Eleanor Roosevelt is my favorite president. An extraordinary spirit and human being. She was an honorary participant in the founding of the United Nations, but was treated shabbily. She then chaired the committee developing the "United Nations Declaration of Human Rights," achieved a unanimous vote for it, and at the end got a prolonged standing ovation.
When interviewing my grandmother for a school project years ago, I asked her about FDR, and among the things she told me was that the paralysis was never much of secret. It was just never a topic of discussion among her own social circles.
@@doctor_alfa You haven't watched netflix's Cleopatra, one of the worst "documentaries" ever made by Jada Smith, Will Smith's philandering wife. The core meme is an old "history prof", a black woman saying these priceless words: "I remember my grandmother saying: "I don't care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black"". Which was laughably wrong. There is a Hitler rant on this very thing: ua-cam.com/video/5e8tMBtAwpc/v-deo.html check it out.
This must have been very sad for most of the troops in their late teens/early 20s. A 20-year old soldier only would have been about 7 when FDR was first elected, so he was effectively the only president they ever really knew.
Which is precisely why the Republicans rammed the 22nd Amendment through during Truman's presidency. Nobody wanted to set a precedent for president-for-life with the White House.
And for 12 yr olds in 1945, FDR was the only president they knew in their lifetimes. By the time they were 35, they had only known just 1 Republican president. I've noticed that every 2 generations, you'll have an election that leads to one of the 2 main political parties controlling the WH for much of the next 2 generations. Those born in early 1969 only knew 2 Democratic presidents by the time they got to the final yr of their 30s (Carter and Clinton). Those born in the spring of 1897 only knew 1 Democratic president by the time they were 35 (Wilson).
Interesting to note, is when FDR had a rejuvenated day two days before his death, is extremely common. Majority of people suffering from terminal illnesses often report that a day, a week, or a couple of days before their death, will describe feeling rejuvenated, excited, happier, etc. Doctors, physicians, etc still don’t know how this occurs but it happens. Now again this isn’t true for everyone, but for the majority of people with illnesses and nearing their deaths, it is true.
@@OneAdam12Adam i don't know if there's any research on it but there are loads of anecdotes, i guess that if u can smell smoke, there'll be a fire somewhere close
A common criticism of FDR is that, despite his obvious health issues, he did almost nothing to include his likely successor Truman into the decision making process. Truman was not even briefed on the existence of the Manhattan project. This resulted in a period of confusion and some abrupt policy shifts at a very critical moment in time which definitely impacted how the early stages of the Cold War would play out.
he should have stayed with wallace either way. the dnc has always been fucked it seems. (I lean as far left as possible without being communist but I'll never forgive the dnc for giving us Hillary instead of Bernie which directly lead to trump)
@@victormuzzo7967Wallace was a Soviet loving scumbag. Screw him. If he had stayed on, hopefully he would’ve been blocked domestically as much as possible, but foreign policy would’ve turned into a slogging disaster.
@@victormuzzo7967 I don't want to start a fight in a channel not meant for it, but I gotta tell you: They picked Hillary because there was no way in hell a big enough chunk of Americans were going to vote for Bernie.
One of FDR's most brilliant programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps. It built much of the infrastructure for parks and forests. In doing so, it provided money to millions of families and it trained and prepared millions of young men for military service. The New England Hurricane of 1938 tore up millions of huge trees. CCC groups were brought in to help clean up. The logs were sent to saw mills and the government stockpiled millions of board feet of lumber. A few years later, that lumber was used to build military bases. A personal note: my father crossed the Atlantic 6 times and participated in 6 landings in Europe during WWII. They were attack by Nazis many times. In 1959, he was showing me damage from the Hurricane of '38 in Stonington, CT and said that as bad as things got in WWII, the Hurricane was worse. We were looking at a huge barge that was about a km inland from the shore. Good Luck, Rick
An Economist was asked how FDR best helped the USA. His answer? "By dying." FDR's Leftist policies turned a Recission into the Great Depression, per every Economist on Earth. ..save self-professed Marxist, Richard Wolff. The jobs programs? An economist touring a jobs program at a roadside saw 2 trackers sitting, but 100 men using shovels. "We wanted to create jobs, so we sidelined the trackers" - explained the government employee. The Economist's reply - "To create a 1000 jobs, why not give them spoons instead of shovels?"
They were “make work” jobs. Read: The Forgotten Man. In-depth detail of Roosevelt’s not so great handling of the economic strife. He was terrible with economics. However, an excellent war time leader.
"Camp Roosevelt" in Fort Valley VA near the headwaters of Passage Creek - now just a picnic ground and trailhead with a few ruins of what used to be barracks and mess hall - I think workers on the nearby soon to be Skyline Drive/Shenandoah National Park were bunked here
I quit smoking when the pandemic hit. I got sick and couldn't breathe for 5 days straight that was enough to make me quit. One of the best decisions of my life
My grandmother stood beside the railroad tracks in NE Georgia with thousands of others as his funeral car slowly rolled past them on the way back to Washington. Born in 1932, he was the only president she had known her whole life.
During his lifetime, FDR was almost never photographed in a wheelchair, but often with his cigarette. Today, portraits and sculpture often show the wheelchair, never the cigarette.
He definitely was one of the most influential people of the 20th century, without a doubt. It's a shame he never got to see the end of the war with it being so close in Europe and 4 months away in Japan. I never knew he had paralysis until I began watching this channel and it's incredible he managed to become president and didn't let himself be hindered with his disability.
It was thought he had been stricken with polio at his summer home on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada in the early 1920s. He used to arrive there in a US navy destroyer when he was secretary of the navy, it being rather odd to arrive in a part of the British empire, which had the most powerful navy in the world at that time, in an American destroyer. But that is more reflective of the brother and sister relationship Canada and the US have always had since the unpleasantries of the 1800s.
There is a lengthy PBS documentary series produced by Ken Burns called "The Roosevelts: An Intimate History" that dives deep into the histories of Theodore, Franklin, Eleanor and their families. A really fascinating look at one of the most influential families of the early 20th century in American politics. Highly recommended!
I don't know if it is your diction, cadence, tone, or whatever, but you bring history to life in a way that is both entertaining and informative. Where were you when I was suffering through my high school history classes? Keep up to excellent work! Please.
Thanks for the lovely comment! We aren't stopping anytime soon. Don't miss Indy's coverage of the Korean War as well, starting this June: www.youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell
Didn't know about the Japanese reaction to FDR's death. On another note, the picture of a very frail FDR was the last photo of him, and the painting in the middle was left unfinished after he died. He had sat for that painting when he expressed his last words about feeling pain in the back of his head and then slumped right afterwards, dying immediately.
