1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: Hi, This is newt Twenty twenty is going to be 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: one of the most extraordinary election years of our lifetime. 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: I want to invite you to join my Inner Circle 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: as we discuss each twist and turn in the presidential race. 5 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: In my members only Inner Circle Club, you'll receive special 6 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: flash briefings, online events, and members only audio reports from 7 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: me and my team. Here is a special offer for 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: my podcast listeners. 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February fourteenth. 16 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: On this episode of News World, Unconfirmed by Alive Starts, 17 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: of course, says that heavy fighting is taking place between 18 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: the Germans and invasioned forces on the Normandy Peninsula, about 19 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: thirty one miles southwest of Lahavra. Another bulletin, also from 20 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: Berlin Radio and Unconfirmed says the Brittish American landing operations 21 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 1: against the western coast of Europe from the sea and 22 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: from the air are stretching over the entire area between 23 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: Scheraburg and Lahavra, a distance of about sixty miles. On 24 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: this episode of News World seventy five years ago this week, 25 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: on June sixth, nineteen forty four, one hundred and fifty 26 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: six thousand Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France 27 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: in World War Two, a turning point of the war 28 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: that would prove to Sissy to the Allied victory. Deed, 29 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: they took years of planning by the Americans, British and 30 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: Canadians in coordination with the Soviets. The invasion, called Operation Overlord, 31 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,119 Speaker 1: was led by General Dwight David Eisenhower as the Supreme 32 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: Allied Commander. On the night of June six, nineteen forty four, 33 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: President Roosevelt went on national radio to address the nation 34 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: for the first time about the top secret Normandy invasion. 35 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: His speech took the form of a prayer, which we 36 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: will play in its entirety during this episode seventy five 37 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: years ago. On June sixth, nineteen forty four, one hundred 38 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: and fifty six thousand Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. 39 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: Paratroopers landed behind the beaches. A huge number of ships 40 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: were in the English Channel. The air power was over 41 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: all of that part of France. And it was the greatest, 42 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: single complex event in human history, vastly more complicated than 43 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: going to the Moon or anything we've tried to do. 44 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: I wanted to share with you because I think that 45 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: it's really important. Though we occasionally stop and look at 46 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: a decisive event, try to understand what would have happened 47 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 1: without that event, and try to understand the people who 48 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: made it possible. Everybody knew that something big was going 49 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: to happen, they didn't know where, and they weren't sure 50 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: the details. And frankly, we'd gone to a great length 51 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: to keep the Germans confused about what we were doing. 52 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: If you were looking at it from the German side, 53 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: they all assumed it would be in France, but nobody 54 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: knew the exact date. Nobody knew the exact location. When 55 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: I say nobody, I mean among civilian Americans. And it 56 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:04,119 Speaker 1: came I think people were a little stunned by the scale, 57 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: but to get a feel for that, there are a 58 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: couple of radio broadcasts that really went straight to people. 59 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: Remember this is an age when radio is the only 60 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: common mechanism of communication, and this is what people are 61 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,679 Speaker 1: listening to in order to have a sense of what's 62 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: going on. Men and women of the United States, this 63 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: is a momentous hour in world history. This is the 64 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: invasion of Hitler's Europe, the zero hour of the Second Front. 65 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: The men of General Dwight Eisenhower are leaving their landing barges, 66 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: fighting their way up the beaches into the fortress of 67 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: Nazi Europe. They are moving in from the sea to 68 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: attack the enemy under a mammoth cloud of fighter planes, 69 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 1: under a ceiling of screaming shells from Allied warships. The 70 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: first news flashes do not say, but a large proportion 71 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 1: of this assault is believed to be in the hands 72 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: of American men. They are making the attack side by 73 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: side with the British Tommies who were bombed and blasted 74 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: out of Europe at Dunkirk. Now at this hour they 75 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: are bombing and blasting their way back again. This is 76 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 1: the European Front once again being established in fire and blood, 77 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: not only by the Americans, and Britties, but by many 78 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 1: Allies in the fight against Axis aggression. This is the 79 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: supreme test of Allied spirit and of Allied weapons. The 80 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: world's greatest military undertaking is under way. Before they landed, 81 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:40,799 Speaker 1: it was very possible a wooden work, certainly. Prime Minister 82 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: Winston Churchill was deeply afraid. At one point felt that 83 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: he dreamed rivers of blood because he was so much 84 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: afraid of trying to land there. The British had run 85 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 1: a trial landing and had found that going into a 86 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: fortified port was a disaster and involved a Canadian unit 87 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: which was literally massacred, so they were very skittish. On 88 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: the other hand, we had landed in North Africa, we 89 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: had landed in Sicily. We had some pretty interesting experiences 90 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: proving that you could have a combination of paratroopers and 91 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: people landing from boats and you could force away ashore. 