American Experience (1988–…): Season 7, Episode 1 - FDR: Part I - full transcript

McCullough:
AUGUST 14, 1921.

"WE HAVE HAD
A VERY FEW ANXIOUS DAYS,"

ELEANOR WROTE FROM CAMPOBELLO.

"WEDNESDAY EVENING
FRANKLIN WAS TAKEN ILL."

"BY FRIDAY EVENING,

"HE LOST THE ABILITY
TO WALK OR MOVE HIS LEGS.

"THE DOCTOR FEELS SURE
HE WILL GET WELL,

BUT IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME."

"I TRIED TO PERSUADE MYSELF

THAT THE TROUBLE WITH MY LEG
WAS MUSCULAR,"

FRANKLIN REMEMBERED,



"THAT IT WOULD DISAPPEAR
AS I USED IT.

BUT PRESENTLY IT REFUSED
TO WORK, AND THEN THE OTHER."

Man:
IT STARTED WITH A COLD,
A FEELING OF MALAISE,

AN ACHE IN THE BACK
AND LACK OF APPETITE.

HE SAID HE THOUGHT
HE WOULDN'T HAVE DINNER

AND HE WENT UP TO HIS ROOM.

AND HE NEVER WALKED AGAIN.

AND ULTIMATELY AT THE
HIGH POINT, HE WAS HELPLESS.

Ward:
FOR A MAN AS ENERGETIC, WHO HAD
LED SUCH A CHARMED LIFE,

TO SUDDENLY BE PARALYZED MUST
HAVE BEEN ALMOST UNBEARABLE.

HE... HE ASKED LOUIS HOWE

WHY GOD HAD DESERTED HIM,
AT ONE POINT.

HE TRIED TO PUT ON A BRAVE FRONT
WITH THE CHILDREN,

BUT HE WAS TERRIFIED.



THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT.

CERTAINLY IT WAS
THE BLACKEST MOMENT OF HIS LIFE

AND SEEMED TO BE
THE END OF HIS LIFE.

McCullough:
HIS FEVER SOARED.

ELEANOR REMEMBERED
HE WAS "OUT OF HIS HEAD."

Goodwin:
ELEANOR RESPONDS IMMEDIATELY

WITH HELP, WITH SUPPORT,
WITH COURAGE IN FACING

THE SEVERITY
OF WHAT HE'S GOING THROUGH.

SHE STAYS UP 24 HOURS.

SHE'S BY HIS SIDE.

SHE DOESN'T RUN AWAY FROM IT.

McCullough:
DESPERATE, ELEANOR CALLED IN

AN ORTHOPEDIC SPECIALIST
FROM HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL.

THE DIAGNOSIS, HE TOLD THEM,
WAS PERFECTLY CLEAR:

INFANTILE PARALYSIS... POLIO.

Ward:
HE COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS HAD
HAPPENED TO HIM,

BUT EVEN IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES,
HE KEPT TO THE ROOSEVELT CODE,

WHICH WAS
THAT YOU DID NOT COMPLAIN

AND THAT YOU TRIED
TO CONVINCE EVERYONE

THAT EVERYTHING
WAS GOING TO BE FINE.

HE WAS VERY CAREFUL

TO BE CHEERFUL
IN FRONT OF HIS MOTHER.

AND SHE WAS VERY CAREFUL
TO BE CHEERFUL IN FRONT OF HIM,

AND ONLY AFTER SHE LEFT HIM
DID SHE CRY.

McCullough:
A PRIVATE RAILROAD CAR BROUGHT
FRANKLIN HOME

TO NEW YORK CITY.

WITH EVERY CURVE AND JOUNCE,
HE WINCED IN PAIN.

HE WAS 39 YEARS OLD.

NO ONE KNEW WHAT SORT OF LIFE
MIGHT NOW BE POSSIBLE FOR HIM,

BUT ONE THING SEEMED CERTAIN:

HIS POLITICAL CAREER
WAS FINISHED.

Gallagher:
HE WAS AN ARISTOCRAT,

HE WAS WELL BORN,
HE WAS GOOD-LOOKING.

HE HAD HAD...
ALWAYS HAD EVERYTHING.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE HE WAS,
CRIPPLED IN A DAY

WHEN IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT
THING TO BE CRIPPLED.

IN THE 1920s, WHY, POLIO
WAS A TERRIFYING THING.

SOMETHING LIKE 25% OF PEOPLE
WHO CAUGHT POLIO

DIED OF IT
WITHIN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS.

IF YOU SURVIVED
AND YOU HAD PARALYSIS,

THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

AND "NICE" FAMILIES KEPT
THEIR DISABLED MEMBERS AT HOME

IN THE BACK BEDROOM
WITH THE BLINDS DRAWN.

THERE WAS A CERTAIN SHAME
ATTACHED TO IT SOMEHOW.