But you belong to Earth…your body, your legs, all decomposed and turned to soil, everything except…your courage. That, you gave to us, and with it, we can rebuild…
My father, grew-up in the great depression. My grandmother, a single mother, had 11 children. At the head of the dinner table hung a photo of FDR, because he was the "man of the house" feeding the family durring the depression. My oldest uncle went on to die in Germany near the end of the war. My father, at 15 years old, lied about his age, and joined the marines and faught in the pacfic. He later volunteered again to join the marines for Korea, after receiving a draft notice by mistake. The draft board was not expecting someone so young to be a vet, and thus exempt. He decided since he was already there, he would volunteer again. My long point to make is, that an entire generation of boys viewed FDR as their father. So, when he called them to fight, it was more than a patriotic act. It was family. FYI, the GI bill sent my father to law school, bought our family multiple houses, and eventually made it possible to send my entire family (5 siblings) to get higher education. FDR, was a pretty good father and grandfather to millions of Americans. He brought my family from poverty, to most of us are at least squarely in the middle class, and some of us even much better. all in less than a generation.
My mother was a 24 year old 1st Lieutenant in the nursing corp in the USA 3rd Army over in Occupied Germany when Roosevelt died. Ask my Mom how she felt when she heard of his death, Mom said he was the only President she ever knew. He led the country during the great depression and was her commander in chief during World War II. She trusted him It was devastating at the time. She exhibited, that I witnessed , incredible sadness when Kennedy was assassinated.
Strange that of all the months of the war. April 1945 saw the loss of three leaders of major participants. Though not much of the world cried over the other two
As a Brit, FDR did everything he could to keep us in the fight in the period when it was us against Italy and Germany alone. Lend lease and opening up US factories to us. M3 Stuarts were as good as our cruiser tanks at the time, and more reliable. M3 mediums were better than anything we had in North Africa, if not perfect. Hudsons/P40s/Wildcats/half tracks/jeeps all helped us when a hostile congress would have denied us access to them.
He did all that and it's to his credit. However, he also ensured Britain was taken to the cleaners for that aid. Not quite Crassus-Fire-Brigade level, but it was a hard-nosed deal that worked to the immense benefit of the US at the expense of the British Empire.
Britain DID have a number of other allies, particularly the other members of the Empire like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India, as well as the Free Polish and Free French forces. While there is no doubt that US contribution was extremely important, let's not underestimate the contributions of the British Empire and its allies and, of course, the Soviet Union.
Japanese may be your friend or may be your enemy but the one constant is Respect and Honor in their own form twisted as it may be from our perspective or not.
German propaganda in WW2 often implied Roosevelt was Jewish, and a Belgian SS poster in 1944 entitled "Entente Cordiale!" showed him sitting on a metal sledge with money bags, dragged through a destroyed Europe by Churchill and Stalin, who are both dressed in rags.
13:48 Which reminds me the statement from a German general whose name I can't remember: "The best thing after a good friend is a good enemy." Kantaro's statement was very chivalrous.
My late father in law was American but he lived in Canada close to Buffalo NY and he never changed his citizianship and he said that FDR " Was the greatest Presadent we ever had "
RIP to one of our greatest presidents. Also, Goebbels and Hitler really thought this was another Miracle of the House of Brandenburg. Spoiler alert: it was not lol
He was a terrible president who's legacy is properly remembered as the man who's economic policy's prolonged the global depression and led to the rise of facism
I recommend everyone watching this video consider a trip to Campobello International Park near St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. It offers tours of the Roosevelts’ family summer home and has a visitors centre. It is jointly administered by both the American and Canadian governments. Before he was president he was able to be summer there every year while as president he schedule allowed him only to briefly visit in 1933, 1936 and 1939.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith. Rest in Peace Mr. President
I was talking to my dad last night and he said the public was shocked that such a mild mannered man would drop the atomic bomb. Just a note from someone who lived through WW2. He is 93. Good job, Indy!
@@longiusaescius2537 Truman started the Cold War against Stalin's Russia because Truman was a Stalinist. The world is stunned at your brilliant "logic".
For some reason, as a grown man, I cannot help but weep whenever I think about Roosevelt in his last months. He is a President that I, nor my father, ever knew. And yet, I weep for the man. He was the Greatest President elected by The People. To tell yourself otherwise, is to ignore the reality of what that man, and those working for him, accomplished.
Yes. The "New York Times" published a full page list of all the casualties. The first in the list: "Roosevelt, Franklin Delano -- Commander in Chief". He to was a casualty of the war. He gave his life for democracy and the rule of law.
It's amazing to watch the old footage of the train carrying him back to Washington, with so many people lining the tracks, and then the funeral procession in Washington. It just seems like so much more than it is today, probably because it was so well deserved. His accomplishments are inspiring!
Its doesn't seem to be on UA-cam anymore, but the David Reynolds did a fantastic documentary on FDR. Absolutely humanising the larger than life figure.
With the end of World War II coming to a close in this series, will the coverage you created be available on DVDs in the future? I think they would be useful to history teachers from the high school level and college level in teaching the realities of the war.
We'd love to do a DVD but it's unlikely we will, we are really focused on wrapping up the final months of the war and our new upcoming series the Korean War which you can check out below if you haven't already! www.youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell
FDR died on my Dad's 26th birthday while his Army unit was heading toward the end of its war. My Dad was gunner in a new model tank since he was a great shot. He spent over 400 days in combat and would have been 105 today! If only we can be worthy of what that generation did!
The first two made their own crises, so they could flex the grandiose hero syndrome. Any man who seeks the Presidency has a ego the size of the hindenburg.
Read: The Forgotten Man. The policies of FDR expanded the depression, not to mention the two recessions that occurred within the depression. He was a great war time leader. However, terrible with economics.
@@pat5882 Actually his policies did not "expand the depression". I'm beyond fed up with the right-wing Republicans whose only policy is hate, and whose central tradition is the politics of smear.
To anyone interested in learning more about FDR, I would recommend a trip to the Roosevelt Home and Museum in Hyde Park. It ranks as one of the best Presidential homes I've ever toured, and you can enjoy lunch afterwards at the CIA. No, not the Central Intelligence Agency, but the Culinary Institute of America, set above the scenic Hudson River Valley. As for Eleanor Roosevelt, she holds a special place for me as she was on the first Board of Trustees for my alma mater, Brandeis University, where my daughter is currently an undergraduate student. Interesting story about Truman. He was having drinks with his friend Sam Rayburn when he was called to go to the White House. When Truman arrived, Eleanor told him that FDR had died. Truman, ever the gentleman, said "Is there anything I can do for you, Mrs Roosevelt." She looked at him and replied "Is there anything we can do for you? You are the one in trouble now."