92 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: But Normandy was different. The Germans had built up their defenses, 93 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,720 Speaker 1: They had a substantial number of tanks available, and they 94 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 1: were prepared to do everything they could to throw us 95 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,360 Speaker 1: back into the sea, because they knew that if it succeeded, 96 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: if we were ashore, that we would inevitably build up 97 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: our forces and break loose and ultimately defeat them. In 98 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: order to achieve this extraordinary landing, President Roosevelt and Prime 99 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: Minister Churchill turned to the general who had served them 100 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: so well, and that was General Dwight David Eisenhower, or 101 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: Ike as he was known to his friends. He became 102 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: the Supreme Allied Commander, and his chief deputy was the 103 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: most famous, highly respected British general in the Second World War, 104 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: Bernard Law Montgomery. The two of them arrived around Christmas 105 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: of nineteen forty three, looked at the plans that had 106 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: been developed over the previous year and promptly threw them 107 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: out because the plans were too small, too narrow, and 108 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: too likely to fail. And so they built a much 109 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: bigger operation involving many more people. And they were clearly 110 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: laying it on the line. If Normandy had failed, if 111 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: we had tried to land and non succeeded, it's very 112 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: likely that we would have had a hard time doing 113 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: it a second time. That they cost psychologically as well 114 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: as physically, would have been so great that we would 115 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: probably have ended up with Russia eventually defeating Germany and 116 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: occupying all of Western Europe. So this was a key 117 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: moment in history now. To be fair to the Russians, 118 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: they were losing millions of people fighting the Germans, and 119 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: Stalin as early as early in nineteen forty two had 120 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: been pressuring us to get involved in killing Germans. And 121 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: he was fairly bitter about the fact that we didn't 122 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: land in Europe, and forty two we landed in North Africa, 123 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: we didn't land in Western Europe, and forty three we 124 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: landed in Sicily and Italy. And he wanted an allied 125 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: force in the west to drain Germans out of Russia 126 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: and out of the Eastern Front, to reduce the pressure 127 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: on his own country, and we kept promising we were 128 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: going to do something. Frankly, we were very worried that 129 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: at some point the two dictators Stalin and Hitler might 130 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 1: get together, create a truce and allow the Germans to 131 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: reposition their forces in the West, which would have cost 132 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:00,040 Speaker 1: us huge problems. But it didn't happen. Stalin wanted to 133 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,719 Speaker 1: defeat the Germans. He was deeply embittered by the way 134 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: they had attacked, the number of people they had killed, 135 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:10,079 Speaker 1: the brutality they had displayed in occupying parts of Russia. 136 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,439 Speaker 1: So In the end, he probably never was going to 137 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: cut a deal with Hitler, but we were afraid that 138 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: he might, and we kept reassuring him. Both Roosevelt and 139 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,320 Speaker 1: Churchill kept telling him, we're going to do it, We're 140 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: going to do it. Then they said we're going to 141 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: do it in May, but in fact we weren't quite 142 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: ready in May. We didn't have all of our forces prepared. 143 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 1: So then we said we're going to do it in June, 144 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,199 Speaker 1: and that led to I think one of the most 145 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:37,559 Speaker 1: amazing magic moments of the whole war, and in fact 146 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 1: in history. What happened was Eisenhower and Montgomery had been 147 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: practicing with the meteorologists how to land and when to 148 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 1: land and what did the weather mean. And the meteorologists 149 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: had an advantage over the Germans because we were able 150 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,199 Speaker 1: to look at weather patterns from Greenland and Iceland, and 151 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: so we knew a couple of days in advance weather 152 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: almost always came from the west. The Germans did not 153 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: have that kind of observational capability, and so they were 154 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 1: sort of blind about what was happening with the weather. Well. 155 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: To land at Normandy, you had to have the tides 156 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: just right so you could get ashore. You had to 157 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 1: have the right kind of moon, which also affected the tides. 