet it became a game he enjoyed it very much also he used the power I think for a great good of the United States he was a past master at least and his use March 4th 1933 a misty day in Washington DC as President Hoover left the White House for the last time to attend the inauguration of his successor Roosevelt that day was the nation's hero the people practically demanded that he take full personal control of their affairs their mood was echoed by the newsreels [Applause] never wear such a joyful jubilant yelling applauding inauguration shop Joseph is a nation idle here today thousand Americans are here to clear the birth of a new era in naval affairs a New Deal era which is supposed to pull the country out of its chaos Franklin Delano Roosevelt do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the United States so help me God under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that are stricken nation in the midst of a stricken world may require these measures for such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom I shall seek within my constitutional authority to bring to speedy adoption but in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two clauses in the event that the national emergency is so critical I shall not evade the clear force of duty that will then confront me I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis broad executive power to wage a war against the emergency as deep as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign fall [Applause] [Applause] war poverty news president Botha the entire country behind you thrilled with hopeful and patriotism this was a normal speech was a masked peace when he made a remark about taking over and menacing the country as he wouldn't in case we were invaded by a foreign enemy I don't know that he meant that but that's what he said but I had my feeling then and I certainly had later he'd never had any such intention because that was foreign to his his approach he wouldn't have known what to do he was not an administrator he had brought a bunch of people later became known as the new dealers they were coming into Washington but everyone ever was a little some kind of a plan for some specific problem but he also was developing his own purposes as he went along he was riding a wave of popularity part of it was personal part it was a general reappearance of confidence in the country plus we were down Roosevelt came to power a sound film was getting into its stride throughout his presidency Roosevelt knew how to make the most of the media competition to be first for this story was fierce and the newsreels even made the point of saying so Eric this plane in the country the speedy plane takes off arriving at New York by a newspaper wires are still hot with the story of the great event and whether the radio still roared with acclamations all the new presidents at the airport a fast car with police escort is waiting and the film is transferred almost as soon as the plane touches the ground no bet is overlooked in the race against time to save the newsreel public and the universal newspaper newsreel is establishing a record or thief here they come on the last lap Roosevelt was faced with the apparent failure of the private enterprise system on the very day of his inauguration every bank in the United States had locked its doors with no assurance of ever reopening when of Roosevelt's first acts was to proclaim a banking holiday a presidential order to keep the banks closed while he prepared a bill to restore confidence in the system this use of governmental power itself brought new hope men responded cheerfully to the need to improvise for cash at the individual level private enterprise was certainly not lacking I think it's symbolic the great extent of mr. Roosevelt's administration when he walked into his office it got back to the White House after inauguration there was nothing on his desk I you know blotter not even a pen and ink Wellington so he started absolutely dispatch his first job as he saw it was to open reopen the banks this day was a Saturday which was fortunate in some respects but he declared a banking holiday he declared it under an act of Congress it was passed way back during the first world war members of Congress didn't stop to ask what was in the bill they only had one copy he'd been drawn up in such haste that one copy was sent to the reading clerk in the house who read bill the house convened at noon and president has finished the bill about 10 o'clock that morning by about 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon it was on his desk it passed the House passed the Senate was on his desk eight thousand a time that bill left the White House anything that he could repeal the Constitution that day if he wanted to they're the one who asked any questions on the Capitol and the country could feel almost physically the presence of authority and powerful leadership half a million people wrote to their new president some likening him to God Roosevelt's strength came from his dominance of the media in 12 and a quarter years in the White House he held nearly a thousand press conferences no one made better use of the radio as in his famous fireside chats by providing for the easing of the burden of death but now bear so heavily upon millions of our people well consider them conservative measures will likewise be proposed within a few days that will attempt to give to the industrial workers of the country a more fair wage return to prevent cutthroat competition to prevent unduly long hours for labor and at the same time to encourage each industry to prevent overproduction much of the basic legislation of the New Deal was enacted in the first hundred days of Roosevelt's administration new government agencies like the Civil Conservation Corps and the Tennessee Valley Authority enabled many who had lost their jobs in the depression to find new work and regain their self-respect go out for the precious you have been paid you have granted us white power you have encouraged us with a widespread approval of our purposes every ounce of spring every resource of our command we have devoted and we are devoting to the end of justifying your country we are encouraged to believe that a wise and sensible beginning has been made the present spirit of mutual confidence the present spirit of mutual encouragement we go forward few presidents love the exercise of power more than Roosevelt but he was shaken when the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional several of his favorite measures Roosevelt's determination to bend the court through his will led to a titanic struggle between the chief executive and Congress it was a bitter episode but a toddler felt that he could use his power more effectively through charm and persuasion and through sheer muscle to be a manipulator and not a bully Roosevelt's manipulative skills came from his understanding of the American political system but they also reflected something in his own character when