Love this series, absolutely pragmatic and comprehensive. Truman exceeded everyone’s expectations following an amazing FDR. Thank you for this UA-cam gem. One question: was Churchill’s reason Prosaic?… 🤔
I was, in my career, a military and airline pilot and I have to admit that his travel schedule as president would have knocked the absolute stuffing out of me--particularly that last jaunt to Yalta. Even when I was young and eager it would have been a challenge. Whether one agrees or disagrees with his 1930s economic policies, he gave his all during the war.
Incredible narration, even by Indy's standards. There is not a corner of this planet untouched by the United Nations or the superpower that came into being from 1932 to 1945.
Learned a lot from this. Perhaps most surprising was the message of condolence from Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki. That demonstrated class, respect and honour to a fallen foe.
April 15th is the most important day in US history because of all the events Lincoln died, fdr buried, tax day and alot more I editied out one cause it was wrong
@@richstrobel April 15 is also Jackie Robinson Day in 1947, the 1969 EC-121 shootdown incident in 1969, the 1986 United States bombing of Libya in 1986, the Hillsborough disaster and the death of Hu Yaobang which sparked the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests In 1989, the Air China Flight 129 disaster In 2002, the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, the Notre Dame fire in 2019, and the Indianapolis FedEx shooting in 2021.
The American Civil War did not end on April 15. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9; Johnston surrendered a larger contingent of military personnel later that month; and there was another large surrender in June 1865 in the Indian Territory.
@@elsanfranfan shit i got mixed up i was thinking about when Lincoln declared the insurrection of Southern states leaving the union (publicly) in 1861 on April 15 and called up 75k milita men my bad "April 15, 1861- President Lincoln issues a public declaration that an insurrection exists and calls for 75,000 militia to stop the rebellion"- nps. gov civil war timeline
FDR, a Superior Man. Arguably, his Social and Political policies saved Democracy in the US. And the task of gearing up the country into a War Economy was fantastically implemented. Namely, to run different sectors of the Economy he picked out the best people -- whithout any judgement regarding political or personal inclinations. To build a commercial navy, Henry Kaiser was selected -- and the Liberty ships were highly important in the dar effort. And as Director of Production Office, William S. Knudsen, ex-Ford Vice President and G.M's CEO. , a genious in promoting Mass production. Unlike Hitler, who acted as a Super-Operations Manager, imposing himself in all decisions, FDR , didn't attempt to micro-manage industrial production or Military operations.
Thank you all of you for this wonderful documentary this is perhaps your finest work thank you for all of your hard work God bless you all and carry on with the good work
This comports with what my grandmother (b. 1898) told me about her impression of Roosevelt at the time. She knew he was disabled. But she didn't know he was unable to walk without braces and assistance. She thought he was able to walk with the assistance of only a cain. She knew he had polio, but she knew a lot of people who had polio and who could still walk with varying degrees of assistance. We talked about this many times when I was a child. The reason is that she admired FDR for his persistence despite what she thought to be his annoying handicap. But she had no idea how profoundly handicapped he was.
During the motorcade tour of New York in October, while reassuring the public of his health, Roosevelt apparently came close to pneumonia and his car pulled into several garages along the route where he was wrapped in towels and surrounded by heaters in order to stave it off, imagine the ramifications if he had succumbed just 6 months earlier.
I work at a hotel, and when people from out of the country ask about the people on our money, I tell them that FDR is on our dimes because of the March of Dimes, the donation campaign that helped to fund the polio vaccine.
@@Simon_the_penguin The ironic thing is when he made that famous speech, my grandfather on my father's side was enlisting in the Army. Also, my birthday is December 8th,1977.
Indy-Thanks fort such a great video on FDR's life. Adding that FDR might not have had polio, but instead Guillain-Barre was a great point. He is just a much a casualty of war as someone on the front lines. One of his biographers stated that 1944 and 1945 were the hardest since FDR could handle the politics of war, but he had limited influence on the military side. Especially after late 1943 when US Forces began the campaigns that would defeat Japan and Germany in 1945.
Dangerously so. We are falling trap to the eternal innocence phenomena. Wanting to ignore anything negative in our history. Just like the commie Russians
World War II is so over-talked about that no one can bring up any other historical example when they’re attempting to comment or rant about any current topic. That said knowledge of World War II, even with that increasingly annoying fact, is still abysmal funny enough.
@@Napolean46 Because of the resurgence of Nazism, totalitarianism and unprecedented plutocracy. Destroying everything that Roosevelt accomplished is their highest goal.
I was deleting some old e-mails and I found this one from my mother. She was 18 in 1945 when Roosevelt died. "I remember the day as if it were yesterday. I was at Tennessee Wesleyan. Even though it was still early Spring, it was a warm day and some friends and I had gone to the home of a lovely woman in Athens to swim. She had told us we could come any time. When we re-turned to the campus, I went to Lawrence Hall, not my dorm, to a friend's room and, weary from the exercise and heat, I flopped on a bed and went sound to sleep. Later, someone came dashing into the room and announced that FDR had died. I was flabbergasted. He was like my father. I, although 18, had never known any other President. None of us could believe it and we sat around morosely talking in hushed tones about him. I remember being aware of the thousands who lined the railroad tracks as his body was taken from Warm Springs to Washington. I remember the tears of everyone, including mine, but especially those of so many blacks, many males, too, as they prayed and watched the train slowly moving past where they stood. Of course this was all seen in newsreels in the movies and in newspapers. While I was in college, I hardly ever listened to radio. I did not even have one, but on the day the Nazis surrendered in Germany, I was standing in a parlor in Ritter Hall at TWC with my most dear friend Madame Emmy Land Wolff,[a German Jewish lady] and you can imagine what this meant to her. She nearly squeezed my hand off as we listened and tears rolled down her face. This meant that in time she could return to her homeland and regain some of the property and money that the Nazis had confiscated. Well, son, thanks for reminding me. Those were momentous times. That summer of 1945, I went to work for awhile at Oak Ridge, and on returning home to Cedartown to prepare for my invasion of UTC and Chattanooga, the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the beginning of the present nuclear era. I was dumbfounded to learn I had been working to facilitate the making of those atom bombs. [Mama worked in the typing pool] In one sense, I owe my life to Franklin D. Roosevelt. When he became President in 1932, somehow food became more available, clothes were made available to those who needed them, and plants and mills began to re-open so that people could go back to work. As young as I was, I could immediately see a new optimism and hopefulness among the people of my small hometown. I remember jobless young men going off to work in the forests through the CCC and jobless husbands found work to do in building, road work, and other enterprises through the WPA. I taught in a school in Lakeview which had been built by the WPA. Suffice it to say that Roosevelt's optimism and great personality brought about great changes in the country, and I never have been hungry again. Thanks for reminding me that today, April 12, 2005 is the sixtieth anniversary of his death. He was truly great and I loved him."