Ward:
HIS MOTHER DECIDED
THAT THE BEST THING TO DO

WAS FOR HIM TO COME
HOME TO HYDE PARK

AND TO LIVE THE LIFE

REALLY THAT HIS FATHER
HAD LIVED, AS AN INVALID.

SHE WOULD TAKE CARE OF HIM,

AND HE COULD PURSUE
HIS HOBBIES AND SMALL INTERESTS,

BUT HE WOULD HAVE
TO GIVE UP POLITICS.

Goodwin:
IT'S ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
A DEFINING MOMENT FOR ELEANOR,

BECAUSE SHE KNOWS
THAT IF SARA HAS HER WAY,

FRANKLIN'S SOUL
WILL BE DESTROYED.

SO SHE HAS TO DO SOMETHING
SHE'S NEVER DONE BEFORE:

SHE HAS TO CONFRONT SARA
DIRECTLY TO TELL HER

"YOU'RE WRONG AND I'M NOT GOING
TO LET THIS HAPPEN.

"HE'S GOING TO BE ABLE
TO GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE.

"HE'S GOING TO WALK AGAIN,

HE'S GOING TO GET INTO POLITICS
AND I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY."

SHE MAY NOT HAVE SAID IT
THAT BOLDLY,

BUT SHE DEFINITELY WAS WILLING

TO MAKE A MAJOR CONFRONTATION
WITH HER MOTHER-IN-LAW

THAT ALL OF HER EARLIER LIFE SHE
HAD BEEN UNABLE TO MAKE.

SHE BECAME THE VOICE FOR HIS
INNER NEEDS, HIS INNER FEELINGS,

AND IN SOME WAYS, THAT'S WHAT
SHE BECOMES ALL OF THEIR LIVES.

Gurewitsch:
SHE HAD A DISCIPLINE

AND A WILLPOWER
THAT WAS STAGGERING.

SHE SAID TO ME ONCE,
"THE ONLY TIME IN MY LIFE

"THAT I CRIED IN HIS PRESENCE
WHEN HE HAD POLIO

"WAS WHEN HE CALLED US
INTO THE ROOM

"AND HE SHOWED US:

'LOOK, ' HE SAID,
'WHAT I CAN DO.'"

HE WAS PHOBIC ABOUT BEING CAUGHT
IN A FIRE... HELPLESS IN A FIRE.

HE GOT HIMSELF DOWN FROM THE BED

AND HE SHOWED THEM
WITH GREAT PRIDE

HOW HE SLITHERED ON THE FLOOR,

USING HIS ELBOWS
TO GET TO THE DOOR.

AND WITH THAT, MRS. ROOSEVELT
BROKE DOWN IN TEARS AND FLED.

AND SHE SAID THAT
WAS THE ONLY TIME

SHE DIDN'T CONTROL HERSELF
IN FRONT OF HIM.

McCullough:
FRANKLIN'S LIFE WAS
NOW IN LIMBO.

HE WOULD DEVOTE THE NEXT
SEVEN YEARS TO ONE SINGLE GOAL:

TO GET BACK ON HIS FEET.

THE DOCTORS TOLD HIM THAT
HIS ONLY HOPE WAS EXERCISE.

WITH HEAVY STEEL BRACES
GRAPPLED TO HIS LEGS,

HE BEGAN THE AWKWARD STRUGGLE
TO LEARN TO WALK.

"I MUST GET DOWN
THE DRIVEWAY TODAY...

ALL THE WAY DOWN THE DRIVEWAY,"
HIS DAUGHTER ANNA HEARD HIM SAY.

Ward:
POLIO EXERCISES
WERE VERY PAINFUL,

VERY TEDIOUS, HUMILIATING.

THEY TOOK UP ENDLESS TIME,

AND I THINK IT'S A MEASURE
OF HIS AMBITION AND HIS GRIT

THAT HE KEPT AT THEM AS LONG
AND AS HARD AS HE DID.

McCullough:
AFTER A YEAR OF UNRELENTING
STRUGGLE,

THE DOCTORS TOLD FRANKLIN

IT WAS ALL BUT CERTAIN
THAT HE WOULD NEVER WALK AGAIN.

BUT HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT
THEIR VERDICT.

Ward:
THE RULES THAT APPLIED
TO OTHER PEOPLE

DID NOT APPLY
TO FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT,

AND HE REFUSED TO BELIEVE THAT
HE WAS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER.

SUNLAMP TREATMENTS,

SPECIAL ELECTRIC BELTS

THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE HIM
SOMEHOW STRONGER,

PULLEY ARRANGEMENTS TO DO
HIS EXERCISES AUTOMATICALLY.

DEEP MASSAGE, LIGHT MASSAGE,
RANGE OF MOTION EXERCISES.

SOMETIMES THEY HUNG HIM
ON A HARNESS FROM THE CEILING.

