1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newts World, I want to take 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: you back to a podcast we did in twenty nineteen. 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,319 Speaker 1: I'm doing it because I think there was such an 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: important date in history, and such an important date in 5 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: American history, that it's worth revisiting. Seventy seven years ago, 6 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: on June sixth, the United States, Great Britain, and their 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: allies landed in France in the most complicated single operation 8 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: ever undertaken by human beings, with so many people landing 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: from the air, so many people landing across the beaches, 10 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: so many people involved in the ships offshore, so many 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: people flying in the sky, keeping all of that coordinating. 12 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: Getting it to happen against aggressive, professional German opposition was 13 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: a remarkable achievement, and I felt strongly at the time 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: that I wanted to share, particularly with younger people who 15 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: may not realize how really important that this was the 16 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: decisive moment. Had we failed, we would in fact probably 17 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: have found ourselves in a totally different world, one on 18 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: which the Nazis might still dominate Europe. So I wanted 19 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: to take a moment to emphasize the importance of the date, 20 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: but I also wanted to use it as an opportunity 21 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: to show you how much things have changed, because you 22 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: see that evening and we were, because of the time different, 23 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: six hours behind France, so we knew by the evening 24 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: that we had landed successfully. And at that point President 25 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: Franklin Delno Roosevelt, probably the most popular president in twentieth 26 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: century history, the leading democratic liberal of the man who 27 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: created the modern democratic majority, went on radio, which was 28 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: the medium of the time, and he asked the American 29 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: people to pray. And it is such a spectacular prayer 30 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: and the very notion of an American president saying, please 31 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: pray with me. And then at the end he says, 32 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: some people have asked me to announce a day of prayer, 33 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: but I think instead I'm going to ask each of 34 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: you to pray every day until the war's over and 35 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 1: our men have come on. Now. I think that so remarkable, 36 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 1: And when you hear it, you'll understand that with his voice, 37 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: with a country which had now had him as president 38 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: since nineteen thirty three, with the power of his beliefs, 39 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,359 Speaker 1: that it was a remarkable moment. And imagine today if 40 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: instead of having the government sue religion and having the 41 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: government dominated by secular anti Christians, anti Jews, anti Muslims, 42 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: you name it, if it involves God, there against it. 43 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: Imagine you had a president who could say, please join 44 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: me in prayer, and I think it was a remarkable time. 45 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: I hope you will listen to it carefully and think 46 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: about the motions of the mothers and the fathers, and 47 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: the lovelos, the brothers and the sisters as they joined 48 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: the President of States in prayer. 49 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 2: Unconfirmed by Allied sources, of course, says that heavy fighting 50 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 2: is taking place between the Germans and invasion forces on 51 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 2: the Normandy peninsula, about thirty one miles southwest of Le Havre. 52 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 2: Another bulletin, also from Berlin radio and unconfirmed, says the 53 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 2: British American landing operations against the western coast of Europe 54 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 2: from the sea and from the air are stretching over 55 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 2: the entire area between Cherbourg and the Havre, a distance 56 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 2: of about sixty miles. 57 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: Nineteen forty four, one hundred and fifty six thousand Allied 58 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. Paratroopers landed behind the beaches. 59 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: A huge number of ships were in the English Channel. 60 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: The airpower was over all of that part of France, 61 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: and it was the greatest, single complex event in human history, 62 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 1: vastly more complicated than going to the Moon or anything 63 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: we've tried to do. I wanted to share with you 64 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: because I think that it's really important that we occasionally 65 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: stop and look at a decisive event, try to understand 66 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: what would have happened without that event, and try to 67 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: understand the people who made it possible. Everybody knew that 68 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: something big was going to happen, they didn't know where, 69 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: and they weren't sure the details. And frankly, we'd gone 70 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: to a great links to keep the Germans confused about 71 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: what we were doing. If you were looking at it 72 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: from the German side, they all assumed it would be 73 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: in France, but nobody knew the exact date. Nobody knew 74 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: the exact location. When I say nobody, I mean among 75 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 1: civilian Americans. And when it came I think people were 76 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 1: a little stunned by the scale. But to get a 77 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: feel for that, there are a couple of radio broadcasts 78 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: that really went straight to people. Remember this is an 79 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: age when radio is the only common mechanism of communication, 80 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: and this is what people are listening to in order 81 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: to have a sense of what's. 82 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 2: Going on, Men and women of the United States. This 83 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 2: is a momentous hour in world history. This is the 84 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 2: invasion of Hitler's Europe, the zero hour of the Second Front. 