Most people fully recover from even worst case Guillain-Barré syndrome, FDR having that seems to be a far reach imho. The war and the presidency really took a toll on him, to me he looked a lot older than his 63 years when he died.
I never knew why Truman was chosen as VP for the 4th term. Your explanation makes a lot of sense as it seems that Truman was much more hostile to the Soviets than FDR was.
We haven't had a president like him since he truly was a man of the people and showed tremendous amounts of strength and courage throughout multiple criseses. May he rest in peace
For a man with physical disabilities, it goes to show how much faith the American people had in FDR's leadership to keep voting for him. Helped see USA through the Great Depression and through almost all of World War II.
Where does FDR rank in your league table of US Presidents?
Pretty high.
Non American here but I would say Top 3 Maybe even top 1 (Yes IMO he is better than Washington and Lincoln)
Probably top 6
At the very bottom. No president before or since has expanded the scope of the government or eroded American liberty on the scale that FDR did.
He bats 5th.
Truman: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Eleanor Roosevelt: “Is there anything WE can do for YOU? For you are the one in trouble now.”
I remember hearing about that at one time
Quite a lot of empathy in her response.
Yenta reply
Eleanor Roosevelt is my favorite president. An extraordinary spirit and human being.
She was an honorary participant in the founding of the United Nations, but was treated shabbily. She then chaired the committee developing the "United Nations Declaration of Human Rights," achieved a unanimous vote for it, and at the end got a prolonged standing ovation.
@@jnagarya519she wasnt a president.
When interviewing my grandmother for a school project years ago, I asked her about FDR, and among the things she told me was that the paralysis was never much of secret. It was just never a topic of discussion among her own social circles.
@@JB-yb4wnwhat?
@@doctor_alfa
You haven't watched netflix's Cleopatra, one of the worst "documentaries" ever made by Jada Smith, Will Smith's philandering wife. The core meme is an old "history prof", a black woman saying these priceless words: "I remember my grandmother saying:
"I don't care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black"".
Which was laughably wrong. There is a Hitler rant on this very thing:
ua-cam.com/video/5e8tMBtAwpc/v-deo.html
check it out.
@@JB-yb4wnyea using hitler to back up your argument isn't a very good thing
I guess people more respected the idea of not gossiping about one's disabilities back then.
@@doctor_alfa
Check it out: google "cleopatra was black" and it will direct you to Jada Smith's epic failure of a documentary.
This must have been very sad for most of the troops in their late teens/early 20s. A 20-year old soldier only would have been about 7 when FDR was first elected, so he was effectively the only president they ever really knew.
Which is precisely why the Republicans rammed the 22nd Amendment through during Truman's presidency. Nobody wanted to set a precedent for president-for-life with the White House.
Well, we all had known only one British sovereign until recently, and the world still keeps turning now...
And Elizabeth's death affected me as an American and everyone I know
@@patwiggins6969 myself as well
And for 12 yr olds in 1945, FDR was the only president they knew in their lifetimes. By the time they were 35, they had only known just 1 Republican president.
I've noticed that every 2 generations, you'll have an election that leads to one of the 2 main political parties controlling the WH for much of the next 2 generations. Those born in early 1969 only knew 2 Democratic presidents by the time they got to the final yr of their 30s (Carter and Clinton). Those born in the spring of 1897 only knew 1 Democratic president by the time they were 35 (Wilson).
Interesting to note, is when FDR had a rejuvenated day two days before his death, is extremely common. Majority of people suffering from terminal illnesses often report that a day, a week, or a couple of days before their death, will describe feeling rejuvenated, excited, happier, etc. Doctors, physicians, etc still don’t know how this occurs but it happens. Now again this isn’t true for everyone, but for the majority of people with illnesses and nearing their deaths, it is true.
What study are you citing or is this just anecdotal?
@@OneAdam12Adam talk to anyone in healthcare
My bet is that the body knows and the brain starts to release chemicals left and right
@@josejuancerdabarraza3544 DMT.
@@OneAdam12Adam i don't know if there's any research on it but there are loads of anecdotes, i guess that if u can smell smoke, there'll be a fire somewhere close
A common criticism of FDR is that, despite his obvious health issues, he did almost nothing to include his likely successor Truman into the decision making process. Truman was not even briefed on the existence of the Manhattan project. This resulted in a period of confusion and some abrupt policy shifts at a very critical moment in time which definitely impacted how the early stages of the Cold War would play out.
he should have stayed with wallace either way. the dnc has always been fucked it seems. (I lean as far left as possible without being communist but I'll never forgive the dnc for giving us Hillary instead of Bernie which directly lead to trump)
@@victormuzzo7967 bernie shoulda been president. America was robbed.
American historical author David McCullough covers this aspect of FDR'S presidency very well in Truman.
@@victormuzzo7967Wallace was a Soviet loving scumbag. Screw him. If he had stayed on, hopefully he would’ve been blocked domestically as much as possible, but foreign policy would’ve turned into a slogging disaster.
@@victormuzzo7967 I don't want to start a fight in a channel not meant for it, but I gotta tell you: They picked Hillary because there was no way in hell a big enough chunk of Americans were going to vote for Bernie.
13:50
I am impressed by the response of the Japanese Prime Minister.
Just shows what a towering figure Roosevelt was, even his enemies respected him.
@@desmondd1984 not all of them
the japanese were attempting to find an honourable way out of the war and were likely attempting 'normalisation'
@@desmondd1984It was more of a Japan thing tbh.