158 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,559 Speaker 1: You had to have adequate weather to land, because if 159 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: it was big storms, you just couldn't land or you 160 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:34,320 Speaker 1: couldn't sustain yourself. So on the fourth of June the 161 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:39,199 Speaker 1: weather was terrible and the troops had all gotten prepared. 162 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 1: We were going to go in on the fifth of June. 163 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: They were on the ships that were getting ready to 164 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: get on the airplanes, and suddenly it was postponed for 165 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: twenty four hours, and Eisenhower was faced with probably the 166 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: greatest single decision of the war. On the morning of 167 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: the fifth, the meteorologists called and said, you know, I 168 00:10:58,320 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: think you're going to have a brief period of good 169 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: weather starting on the sixth, and I think you can 170 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: land now. This is putting over a hundred thousand men's 171 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: lives at stake based on a weather prediction. First, the Germans, 172 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,959 Speaker 1: who did not have weather forecasting from the west, saw 173 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,640 Speaker 1: this terrible weather, assumed it was going to continue, and 174 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: a lot of their senior leaders dispersed and went to 175 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,199 Speaker 1: various meetings because, after all, the Allies couldn't land in 176 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: this kind of weather, and they had no notion that 177 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: was going to clear up on the sixth second, had 178 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: Eisenhower been cautious and had he waited till the next availability, 179 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: which was in July. The fact was those dates in 180 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: July were one of the largest storms in modern history 181 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: in the English Channel and would have been an utter 182 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:54,680 Speaker 1: total disaster. And so the one moment that worked was 183 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 1: the moment we landed on D Day, the sixth of June. Now, 184 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,559 Speaker 1: to give you a flavor of why this was so important, 185 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:08,440 Speaker 1: Roosevelt knew that we were really sending the country to war. 186 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 1: That all those one hundred and fifty six thousand Allied forces, 187 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: many of whom were American, the paratroopers who were going 188 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: to be landing during the night, the people who were 189 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: flying the bombers overhead, people were flying the transport planes, 190 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: the people on the ships. All these folks were engaged. 191 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:30,199 Speaker 1: Every town in America had an interest in what was 192 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: going to happen at Normandy. It's important to remember that 193 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: when we totally mobilized, one out of every ten Americans, 194 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,680 Speaker 1: slightly more than that, eleven percent of the population was 195 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: in uniform. And Roosevelt, who knew it was coming, had 196 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: been working on this. In fact, He's probably more worried 197 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: than Eisenhower because he wasn't there. When we come back, 198 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 1: I'll describe what was going through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 199 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,840 Speaker 1: mind in the days leading up to the long planned 200 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: Day invasion. Roosevelt actually went off the weekend before and 201 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: spent some time at Paul Watson's estate out near Monticello, Virginia, 202 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: and they talked about what should he do, what should 203 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: he say when he had to brief the American people 204 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:49,319 Speaker 1: that Overlord had begun. His daughter suggested a prayer. Roosevelt 205 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: asked Grace Tully, his secretary, to start taking dictation, and 206 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:58,720 Speaker 1: then he pulled out his family's book of Common Prayer 207 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:03,679 Speaker 1: to try to it inspired. Grace ultimately taped a final 208 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: version of the prayer. Roosevelt practiced it on Sunday and 209 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: was ready. Roosevelt on Monday, the fifth of June, goes 210 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,040 Speaker 1: back to the White House. That's the day originally scheduled, 211 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 1: But it didn't happen, and Roosevelt continues to worry about it. 212 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: General Marshall, who was the top American commander for the 213 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 1: War Department, was not particularly nervous. He knew that Eisenhower 214 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 1: was competent. They knew that they'd been working at this 215 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 1: thing now for a long time, and he was reasonably 216 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: sure that it would work. Eisenhower, I think was concerned, 217 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: but he wasn't particularly nervous. Eisenhower was a guy who 218 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: believed in deep preparation and then in relaxing and assuming 219 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: that things would work out all right. As a wonderful 220 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: scene that Eisenhower visiting paratroopers. Now remember he's ordering them 221 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: to fly into France out of the airplane in the dark, 222 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: and in the process he had been warned by the 223 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 1: British Royal Air Force officers that they should expect seventy 224 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: percent casualties. That is, seven out of every ten young 225 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: men he was sending in would die. And eisner said 226 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: that he hoped it wasn't true, but