85 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 2: The men of General Dwight Eisenhower are leaving their landing barges, 86 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 2: fighting their way up the beaches into the fortress of 87 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 2: Nazi Europe. They are moving in from the sea to 88 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 2: attack the enemy under a mammoth cloud of fighter planes, 89 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 2: under a ceiling of screaming shells from Allied warships. The 90 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 2: first news flashes do not say, but a large proportion 91 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 2: of this assault is believed to be in the hands 92 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 2: of American men. They are making the attack side by 93 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,600 Speaker 2: side with the British Tommies who were bombed and blasted 94 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 2: out of Europe at Dunkirk. Now at this hour they 95 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 2: are bombing and blasting their way back again. This is 96 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 2: the European Front once again being established in fire and blood, 97 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,360 Speaker 2: not only by the Americans and British, but by many 98 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 2: allies in the fight against Axis aggression. This is the 99 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 2: supreme test of Allied spirit and of Allied weapons. The 100 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 2: world's greatest military undertaking is underway. 101 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 1: Before they landed, it was very possible. It wouldn't work, certainly. 102 00:06:55,640 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 1: Prime Minister Winston Churchill was deeply afraid, felt that he 103 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: dreamed rivers of blood because he was so much afraid 104 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: of trying to land there. The British had run a 105 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: trial landing and had found that going into a fortified 106 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: port was a disaster and involved a Canadian unit which 107 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: was littlely massacred, so they were very skittish. On the 108 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: other hand, we had landed in North Africa, we had 109 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: landed in Sicily. We had some pretty interesting experiences proving 110 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: that you could have a combination of paratroopers and people 111 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: landing from boats and you could force a way ashore. 112 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: But Normandy was different. The Germans had built up their defenses, 113 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: they had a substantial number of tanks available, and they 114 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: were prepared to do everything they could to throw us 115 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: back into the sea, because they knew that if it succeeded, 116 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: if we were ashore, that we would inevitably be pulled 117 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: up our forces and break loose and automately defeat them. 118 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 1: In order to achieve this extraordinary landing, President Roosevelt and 119 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: Prime Minister Churchill turned to the general who had served 120 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: them so well, and that was General Dwight David Eisenhower, 121 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: or Ike, as he was known to his friends. He 122 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 1: became the Supreme Allied Commander, and his chief deputy was 123 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: the most famous, highly respected British general in the Second 124 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: World War, Bernard Law Montgomery. The two of them arrived 125 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: around Christmas of nineteen forty three, looked at the plans 126 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: that had been developed over the previous year and promptly 127 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: threw them out because the plans were too small, too narrow, 128 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: and too likely to fail. And so they built a 129 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:56,319 Speaker 1: much bigger operation involving many more people, and they were 130 00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: clearly laying it on the line if Normandy had failed, 131 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 1: if we had tried to land and not succeeded, it's 132 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: very likely that we'd have had a hard time doing 133 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: it a second time. That they cost psychologically as well 134 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: as physically, would have been so great that we would 135 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: probably have ended up with Russia eventually defeating Germany and 136 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:22,440 Speaker 1: occupying all of Western Europe. So this was a key 137 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,560 Speaker 1: moment in history. Now. To be fair to the Russians, 138 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: they were losing millions of people fighting the Germans, and 139 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: Stalin as early as early nineteen forty two had been 140 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 1: pressuring us to get involved in killing Germans, and he 141 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 1: goes fairly bitter about the fact that we didn't land 142 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 1: in Europe in forty two, we landed in North Africa. 143 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: We didn't land in Western Europe. In forty three, we 144 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: landed in Sicily and Italy. And he wanted an Allied 145 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: force in the west to drain Germans out of Russia 146 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,840 Speaker 1: and out of the Eastern Front, to reduce the pressure 147 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: on his own country, and we kept promising we were 148 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: going to do something. Frankly, we were very worried that 149 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: at some point the two dictators Stalin and Hitler might 150 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 1: get together, create a truce and allow the Germans to 151 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 1: reposition their forces in the West, which would have cost 152 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: us huge problems. But it didn't happen. Stalin wanted to 153 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 1: defeat the Germans. He was deeply embittered by the way 154 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: they had attacked, the number of people they had killed, 155 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: the brutality they had displayed in occupying parts of Russia. 