Yeah, Japan was being respectful but still couldn't trust them at the time
One of FDR's most brilliant programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps. It built much of the infrastructure for parks and forests. In doing so, it provided money to millions of families and it trained and prepared millions of young men for military service. The New England Hurricane of 1938 tore up millions of huge trees. CCC groups were brought in to help clean up. The logs were sent to saw mills and the government stockpiled millions of board feet of lumber. A few years later, that lumber was used to build military bases. A personal note: my father crossed the Atlantic 6 times and participated in 6 landings in Europe during WWII. They were attack by Nazis many times. In 1959, he was showing me damage from the Hurricane of '38 in Stonington, CT and said that as bad as things got in WWII, the Hurricane was worse. We were looking at a huge barge that was about a km inland from the shore. Good Luck, Rick
Is your father with the Coast Guard?
@@aaroncabatingan5238 He was before and during WWII. He was CCM on APA 26, The Chase.
An Economist was asked how FDR best helped the USA.
His answer?
"By dying."
FDR's Leftist policies turned a Recission into the Great Depression, per every Economist on Earth.
..save self-professed Marxist, Richard Wolff.
The jobs programs?
An economist touring a jobs program at a roadside saw 2 trackers sitting, but 100 men using shovels.
"We wanted to create jobs, so we sidelined the trackers" - explained the government employee.
The Economist's reply -
"To create a 1000 jobs, why not give them spoons instead of shovels?"
They were “make work” jobs. Read: The Forgotten Man. In-depth detail of Roosevelt’s not so great handling of the economic strife. He was terrible with economics. However, an excellent war time leader.
"Camp Roosevelt" in Fort Valley VA near the headwaters of Passage Creek - now just a picnic ground and trailhead with a few ruins of what used to be barracks and mess hall - I think workers on the nearby soon to be Skyline Drive/Shenandoah National Park were bunked here
The one thing Roosevelt Churchill and Stalin had in common they were all smokers and all 3 died of stroke
Roosevelt - Cigarettes
Churchill - Cigars
Stalin - Smoke pipes
hmmm... fighting Germany is not another?
@@sicily7220 Being a blood thirsty megalomaniac will lead to an early death most cases
@@StephenLuke Since stalin was a heavy tobacco user he smoked all 3 pipe, cigar and cigarette
I quit smoking when the pandemic hit. I got sick and couldn't breathe for 5 days straight that was enough to make me quit. One of the best decisions of my life
My grandmother stood beside the railroad tracks in NE Georgia with thousands of others as his funeral car slowly rolled past them on the way back to Washington. Born in 1932, he was the only president she had known her whole life.
My great grandmother was also there that day. Celebrating the departure of a tyrant.
@@billyshakespeare17 He had no trouble winning GA four times handily.
@@billyshakespeare17a tyrant?
Well I feel old. My Mother, who is still living, was born in 1932. He was President elect at the time.
@@richstrobel Yep, my grandmother was born in December 1932 into a family of cotton mill workers.
During his lifetime, FDR was almost never photographed in a wheelchair, but often with his cigarette. Today, portraits and sculpture often show the wheelchair, never the cigarette.
Yep Propaganda does that
He definitely was one of the most influential people of the 20th century, without a doubt. It's a shame he never got to see the end of the war with it being so close in Europe and 4 months away in Japan. I never knew he had paralysis until I began watching this channel and it's incredible he managed to become president and didn't let himself be hindered with his disability.
It was thought he had been stricken with polio at his summer home on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada in the early 1920s. He used to arrive there in a US navy destroyer when he was secretary of the navy, it being rather odd to arrive in a part of the British empire, which had the most powerful navy in the world at that time, in an American destroyer. But that is more reflective of the brother and sister relationship Canada and the US have always had since the unpleasantries of the 1800s.
There is a lengthy PBS documentary series produced by Ken Burns called "The Roosevelts: An Intimate History" that dives deep into the histories of Theodore, Franklin, Eleanor and their families. A really fascinating look at one of the most influential families of the early 20th century in American politics. Highly recommended!
Let's be thankful that Henry Wallace Wasn't Roosevelt's running mate in 1944.
I don't know if it is your diction, cadence, tone, or whatever, but you bring history to life in a way that is both entertaining and informative. Where were you when I was suffering through my high school history classes? Keep up to excellent work! Please.
Thanks for the lovely comment! We aren't stopping anytime soon.
Don't miss Indy's coverage of the Korean War as well, starting this June: www.youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell
I second the comment, you have an astounding ability to speak the past into the present. 😊@@WorldWarTwo
Didn't know about the Japanese reaction to FDR's death.
On another note, the picture of a very frail FDR was the last photo of him, and the painting in the middle was left unfinished after he died. He had sat for that painting when he expressed his last words about feeling pain in the back of his head and then slumped right afterwards, dying immediately.
😢💔
I can't even imagine how painful his last weeks were. The presidency literally ki.lled him.
"Our victory... You're victory was so close, I wish you could have lived to see it"
(spoilers) also Curtin
*your
God won on April 12
But you belong to Earth…your body, your legs, all decomposed and turned to soil, everything except…your courage. That, you gave to us, and with it, we can rebuild…
@@generalhorse493Ahh.....memories of Reach.
As a disabled person myself. I find FDR to be a truly inspiring person. The greatest U.S President in my opinion.
@youngimperialistkii
Me too. Sadly, he didn't live long enough to see the full Allied victory of World War II. 😢💔
He was incredible weak and clueless towards Stalin
A communist makes you proud? Wild
Lol. People still like Stalin? That's very wild.
@@mmartinu327 you simpleton
My father, grew-up in the great depression. My grandmother, a single mother, had 11 children. At the head of the dinner table hung a photo of FDR, because he was the "man of the house" feeding the family durring the depression. My oldest uncle went on to die in Germany near the end of the war. My father, at 15 years old, lied about his age, and joined the marines and faught in the pacfic. He later volunteered again to join the marines for Korea, after receiving a draft notice by mistake. The draft board was not expecting someone so young to be a vet, and thus exempt. He decided since he was already there, he would volunteer again. My long point to make is, that an entire generation of boys viewed FDR as their father. So, when he called them to fight, it was more than a patriotic act. It was family. FYI, the GI bill sent my father to law school, bought our family multiple houses, and eventually made it possible to send my entire family (5 siblings) to get higher education. FDR, was a pretty good father and grandfather to millions of Americans. He brought my family from poverty, to most of us are at least squarely in the middle class, and some of us even much better. all in less than a generation.
Unfortunately, he wasn't interested in his own.
Thanks for sharing dude, this is a great perspective
My mother was a 24 year old 1st Lieutenant in the nursing corp in the USA 3rd Army over in Occupied Germany when Roosevelt died. Ask my Mom how she felt when she heard of his death, Mom said he was the only President she ever knew. He led the country during the great depression and was her commander in chief during World War II. She trusted him It was devastating at the time.
