American Experience (1988) s07e02 Episode Script

1
McCullough:
AUGUST 14, 1921.
"WE HAVE HAD
A VERY FEW ANXIOUS DAYS,"
ELEANOR WROTE FROM CAMPOBELLO.
"WEDNESDAY EVENING
FRANKLIN WAS TAKEN ILL."
"BY FRIDAY EVENING,
"HE LOST THE ABILITY
TO WALK OR MOVE HIS LEGS.
"THE DOCTOR FEELS SURE
HE WILL GET WELL,
BUT IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME."
"I TRIED TO PERSUADE MYSELF
THAT THE TROUBLE WITH MY LEG
WAS MUSCULAR,"
FRANKLIN REMEMBERED,
"THAT IT WOULD DISAPPEAR
AS I USED IT.
BUT PRESENTLY IT REFUSED
TO WORK, AND THEN THE OTHER."
Man:
IT STARTED WITH A COLD,
A FEELING OF MALAISE,
AN ACHE IN THE BACK
AND LACK OF APPETITE.
HE SAID HE THOUGH
HE WOULDN'T HAVE DINNER
AND HE WENT UP TO HIS ROOM.
AND HE NEVER WALKED AGAIN.
AND ULTIMATELY AT THE
HIGH POINT, HE WAS HELPLESS.
Ward:
FOR A MAN AS ENERGETIC, WHO HAD
LED SUCH A CHARMED LIFE,
TO SUDDENLY BE PARALYZED MUS
HAVE BEEN ALMOST UNBEARABLE.
HE HE ASKED LOUIS HOWE
WHY GOD HAD DESERTED HIM,
AT ONE POINT.
HE TRIED TO PUT ON A BRAVE FRON
WITH THE CHILDREN,
BUT HE WAS TERRIFIED.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT.
CERTAINLY IT WAS
THE BLACKEST MOMENT OF HIS LIFE
AND SEEMED TO BE
THE END OF HIS LIFE.
McCullough:
HIS FEVER SOARED.
ELEANOR REMEMBERED
HE WAS "OUT OF HIS HEAD."
Goodwin:
ELEANOR RESPONDS IMMEDIATELY
WITH HELP, WITH SUPPORT,
WITH COURAGE IN FACING
THE SEVERITY
OF WHAT HE'S GOING THROUGH.
SHE STAYS UP 24 HOURS.
SHE'S BY HIS SIDE.
SHE DOESN'T RUN AWAY FROM IT.
McCullough:
DESPERATE, ELEANOR CALLED IN
AN ORTHOPEDIC SPECIALIS
FROM HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL.
THE DIAGNOSIS, HE TOLD THEM,
WAS PERFECTLY CLEAR:
INFANTILE PARALYSIS POLIO.
Ward:
HE COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS HAD
HAPPENED TO HIM,
BUT EVEN IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES,
HE KEPT TO THE ROOSEVELT CODE,
WHICH WAS
THAT YOU DID NOT COMPLAIN
AND THAT YOU TRIED
TO CONVINCE EVERYONE
THAT EVERYTHING
WAS GOING TO BE FINE.
HE WAS VERY CAREFUL
TO BE CHEERFUL
IN FRONT OF HIS MOTHER.
AND SHE WAS VERY CAREFUL
TO BE CHEERFUL IN FRONT OF HIM,
AND ONLY AFTER SHE LEFT HIM
DID SHE CRY.
McCullough:
A PRIVATE RAILROAD CAR BROUGH
FRANKLIN HOME
TO NEW YORK CITY.
WITH EVERY CURVE AND JOUNCE,
HE WINCED IN PAIN.
HE WAS 39 YEARS OLD.
NO ONE KNEW WHAT SORT OF LIFE
MIGHT NOW BE POSSIBLE FOR HIM,
BUT ONE THING SEEMED CERTAIN:
HIS POLITICAL CAREER
WAS FINISHED.
Gallagher:
HE WAS AN ARISTOCRAT,
HE WAS WELL BORN,
HE WAS GOOD-LOOKING.
HE HAD HAD
ALWAYS HAD EVERYTHING.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE HE WAS,
CRIPPLED IN A DAY
WHEN IT WAS A VERY DIFFICUL
THING TO BE CRIPPLED.
IN THE 1920s, WHY, POLIO
WAS A TERRIFYING THING.
SOMETHING LIKE 25% OF PEOPLE
WHO CAUGHT POLIO
DIED OF I
WITHIN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS.
IF YOU SURVIVED
AND YOU HAD PARALYSIS,
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
AND "NICE" FAMILIES KEP
THEIR DISABLED MEMBERS AT HOME
IN THE BACK BEDROOM
WITH THE BLINDS DRAWN.
THERE WAS A CERTAIN SHAME
ATTACHED TO IT SOMEHOW.
Ward:
HIS MOTHER DECIDED
THAT THE BEST THING TO DO
WAS FOR HIM TO COME
HOME TO HYDE PARK
AND TO LIVE THE LIFE
REALLY THAT HIS FATHER
HAD LIVED, AS AN INVALID.
SHE WOULD TAKE CARE OF HIM,
AND HE COULD PURSUE
HIS HOBBIES AND SMALL INTERESTS,
BUT HE WOULD HAVE
TO GIVE UP POLITICS.
Goodwin:
IT'S ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS
THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
A DEFINING MOMENT FOR ELEANOR,
BECAUSE SHE KNOWS
THAT IF SARA HAS HER WAY,
FRANKLIN'S SOUL
WILL BE DESTROYED.
SO SHE HAS TO DO SOMETHING
SHE'S NEVER DONE BEFORE:
SHE HAS TO CONFRONT SARA
DIRECTLY TO TELL HER
"YOU'RE WRONG AND I'M NOT GOING
TO LET THIS HAPPEN.
"HE'S GOING TO BE ABLE
TO GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE.
"HE'S GOING TO WALK AGAIN,
HE'S GOING TO GET INTO POLITICS
AND I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY."
SHE MAY NOT HAVE SAID I
THAT BOLDLY,
BUT SHE DEFINITELY WAS WILLING
TO MAKE A MAJOR CONFRONTATION
WITH HER MOTHER-IN-LAW
THAT ALL OF HER EARLIER LIFE SHE
HAD BEEN UNABLE TO MAKE.
SHE BECAME THE VOICE FOR HIS
INNER NEEDS, HIS INNER FEELINGS,
AND IN SOME WAYS, THAT'S WHA
SHE BECOMES ALL OF THEIR LIVES.
Gurewitsch:
SHE HAD A DISCIPLINE
AND A WILLPOWER
THAT WAS STAGGERING.
SHE SAID TO ME ONCE,
"THE ONLY TIME IN MY LIFE
"THAT I CRIED IN HIS PRESENCE
WHEN HE HAD POLIO
"WAS WHEN HE CALLED US
INTO THE ROOM
"AND HE SHOWED US:
'LOOK, ' HE SAID,
'WHAT I CAN DO.'"