156 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: So in the end he probably never was going to 157 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: cut a deal with Hitler, but we were afraid that 158 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:33,599 Speaker 1: he might, and we kept reassuring him. Both Roosevelt and 159 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:35,680 Speaker 1: Churchill kept telling him, We're going to do it. We're 160 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: going to do it. Then they said we're going to 161 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: do it in May, but in fact we weren't quite 162 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: ready in May. We didn't have all of our forces prepared. 163 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: So then we said we're going to do it in June, 164 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: and that led to I think one of the most 165 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 1: amazing magic moments of the whole war, and in fact 166 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 1: in history. What happened was Eisenhower and Montgomery had been 167 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: practicing with the meteorologists how to land and when to 168 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: land and what did the weather mean. And the meteorologists 169 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: had an advantage over the Germans because we were able 170 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 1: to look at weather patterns from Greenland and Iceland, and 171 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 1: so we knew a couple days in advance the weather 172 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,839 Speaker 1: almost always came from the west. The Germans did not 173 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: have that kind of observational capability, and so they were 174 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: sort of blind about what was happening with the weather. Well, 175 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,319 Speaker 1: to land at Normandy, you had to have the tides 176 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 1: just right so you could get ashore. You had to 177 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: have the right kind of moon, which also affected the tides. 178 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: You had to have adequate weather to land, because if 179 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: there was big storms, you just couldn't land or you 180 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 1: couldn't sustain yourself. So on the fourth of June, the 181 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: weather was terrible and the troops had all gotten prepared. 182 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 1: We were going to go in on the fifth of June. 183 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: They were on the ships, they were getting ready to 184 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 1: get on the airplanes, and suddenly it was postponed for 185 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: twenty four hours, and Eisenhower was faced with probably the 186 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 1: greatest single decision of the war. On the morning of 187 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: the fifth, the meteorologist called and said, you know, I 188 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: think you're going to have a brief period of good 189 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 1: weather starting on the sixth, and I think you can 190 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: land now. This is putting over one hundred thousand men's 191 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:29,440 Speaker 1: lives at stake based on a weather prediction. First, the Germans, 192 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 1: who did not have weather forecasting from the west, saw 193 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:37,120 Speaker 1: this terrible weather, assumed it was going to continue, and 194 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:39,439 Speaker 1: a lot of their senior leaders dispersed and went to 195 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 1: various meetings because, after all, the Allies couldn't land in 196 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: this kind of weather, and they had no notion that 197 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:49,079 Speaker 1: is going to clear up on the sixth. Second, had 198 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:53,599 Speaker 1: Eisenhower been cautious and had he waited till the next availability, 199 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: which was in July. The fact was those dates in 200 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 1: July were one of the largest storms in modern history 201 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: in the English Channel and would have been an utter 202 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: total disaster. And so the one moment that worked was 203 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 1: the moment we landed on D Day, the sixth of June. Now, 204 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: to give you a flavor of why this was so important, 205 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: Roosevelt knew that we were really sending the country to war. 206 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 1: That all those one hundred and fifty six thousand Allied forces, 207 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: many of whom were American, the paratroopers who were going 208 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,560 Speaker 1: to be landing during the night, the people who were 209 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,439 Speaker 1: flying the bombers overhead, that people were flying the transport planes, 210 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: the people on the ships. All these folks were engaged. 211 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 1: Every town in America had an interest in what was 212 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: going to happen at Normandy. It's important to remember that 213 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: when we totally mobilized, one out of every ten Americans, 214 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,040 Speaker 1: slightly more than that, eleven percent of the population was 215 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 1: in uniform. And Roosevelt, who knew who was coming, had 216 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,959 Speaker 1: been working on this. In fact, he's probably more worried 217 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: than Eisenhower because he wasn't there. Hi. This is newt 218 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: In my new book, March the Majority, The Real Story 219 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: of the Republican Revolution, I offer strategies and insights for 220 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 1: everyday citizens and for season politicians. 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Roosevelt actually went off the weekend before 236 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: and spent some time at Paul Watson's estate out near Monticello, Virginia, 237 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 1: and they talked about what should he do, what should 238 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 1: he say when he had to brief the American people 239 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: that Overlord had begun. His daughter suggested a prayer. Roosevelt 240 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 1: asked Grace Tully, his secretary, to start making dictation, and 241 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 1: then he pulled out his family's Book of Common Prayer 242 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: to try to get inspired. Grace ultimately taped a final 243 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: version of the prayer. Roosevelt practiced it on Sunday and 244 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: was ready. Roosevelt on Monday, the fifth of June, goes 245 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: back to the White House. That's the day originally scheduled. 