that we had 227 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: to throw everything we could at stopping the Germans. So 228 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: eisnar is visiting a unit where his Air Force advisers 229 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: have told him seven out of every ten of these 230 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: young people would probably die. And it's a very famous 231 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: scene of Eisenhower. He's talking to a young soldier and 232 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: he said, where are you from? And he said, oh, 233 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: I'm from Michigan, and Eisener said, oh, I fly fish 234 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: in Michigan, and the young guys said really, he said, 235 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: I fly fish too, So Eisner said, no, this is 236 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 1: how I cast. How do you do? Eisenhower is literally 237 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: standing there showing this young paratrooper how he would flick 238 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: his hand to cast during fly fishing, and that's what 239 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: got to be a picture. And nobody for years knew 240 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: what he was talking about till somebody finally said, what 241 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: are you doing? And you couldn't quite tell what he 242 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 1: was up to, But what he was up to was 243 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: getting everybody to relax, just be calm, do your job. 244 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: As we're getting ready to land at Normandy. Something very 245 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: positive happened on the fourth of June, the Allied forces 246 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: entered Rome. Now, we had been fighting our way up 247 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 1: the Italian peninsula. Italy has lots and lots of mountains, 248 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: and it's a very hard peninsula to wage war in, 249 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: very easy if you're on defense, and so we had 250 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: slugged our way north and had several amphibious landings. Finally, 251 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 1: on the fourth of June, Rome itself was liberated. We 252 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: were very fortunate and that we had maneuvered around the 253 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: Germans so that they did not destroy the city, but 254 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 1: instead withdrew and pulled back as we occupied Rome. It 255 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: gave Roosevelt something good to say to the American people. 256 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 1: So on the night of the fifth of June, Roosevelt 257 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: goes and has a fireside chat and talks about Italy 258 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: and talks about the importance of the city of Rome. 259 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, The President of the United States, my friends, yesterday, 260 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: on June fourth, nineteen forty four, Rome fell to American 261 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: and Allied troops. The first of the access capitals is 262 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: now in our hands. One up and two to go. 263 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 1: It's a victory speech. We've now captured the first of 264 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: the fascist capitals. Our forces are on the march of Italy. 265 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,240 Speaker 1: Is a good sign. And of course, in the process 266 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: of working our way up, we had drained a lot 267 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 1: of German soldiers away from Russia and away from the 268 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: Western Front, and that had been part of our strategy 269 00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: all along, was to force them to defend everywhere and 270 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: to not be able to mass their forces in any 271 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,439 Speaker 1: one place. The other thing they had been going on 272 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: in preparation for landing was the tremendous air campaign. Eisenhower 273 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: was determined to bomb the French railroad lines to stop 274 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: the Germans from reinforcing the front. Churchill was against it. 275 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: He said, because our bombers were pretty inaccurate back then. 276 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:27,240 Speaker 1: He said, We're going to kill a lot of civilians. 277 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: The French will at us for a generation. But General 278 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: de gaul, who was the head of the Free French, 279 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 1: intervened and said no. He said, I will make a 280 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: speech at the right moment to the French people. If 281 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,000 Speaker 1: bombing the rail lines helps liberate us from the Nazis, 282 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: then I am for doing whatever it takes to get 283 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: the Nazis out of France. So with his support Eisenhower, 284 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: who felt so strongly about this that he threatened to resign, 285 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,080 Speaker 1: and said, if I can't wage the battle I believe in, 286 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 1: you need to get a new general because I'm not 287 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: going to be responsible for not doing everything. I want 288 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: to emphasize this. Everybody at the senior level understood this 289 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 1: was the great test of the war. If we could land, 290 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: if we could stay ashore, then sooner or later our 291 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 1: build up from the ocean would be dramatically greater than 292 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: the Germans ability to build up by land using railroads 293 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: and roads, and therefore eventually we would break out and 294 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:27,400 Speaker 1: eventually we would liberate all of France and ultimately fight 295 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: our way into Germany. On the other hand, because the 296 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: Germans also knew that they were going to do everything 297 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: they could to throw us back into the water and 298 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: to stop the invasion before it really got started, and 299 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: they had signed Rommel, who had in some ways was 300 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,439 Speaker 1: their most famous general in the West, to really do 301 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: everything he could to create what they called Fortress Europe, 302 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 1: and they had built in all sorts of bunkers. They'd 303 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 1: put in lots of concrete, they'd put in a lot 304 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: of barbed wire, They'd put in obstacles under the water. 