HE WAS PHOBIC ABOUT BEING CAUGH
IN A FIRE HELPLESS IN A FIRE.
HE GOT HIMSELF DOWN FROM THE BED
AND HE SHOWED THEM
WITH GREAT PRIDE
HOW HE SLITHERED ON THE FLOOR,
USING HIS ELBOWS
TO GET TO THE DOOR.
AND WITH THAT, MRS. ROOSEVEL
BROKE DOWN IN TEARS AND FLED.
AND SHE SAID THA
WAS THE ONLY TIME
SHE DIDN'T CONTROL HERSELF
IN FRONT OF HIM.
McCullough:
FRANKLIN'S LIFE WAS
NOW IN LIMBO.
HE WOULD DEVOTE THE NEX
SEVEN YEARS TO ONE SINGLE GOAL:
TO GET BACK ON HIS FEET.
THE DOCTORS TOLD HIM THA
HIS ONLY HOPE WAS EXERCISE.
WITH HEAVY STEEL BRACES
GRAPPLED TO HIS LEGS,
HE BEGAN THE AWKWARD STRUGGLE
TO LEARN TO WALK.
"I MUST GET DOWN
THE DRIVEWAY TODAY
ALL THE WAY DOWN THE DRIVEWAY,"
HIS DAUGHTER ANNA HEARD HIM SAY.
Ward:
POLIO EXERCISES
WERE VERY PAINFUL,
VERY TEDIOUS, HUMILIATING.
THEY TOOK UP ENDLESS TIME,
AND I THINK IT'S A MEASURE
OF HIS AMBITION AND HIS GRI
THAT HE KEPT AT THEM AS LONG
AND AS HARD AS HE DID.
McCullough:
AFTER A YEAR OF UNRELENTING
STRUGGLE,
THE DOCTORS TOLD FRANKLIN
IT WAS ALL BUT CERTAIN
THAT HE WOULD NEVER WALK AGAIN.
BUT HE WOULD NOT ACCEP
THEIR VERDICT.
Ward:
THE RULES THAT APPLIED
TO OTHER PEOPLE
DID NOT APPLY
TO FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT,
AND HE REFUSED TO BELIEVE THA
HE WAS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER.
HE TRIED EVERYTHING:
SUNLAMP TREATMENTS,
SPECIAL ELECTRIC BELTS
THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE HIM
SOMEHOW STRONGER,
PULLEY ARRANGEMENTS TO DO
HIS EXERCISES AUTOMATICALLY.
DEEP MASSAGE, LIGHT MASSAGE,
RANGE OF MOTION EXERCISES.
SOMETIMES THEY HUNG HIM
ON A HARNESS FROM THE CEILING.
AND EVEN IN THE LAST WEEKS
OF HIS LIFE,
HE WAS TRYING A NEW METHOD
TO SEE IF HE COULDN'
GET BACK ON HIS FEET.
IT'S IT'S EITHER MADNESS
OR ENORMOUSLY ADMIRABLE.
Gallagher:
HE NEVER SPOKE TO ANYONE
ABOUT THE FEELINGS HE HAD
WITH HIS PARALYSIS.
HIS MOTHER SAID THAT HE HAD
NEVER SPOKEN TO HER ABOUT IT.
ELEANOR SAID HE SIMPLY
DIDN'T ACCEPT HIS PARALYSIS
AND HE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT I
AND HE WOULDN'T ADMIT IT.
I SUPPOSE PSYCHOLOGISTS
MIGHT CALL IT DENIAL.
IT CERTAINLY SERVED HIM WELL
AND ALLOWED HIM TO BECOME
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
INSTEAD OF
A STAMP-COLLECTING INVALID.
OF COURSE IT'S DENIAL.
IT WORKED DENIAL IS A
VERY USEFUL THING IN ITS PLACE.
I MEAN IT'S IT'S A WAY OF
OF COMING TO TERMS
WITH A DIFFICULT FACT.
McCullough:
IN 1924, FRANKLIN BOUGH
A RUN-DOWN HOUSEBOAT HE NAMED
"THE LAROOCO" AND HEADED SOUTH.
HE WAS RUNNING AWAY.
DRIFTING LAZILY OFF THE COAS
OF FLORIDA: SWIMMING, FISHING,
CAVORTING WITH HIS FRIENDS,
HE FILLED HIS DAYS
WITH AIMLESS GOOD TIMES.
Ward:
HE WAS THERE PARTLY TO EXERCISE
AND GET THE SUN, WHICH HE
THOUGHT WAS GOING TO HELP HIM,
BUT HE WAS ALSO THERE BECAUSE
LIFE AT HOME WITH FIVE CHILDREN
AND HIS MOTHER AND HIS WIFE
FIGHTING OVER HIM
WAS UNBEARABLE.
Gallagher:
THESE WERE VERY GRIM YEARS
FOR HIM, FOR THE FAMILY.
HE WAS STRUGGLING TO GET BETTER.
IN SPITE OF HIS OPTIMISM,
HE REALLY WASN'
GETTING MUCH BETTER.
I THINK THAT THE GUY
WAS DEALING WITH DEPRESSION.
THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF ANGER,
A GREAT DEAL OF GRIEVING,
A GREAT DEAL OF FRUSTRATION
THAT COMES WITH PARALYSIS
EXTENSIVE, SEVERE,
SERIOUS PARALYSIS
AND THIS IS VERY HARD STUFF
TO TO DEAL WITH.
Goodwin:
AND HE COULDN'T EXPRESS
THAT DESPAIR AND THA
SADNESS AROUND ELEANOR,
CERTAINLY NOT AROUND HIS MOTHER,
NOR AROUND THE KIDS.
SO I THINK HE WEN
TO THE LAROOCO ORIGINALLY
BECAUSE IT ALLOWED HIM
A HAVEN TO BE ABLE TO BE SAD,
TO MOURN THE LOSS OF THE BODY
THAT HAD ONCE BEEN HIS,
AND I THINK IT TOOK
LONGER THAN HE THOUGHT.
McCullough:
"THERE WERE DAYS
ON THE LAROOCO,"
ONE FRIEND REMEMBERED,
"WHEN IT WAS NOON
"BEFORE HE COULD PULL HIMSELF
OUT OF DEPRESSION
AND GREET HIS GUESTS WEARING
HIS LIGHTHEARTED FACADE."
"POLIO WAS A STORM," ONE
OF HIS PHYSIOTHERAPISTS SAID.
"YOU WERE WHAT REMAINED
WHEN IT HAD PASSED."
HIS SON JAMES LATER WROTE:
"THESE WERE THE LONELY YEARS.