246 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: But it didn't happen, and Roosevelt continues to worry about it. 247 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: General Marshall, who was the top American commander for the 248 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: War Department, was not particularly nervous. He knew that Eisenhower 249 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: was competent. They knew that they'd been working at this 250 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: thing now for a long time, and he was reasonably 251 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 1: sure that it would work. Eisenhower, I think, was concerned, 252 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 1: but he wasn't particularly nervous. Eisenhower was a guy who 253 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 1: believed in deep preparation and then in relaxing and assuming 254 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 1: that things would work out all right. It was a 255 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:05,040 Speaker 1: wonderful of Eisenhower visiting paratroopers. Now remember he's ordering them 256 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 1: to fly into France, jump out of the airplane in 257 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:12,199 Speaker 1: the dark, and in the process he had been warned 258 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: by the British Royal Air Force officers that they should 259 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 1: expect seventy percent casualties, that is, seven out of every 260 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:22,879 Speaker 1: ten young men he was sending in would die. And 261 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: Eisner said that he hoped it wasn't true, but that 262 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: we had to throw everything we could at stopping the Germans. 263 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 1: So Eisenhower is visiting a unit where his Air Force 264 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: advisors have told him seven out of every ten of 265 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: these young people would probably die. And it's a very 266 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 1: famous scene of Eisenhower. I's talking to a young soldier 267 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:47,479 Speaker 1: and he said, where are you from? And he said, oh, 268 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:50,440 Speaker 1: I'm from Michigan. And Eisner said, oh, I fly fish 269 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 1: in Michigan. And the young guy said really, he said, 270 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: I fly fish too. So Eisner said, now, this is 271 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: how I cast? How do you do it? And Eisenhower's 272 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:02,040 Speaker 1: literally standing there showing this young paratrooper how he would 273 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: flick his hand to cast during fly fishing. And that's 274 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: what got to be a picture. And nobody for years 275 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: knew what he was talking about till somebody finally said, 276 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: what we are you doing? And you couldn't quite tell 277 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:14,760 Speaker 1: what he was up to. Well, what he was up 278 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: to was getting everybody to relax, just be calm, do 279 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 1: your job. As we're getting ready to land at Normandy. 280 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:27,919 Speaker 1: Something very positive happened on the fourth of June. The 281 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: Allied forces entered Rome. Now, we had been fighting our 282 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:35,880 Speaker 1: way up the Italian peninsula. Italy has lots and lots 283 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: of mountains, and it's a very hard peninsula to wage 284 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: war in, very easy if you're on defense, and so 285 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: we had slugged our way north and had several amphibious landings. Finally, 286 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:51,800 Speaker 1: on the fourth of June, Rome itself was liberated. We 287 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: were very fortunate and that we had maneuvered around the 288 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 1: Germans so that they did not destroy the city, but 289 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 1: instead withdrew and pulled back as we occupied Rome. It 290 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: gave Roosevelt something good to say to the American people. 291 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:09,919 Speaker 1: So on the night of the fifth of June, Roosevelt 292 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:14,679 Speaker 1: goes and has a fireside chat and talks about Italy 293 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,880 Speaker 1: and talks about the importance of the city of Rome. 294 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:27,159 Speaker 3: Ladies and gentlemen, The President of the United States, my friends, yesterday, 295 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,400 Speaker 3: on June fourth, nineteen forty four. 296 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 4: Rome fell to American and Allied groups. 297 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 3: The first of the access capitals is now in our hands. 298 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 4: One up and two to go. 299 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: It's a victory speech. We've now captured the first of 300 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 1: the fascist capitals. Our forces are on the march of Italy. 301 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:54,400 Speaker 1: Is a good sign. And of course, in the process 302 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: of working our way up, we had drained a lot 303 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: of German soldiers away from Russia, away from the Western 304 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 1: Front then. That had been part of our strategy all along, 305 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,239 Speaker 1: was to force them to defend everywhere and to not 306 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:09,439 Speaker 1: be able to master their forces in any one place. 307 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 1: The other thing they had been going on in preparation 308 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 1: for landing was the tremendous air campaign. Eisenhower was determined 309 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: to bomb the French railroad lines to stop the Germans 310 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: from reinforcing the front. Churchill was against it. He said, 311 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,000 Speaker 1: because our bombers were pretty inaccurate back then. He said, 312 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: We're going to kill a lot of civilians. The French 313 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: will hate us for a generation. But General de Gaulle, 314 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,199 Speaker 1: who was the head of the Free French, intervened and 315 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: said no. He said, I will make a speech at 316 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: the right moment to the French people if bombing the 317 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 1: rail lines helps liberate us from the Nazis. Then I 318 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: am for doing whatever it takes to get the Nazis 319 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,160 Speaker 1: out of France. So with his support Eisenhower, who felt 320 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: so strongly about this that he threatened to resign and said, 321 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,280 Speaker 1: if I can't win age the battle I believe in, 322 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 1: you need to get a new general because I'm not 323 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:07,520 Speaker 1: going to be responsible for not doing everything