305 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: The challenges was to be able to go in and 306 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:04,439 Speaker 1: blow up the obstacles so that the ships could actually 307 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: get to the beach. A lot of what we today 308 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 1: would probably call seals, but back then we're underwater demolition teams. 309 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: We're spending a lot of time on the fifth of 310 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 1: June preparing to blow up these various obstacles so ships 311 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: could literally get to the sand to begin to deliver 312 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 1: tanks and troops. The Germans also knew what were the 313 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 1: places you could probably land at, and they had put 314 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:32,480 Speaker 1: forces in those particular places and the result was that 315 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: at Omaha Beach we ended up in a buzz saw 316 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: and lost a lot of people very quickly, were pinned 317 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 1: down on the beach for several hours, and just gradually 318 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: fought our way through. But this is where the sheer 319 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: scale of the operation really mattered, because while the Germans 320 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:51,360 Speaker 1: were able to slow us down pretty dramatically at Omaha, 321 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: there were four more beaches, and there were French, there 322 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:58,439 Speaker 1: were Polish, there were Canadian, there were British, and there 323 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: were American forces who were all coming ashore simultaneously. In addition, 324 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: both we and the British had dropped parachute divisions behind 325 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: the lines, so they were there to cut off German 326 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 1: reinforcements and to further unnerve the Germans because if you 327 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: have people behind you, it makes a little harder to 328 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:18,680 Speaker 1: focus on stopping people in front of you. So all 329 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:22,919 Speaker 1: of this is going on simultaneously, and to show you 330 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: the scale of it, I'd like you to listen to 331 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: justus for a minute, to General Eisenhower's statement which he 332 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,080 Speaker 1: made on the radio in which they taped, but which 333 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 1: was read on every single ship before the landings began, 334 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 1: and it gives you a sense of the seriousness with 335 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: which you have to take this entire event. Soldiers, sailors 336 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 1: and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force, you are about 337 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have 338 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:54,760 Speaker 1: striven these many months. The eyes of the world are 339 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 1: upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people 340 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 1: everywhere mark with you. In company with our brave allies 341 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,680 Speaker 1: and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring 342 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,159 Speaker 1: about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination 343 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and 344 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will 345 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 1: not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, 346 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: well equipped, and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. But 347 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:29,679 Speaker 1: this is the year nineteen forty four. Much has happened 348 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 1: since the Nazi triumphs of nineteen forty forty one. The 349 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 1: United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats in 350 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:43,400 Speaker 1: open battle. Man demand. Our air offensive has seriously reduced 351 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: their strength in the air and their capacity to wage 352 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us 353 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 1: an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war. And 354 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,360 Speaker 1: placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. 355 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:03,120 Speaker 1: The tide turn, the freemen of the world are marching 356 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:07,360 Speaker 1: together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, 357 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept 358 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us 359 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:19,439 Speaker 1: all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great 360 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:23,119 Speaker 1: and noble undertaking. To me, this is always one of 361 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: the most quietly heroic events that I've ever studied, because 362 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,680 Speaker 1: Eisenhower knew that even with those great words and even 363 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:36,400 Speaker 1: with those great troops, it could fail. And so Eisenhower, 364 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: being a very methodical and responsible person, had sat down, 365 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:45,439 Speaker 1: written out a statement if it failed, and carried that 366 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: statement in his pocket for the entire operation. Now, think 367 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: about the moral courage knowing you're throwing one hundred and 368 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,880 Speaker 1: fifty six thousand troops at the beach, that you have mobilized, 369 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 1: the Canadian, British and American forces, that your President and 370 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: the Prime Minister have entrusted you with getting the job done, 371 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 1: and yet you might have to turn to them and 372 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,639 Speaker 1: say it didn't work. And I want you to listen 373 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: to how Eisenhower had written it and realized what moral 374 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: courage it took because he didn't say the troops failed. 