She exhibited, that I witnessed , incredible sadness when Kennedy was assassinated.
Strange that of all the months of the war. April 1945 saw the loss of three leaders of major participants. Though not much of the world cried over the other two
Heck, one of them's death was even celebrated by the world.
One was crashed from his game.
One got KO'd in his game.
One ragequitted his game.
As a Brit, FDR did everything he could to keep us in the fight in the period when it was us against Italy and Germany alone. Lend lease and opening up US factories to us. M3 Stuarts were as good as our cruiser tanks at the time, and more reliable. M3 mediums were better than anything we had in North Africa, if not perfect. Hudsons/P40s/Wildcats/half tracks/jeeps all helped us when a hostile congress would have denied us access to them.
None of which would have helped if you guys had given up, eh?👍
He did all that and it's to his credit. However, he also ensured Britain was taken to the cleaners for that aid. Not quite Crassus-Fire-Brigade level, but it was a hard-nosed deal that worked to the immense benefit of the US at the expense of the British Empire.
@@Splattle101 Should the U.S. have underwritten the British Empire?
@@WhiteCamry No, certainly not! Not when they could inherit it.
Britain DID have a number of other allies, particularly the other members of the Empire like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India, as well as the Free Polish and Free French forces. While there is no doubt that US contribution was extremely important, let's not underestimate the contributions of the British Empire and its allies and, of course, the Soviet Union.
13:53 didn't know about the Japanese response. Interesting.
Seriously. That was astonishing in its earnestness
Japanese may be your friend or may be your enemy but the one constant is Respect and Honor in their own form twisted as it may be from our perspective or not.
German propaganda in WW2 often implied Roosevelt was Jewish, and a Belgian SS poster in 1944 entitled "Entente Cordiale!" showed him sitting on a metal sledge with money bags, dragged through a destroyed Europe by Churchill and Stalin, who are both dressed in rags.
@@samsmith2635 "In their own form twisted". How is respecting your enemy twisted?
Yup. You are unlikely to see that kind of response nowadays, no?
Roosevelt's (4th) Inaguraul speech is completely under appreciated and rings more true today than ever before post-WW2....
13:48 Which reminds me the statement from a German general whose name I can't remember: "The best thing after a good friend is a good enemy." Kantaro's statement was very chivalrous.
Roosevelt's last words "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head".
😢💔
Crazy, Lincoln's were as well.
Kennedy moment
@@SmackheadGamingBruh 😭
@@SmackheadGaming Too soon!
My late father in law was American but he lived in Canada close to Buffalo NY and he never changed his citizianship and he said that FDR " Was the greatest Presadent we ever had "
RIP to one of our greatest presidents. Also, Goebbels and Hitler really thought this was another Miracle of the House of Brandenburg. Spoiler alert: it was not lol
There little feaver dreams never sease to amaze me
He was a terrible president who's legacy is properly remembered as the man who's economic policy's prolonged the global depression and led to the rise of facism
Spoiler alert? After 80 years...
I recommend everyone watching this video consider a trip to Campobello International Park near St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. It offers tours of the Roosevelts’ family summer home and has a visitors centre. It is jointly administered by both the American and Canadian governments. Before he was president he was able to be summer there every year while as president he schedule allowed him only to briefly visit in 1933, 1936 and 1939.
Thank You, quality is it own reward!
Thank you!
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith. Rest in Peace Mr. President
Love what you said here
Lying POS. Patton should have taken him out.
Thanks for highlighting his achievements in war and peace, which he and many millions of others would not live to see
I was talking to my dad last night and he said the public was shocked that such a mild mannered man would drop the atomic bomb. Just a note from someone who lived through WW2. He is 93. Good job, Indy!
Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
It's called a public persona, not a surprise since he was stalinist though
@@longiusaescius2537 That is ideological nonsense.
@@jnagarya519 Soviet comprised cabinet moment
@@longiusaescius2537 Truman started the Cold War against Stalin's Russia because Truman was a Stalinist.
The world is stunned at your brilliant "logic".
Noticed the Dr limits his health reference to just 1 year.
One of the great statesman of the XX century. We remain in need of spirits such as his in our current tumultuous times.
For some reason, as a grown man, I cannot help but weep whenever I think about Roosevelt in his last months. He is a President that I, nor my father, ever knew. And yet, I weep for the man. He was the Greatest President elected by The People. To tell yourself otherwise, is to ignore the reality of what that man, and those working for him, accomplished.
Great reports Indy and friends! Congratulations. Every American should watch it with pride.
Thanks!
Much appreciated!
Interesting note is that a few newspapers also listed FDR in its military obituaries
Presidents are Commanders In Chief in the USA.
Yes. The "New York Times" published a full page list of all the casualties. The first in the list:
"Roosevelt, Franklin Delano -- Commander in Chief".
He to was a casualty of the war. He gave his life for democracy and the rule of law.
This was a really wonderful summary...as always.
It's amazing to watch the old footage of the train carrying him back to Washington, with so many people lining the tracks, and then the funeral procession in Washington. It just seems like so much more than it is today, probably because it was so well deserved. His accomplishments are inspiring!
Eleanor was his legs, keeping him informed about life for the average citizen. She had great influence on the social programs side.
Bravo, Indy, Sparty, Astrid and Team. Best description of FDR’s last days I’ve ever heard.
Its doesn't seem to be on UA-cam anymore, but the David Reynolds did a fantastic documentary on FDR. Absolutely humanising the larger than life figure.
Considering his inhuman cruelty and absurd actions, I'd have to call anything that humanizes him fantastic.
@@GusOfTheDorks Specify your comment.
@@caryblack5985 Well let's first test and see if I'm able to even reply to yours. My comments keep getting deleted.
Watch Forgotten History Most Corrupt FDR, youll change your mind about this Stalinist sympathizer President
With the end of World War II coming to a close in this series, will the coverage you created be available on DVDs in the future? I think they would be useful to history teachers from the high school level and college level in teaching the realities of the war.
I couldn't agree more.
No need to put it on DVD. You can download it from here then cut and stitch any of the content you want for lessons. Much simpler, more useful.
We'd love to do a DVD but it's unlikely we will, we are really focused on wrapping up the final months of the war and our new upcoming series the Korean War which you can check out below if you haven't already!
www.youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell
There is a really nice park and museum in Warm Springs Georgia. I can highly recommend it as worth your time.