"WE HAD NO TANGIBLE FATHER,
"NO FATHER WHOM WE COULD
TOUCH AND TALK TO,
ONLY A CHEERY LETTER WRITER."
WITH FRANKLIN GONE
AND THE CHILDREN AWAY
AT SCHOOL OR GROWN UP,
POLITICS WAS BECOMING
AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT PAR
OF ELEANOR'S LIFE.
LOUIS HOWE CONVINCED HER
THAT IT WAS UP TO HER
TO KEEP FRANKLIN'S NAME ALIVE.
IF ELEANOR HAD NO
STEPPED FORWARD,
FRANKLIN'S POLITICAL CAREER
MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN OVER.
Eleanor Roosevelt:
LOUIS HOWE DECIDED
THAT I'D BETTER GO
IN THE WOMEN'S DIVISION
OF THE STATE POLITICAL SETUP
IN NEW YORK
AND I MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK,
AND SO LOUIS HOWE USED
TO GO WITH ME TO MEETINGS
AND SIT IN THE BACK
AND MAKE FUN OF ME AFTERWARDS.
Cook:
LOUIS HOWE IS ABSOLUTELY CENTRAL
TO ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S
POLITICAL EDUCATION.
HE MONITORS HER EVERY WORD.
HE ATTENDS ALL OF THE SPEECHES
THAT SHE GIVES.
AND HE TELLS HER, "YOU SAID
THIS RIGHT, YOU SAID THAT WRONG.
"YOU GIGGLED HERE;
WHY DID YOU GIGGLE HERE?
"YOUR VOICE WENT UP
TEN DECIBELS HERE.
WHY DID IT DO THAT?"
HE'S REALLY HER COACH.
Curtis Roosevelt:
AND SHE VERY QUICKLY,
IN TWO OR THREE YEARS,
MOVED TO THE TOP
IN THE WOMEN'S DIVISION
IN THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
SHE COULD GET UP AND TALK
ON PRETTY MUCH ANY SUBJEC
AND WITH SOME EASE.
SHE TALKED INFORMALLY.
SHE RAN A VERY GOOD MEETING.
McCullough:
ELEANOR DISCOVERED
THAT SHE HAD ORGANIZING SKILLS,
A TALENT FOR DEALING
WITH PEOPLE
AND SOON FOUND HERSELF
IN THE THICK OF
DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLITICS.
PUBLICLY, SHE SPOKE
IN FRANKLIN'S NAME.
PRIVATELY, SHE WAS DEVELOPING
HER OWN IDEAS.
Cook:
PEOPLE GO TO HER FOR ADVICE.
PEOPLE GO TO HER TO RAISE MONEY.
PEOPLE GO TO HER
AND ASK HER TO SPEAK.
SHE SAYS IN HER MEMOIR
SHE'S DONE IT ALL FOR F.D.R.,
BUT THE FACT IS
SHE LOVES EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
Curtis Roosevelt:
I THINK SHE WAS
PROFOUNDLY IMPRESSED
AND BELIEVED IN HER HEAR
THAT HELPING OTHER PEOPLE,
ENABLING OTHER PEOPLE,
PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU WERE
IN A POSITION OF PRIVILEGE,
WAS THE WAY SHE WISHED
TO CONDUCT HER LIFE.
McCullough:
ELEANOR WAS MAKING
ALL THE GREAT REFORM CAUSES
OF THE DAY HER OWN:
CHILD LABOR, PUBLIC HOUSING,
WORKER'S COMPENSATION,
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE.
SHE WAS BECOMING A VOICE
FOR THOSE WHO HAD NONE.
Gurewitsch:
SHE HAD ABDICATED
HER ROLE AS WIFE.
SHE HAD HE INVITED HER
VERY MANY TIMES TO COME DOWN,
BUT HE WAS WITH THE FRIENDS WHOM
SHE DIDN'T SPECIALLY CARE FOR
THE CONGENIAL FRIENDS,
THE FRIENDS
FROM THE LUCY MERCER DAYS,
THE THE PEOPLE WHO
LIKED TO LIVE ON A HOUSEBOA
AND SWIM AND DRINK AND
AND HE WAS WITH MISSY LeHAND.
McCullough:
"MISSY" WAS MARGUERITE LeHAND,
FRANKLIN'S SECRETARY
UNMARRIED, CATHOLIC, HIGH-SCHOOL
EDUCATED, MANY YEARS YOUNGER.
Goodwin:
MISSY HAD STARTED WORKING
FOR FRANKLIN
WHEN SHE WAS 20 YEARS OLD
IN 1920
AND, I THINK,
FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM
AND NEVER STOPPED LOVING HIM
ALL THE REST OF HER LIFE.
IT WOULD BE MISSY
WHO WOULD SIT BY HIS SIDE
AS THEY WENT FISHING.
SHE LEARNED
EVERY ACTIVITY THAT HE LIKED
AND BECAME AN EXPERT AT IT.
SO SHE WAS THE PERFECT COMPANION
FOR THESE LAZY, AIMLESS DAYS
ON THE LAROOCO.
ELEANOR IS NOWHERE IN SIGH
DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME.
McCullough:
ELEANOR HAD NOW MADE
A LIFE OF HER OWN
WITH HER OWN FRIENDS.
"ALAS AND LACKADAY,"
WROTE HER AUNT.
"I JUST HATE TO HAVE ELEANOR
LET HERSELF LOOK AS SHE DOES.
"SINCE POLITICS HAVE BECOME
HER CHOICEST INTEREST,
ALL HER CHARM HAS DISAPPEARED."
FRANKLIN SUPPORTED ELEANOR'S
NEW-FOUND INDEPENDENCE.
DURING THE 1920s, THEY HAD ONCE
AGAIN REDEFINED THEIR MARRIAGE.
THEY WERE BOUND TOGETHER
BY POLITICS, RESPEC
AND REAL AFFECTION,
BUT THEY LED SEPARATE LIVES.
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
ELEANOR HAD A HOME OF HER OWN
TWO MILES FROM HYDE PARK
A SIMPLE COTTAGE,
BUILT FOR HER BY FRANKLIN.
SHE CALLED IT VAL-KILL, AFTER
THE BROOK RUNNING PAST ITS DOOR.
Cook:
SHE CAN INVITE
WHO SHE WANTS THERE.
HER MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS TO KNOCK
BEFORE SHE ENTERS.
THERE ARE NO SLIDING DOORS.
SARA IS SHOCKED THA
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT WOULD PREFER
TO LIVE IN WHAT SHE CALLS
"THAT HOVEL"
RATHER THAN THE PROPER HOUSE
THE BIG HOUSE WITH THE
PROPER NUMBER OF SERVANTS.
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S
VERY HAPPY AT VAL-KILL.
McCullough:
AT VAL-KILL, ELEANOR FELT FREE.