375 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: He only said one person filled. He'd written the following, 376 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:27,360 Speaker 1: which he kept in his pocket for the entire day. 377 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: Our landings in the Cherbourg Havre area have failed to 378 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,440 Speaker 1: gain a satisfactory foothold, and I have withdrawn the troops. 379 00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: My decision to attack at this time and place was 380 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 1: based upon the best information available. The troops, the heir, 381 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:44,119 Speaker 1: and the Navy did all the bravery and devotion of 382 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 1: duty could do. If any blame or falt attaches to 383 00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: the attempt, it is mine alone. Now, that's courage. And 384 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,640 Speaker 1: he was prepared, and he understood that this could be 385 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 1: an enormous success or it could be a dunning disaster. 386 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: All day long, he seemed to calm, understood what's going on, 387 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 1: and he indersted a key thing for senior leaders, which is, 388 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,040 Speaker 1: once you've done all the planning, once you've done all 389 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: the training, once you've done all the preparation, try not 390 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,120 Speaker 1: to screw up the people who are implementing. They're too 391 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 1: busy getting things done to talk to you. You have 392 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 1: to have an enormous sense of discipline, which Eisenhower did. 393 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 1: They waited patiently, and they began getting reports first that 394 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: the paratroopers had landed and that the losses were dramatically 395 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 1: lower than the experts had predicted. Instead of losing seventy percent, 396 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:39,360 Speaker 1: they were losing much more like ten percent. The paratroopers 397 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: were out there actively doing what they had been trained 398 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: to do. Now they were scattered all over the place. 399 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: We still had not perfected nighttime landings in a combat zone. Remember, 400 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,919 Speaker 1: they didn't have GPS, they didn't have any kind of 401 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,639 Speaker 1: capacity to know where they were except using compasses, and 402 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 1: the planes tended to scatter when an aircraft guns fired 403 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: at so people were being dropped all over the place. 404 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 1: But they were rallying, they were getting organized, they were 405 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: slowing down the Germans, and they were causing a great 406 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 1: deal of disruption for the German command system. At the 407 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: same time, Eisnower was harrying back from the air forces 408 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,760 Speaker 1: who were over the beach. We had absolute air control. 409 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: The once powerful Luftwaffe, the German Air Force simply couldn't 410 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: put up anybody that mattered. I think they're only one 411 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: or two German airplanes over Normandy Beach for the entire day. 412 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,680 Speaker 1: And we meanwhile have hundreds and hundreds of aircraft, both 413 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: strafening the Germans, bombing them, interdicting further inland. The Germans 414 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: are trying to move units up to the front. They 415 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,920 Speaker 1: can't move them, something which Rommel had warned them about. 416 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 1: Rommel had faced Allied air power in North Africa, and 417 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 1: he kept telling the German high command, once the Americans 418 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 1: start landing in the British to Atlantic, you're not going 419 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 1: to move people. They're going to cut you off with 420 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:01,720 Speaker 1: air power. And nobody in Berlin could quite understand. This 421 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 1: was very different than the Russian Front. The Russian Front 422 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 1: had enormous artillery, but the Russians did not have total 423 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: air superiority. Eisnar knew all day that the landings were working, 424 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:16,400 Speaker 1: that we had problems at Omaha Beach, but that overall 425 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,919 Speaker 1: we were breaking through. We were gradually getting more and 426 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: more forces ashore. And he was able to report that 427 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: back through General Marshall to President Roosevelt, and that set 428 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:34,159 Speaker 1: the stage for the President, knowing that this great landing 429 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:37,880 Speaker 1: was succeeding, to go to the nation and to report 430 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: to them. Now just the day before he had reported 431 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: to them on the great victory in Rome, but that 432 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 1: had been really sort of a political governmental report. It 433 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 1: was not a sense of anxiety, not a sense of commitment. 434 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,640 Speaker 1: It was the President saying, Hey, we're winning, and here's 435 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: what happened, and here's why Rome matters. Now, he had 436 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 1: a different situation. He had well over one hundred thousand 437 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 1: troops in combat. He was about to send more troops 438 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 1: into combat, first at France and then at Germany, and 439 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: so he wanted to speak with the American people in 440 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: a way that would bring them together and would rally them. 441 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: And that's why I've always believed that Roosevelt's radio address 442 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:29,119 Speaker 1: on the sixth of June should be really heard by people, 443 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 1: just to remind them both that so much was at stake, 444 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: so many people were at stake, and that we had 445 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 1: a president who didn't mind praying and having everybody pray. 446 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 1: Next will here President Franklin Roosevelt's addressed the nation on 447 00:28:48,520 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 1: June sixth, nineteen forty four. So I want you to 448 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: join me in listening to President Roosevelt's addressed to the nation, 449 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,000 Speaker 1: in which he asked the whole country to join him 450 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 1: in prayer for the young men who are risking their 451 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: lives in France. My fellow Americans. Last night, when I 452 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew 453 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 1: at that moment the troops of the United States and 454 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: our allies were crossing the channel in anula and greater operation. 