THE GREATEST DRAMA

[Music] [Applause] the greatest drama the memorable story of the great among us written by you the people [Music] [Applause] this chapter the trouble shooter the story of bernard beru the mighty explosion took place in july 1946 at bikini in the pacific ocean in that mushrooming radioactive cloud the world faced a magnificent promise and a dreadful threat a plan for the worldwide control of atomic energy must be adopted by the united nations otherwise the atom bomb might boomerang and destroy us all [Music] the un set up a commission to deal with the problem the american delegate bernard baruch he wrote and presented the american proposals a vast responsibility but for baruch great tasks were an old story for decades he had been the troubleshooter of presidents baruch was born in south carolina five years after the civil war as a child he showed an uncanny knack for getting to the heart of problems and solving them the family moved to new york city in 1870 when the boy was 10 years old [Music] baruch's alma mater was the college of the city of new york he was a good student and so find a boxer that he was advised to turn professional but his southern bred mother would not permit it instead in 1890 he went to work in the new york stock exchange baruch learned quickly earned the respect of his elders and became a partner in a brokerage firm in those days fortunes could be made or lost overnight for baruch it was the chance to become wealthy he invested shrewdly in 1905 when he was 35 years old baruch was worth millions of dollars [Music] but mere wealth left you dissatisfied you searched for a higher goal in 1917 you found that goal service to your country president woodrow wilson signed the declaration that brought the united states into the first world war from a goldfish bull were drawn the names of the first draftees an army of millions of men was being formed they needed uniforms guns ships all the implements of warfare there was great confusion [Music] you were given the task of organizing american industry for war production you brought industrial confusion to a halt did your job so well that germany later confessed that american production played a major part in her defeat the peace conference at versailles you and herbert hoover were there with president wilson it was clear to you that germany couldn't pay the huge war reparations demanded by britain and france you urged the delegates to take a more realistic approach for this you were denounced by the allies as pro-german with president wilson you returned to the united states disillusioned but determined to fight by wilson's side for the league of nations the fight was doomed to failure [Music] in 1920 the republican party swept back to power america wanted to forget europe warren harding became president although a lifelong democrat baruch advised the new president on economic matters bernard baruch continued to give councils on economic affairs when calvin coolidge became president herbert hoover succeeded coolidge as the stock market climbed toward the sky no one would listen to baruch's warnings of impending disaster suddenly the country was plunged into depression in the crisis troubleshooters were needed to find a way out men like bernard baruch [Music] 1932 the democratic party convention baruch and will rogers were there beru felt a man strong enough to lead the country out of depression was franklin roosevelt he played for several of fdr's election campaign broadcasts next year baroque was present at roosevelt's inauguration let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself the national recovery act was launched with stirring big city parades baruch's close friend general hugh johnson was director of the nra baruch himself is a member of roosevelt's inner circle when roosevelt's first cabinet assembled baruch could have been among its members he had been offered the post of secretary of treasury and turned it down baruch didn't want public office he wanted only the chance to be of service without glamour or publicity then franklin roosevelt took a step that temporarily disrupted their friendship baruch disapproved several of the president's early fiscal measures he was out of favor and for years was rarely called to the white house but with the second world war you went back into harness a troubled shooter was needed to solve the grave rubber shortage and roosevelt chose you for the job as assistance you had james conant of harvard and carl canton of massachusetts institute of technology the problem how to provide rubber for the armed forces and for civilian needs out of america's small stockpile you studied the problem and reported to the white house with recommendations the recommendations were approved and you reported to the people we are recommending as the only means we have been able to see nationwide gasoline rationing but for the purpose of conserving tires not gas our choice is to cut discomfort or defeat new tires for army trucks and artillery born of worn out carcasses salvage rubber synthetic rubber gas rationing step by step the shortage was overcome then back to the white house to undertake a new assignment the manpower shortage looking into the problem you found cause for grave concern with war production booming and millions of men in service competition for labor was fierce you found the solution a manpower budget [Music] the unnecessary hoarding of workers by manufacturers with cost plus war contracts should be eliminated employers should be limited in the number of workers they could hire and workers should be limited in their choice of jobs labor should be funneled into the war production industries where men were needed desperately yet with a manpower budget civilian production industries would not suffer unduly there would be enough workers for all [Music] that task finished you visited the war fronts in 1944 general george patton gave you good news german resistance was breaking they couldn't fight on much longer [Music] but bad news when you returned home franklin roosevelt had reached a limit of his strength the commander-in-chief passed away in april 1945 a few weeks before germany surrendered it was a staggering loss to the nation and a tremendous personal loss to you in spite of disagreements you had admired franklin roosevelt he'd been a great leader harry truman stepped into the vacant place and sent a plane on a mission that would change the course of mankind's destiny the bomber's target was the japanese city of hiroshima for better or worse man had unleashed the frightful power of the atom pandora's box was opened the mushrooming cloud ushered in the age of atomic energy what the bomb could do was written plane in the city below death and desolation a city transformed into a heap of radioactive rubble it happened once again before japan surrendered [Music] now a new white house assignment for bernard baruch to present america's atomic energy control plan to the united nations he called for an international authority with powers of inspection and swift punishment for violators of the agreement the russian delegate andre garamico objected the plan he said was not acceptable to the soviet union when the showdown came the smaller nations waivered but in the final vote they stood with the united states russia would veto the plan but the principles of atomic energy control advanced by baruch had been established it was the crowning achievement of his eventful life 1953 a new president was in the white house dwight eisenhower and baruch renewed an old association when winston churchill visited the united states verruck's friendship with churchill dated back to the first world war his friendship with eisenhower began in the second well past his 80th year bernard baruch was still in harness he wanted it that way in service to others he had found the secret of human happiness he had given much of his wealth to aid youngsters much of his strength to aid presidents bernard baruch america's ace troubleshooter [Applause] [Music] [Applause] be with us again next week at this time when the greatest drama true film biographies of the great among us again comes your way you