I just realized how close he died from where I'm at WTF
This is a masterful presentation. I am delighted, amazed and grateful for your work.
Thank you, appreciate the comment a lot.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
What a lovely comment, thank you very much!
He held the free world together.
My favourite president of all time.
I respect Japan's prime minister's comment. Even if Roosevelt was the president of Japan's enemy he was still a respectable leader.
FDR died on my Dad's 26th birthday while his Army unit was heading toward the end of its war. My Dad was gunner in a new model tank since he was a great shot. He spent over 400 days in combat and would have been 105 today! If only we can be worthy of what that generation did!
He’s at least top 3.
For me it goes: Lincoln, FDR, Washington. In that order. No others endured such a heavy burden for the nation.
The first two made their own crises, so they could flex the grandiose hero syndrome. Any man who seeks the Presidency has a ego the size of the hindenburg.
Led the country through the triplet disasters of the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and WW2. Simply our greatest leader.
Read: The Forgotten Man. The policies of FDR expanded the depression, not to mention the two recessions that occurred within the depression. He was a great war time leader. However, terrible with economics.
@@pat5882 Actually his policies did not "expand the depression". I'm beyond fed up with the right-wing Republicans whose only policy is hate, and whose central tradition is the politics of smear.
Imagine never being able to see the final victory that you fought so hard to achieve.
The same can be said for millions of others
His last campaign stop was here in massachusetts at fenway park
Love the clarity of those recordings of his voice.
To anyone interested in learning more about FDR, I would recommend a trip to the Roosevelt Home and Museum in Hyde Park. It ranks as one of the best Presidential homes I've ever toured, and you can enjoy lunch afterwards at the CIA. No, not the Central Intelligence Agency, but the Culinary Institute of America, set above the scenic Hudson River Valley. As for Eleanor Roosevelt, she holds a special place for me as she was on the first Board of Trustees for my alma mater, Brandeis University, where my daughter is currently an undergraduate student.
Interesting story about Truman. He was having drinks with his friend Sam Rayburn when he was called to go to the White House. When Truman arrived, Eleanor told him that FDR had died. Truman, ever the gentleman, said "Is there anything I can do for you, Mrs Roosevelt." She looked at him and replied "Is there anything we can do for you? You are the one in trouble now."
Excellent as usual thank you.
Thanks for watching!
-TimeGhost Ambassador
Truman: What is this Manhattan Project, and why was I completely unaware of its existence?
New subscriber, just wanted to say that you are awesome 👏
Thanks for your support!
-TimeGhost Ambassador
Not a perfect president but the president we needed for a moment in history
Excellent special episode Indy & team.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
Winston Churchill, said of F.D.R., "Meeting him was like opening one's first bottle of champagne".
Love this series, absolutely pragmatic and comprehensive. Truman exceeded everyone’s expectations following an amazing FDR. Thank you for this UA-cam gem.
One question: was Churchill’s reason Prosaic?… 🤔
It is not an exaggeration to say that lend-lease cut at least a year off the war.
Very impressive video, to me.
Concise, full of data and put forth in an intelletually, entertaining manner.
☮
once again.. Bravo
I was, in my career, a military and airline pilot and I have to admit that his travel schedule as president would have knocked the absolute stuffing out of me--particularly that last jaunt to Yalta. Even when I was young and eager it would have been a challenge.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with his 1930s economic policies, he gave his all during the war.
He gave his life.
Incredible narration, even by Indy's standards. There is not a corner of this planet untouched by the United Nations or the superpower that came into being from 1932 to 1945.
We'll never know for sure, but I wonder how FDR would have approached the use of the atom bomb? Another great episode from the Time Ghost team!
He presumably knew it was under development.
I have no clue if this guy is a teacher or what but i absolutely love his storytelling abilities. Great channel!
Wow! I didn't know about the japanese reaction! That has interesting! Thank you guys!
Thank you for another interesting and informative video .
You are very welcome and thank you for your comment.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
And thank you for watching!
If I have learned something from this entire series that would be the fact that FDR was the only descent human being among all the other leaders
Excellent video. Very balanced.
People forget just how stressful the presidency is. A lot of them worked themselves to early graves.
Learned a lot from this. Perhaps most surprising was the message of condolence from Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki. That demonstrated class, respect and honour to a fallen foe.
a good and brilliant man who saved the free world
these Documentars are so interesting, thank you for making them (:
April 15th is the most important day in US history because of all the events Lincoln died, fdr buried, tax day and alot more
I editied out one cause it was wrong
Titanic struck the iceberg on April 14th but sank on the 15th. A British ship but it was on it's way to America and more than 100 Americans perished.
@@richstrobel April 15 is also Jackie Robinson Day in 1947, the 1969 EC-121 shootdown incident in 1969, the 1986 United States bombing of Libya in 1986, the Hillsborough disaster and the death of Hu Yaobang which sparked the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests In 1989, the Air China Flight 129 disaster In 2002, the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, the Notre Dame fire in 2019, and the Indianapolis FedEx shooting in 2021.
The American Civil War did not end on April 15. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9; Johnston surrendered a larger contingent of military personnel later that month; and there was another large surrender in June 1865 in the Indian Territory.
@@elsanfranfan That is correct!
@@elsanfranfan shit i got mixed up i was thinking about when Lincoln declared the insurrection of Southern states leaving the union (publicly) in 1861 on April 15 and called up 75k milita men my bad
"April 15, 1861- President Lincoln issues a public declaration that an insurrection exists and calls for 75,000 militia to stop the rebellion"- nps. gov civil war timeline
Really informative. Well done.
Thank you!
-TimeGhost Ambassador
Thanks for watching!
FDR, a Superior Man.
Arguably, his Social and Political policies saved Democracy in the US.
And the task of gearing up the country into a War Economy was fantastically implemented.
Namely, to run different sectors of the Economy he picked out the best people -- whithout any judgement regarding political or personal inclinations.
To build a commercial navy, Henry Kaiser was selected -- and the Liberty ships were highly important in the dar effort.
And as Director of Production Office, William S. Knudsen, ex-Ford Vice President and G.M's CEO. , a genious in promoting Mass production.
Unlike Hitler, who acted as a Super-Operations Manager, imposing himself in all decisions, FDR , didn't attempt to micro-manage industrial production or Military operations.
Thank you all of you for this wonderful documentary this is perhaps your finest work thank you for all of your hard work God bless you all and carry on with the good work
Thank you very much for the comment, and thanks for watching.