455 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: It has come to pass with success thus far. And 456 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 1: so in this poignant hour I ask you to join 457 00:29:55,720 --> 00:30:05,959 Speaker 1: with me in prayer, or Mighty God, our sons, pride 458 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:10,880 Speaker 1: of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, 459 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:18,240 Speaker 1: a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilization, 460 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight 461 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 1: and cruel, Give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, 462 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 1: steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their 463 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: role will be long and hard, for the enemy is strong. 464 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come 465 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 1: with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again. 466 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:02,200 Speaker 1: And we know that by Thy grace and by the 467 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:09,160 Speaker 1: righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will 468 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:13,760 Speaker 1: be sore, tried by night and by day, without rest 469 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent 470 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:25,840 Speaker 1: by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with 471 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 1: the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn 472 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:38,160 Speaker 1: from the ways of peace. They fight not for the 473 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 1: lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight 474 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 1: to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance 475 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 1: and good will among all thy people. They yearn but 476 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 1: for the end of battle, for their return to the 477 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these father 478 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 1: and receive them thy heroic servants into thy kingdom. And 479 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: for us at home, fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and 480 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 1: brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are 481 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: ever with them, Help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves 482 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 1: in renewed faith in THEE in this hour of great sacrifice. 483 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: Many people have urged the I call the nation into 484 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: a single day of special prayer. But because the road 485 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:13,520 Speaker 1: is long and the desire is great, I ask that 486 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As 487 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:26,240 Speaker 1: we rise to each new day, and again when each 488 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:33,040 Speaker 1: day is spent, Let words of prayer be on our lips, 489 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 1: invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength to 490 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: strengthen our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make 491 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 1: in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. 492 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:59,800 Speaker 1: And let our hearts be stout to wait out the law, 493 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: travel to bear sorrows that may come to impart our courage, 494 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:17,280 Speaker 1: unto our sons, wheresoever they may be. And O Lord, 495 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:23,319 Speaker 1: give us faith, Give us faith in Thee, faith in 496 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: our sons, faith in each other, faith in our united crusade. 497 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. 498 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:44,319 Speaker 1: Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters, 499 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:51,200 Speaker 1: but fleeting moment. Let not these deter us in our 500 00:34:51,360 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 1: unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the 501 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:05,920 Speaker 1: unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the 502 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:12,920 Speaker 1: apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the 503 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:18,160 Speaker 1: saving of our country, and with our sister nations, into 504 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 1: a world unity that will spell a shore peace, a 505 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men, and a 506 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:38,280 Speaker 1: peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping 507 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:46,160 Speaker 1: the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, 508 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 1: Almighty God. Amen. Now imagine that you were a mother 509 00:35:56,239 --> 00:35:59,600 Speaker 1: or a father, a brother or sister, a husband or 510 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:03,399 Speaker 1: a wife, and you're listening to that people you love 511 00:36:04,239 --> 00:36:09,480 Speaker 1: are risking their lives doing something so terribly important that 512 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,239 Speaker 1: we have to win. I always thought one of the 513 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:16,440 Speaker 1: most fascinating points in that prayer was when he said, 514 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:18,560 Speaker 1: many people of urge that I called the nation into 515 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: a single day of special prayer. But because the road 516 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:25,360 Speaker 1: is long and the desire is great, I asked that 517 00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:28,400 Speaker 1: our people to vote themselves in a continuance of prayer 518 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:31,759 Speaker 1: as we rise to each new day, and again when 519 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 1: each day is spent, they words of prayer beyond our lips, 520 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,320 Speaker 1: invoking Thy help to our efforts. I think to really 521 00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:42,120 Speaker 1: get a sense of the impact that you have to 522 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:45,440 Speaker 1: think back to a time when almost every family had 523 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:49,560 Speaker 1: somebody in the military, when we had mobilized fifteen million people. 