SHE DEFIED CONVENTION,
BEFRIENDING SO-CALLED NEW WOMEN
WHO LIVED WITH ONE ANOTHER.
ELEANOR FOUND IN THESE FRIENDS
THE KIND OF EMOTIONAL CLOSENESS
THAT FRANKLIN COULD NOT PROVIDE.
ALL THROUGH THE 1920s
ELEANOR FLOURISHED.
SHE BECAME
FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT,
WRITING ARTICLES
FOR NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES.
SHE TAUGHT AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL
IN NEW YORK, WHICH SHE CO-OWNED.
SHE CONTINUED TO CAMPAIGN FOR
PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL CAUSES.
SHE TRAVELED WIDELY.
SHE WAS AT EASE WITH HERSELF
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN HER LIFE, BEGAN TO HAVE FUN.
VAL-KILL WAS ELEANOR'S,
BUT THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE,
FRANKLIN WAS A FREQUEN
AND WELCOME GUEST.
ELEANOR'S FRIENDS
BECAME HIS FRIENDS,
SUPPORTING HIS HOPES TO ONE DAY
RETURN TO POLITICAL LIFE.
"I DON'T WANT HIM FORGOTTEN,"
ELEANOR SAID.
"I WANT HIM TO HAVE A VOICE."
McCullough:
IN 1924, THE FORMER CANDIDATE
FOR VICE-PRESIDEN
WAS INVITED TO THE DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
HE DELIVERED A ROUSING SPEECH,
BUT HE PLAYED NO FURTHER PAR
IN THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.
HE WAS STILL FAR TOO WEAK.
THAT FALL, THERE WAS
TALK OF FRANKLIN RUNNING
FOR GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK, BU
HE QUICKLY REJECTED THE IDEA.
HE WOULD NOT SEEK
PUBLIC OFFICE, HE SAID,
UNTIL HE NO LONGER
NEEDED CRUTCHES.
DETERMINED TO FIND A CURE,
HE ONCE AGAIN HEADED SOUTH.
HE HAD HEARD OF POOLS
OF STEAMING MINERAL WATER
IN WARM SPRINGS, GEORGIA,
WHOSE MARVELOUS HEALING POWERS
WERE THE STUFF OF LOCAL LEGEND.
GUSHING OUT OF THE SIDE
OF A MOUNTAIN,
THE WATERS WERE 90 DEGREES
AND ASTONISHINGLY BUOYANT.
SOME CALLED THEM
"MIRACLE" WATERS.
ALTHOUGH THE WATERS WOULD NEVER
GIVE FRANKLIN BACK HIS LEGS,
THEY WOULD GIVE NEW MEANING
TO HIS LIFE, AND NEW PURPOSE.
"I FEEL," HE WROTE HIS MOTHER,
"THAT A GREAT CURE FOR INFANTILE
PARALYSIS AND KINDRED DISEASES
COULD WELL BE ESTABLISHED HERE."
Man:
WELL, THERE WASN'T MUCH HERE.
THERE WAS ONLY ONE HOTEL
DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW,
AND A GROCERY STORE.
THEY CALLED IT "BULLOCHVILLE."
IT WASN'T CONSIDERED A TOWN
WHAT I WOULD CALL A TOWN.
I THOUGHT IT TOOK
A LOT OF STORES
TO MAKE A TOWN
BACK IN THOSE DAYS,
BUT I JUST CALLED I
A GREASY SPOT.
AND I THINK THEY NAMED I
WARM SPRINGS, GEORGIA,
AFTER MR. ROOSEVELT, ABOU
THE TIME HE BEGAN TO COME HERE.
McCullough:
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN,
THERE STOOD A ONCE LOVELY
VACATION RESORT,
A FAVORED RETREA
FOR WEALTHY SOUTHERNERS.
BY THE TIME FRANKLIN ARRIVED,
ITS GLORY HAD FADED
TO A CLUSTER OF COTTAGES IN NEED
OF REPAIR, AND A RUN-DOWN HOTEL.
FRANKLIN DREAMED
OF RESTORING ITS ORIGINAL CHARM
AND TURNING IT INTO A MODERN
REHABILITATION CENTER
FOR THOSE
WITH INFANTILE PARALYSIS,
BUT FIRST HE WOULD NEED HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
ROOSEVELT BORROWED A LO
OF MONEY FROM HIS MOTHER
AND PUT IN A LOT OF HIS OWN.
HIS WIFE WAS ABSOLUTELY OPPOSED
AND THOUGHT IT WAS
A TERRIBLE IDEA.
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING
TO COST TOO MUCH MONEY.
SHE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD GIVE
HIM SOMETHING ELSE TO ATTEND TO
AND TAKE HIM AWAY FROM POLITICS,
THAT YOU COULDN'T DO EVERYTHING
AND WARM SPRINGS WAS GOING
TO COMPLETELY DOMINATE HIS LIFE.
SHE WORRIED ABOUT IT.
ONE OF THE FEW TIMES WE KNOW IN
WHICH HE REALLY GOT ANGRY AT HER
WAS WHEN SHE GENTLY SUGGESTED
THAT PERHAPS THIS WAS NO
A GOOD IDEA, AND HE WAS FURIOUS.
HE REALLY EXPLODED AND SAID,
"THIS IS SOMETHING
I REALLY WANT.
YOU EITHER SUPPORT ME
OR YOU DON'T."
AND THEN WHEN THA
WAS SORT OF A
SORT OF AN EMOTIONAL ULTIMATUM,
SHE DID SUPPORT IT.
McCullough:
INVESTING $195,000
TWO-THIRDS
OF HIS PERSONAL FORTUNE
FRANKLIN CREATED AND DESIGNED
THE FIRST MODERN TREATMEN
CENTER FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS
IN THE COUNTRY.
SOON PEOPLE WITH POLIO
FROM ACROSS AMERICA
WERE MAKING THE PILGRIMAGE
TO THE GEORGIA BACKWOODS.
AS FRANKLIN STRUGGLED
TO REHABILITATE
HIS OWN WITHERED LIMBS,
HE DEVOTED HIMSELF FOR THE
FIRST TIME TO HELPING OTHERS.
(shrieking and laughing)
"YOU WOULD HOWL WITH GLEE,"
HE TOLD A FRIEND,
"IF YOU COULD SEE
THE CLINIC IN OPERATION
"AND THE PATIENTS DOING
VARIOUS EXERCISES IN THE WATER
UNDER MY LEADERSHIP."
Gallagher:
WARM SPRINGS WAS
A WONDERFUL PLACE.
ROOSEVELT WAS A PATIEN
JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS.
"DOCTOR" ROOSEVELT,
AS THE OTHERS CALLED HIM,
WAS REALLY REMARKABLY CREATIVE.
HE BROUGHT IN BLACKSMITHS
AND THEY DESIGNED BRACES
AND CRUTCHES
A CRUTCH DESIGN
THAT'S STILL USED,
THE WARM SPRINGS CRUTCH.