possible. I 324 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: want to emphasize this. Everybody at the senior level understood 325 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: this was the great test of the war. If we 326 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: could land, if we could stay ashore, then sooner or 327 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: later our build up from the ocean would be dramatically 328 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:26,960 Speaker 1: greater than the Germans' ability to build up by land 329 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,120 Speaker 1: using railroads and roads, and therefore, eventually we would break out, 330 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 1: and eventually we would liberate all of France and ultimately 331 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:37,560 Speaker 1: fight our way into Germany. On the other hand, because 332 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:40,159 Speaker 1: the Germans also knew that they were going to do 333 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: everything they could to throw us back into the water 334 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,719 Speaker 1: and to stop the invasion before it really got started, 335 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: and they had signed Rommel, who had in some ways 336 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: was their most famous general in the West, to really 337 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,919 Speaker 1: do everything he could to create what they called Fortress Europe, 338 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:01,359 Speaker 1: and they had built in all sorts of bunkers. They'd 339 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:03,880 Speaker 1: put in lots of concrete, they'd put in a lot 340 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: of barboire, they'd put in obstacles under the water. One 341 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: of the challenges was to be able to go in 342 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,200 Speaker 1: and blow up the obstacles so that the ships could 343 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 1: actually get to the beach. A lot of what we 344 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: today would probably call seals, but back then were underwater 345 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,479 Speaker 1: demolition teams. We're spending a lot of time on the 346 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:24,880 Speaker 1: fifth of June preparing to blow up these various obstacles 347 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: so ships could literally get to the sand to begin 348 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:31,719 Speaker 1: to deliver tanks and troops. The Germans also knew what 349 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: were the places you could probably land that and they 350 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,640 Speaker 1: had put forces in those particular places. And the result 351 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,439 Speaker 1: was that at Omaha Beach we ended up in a 352 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: buzzsaw and lost a lot of people very quickly, were 353 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: pinned down on the beach for several hours, and just 354 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,199 Speaker 1: gradually fought our way through. But this is where the 355 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: sheer scale of the operation really mattered, because while the 356 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: Germans were able to slow us down pretty dramatically at Omaha, 357 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: there were four more beaches, and there were French, there 358 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: were Polish, there were Canadian there were, and there were 359 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:10,240 Speaker 1: American forces who were all coming ashore simultaneously. In addition, 360 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: both we and the British had dropped parachute divisions behind 361 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: the lines, so they were there to cut off German 362 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: reinforcements and to further unnerve the Germans, because if you 363 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:22,879 Speaker 1: have people behind you, it makes it a little harder 364 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 1: to focus on stopping people in front of you. So 365 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: all of this is going on simultaneously, and to show 366 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,639 Speaker 1: you the scale of it, I'd like you to listen 367 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 1: just for a minute to General Eisenhower's statement which he 368 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: made on the radio in which they taped, but which 369 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:43,240 Speaker 1: was read on every single ship before the landings began, 370 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: and it gives you a sense of the seriousness with 371 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 1: which you have to take this entire event. 372 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:54,880 Speaker 5: Soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force, you 373 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 5: are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which 374 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 5: we have striven these many months. The eyes of the 375 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 5: world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty 376 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:09,640 Speaker 5: loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our 377 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 5: brave allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you 378 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,120 Speaker 5: will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, 379 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 5: the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, 380 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 5: and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task 381 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 5: will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, 382 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 5: well equipped, and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. But 383 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 5: this is the year nineteen forty four. Much has happened 384 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,919 Speaker 5: since the Nazi triumphs of nineteen forty forty one. The 385 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:45,199 Speaker 5: United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats in 386 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 5: open battle Man de Man. Our air offensive has seriously 387 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,399 Speaker 5: reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to 388 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 5: wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given 389 00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 5: us an overwhelming superiority in weapons, ammunitions of war, and 390 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 5: placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. 391 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 5: The tide has turned. The freemen of the world are 392 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 5: marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, 393 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 5: devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept 394 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:23,239 Speaker 5: nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us 395 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 5: all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great 396 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:28,200 Speaker 5: and noble undertaking. 