524 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:53,200 Speaker 1: You didn't know what was happening, and so you're clinging 525 00:36:53,239 --> 00:36:56,960 Speaker 1: to every piece of news you can get. And what 526 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:00,440 Speaker 1: Present Roosevelt is trying to do is both give you 527 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:04,040 Speaker 1: an immediacy. This is happening now, and we should pray 528 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:08,880 Speaker 1: together now. But in addition, he understands that this fight's 529 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:10,279 Speaker 1: not going to end in a week or two, and 530 00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:12,799 Speaker 1: in fact, of course, it goes on. From June six, 531 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:16,880 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four to May eighth, nineteen forty five, and 532 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,760 Speaker 1: we have a number of very tough fights in that period, 533 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 1: and so he wants to condition people together to be 534 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:36,280 Speaker 1: committed to praying for our troops. I wanted to share 535 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:40,040 Speaker 1: with you both the importance of Normandy on the seventy 536 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,799 Speaker 1: fifth anniversary, but I also wanted to share with you 537 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:46,759 Speaker 1: that here is a president who nonetheless felt that at 538 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:50,200 Speaker 1: a time of great crisis, it was totally authentic and 539 00:37:50,239 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: totally legitimate to invite every American to pray for their 540 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 1: loved ones, recognizing that when you have eleven percent of 541 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 1: the country in uniform, virtually every American had a loved 542 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,640 Speaker 1: one who was genuinely at risk. I think that these 543 00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:10,320 Speaker 1: kind of historic dates D Day the sixth of June 544 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:14,279 Speaker 1: is a good example, are important lessons for people. What 545 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:16,839 Speaker 1: did it take to be free? What did it take 546 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,000 Speaker 1: to defeat tyranny? What was the nature of the people 547 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,040 Speaker 1: who had that kind of courage and who then, by 548 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:26,399 Speaker 1: the way, quietly came back home, took the g I Bill, 549 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:30,279 Speaker 1: went to school, got married, they raised their children, They 550 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:34,600 Speaker 1: had a good life. They are the greatest generation because 551 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,360 Speaker 1: they were committed to their country and to their fellow Americans. 552 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:40,880 Speaker 1: For virtually their whole lifetime and survived the great depression 553 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:44,000 Speaker 1: that survived the Second World War. Though the people who 554 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,640 Speaker 1: created the framework to win the Cold War and the 555 00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:49,640 Speaker 1: process they made America the most prosperous nation in history, 556 00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:52,240 Speaker 1: did an immense amount of good and a wide range 557 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:55,439 Speaker 1: of ways. And my hope is that you will take 558 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:58,440 Speaker 1: a little time every d Day to think about what 559 00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 1: it's taken to be free, the risk that we have 560 00:39:01,239 --> 00:39:05,120 Speaker 1: to take, the sacrifices we have to make, and the 561 00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 1: power of bringing all of us together in prayer for 562 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:15,280 Speaker 1: a great cause and what was in fact a genuine crusade. 563 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:22,640 Speaker 1: The archival audio in this episode is thanks to the 564 00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, 565 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:31,600 Speaker 1: New York and their supervisory archivist, Kristen Striegel Carter, and 566 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:36,080 Speaker 1: the Dwight David Eisenhour Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home 567 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 1: in Abilene, Kansas. You can read more about the history 568 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:41,920 Speaker 1: of D Day in the FTR Prayer on our show 569 00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:46,879 Speaker 1: page at newtsworld dot com. Newtsworld is produced by Westwood One. 570 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:52,040 Speaker 1: The executive producer is Debbie Myers. Our producer is Garnsey Sloan. 571 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:57,440 Speaker 1: Our editor is Robert Boroski. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. 572 00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:00,680 Speaker 1: The artwork for the show was created by Steve Penley. 573 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:05,160 Speaker 1: The music was composed by Joey Salvia. Special thanks to 574 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:08,239 Speaker 1: the team at Gingrid three sixty and Westwood Ones, Tim 575 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:12,560 Speaker 1: Sabian and Robert Mothers. Please email me with your comments 576 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:17,319 Speaker 1: at Newt at newtsworld dot com. If you've been enjoying Newtsworld, 577 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,480 Speaker 1: I hope you'll go to Apple podcast and both rate 578 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:23,480 Speaker 1: us with five stars and give us a review so 579 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:30,879 Speaker 1: others can learn what it's all about on the next 580 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:36,080 Speaker 1: episode of Newtsworld. June two, twenty nineteen, marks the fortieth 581 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:40,600 Speaker 1: anniversary of Pope John Paul the Second's nine day pilgrimage 582 00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: to his homeland of Poland and the rise of the 583 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:47,560 Speaker 1: solidarity movement that led to the fall of communism. John 584 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:54,160 Speaker 1: Paul the Second, in a singular way, embodied the human triumphs, tragedies, 585 00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:57,520 Speaker 1: adventures of the second half of the twentieth century as 586 00:40:57,560 --> 00:41:01,000 Speaker 1: no one else did. I'm Newt Gingrich. This is a 587 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:13,360 Speaker 1: New World. The Westwood One podcast network