ROOSEVELT INVENTED
A MUSCLE TESTING TECHNIQUE,
A WAY OF GRADING
HOW STRONG A MUSCLE IS
THAT IS STILL IN USE,
AND IT WAS
A REMARKABLY INVENTIVE TIME.
McCullough:
ALWAYS HE BELIEVED IN RECOVERY.
HIS PRESCRIPTION:
SWIMMING, SUNLIGHT AND
BELIEF ON THE PATIENT'S PAR
THAT THE MUSCLES
ARE COMING BACK.
Man:
HE HAD CHARISMA.
HE WAS JUST GLOWING WITH IT,
AND HE'D DO THAT SMILE
AND HE'D LAUGH.
(shrieking)
Woman:
AFTER EVERYBODY HAD TREATMENT,
THEY WOULD ALL GO OUT INTO
WHAT WAS CALLED THE PLAY POOL
AND THEY WOULD PLAY
VIGOROUS GAMES OF BALL.
HE PLAYED WITH THEM,
AND HE WAS JUST AS TOUGH
AS ANY OF THE CHILDREN.
THEY LOVED HIM.
Ward:
WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE GOT BETTER
AT WARM SPRINGS,
THEY FELT THAT THEY WERE BETTER
AND THEY FELT THAT WITH HIM
PRESENT, ANYTHING WAS POSSIBLE.
McCullough:
WARM SPRINGS WAS
FRANKLIN'S CREATION.
FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE,
IN TIMES OF STRESS,
HE WOULD RETREAT TO THE PINEY
WOODS AND THE WARM WATERS.
IT BECAME HIS SECOND HOME.
(no voice)
FRANKLIN LOVED TO DRIVE
AND HE DROVE FAST.
HE DESIGNED HIS CAR HIMSELF
WITH INGENIOUS LEVERS
AND PULLEYS
SO HE COULD DRIVE
WITHOUT HIS LEGS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE
HE WAS PARALYZED, HE FELT FREE.
OVER THE YEARS, HIS DRIVES
THROUGH THE GEORGIA COUNTRYSIDE
WOULD PROVIDE HIM WITH
A VALUABLE POLITICAL EDUCATION.
Man:
HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE PEOPLE
AND HE GOT OU
AND VISITED WITH THEM.
EVEN AFTER HE WAS PRESIDENT,
HE WOULD SLIP AWAY
FROM HIS BODYGUARDS AND GET OU
AND RIDE THE BACK WAYS
AND BACK ROADS AND MEET PEOPLE
AND STOP AND TALK WITH THEM.
BUT HE'D NEVER MET PEOPLE
LIKE THAT BEFORE.
Loftin:
HE USUALLY TALKED TO YOU.
HE STARTED THE CONVERSATION.
AND WHATEVER HE WANTED TO KNOW,
HE'D ASK.
HE DIDN'T HESITATE ABOUT ASKING
IF HE SAW SOMETHING
HE WANTED TO KNOW.
McCullough:
EVERYWHERE HE WENT,
HE HEARD STORIES
ABOUT THE LACK OF ELECTRICITY
IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
AND THE EXORBITANT RATES
PAID FOR IT IN TOWN
ABOUT BAD SCHOOLS
AND LOW FARM PRICES
STORIES THAT LEF
THEIR MARK ON HIM.
Copeland:
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW COME
I LOVED HIM LIKE I DID.
IT WASN'T
HE HADN'T DONE ANYTHING
FOR ME PERSONALLY.
WE WOULD WALK TO WARM SPRINGS
JUST TO SEE HIM DISBOARD
THE TRAIN.
HE'D COME ON DOWN TO
"HELLO, WARM SPRINGS,
HELLO, WARM SPRINGS."
THAT'S THE WAY
WE WANTED TO SEE HIM
GREET THE LITTLE TOWN,
AND WE WALKED FOR MILES
TO SEE THAT.
WELL, HE WASN'
THE PRESIDENT THEN.
HE WASN'T EVEN THE GOVERNOR
OF NEW YORK, I DON'T GUESS.
BUT HE WAS JUST MR. ROOSEVEL
IN THOSE DAYS.
AFTER HE BECAME PRESIDENT, THEY
WERE VERY, YOU KNOW, POLITE.
BUT THEY USED TO CALL HIM
IN THE EARLY DAYS "ROSEY,"
WHICH I THINK WAS
A WONDERFUL NAME.
EVERYBODY LOVED HIM.
IT GOES BEYOND LIKE;
THEY LOVED HIM.
Eleanor Roosevelt:
I DON'T THINK HE CHANGED
COMPLETELY.
THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS
THAT WERE ALWAYS THERE.
BUT HE CERTAINLY LEARNED TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT SUFFERING MEAN
IN A WAY THAT HE HAD
NEVER KNOWN BEFORE
BECAUSE HE COULD UNDERSTAND
HOW PEOPLE COULD SUFFER
IN WAYS THAT HE HAD
NOT EXPERIENCED,
AND I THINK THAT GREW
OUT OF HIS POLIO EXPERIENCE.
AND HE CERTAINLY GAINED
ENORMOUSLY IN PATIENCE.
THAT GAVE HIM SOME
OF THE PATIENCE THAT WAS NEEDED
TO MEET THE PROBLEMS BOTH
OF THE NEW DEAL AND THE WAR.
I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY TO HIM,
"BUT IF WE DO THIS, WE DON'
KNOW IF WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL."
AND I'VE SEEN MY HUSBAND
TIME AFTER TIME SAY,
"THERE ARE VERY FEW THINGS
WE CAN KNOW BEFOREHAND.
"WE WILL TRY,
AND IF WE FIND WE ARE WRONG,
WE WILL HAVE TO CHANGE."
McCullough:
THROUGHOUT HIS LONG STRUGGLE
WITH POLIO,
FRANKLIN REMAINED DETERMINED
TO RETURN TO POLITICS.
BUT HE KNEW HE WOULD HAVE
TO CONVINCE VOTERS
THAT HE WAS NOT AN INVALID,
AND YEAR AFTER YEAR
OF ARDUOUS EXERCISE
HAD NOT IMPROVED
HIS WASTED LEG MUSCLES.
Gallagher:
HE WANTED TO BE PRESIDENT,
AND IT WAS JUST UNTHINKABLE
IN THOSE DAYS
THAT A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR
COULD BE ELECTED PRESIDEN
OF THE UNITED STATES
AND IN FACT IT'S PRETTY
UNTHINKABLE RIGHT NOW
AND SO HE HAD TO WALK,
AND SINCE HE WASN'
GETTING BETTER,
HE DEVELOPED BETTER TECHNIQUES
FOR APPEARING TO LOOK BETTER.