397 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 1: To me, this is always one of the most quietly 398 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: heroic events that I've ever studied because Eisenhower knew that 399 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: even with those great words and even with those great troops, 400 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:44,919 Speaker 1: it could fail. And so Eisenhower, being a very methodical 401 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: and responsible person, had sat down, written out of statement 402 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: if it failed, and carried that statement in his pocket 403 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,640 Speaker 1: for the entire operation. Now, think about the moral courage, 404 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:03,959 Speaker 1: knowing your throwing one hundred and fifty six thousand troops 405 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:09,880 Speaker 1: at the beach, that you have mobilized the Canadian, British 406 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 1: and American forces, that your President and the Prime Minister 407 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,320 Speaker 1: have entrusted you with getting the job done, and yet 408 00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: you might have to turn to them and say it 409 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: didn't work. And I want you to listen to how 410 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:26,639 Speaker 1: Eisenhower had written it and realize what moral courage it took. 411 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: Because he didn't say the troops failed. He only said 412 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 1: one person failed. He'd written the following, which he kept 413 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 1: in his pocket for the entire day. Our landings in 414 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:40,440 Speaker 1: the Cherbourgjavre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold, 415 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 1: and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack 416 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:46,640 Speaker 1: at this time and place was based upon the best 417 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: information available. The troops, the heir and the Navy did 418 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: all the bravery and devotion to duty could do. If 419 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is 420 00:26:55,640 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: mine alone. Now that's courage. And he was prepared. I mean, 421 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 1: he understood that this could be an enormous success or 422 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,240 Speaker 1: it could be a stunning disaster. All day long, he 423 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 1: seemed calm, understood what was going on, and he understood 424 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 1: a key thing for senior leaders, which is, once you've 425 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 1: done all the planning, once you've done all the training, 426 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,639 Speaker 1: once you've done all the preparation, try not to screw 427 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: up the people who are implementing. They're too busy getting 428 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 1: things done to talk to you. You have to have 429 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 1: an enormous sense of discipline, which Eisenhower did. They waited patiently, 430 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: and they began getting reports first that the paratroopers had 431 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: landed and that the losses were dramatically lower than the 432 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:43,160 Speaker 1: experts had predicted. Instead of losing seventy percent, they were 433 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: losing much more like ten percent. The paratroopers were out 434 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: there actively doing what they had been trained to do. 435 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,119 Speaker 1: Now they were scattered all over the place. We still 436 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:55,720 Speaker 1: had not perfected nighttime landings in a combat zone. Remember, 437 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 1: they didn't have GPS. They didn't have any kind of 438 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: compare to know where they were except using compasses, and 439 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: the planes tended to scatter when anti aircraft guns fired 440 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: at them, So people were being dropped all over the place. 441 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: But they were rallying, they were getting organized, they were 442 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: slowing down the Germans, and they were causing a great 443 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: deal of disruption for the German command system. At the 444 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,400 Speaker 1: same time, Eisenau was hearing back from the air forces 445 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: who were over the beach. We had absolute air control 446 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,359 Speaker 1: the once powerful Luftwaffe. The German air Force simply couldn't 447 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 1: put up anybody that mattered. I think there only one 448 00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: or two German airplanes over Normandy Beach for the entire day. 449 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,840 Speaker 1: And we meanwhile have hundreds and hundreds of aircraft both 450 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:46,680 Speaker 1: strafing the Germans, bombing them, interdicting. Further inland, the Germans 451 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: are trying to move units up to the front. They 452 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: can't move them, something which Rammel had warned them about. 453 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: Ramel had faced Allied airpower in North Africa and he 454 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: kept telling the German high command. Once the Americans start 455 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: landing in the British start landing, you're not going to 456 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,720 Speaker 1: move people. They're going to cut you off with air power, 457 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: and nobody in Berlin could quite understand. This was very 458 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: different than the Russian front. The Russian front had enormous artillery, 459 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: but the Russians did not have total air superiority. Eisnower 460 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: knew all day that the landings were working, that we 461 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: had problems at Omaha Beach, but that overall we were 462 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: breaking through. We were gradually getting more and more forces ashore. 463 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: And he was able to report that back through General 464 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: Marshall to President Roosevelt. And that set the stage for 465 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: the President, knowing that this great landing was succeeding, to 466 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: go to the nation and to report to them. Now, 467 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: just the day before he'd reported to them on the 468 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: great victory in Rome, but that had been really sort 469 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 1: of a political governmental report. It was not a sense 470 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: of anxiety, not a sense of commitment. It was the 471 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: President saying, Hey, we're winning, and here's what happened, and 472 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,720 Speaker 1: here's why Rome matters. Now he had a different situation. 