you look at the man his manners such a fascinating set of qualities what makes him tick and what makes him the way he is because they were certain oddities in his makeup versus his great compassion for the underdog where did he get that because he was not an underdog he'd never been around the door and he arrives this through some sort of an objective approach by his own illness because he looked on Mandela in the eye for a long time I'm sure that his illness did contribute to his compassionate nature it might have been that he brought it out it mind it has loosened it the public was hardly aware that their president was a [ __ ] no pictures could be published showing Roosevelt in discomfort and instead his popular image was built up through static poses and well-planned film shots the success of the New Deal gave Roosevelt a landslide victory in 1936 he carried every state except Vermont and Maine for the news shown on the screen I want to thank the many thousands who have Telegraph's and written to me since the election I would like to thank each one individually for his and her messages of constitution goodwill but there are so many of them that this is practically impossible to all of you I say we can now march forward all of us together [Music] Roosevelt came to power in America a few weeks after Hitler was made Chancellor of Germany the president's second term in the White House coincided with the Nazi dictators drive for world power but the looming threat of war in Europe hardly troubled the minds of most Americans no was the rising power of Japan seen as a real danger even though Japanese military strength posed a more direct challenge to American interests [Music] protected by the Pacific Ocean on one side and by the Atlantic Ocean on the other Americans felt confident of the security of their continent Roosevelt was well aware of the danger but he had to deal with the Congress that was firmly committed to keeping America on neutral in any rural country if when he went to consult cars he already knew what he wanted to do he was not asking for advice he's asking for consent but he would do it when in the guise of asking me for advice taking the advice he manipulated to advice because he used all sorts of tools power he used a point of position he's got everything anything he needed an International Affairs he ran up against this basic isolationism there was something it hit he felt very hard to handle that was something Congress already had a fixation about Roosevelt had learned from Woodrow Wilson the terrible responsibility of bringing a divided country into war the isolationists in America were well organized and their voice could be heard on the news reels as well as the president's many people inside America actively supported the European dictators among them some well-known figures knowing that America would one day have to enter the war in her own interest Roosevelt deployed all his skills to ensure that it would enter as a united nation but you had to listen very closely to his carefully chosen words to understand his real meaning this nation will remain a neutral nation but I cannot ask that every American remain neutral in thought as well even a neutral has a right to take account of facts even a neutral cannot be asked to close his mind his country I have said not once but many times that I have seen war and that I hate war I say that again and again I hope the United States will keep out of this war I believe that it will and I give you assurance and reassurance that every effort of your government will be directed toward that end as long as it remains within my power to prevent there will be no blackout of peace in the United States no longer can the lot cease and fascist in this country masquerade as Patriots or the Communists as liberals for us there can be but one policy keep America out of Europe and Europe out of America while newsreels reflected divided opinions in America on the subject of war Roosevelt looked for ways whereby he could help the democracies while at the same time edging his own country towards active participation in their cause most I will not only looking for an incident in the Atlantic he was also looking for an incident in the Pacific he wanted to do something to bottle up the Japanese I think he wanted more than anything else to go to war in Europe I think that was his top priorities for it participation is concerned but he began to look for an instant also in the Pacific and deliberately so this has brought out in some books later that this plan of getting an incident in the Pacific was actually discussed several times into poured upon among the Chiefs of Staff I remember going to see the Australian Prime Minister who come through Washington had been to a war cabinet meeting in London and the next day I went to see the Prime Minister and he told me in so many words he said well if you're gonna get an instant in the Pacific whereas it's looking for us [Music] the peace Lobby represented a powerful force in American politics aware that Roosevelt had more power than any other president had been granted in peacetime Congress attempted to shackle his conduct of Foreign Affairs here Roosevelt found an unexpected Ally the Supreme Court now declared that Congress was itself acting unconstitutionally since the President had sole authority in foreign affairs except for the Senate's duty to pass upon treaties this left Roosevelt plenty of room to maneuver the American piece which we celebrate today has no quality of weakness in it we are prepared to maintain it and to defend it to the fullest extent of our strength matching force to force if any attempt is made to subvert our institutions or to impair the independence of anyone every American was thrilled with the message that President Roosevelt is just delivered to the dictators the surest way to get peace is to mind our own business and we're not minding our own business when our leaders issues sabre-rattling statements and keep the country in a white heat of war hysteria hysteria or no the war in Europe was the fact Americans were at least agreed on the need to look to their own defenses in 1938 and 1939 Roosevelt secured increased appropriations for the Army and Navy at the same time he looked for more positive ways of helping Britain from 1940 even before that mr. Ostrow was determined to leave this country in the war he thought that it was the best thing to do in the interests of democracy itself and only by that could democracy be saved in the world but he knew he had a divided country that was reflected in Congress there was no isolation Spirit was still there and also the vision was being intensified with the fact that he was challenging that Eddy third term tradition about running for president again and he had to use his power and he did apply his power to solidify in the country and also gaining consent of Congress to what he wanted to do secure for a third term Roosevelt was ready as the Christ is supposed to America herself [Music]