13:53 well, we have a Jose Paulus, a Smiling-Albert, and now a Kangaroo Suzuki.
This comports with what my grandmother (b. 1898) told me about her impression of Roosevelt at the time. She knew he was disabled. But she didn't know he was unable to walk without braces and assistance. She thought he was able to walk with the assistance of only a cain. She knew he had polio, but she knew a lot of people who had polio and who could still walk with varying degrees of assistance. We talked about this many times when I was a child. The reason is that she admired FDR for his persistence despite what she thought to be his annoying handicap. But she had no idea how profoundly handicapped he was.
Didn’t realize he was only in his late 60s when he died. He appeared much much older.
1882 to 1945....so early sixties. And yes he looked horrible
Paralytic disease, smoking and a very stressful life leading a country through WW2 will do that to you.
Yeah. He aged worse than Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tattooine.
Indeed at age 63 he was barely into his mid-60s
Teddy Roosevelt was in his 50s when he died.
I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
One of the greatest presidents, no doubt
During the motorcade tour of New York in October, while reassuring the public of his health, Roosevelt apparently came close to pneumonia and his car pulled into several garages along the route where he was wrapped in towels and surrounded by heaters in order to stave it off, imagine the ramifications if he had succumbed just 6 months earlier.
I work at a hotel, and when people from out of the country ask about the people on our money, I tell them that FDR is on our dimes because of the March of Dimes, the donation campaign that helped to fund the polio vaccine.
I think the world must still today be grateful he did not die earlier.
He worked hard and succesfully to the very end. Respect.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
December 7, 1941. A date which will in infamy.
..proceeds to lock up Americans of Japanese heritage out of fear they may become spies....
@@Simon_the_penguin The ironic thing is when he made that famous speech, my grandfather on my father's side was enlisting in the Army. Also, my birthday is December 8th,1977.
Great comentary again!!!
I think he did the most good, Social Security, WWII, and treated Russia with respect.
Indy-Thanks fort such a great video on FDR's life. Adding that FDR might not have had polio, but instead Guillain-Barre was a great point. He is just a much a casualty of war as someone on the front lines. One of his biographers stated that 1944 and 1945 were the hardest since FDR could handle the politics of war, but he had limited influence on the military side. Especially after late 1943 when US Forces began the campaigns that would defeat Japan and Germany in 1945.
America and much of the world has forgotten the lessons of WW2.
Dangerously so. We are falling trap to the eternal innocence phenomena. Wanting to ignore anything negative in our history. Just like the commie Russians
World War II is so over-talked about that no one can bring up any other historical example when they’re attempting to comment or rant about any current topic. That said knowledge of World War II, even with that increasingly annoying fact, is still abysmal funny enough.
How have they forgotten?
@@Napolean46
Because of the resurgence of Nazism, totalitarianism and unprecedented plutocracy. Destroying everything that Roosevelt accomplished is their highest goal.
@@Napolean46 return of the "America First" idiots. Isolationism is a huge MAGA deal.
Thank you for busting the myth that the American public didn't know about Roosevelt's paralysis. I just wish more people would watch this video
I was deleting some old e-mails and I found this one from my mother.
She was 18 in 1945 when Roosevelt died.
"I remember the day as if it were yesterday. I was at Tennessee
Wesleyan. Even though it
was still early Spring, it was a warm day and some friends and I had
gone to the home of a
lovely woman in Athens to swim. She had told us we could come any
time. When we re-turned to the campus, I went to Lawrence Hall, not my
dorm, to a friend's room and, weary
from the exercise and heat, I flopped on a bed and went sound to sleep.
Later, someone came dashing into the room and announced that FDR had
died. I was flabbergasted. He was
like my father. I, although 18, had never known any other President.
None of us could believe
it and we sat around morosely talking in hushed tones about him. I
remember being aware
of the thousands who lined the railroad tracks as his body was taken
from Warm Springs to
Washington. I remember the tears of everyone, including mine, but
especially those of so
many blacks, many males, too, as they prayed and watched the train
slowly moving past where they stood. Of course this was all seen in
newsreels in the movies and in newspapers.
While I was in college, I hardly ever listened to radio. I did not
even have one, but on the day
the Nazis surrendered in Germany, I was standing in a parlor in Ritter
Hall at TWC with my
most dear friend Madame Emmy Land Wolff,[a German Jewish lady] and you
can imagine what this meant to her.
She nearly squeezed my hand off as we listened and tears rolled down
her face. This meant
that in time she could return to her homeland and regain some of the
property and money
that the Nazis had confiscated.
Well, son, thanks for reminding me. Those were momentous
times. That summer of 1945, I went to work for awhile at Oak Ridge,
and on returning home to
Cedartown to prepare for my invasion of UTC and Chattanooga, the bombs
were dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the beginning of the present nuclear era. I
was dumbfounded to
learn I had been working to facilitate the making of those atom bombs.
[Mama worked in the typing pool]
In one sense, I owe my life to Franklin D. Roosevelt. When he became
President in 1932,
somehow food became more available, clothes were made available to
those who needed them, and plants and mills began to re-open so that
people could go back to work. As young
as I was, I could immediately see a new optimism and hopefulness among
the people of my
small hometown. I remember jobless young men going off to work in the
forests through the
CCC and jobless husbands found work to do in building, road work, and
other enterprises
through the WPA. I taught in a school in Lakeview which had been built
by the WPA. Suffice
it to say that Roosevelt's optimism and great personality brought about
great changes in the
country, and I never have been hungry again. Thanks for reminding me
that today, April 12,
2005 is the sixtieth anniversary of his death.
He was truly great and
I loved him."
Thank you for sharing that with us, a very fascinating glimpse of how people reacted.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
@@WorldWarTwo Thank you.
REST IN PEACE ONE OF THE GREATEST AMERICANS!!!
Most people fully recover from even worst case Guillain-Barré syndrome, FDR having that seems to be a far reach imho. The war and the presidency really took a toll on him, to me he looked a lot older than his 63 years when he died.
I never knew why Truman was chosen as VP for the 4th term. Your explanation makes a lot of sense as it seems that Truman was much more hostile to the Soviets than FDR was.
We haven't had a president like him since he truly was a man of the people and showed tremendous amounts of strength and courage throughout multiple criseses. May he rest in peace
He could definitely charm and legally bribe large amounts of the people that’s for sure. Very talented man.
For a man with physical disabilities, it goes to show how much faith the American people had in FDR's leadership to keep voting for him. Helped see USA through the Great Depression and through almost all of World War II.
I didn’t even know he was sick!