473 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:13,080 Speaker 1: He had well over one hundred thousand troops in combat. 474 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: He was about to send more troops into combat, first 475 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 1: at France and then at Germany, and so he wanted 476 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:24,000 Speaker 1: to speak with the American people in a way that 477 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: would bring them together and would rally them. And that's 478 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: why I've always believed that Roosevelt's radio address on the 479 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,960 Speaker 1: sixth of June should be really heard by people, just 480 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 1: to remind them both that so much was at stake, 481 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 1: so many people were at stake, and that we had 482 00:30:45,760 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 1: a president who didn't mind praying and having everybody pray. 483 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 1: So I want you to join me in listening to 484 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: President Roosevelt's addressed to the nation, in which he asked 485 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: the whole country to join him in prayer for the 486 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,200 Speaker 1: young men who are risking their lives in France. 487 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 3: My fellow Americans, last night, when I spoke with you 488 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 3: about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment 489 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,880 Speaker 3: the troops of the United States and our allies were 490 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 3: crossing the channel in another and greater operation. It has 491 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:50,120 Speaker 3: come to pass with success thus far, and so in 492 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 3: this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me 493 00:31:55,440 --> 00:32:05,560 Speaker 3: in prayer. Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, 494 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 3: this day have set upon the mighty endeavor a struggle 495 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 3: to preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilization, and 496 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 3: to set free a suffering humanity. 497 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 4: Lead them straight and true give. 498 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 3: Strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness. 499 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:39,360 Speaker 4: In their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their role 500 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 4: will be long and hard. 501 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 3: For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. 502 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 3: Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall. 503 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 4: Return again and again. And we know that by Thy. 504 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 3: Grace and by the righteousness of our cause, our suns 505 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:07,280 Speaker 3: will triumph. 506 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 4: They will be sore, tried by night and by day. 507 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:18,760 Speaker 3: Without rest, until the victory is won. The darkness will 508 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:24,040 Speaker 3: be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be 509 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 3: shaken with the violences of war. For these men are 510 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 3: lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not 511 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 3: for the lust of conquest. They fight to end the conquest. 512 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 3: They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, 513 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 3: and tolerance and goodwill among all thy people. They yearn 514 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:03,040 Speaker 3: but for the end of battle, for their return to 515 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 3: the haven of home. 516 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:12,799 Speaker 4: Some will never return. Embrace these father. 517 00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:22,239 Speaker 3: And receive them thy heroic servants into thy kingdom, And 518 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:32,759 Speaker 3: for us at home, fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and 519 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 3: brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are 520 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:47,200 Speaker 3: ever with them, Help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves 521 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:55,640 Speaker 3: in renewed faith in THEE. In this hour of great sacrifice. 522 00:34:57,239 --> 00:35:01,200 Speaker 3: Many people have urged that I call and they into 523 00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:07,600 Speaker 3: a single day of special prayer. But because the road 524 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 3: is long and the desire is great, I ask that 525 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:20,399 Speaker 3: our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer as 526 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 3: we rise to each new day, and again when each 527 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 3: day is spent. 528 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:29,879 Speaker 4: Let words of prayer be. 529 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:37,319 Speaker 3: On our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give 530 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:44,399 Speaker 3: us strength to strengthen our daily tasks, to readdouble the 531 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 3: contributions we make in the physical and the material support 532 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 3: of our armed forces. 533 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,799 Speaker 4: And let our hearts be stout. 534 00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:02,880 Speaker 3: To wait out the long travel, to bear sorrows that 535 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 3: may come to impart our courage, unto our sons, wheresoever 536 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:19,560 Speaker 3: they may be. And Oh Lord, give us faith, Give 537 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:24,840 Speaker 3: us faith in THEE, faith in our sons, faith in 538 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:32,160 Speaker 3: each other, faith in our united crusade. Let not the 539 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:37,880 Speaker 3: keenness of our spirit ever be dull. Let not the 540 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:44,680 Speaker 3: impacts of temporary events, our temporal matters of but fleeting moment. 541 00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:54,719 Speaker 3: Let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. With 542 00:36:54,840 --> 00:37:02,520 Speaker 3: Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the forces of our enemy. 543 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:09,920 Speaker 3: Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. 