McCullough:
IN 1926, PHYSIOTHERAPIS
ALICE CONVERSE
TAUGHT FRANKLIN HOW TO WALK
MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH CRUTCHES.
Converse:
HE WAS VERY ANXIOUS TO WALK.
HE WOULD PLANT THE CRUTCHES
ON THE FLOOR SO HARD,
YOU'D THINK
THAT THE BOARDS WOULD BREAK
AND THEN DRAG HIMSELF ALONG.
IT HAD BEEN FIVE YEARS
SINCE THE ONSET OF POLIO.
HIS UPPER BODY WAS VERY STRONG
BUT HIS LEGS WERE PRETTY WEAK,
SO WE TRIED TO GET HIM TO USE
HIS BODY MUSCLES IN SUCH A WAY
THAT THEY WOULD HELP LIFT UP
A LEG AT A TIME AND TAKE A STEP.
McCullough:
BUT CRUTCHES WEREN'
GOOD ENOUGH.
HE KNEW THEY WERE
POLITICAL POISON.
THEY WOULD, HE SAID,
"INSPIRE PITY."
HE LEARNED INSTEAD TO APPEAR
IN PUBLIC WITH A CANE.
Gallagher:
HE DEVELOPED THIS TECHNIQUE
THAT LOOKED LIKE WALKING
HIS SONS WERE STRONG MEN.
THEY TOOK EXERCISES
SO THEIR ARMS WOULD BE
AS STRONG AS A PARALLEL BAR,
AND HE WOULD LEAN
ON ONE SON'S ARM,
PUTTING ALL HIS WEIGHT ON IT,
AND THEN HE WOULD SWITCH
HIS WEIGHT FROM THE SON'S ARM
ONTO A CANE, WHICH HE CARRIED
IN THE OTHER HAND,
SO THAT HE COULD SWITCH
HIS WEIGHT FROM SIDE TO SIDE
AND THUS PROGRESS,
AND HE INSTRUCTED HIS SONS,
"YOU MUST NOT LET PEOPLE SEE
THAT THIS IS DIFFICUL
OR TAKES EFFORT OR HURTS."
THEY WOULD CHAT AND JOKE
AND LAUGH AS THEY WENT ALONG.
IT WAS A SLOW PROCESS,
BUT THEY LOOKED AS THOUGH
THEY WERE TAKING THEIR TIME
SO THEY COULD SMILE AT PEOPLE
AND SAY HELLO TO THE CROWD
AS THEY WENT ALONG.
AND IT WAS SHOW BIZ,
BUT IT WORKED.
McCullough:
ONLY FOUR SECONDS OF FILM EXIS
WHICH CLEARLY SHOW
THE WALK FRANKLIN
SO TIRELESSLY PRACTICED.
Ward:
THE GOAL REALLY WAS
SIMPLY TO TAKE ENOUGH STEPS
TO GET FROM A CAR
INTO A BUILDING
OR FROM HIS SEAT ON THE STAGE
TO THE PODIUM AND BACK AGAIN.
IF HE COULD DO THAT WITHOU
SEEMING HOPELESSLY CRIPPLED,
HE'D SUCCEEDED.
Gallagher:
ROOSEVELT HAD NO HIP MUSCLES,
AND IF A BREEZE, SOMEONE SHOULD
JOSTLE HIM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
HE COULD JUST PIVO
AND FALL DOWN.
HE WAS NOT STABLE AT ALL.
IT WAS NOT A SAFE WAY
OF LOCOMOTION, OF MOVING AROUND,
AND NOT A PRACTICAL WAY,
BUT IT WAS A POLITICAL WAY.
McCullough:
BY THE SUMMER OF 1928,
FRANKLIN WAS READY AT LAS
TO MAKE HIS WAY BACK
INTO THE POLITICAL WORLD.
THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
WAS IN HOUSTON,
AND ELEANOR HAD WRITTEN HIM,
"I'M TELLING EVERYONE
YOU'RE GOING TO HOUSTON
WITHOUT CRUTCHES."
AS HE BOARDED
THE TRAIN FOR TEXAS,
HE KNEW HE WAS ABOU
TO RISK EVERYTHING.
ALL THROUGH THE 1920s, FRANKLIN
HAD KEPT UP HIS CONTACTS
WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERS.
NOW HE'D BEEN ASKED TO NOMINATE
THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK
AL SMITH FOR PRESIDENT.
SMITH WAS A TOUGH, WORLDLY
CATHOLIC FROM NEW YORK CITY
AND ONE OF HIS ADVISERS ARGUED,
"YOU'RE A BOWERY MICK
AND HE'S A PROTESTANT PATRICIAN.
HE'LL TAKE SOME
OF THE CURSE OFF YOU."
WITH 15,000 DELEGATES WATCHING,
FRANKLIN SET OUT TO WALK
TO THE PODIUM WITH A CANE,
WITHOUT THE AID OF CRUTCHES.
AN ACCIDENTAL FALL WOULD
LEAVE HIM SPRAWLED HELPLESSLY
ON THE CONVENTION FLOOR,
HIS POLITICAL HOPES DESTROYED.
WITH ONE HAND
HE GRIPPED THE CANE.
WITH THE OTHER
HE BALANCED PRECARIOUSLY
ON HIS SON ELLIOTT'S
POWERFUL ARM.
HE APPEARED TO BE WALKING.
ONE REPORTER
DESCRIBED THE SCENE:
"HERE ON THE STAGE
IS FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
"A FIGURE TALL AND PROUD
EVEN IN SUFFERING,
"PALE WITH YEARS OF STRUGGLE
AGAINST PARALYSIS,
"A MAN SOFTENED AND CLEANSED
AND ILLUMINED WITH PAIN.
FOR THE MOMENT,
WE ARE LIFTED UP."
Franklin Roosevelt:
WE OFFER ONE WHO HAS
THE WILL TO WIN,
WHO NOT ONLY DESERVES SUCCESS,
BUT COMMANDS IT.
VICTORY IS HIS HABIT.
THE HAPPY WARRIOR,
ALFRED E. SMITH.
(wild cheering)
McCullough:
THE NOMINATION WAS AL SMITH'S,
BUT THE VICTORY BELONGED
TO FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT.
WHEN SMITH URGED HIM TO RUN
FOR GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK,
ROOSEVELT SAID HE WAS READY.
SOMEONE ASKED SMITH
WHY HE HAD PUT ROOSEVEL
BACK IN THE POLITICAL LIMELIGHT.
"AREN'T YOU RAISING UP A RIVAL
WHO WILL ONE DAY
CAUSE YOU TROUBLE?"
"NO," SMITH REPLIED.
"HE'LL BE DEAD WITHIN A YEAR."
SIX MONTHS LATER, SMITH HAD LOS
HIS RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY
AND ROOSEVELT WAS GOVERNOR
OF NEW YORK.