544 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:12,040 Speaker 4: Lead us to the. 545 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 3: Saving of our country, and with our sister nations, into 546 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:24,080 Speaker 3: a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a 547 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:31,279 Speaker 3: peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men, and a 548 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:37,239 Speaker 3: peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping 549 00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:46,040 Speaker 3: the just rewards of their honest toil. They will be done, 550 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:48,040 Speaker 3: Almighty God. 551 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:50,000 Speaker 4: Amen. 552 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:55,720 Speaker 1: Now imagine that you were a mother or a father, 553 00:37:56,360 --> 00:38:00,359 Speaker 1: a brother or sister, a husband or a wife listening 554 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:05,000 Speaker 1: to that people you love are risking their lives doing 555 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:10,239 Speaker 1: something so terribly important that we have to win. I 556 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 1: always thought one of the most fascinating points in that 557 00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:16,520 Speaker 1: prayer was when he said, many people have urged that 558 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:19,200 Speaker 1: I called the nation into a single day of special prayer. 559 00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:23,240 Speaker 1: But because the road is long and the desire is great, 560 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:26,000 Speaker 1: I asked there are people to vote themselves in a 561 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:29,800 Speaker 1: continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, 562 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:32,880 Speaker 1: and again when each day is spent, the words of 563 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:36,320 Speaker 1: prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. 564 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,440 Speaker 1: I think to really get a sense of the impact 565 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: of that, you have to think back to a time 566 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:46,120 Speaker 1: when almost every family had somebody in the military, when 567 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:49,960 Speaker 1: we had mobilized fifteen million people. You didn't know what 568 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:53,799 Speaker 1: was happening, and so you're clinging to every piece of 569 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:57,279 Speaker 1: news you can get. And what President Roosevelt is trying 570 00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,719 Speaker 1: to do is both give you an immediate see this 571 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:04,719 Speaker 1: is happening now, and we should pray together now. But 572 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:08,160 Speaker 1: in addition, he understands that this fight's not going to 573 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:10,000 Speaker 1: end in a week or two. And in fact, of course, 574 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:13,360 Speaker 1: it goes on from June sixth, nineteen forty four to 575 00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:16,279 Speaker 1: May the eighth, nineteen forty five, and we have a 576 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,560 Speaker 1: number of very tough fights in that period, and so 577 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:24,239 Speaker 1: he wants to condition people together to be committed to 578 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:35,560 Speaker 1: praying for our troops. I wanted to share with you 579 00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:38,960 Speaker 1: both the importance of Normandy, but I also wanted to 580 00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:42,040 Speaker 1: share with you that here is a president who nonetheless 581 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:45,840 Speaker 1: felt that at a time of great crisis, it was 582 00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:51,080 Speaker 1: totally authentic and totally legitimate to invite every American to 583 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,640 Speaker 1: pray for their loved ones, recognizing that when you have 584 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,600 Speaker 1: eleven percent of the country in uniform, virtually every American 585 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:01,120 Speaker 1: had a loved one who it is genuinely at risk. 586 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:06,120 Speaker 1: I think that these kind of historic dates D Day, 587 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:09,239 Speaker 1: the sixth of June is a good example, are important 588 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,240 Speaker 1: lessons for people. What did it take to be free? 589 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:15,799 Speaker 1: What did it take to defeat tyranny? What was the 590 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:18,480 Speaker 1: nature of the people who had that kind of courage? 591 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:22,319 Speaker 1: And then, by the way, quietly came back home, took 592 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:26,080 Speaker 1: the gi bill, went to school, got married, they raised 593 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,360 Speaker 1: their children, They had a good life. They are the 594 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,840 Speaker 1: greatest generation because they were committed to their country and 595 00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:36,160 Speaker 1: to their fellow Americans for virtually their whole lifetime. It 596 00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:39,480 Speaker 1: survived the Great Depression, that survived the Second World War. 597 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:42,120 Speaker 1: They're the people who created the framework to win the 598 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:44,719 Speaker 1: Cold War, and in the process they made America the 599 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:47,800 Speaker 1: most prosperous nation in history, did an immense amount of 600 00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: good in a wide range of ways. And my hope 601 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 1: is that you will take a little time every d 602 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:56,360 Speaker 1: Day to think about what it's taken to be free, 603 00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:59,600 Speaker 1: the risks that we have to take, the sacrifices we 604 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:03,120 Speaker 1: have to make, and the power of bringing all of 605 00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:06,200 Speaker 1: us together in prayer for a great cause and what 606 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:10,960 Speaker 1: was in fact a genuine crusade. Thank you for listening. 607 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:14,480 Speaker 1: You can read more about d Day in FDR's prayer 608 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:18,520 Speaker 1: on our show page at newtsworld dot com. Newts World 609 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:22,320 Speaker 1: is produced by Gingish three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive 610 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:26,640 Speaker 1: producer is Guarnsey Sloan. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. Your 611 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:29,839 Speaker 1: Word Art. The artwork for the show was created by 612 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:33,560 Speaker 1: Steve Penley. Special thanks to the team at Gingrich three sixty. 613 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,360 Speaker 1: If you've been enjoying Newtsworld, I hope you'll go to 614 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:39,759 Speaker 1: Apple Podcast and both rate us with five stars and 615 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,200 Speaker 1: give us a review so others can learn what it's 616 00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:45,439 Speaker 1: all about. Right now, listeners of newts World can sign 617 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:49,240 Speaker 1: up from my three free weekly columns at gingrishtree sixty 618 00:41:49,239 --> 00:41:53,439 Speaker 1: dot com slash newsletter. I'm Newt Gingrich. This is neut 619 00:41:53,480 --> 00:42:03,200 Speaker 1: World