ROOSEVELT WON OFFICE
BY THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS,
CAMPAIGNING MORE VIGOROUSLY
THAN ANYONE EXPECTED.
NOW AS GOVERNOR, HE WOULD
CONTINUE TO SURPRISE EVERYONE.
HE TOOK COMMAND AT ONCE.
IN HIS FIRST SIX MONTHS, HE
ADVOCATED TAX RELIEF FOR FARMERS
AND CHEAP ELECTRIC POWER
FOR CONSUMERS.
BUT WHEN DISASTER SUDDENLY
STRUCK THE ECONOMY,
NO ONE WAS SURE
WHAT ROOSEVELT WOULD DO.
ON OCTOBER 24, 1929,
THE STOCK MARKET CRASHED.
IT WAS THE BEGINNING
OF THE WORST CALAMITY
THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY
HAD EVER KNOWN.
BANKS CLOSED,
MILLIONS WERE PUT OUT OF WORK.
HOMELESS PEOPLE WERE SOON
CAMPING JUST A FEW BLOCKS
FROM THE TOWN HOUSE
SARA ROOSEVELT HAD BUIL
FOR FRANKLIN
AND HIS BRIDE YEARS BEFORE.
ELEANOR GAVE INSTRUCTIONS
TO THE COOK
TO PROVIDE ANYONE
WHO CAME TO THE DOOR
WITH HOT COFFEE AND SANDWICHES.
Man:
THERE'S ONLY ONE WORD THA
ADEQUATELY DESCRIBES IT,
AND THAT'S SURELY DESPAIR
A SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS,
A SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS.
ABOUT A THIRD
IMAGINE A THIRD OF LABOR
TOTALLY UNEMPLOYED.
14 MILLION PEOPLE.
THERE WAS A SENSE OF FRIGHT
A SENSE OF HORROR.
IT WAS A FEELING THAT,
WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
WAS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOMETHING
LIKE THIS COULD OCCUR
IN THE COUNTRY?
McCullough:
SINCE THE STAR
OF THE DEPRESSION,
THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT,
HERBERT HOOVER,
HAD SETTLED INTO
A DISMAL PESSIMISM.
AFTER ONE GLOOMY
WHITE HOUSE MEETING,
HIS SECRETARY OF STATE SAID,
"IT WAS LIKE SITTING IN A
BATH OF INK TO SIT IN HIS ROOM."
HOOVER BELIEVED THERE WAS
NOTHING HE COULD DO
TO TURN THE ECONOMY AROUND;
THE CRISIS WOULD
HAVE TO RESOLVE ITSELF
WITHOUT THE AID OF GOVERNMENT.
AT FIRST, ROOSEVELT AGREED
WITH HOOVER.
"INDUSTRIAL AND TRADE CONDITIONS
ARE SOUND," HE WIRED A NEWSPAPER
THE MORNING AFTER THE CRASH.
BUT AS THE CRISIS DEEPENED,
ROOSEVELT BEGAN TO CHANGE.
ALL HIS LIFE HE HAD BELIEVED
THAT RELIEF SHOULD COME
FROM PRIVATE CHARITIES,
BUT FACE-TO-FACE WITH
THE PROBLEMS OF THE DEPRESSION,
HE BECAME CONVINCED
THAT ONLY MASSIVE GOVERNMEN
INTERVENTION COULD HELP.
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
ROOSEVELT BEGAN TO EXPERIMEN
WITH BOLD NEW IDEAS
ASSISTANCE FOR THE AGED,
AND THE COUNTRY'S FIRST PROGRAM
TO PROVIDE RELIEF
FOR THE UNEMPLOYED.
"THE IMPORTANT THING," HE TOLD
THE NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY,
"IS TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS
A DUTY ON THE PART OF GOVERNMEN
TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS."
IN 1932, PRESIDENT HOOVER
INVITED THE NATION'S GOVERNORS
TO A WHITE HOUSE DINNER.
WITH HIS PRESIDENCY IN JEOPARDY,
HE WANTED TO SIZE UP
THE MAN FROM NEW YORK
WITH THE PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS
WHO WAS RAPIDLY BECOMING
THE DEMOCRATIC FRONT-RUNNER.
Man:
AND THE NIGHT OF THE DINNER,
WITH A CANE IN HIS HAND,
HE STARTED GOING
TO THE DINING ROOM,
DRAGGING HIS LEGS FROM HIS HIPS
AND SUPPORTING HIMSELF FROM THE
CANE AND HIS BODYGUARD'S ARM.
AND HE WALKED TO THE ANGLE, THA
45-DEGREE ANGLE OF THE TABLE,
AND I WAS ALERTED TO A NOD
THAT WAS TELLING ME
HE WAS GOING TO TAKE THE SEAT.
WELL, WHEN HE DID,
HE LITERALLY FELL IN THE SEAT,
AND THAT SCENE WAS WITNESSED
BY ALL THE GUESTS
AT THE DINNER TABLE.
AND EVERYBODY SAID, "WELL, THA
MAN, WHAT IS HE THINKING ABOUT?
"HOW'S HE GOING TO BE PRESIDENT?
HE'S ONLY A HALF MAN."
McCullough:
ON JULY 1, 1932, AFTER FIVE
TENSION-FILLED DAYS
AT THE DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL CONVENTION,
THE DELEGATES RALLIED
BEHIND THE MAN
WHO HAD FOUGHT HIS WAY
BACK FROM DESPAIR.
Man:
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
HAVING RECEIVED
MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS
OF ALL THE DELEGATES VOTING,
I PROCLAIM HIM THE NOMINEE
OF THIS CONVENTION
FOR PRESIDEN
OF THE UNITED STATES.
(cheering)
McCullough:
NOW F.D.R. WAS READY
TO BEGIN THE RACE
HE HAD BEEN PREPARING FOR
ALL HIS LIFE.
Franklin Roosevelt:
THIS IS MORE THAN A
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
IT IS A CALL TO ARMS.
GIVE ME YOUR HELP,
NOT TO WIN VOTES ALONE,
BUT TO WIN IN THIS CRUSADE
TO RESTORE AMERICA
TO ITS OWN PEOPLE.
(cheering)
McCullough:
HE REFUSED TO LE
HIS CRIPPLED LEGS
KEEP HIM FROM RUNNING HARD
AND WITH CONFIDENCE.
I USED TO SAY,
"IF I GO TO WASHINGTON
ON THE FOURTH OF MARCH NEXT."
BUT NOW AT THE VERY NEARLY
THE END OF THIS SWING,
I'M NOT SAYING "IF,"
I'M SAYING "WHEN."
THE GREAT WAR AGAINST DEPRESSION
IS BEING FOUGHT ON MANY FRONTS
IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD.
McCullough:
HIS REPUBLICAN OPPONENT,
THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES,
APPEARED OVERWHELMED
BY THE DEPRESSION.
THE LAST 18 MONTHS TO CARRY
OUR FINANCIAL STRUCTURES SAFELY
THROUGH THE WORLDWIDE
COLLAPSE
McCullough:
ONE OBSERVER REMARKED,
"IF YOU PUT A ROSE IN
HOOVER'S HAND, IT WOULD WILT."
Man:
HE GAVE THE IMPRESSION
TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
THAT HE WAS JUST OUT OF CONTROL.
AND ROOSEVELT GAVE
THE IMPRESSION
THAT HE KNEW WHA
THE COUNTRY NEEDED
AND HE WAS GOING
TO GIVE IT TO THEM.
WE FACE THAT CRISIS.
WE FACE IT WITH
SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE
AND, ABOVE ALL, WITH FAITH.
KEEP THAT FAITH CONSTANT.
KEEP THAT FAITH HIGH.
SO SHALL WE WIN THROUGH
TO A BETTER DAY.
(cheering)
McCullough:
IN SPITE OF THE CRISIS
THE COUNTRY FACED,
IT WAS A CAMPAIGN
OF PERSONALITIES.
AMERICANS WANTED A LEADER,
AND PEOPLE EVERYWHERE
WARMED TO THE BIG SMILE,
THE CONFIDENT TOSS OF THE HEAD,
THE CLEAR DELIGHT IN PEOPLE.
McCullough:
WHEN IT WAS OVER,
ROOSEVELT HAD WON
A SMASHING VICTORY.
(cheering)
Man:
BY MIDNIGHT,
THE COUNTRY ALREADY KNEW
THAT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT WAS THE
WINNER, AND A VERY LARGE WINNER.
ONE MAN SENT HERBERT HOOVER
A WIRE SAYING,
"VOTE FOR ROOSEVEL
AND MAKE IT UNANIMOUS."
LET ME THANK YOU AGAIN
AND TELL YOU THAT I HOPE
TO SEE YOU ALL VERY SOON
AND BID YOU
AN AFFECTIONATE GOOD NIGHT.
McCullough:
"I WAS HAPPY FOR MY HUSBAND,"
ELEANOR LATER WROTE.
"I KNEW THAT IT WOULD MAKE UP
"FOR THE BLOW THAT FATE HAD
DEALT HIM WHEN HE WAS STRICKEN
"WITH INFANTILE PARALYSIS.
"BUT FOR MYSELF,
I WAS DEEPLY TROUBLED.
"THIS MEANT THE END OF ANY
PERSONAL LIFE OF MY OWN.
THE TURMOIL IN MY HEART AND MIND
WAS RATHER GREAT THAT NIGHT."
McCullough:
IT WOULD BE FOUR MONTHS
BEFORE ROOSEVEL
WOULD TAKE OFFICE,
THE WORST MONTHS YE
OF THE DEPRESSION.
5,000 BANKS CLOSED.
EACH MONTH 20,000 FARMERS
LOST THEIR LAND.
THE ECONOMY HAD COLLAPSED.
AMERICANS EVERYWHERE WAITED
FOR THE PRESIDENT-ELEC
TO TELL THEM
WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO,
BUT ROOSEVELT GAVE NO CLUES.
Leuchtenburg:
AT ONE POINT,
REPORTERS ASK HIM A QUESTION
AND HE SIMPLY HOLDS UP
HIS FINGER AND GOES "SHH."
HE WILL NOT BE DRAWN OUT.
McCullough:
ONE MONTH BEFORE
THE INAUGURATION,
ROOSEVELT WENT CRUISING
IN THE CARIBBEAN
WITH HIS WEALTHY FRIENDS
ON VINCENT ASTOR'S YACHT
THE BIGGEST AND
FASTEST OCEAN-GOING MOTOR YACH
EVER BUILT.
DURING THE CAMPAIGN,
HE HAD PROMISED
WHAT HE CALLED A NEW DEAL
FOR THE FORGOTTEN MAN.
BUT AS YET HE HAD SAID NOTHING
ABOUT WHA
THAT NEW DEAL MIGHT BE.
MEANWHILE, ELEANOR
WAS EXPECTED TO GIVE UP
HER TEACHING AND WRITING TO
BECOME THE NATION'S FIRST LADY.
TO GET TOGETHER AS YOU ARE HERE
AND FORGET THAT THERE IS SUCH A
THING AS A DEPRESSION FOR A TIME
AND FORGET ALL THE TROUBLES
THAT WEIGH US DOWN
AND SIMPLY SING
IS A GRAND THING TO DO.
Crowd:
THERE'S A LONG, LONG TRAIL
WINDING ♪
INTO THE LAND OF MY DREAMS ♪
AND THE NIGHTINGALES
ARE SINGING ♪
AND A WHITE MOON BEAMS ♪
McCullough:
ON MARCH 2, 1933,
WITH THE ROOSEVELTS ON BOARD,
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO TRAIN
HEADED TOWARD WASHINGTON.
IN TWO DAYS, FRANKLIN ROOSEVEL
WOULD BECOME
THE 32nd PRESIDEN
OF THE UNITED STATES.
ELEANOR SAT QUIETLY BY HERSELF.
SHE FEARED SHE WAS ABOUT TO LOSE
HER HARD-WON INDEPENDENCE.
"I NEVER WANTED TO BE
A PRESIDENT'S WIFE," SHE SAID,
"AND I DON'T WANT IT NOW."
THE PRESIDENT-ELECT'S
MOTHER, SARA,
WAS, AS ALWAYS,
CONFIDENT IN HER BOY.
"I AM NOT IN THE LEAST WORRIED
ABOUT FRANKLIN,"
SHE TOLD A FRIEND.
IN THE LAST CAR,
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT SAT ALONE.
"IN ALL THE YEARS I KNEW HIM,"
HIS SON JAMES WROTE,
"THERE WAS ONLY ONE TIME
"WHEN FATHER WORRIED
ABOUT HIS ABILITY.
IT WAS THE NIGH
HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT."
"YOU KNOW, JIMMY,"
HE SAID TO ME,
"ALL MY LIFE I HAVE BEEN AFRAID
OF ONLY ONE THING: FIRE.
TONIGHT I THINK I'M AFRAID
OF SOMETHING ELSE."
"AFRAID OF WHAT, FATHER?"
I ASKED.
"I'M AFRAID THAT I MAY NOT HAVE
THE STRENGTH TO DO THE JOB."
(cheering)
ON MARCH 4, 1933,
A MAN WHO COULD NOT WALK
WOULD BEGIN TO LEAD
A CRIPPLED COUNTRY.
Franklin Roosevelt:
I, FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT,
DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR
THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE
THE OFFICE OF PRESIDEN
OF THE UNITED STATES
AND WILL TO THE BES
OF MY ABILITY
PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND
THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE UNITED STATES,
SO HELP ME GOD.
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