AND EVEN IN THE LAST WEEKS
OF HIS LIFE,

HE WAS TRYING A NEW METHOD

TO SEE IF HE COULDN'T
GET BACK ON HIS FEET.

IT'S... IT'S EITHER MADNESS
OR ENORMOUSLY ADMIRABLE.

Gallagher:
HE NEVER SPOKE TO ANYONE

ABOUT THE FEELINGS HE HAD
WITH HIS PARALYSIS.

HIS MOTHER SAID THAT HE HAD
NEVER SPOKEN TO HER ABOUT IT.

ELEANOR SAID HE SIMPLY
DIDN'T ACCEPT HIS PARALYSIS

AND HE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT
AND HE WOULDN'T ADMIT IT.

I SUPPOSE PSYCHOLOGISTS
MIGHT CALL IT DENIAL.

IT CERTAINLY SERVED HIM WELL

AND ALLOWED HIM TO BECOME
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

INSTEAD OF
A STAMP-COLLECTING INVALID.

OF COURSE IT'S DENIAL.

IT WORKED... DENIAL IS A
VERY USEFUL THING IN ITS PLACE.

I MEAN IT'S... IT'S A WAY OF...

OF COMING TO TERMS
WITH A DIFFICULT FACT.

McCullough:
IN 1924, FRANKLIN BOUGHT

A RUN-DOWN HOUSEBOAT HE NAMED
"THE LAROOCO" AND HEADED SOUTH.

HE WAS RUNNING AWAY.

DRIFTING LAZILY OFF THE COAST
OF FLORIDA: SWIMMING, FISHING,

CAVORTING WITH HIS FRIENDS,

HE FILLED HIS DAYS
WITH AIMLESS GOOD TIMES.

Ward:
HE WAS THERE PARTLY TO EXERCISE

AND GET THE SUN, WHICH HE
THOUGHT WAS GOING TO HELP HIM,

BUT HE WAS ALSO THERE BECAUSE
LIFE AT HOME WITH FIVE CHILDREN

AND HIS MOTHER AND HIS WIFE
FIGHTING OVER HIM

WAS UNBEARABLE.

Gallagher:
THESE WERE VERY GRIM YEARS
FOR HIM, FOR THE FAMILY.

HE WAS STRUGGLING TO GET BETTER.

IN SPITE OF HIS OPTIMISM,

HE REALLY WASN'T
GETTING MUCH BETTER.

I THINK THAT THE GUY
WAS DEALING WITH DEPRESSION.

THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF ANGER,
A GREAT DEAL OF GRIEVING,

A GREAT DEAL OF FRUSTRATION
THAT COMES WITH PARALYSIS...

EXTENSIVE, SEVERE,
SERIOUS PARALYSIS...

AND THIS IS VERY HARD STUFF
TO... TO DEAL WITH.

Goodwin:
AND HE COULDN'T EXPRESS

THAT DESPAIR AND THAT
SADNESS AROUND ELEANOR,

CERTAINLY NOT AROUND HIS MOTHER,
NOR AROUND THE KIDS.

SO I THINK HE WENT
TO THE LAROOCO ORIGINALLY

BECAUSE IT ALLOWED HIM
A HAVEN TO BE ABLE TO BE SAD,

TO MOURN THE LOSS OF THE BODY
THAT HAD ONCE BEEN HIS,

AND I THINK IT TOOK
LONGER THAN HE THOUGHT.

McCullough:
"THERE WERE DAYS
ON THE LAROOCO,"

ONE FRIEND REMEMBERED,

"WHEN IT WAS NOON

"BEFORE HE COULD PULL HIMSELF
OUT OF DEPRESSION

AND GREET HIS GUESTS WEARING
HIS LIGHTHEARTED FACADE."

"POLIO WAS A STORM," ONE
OF HIS PHYSIOTHERAPISTS SAID.

"YOU WERE WHAT REMAINED
WHEN IT HAD PASSED."

"THESE WERE THE LONELY YEARS.

"WE HAD NO TANGIBLE FATHER,

"NO FATHER WHOM WE COULD
TOUCH AND TALK TO,

ONLY A CHEERY LETTER WRITER."

WITH FRANKLIN GONE

AND THE CHILDREN AWAY
AT SCHOOL OR GROWN UP,

POLITICS WAS BECOMING

AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT PART
OF ELEANOR'S LIFE.

LOUIS HOWE CONVINCED HER

THAT IT WAS UP TO HER
TO KEEP FRANKLIN'S NAME ALIVE.

IF ELEANOR HAD NOT
STEPPED FORWARD,

FRANKLIN'S POLITICAL CAREER
MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN OVER.

Eleanor Roosevelt:
LOUIS HOWE DECIDED

THAT I'D BETTER GO
IN THE WOMEN'S DIVISION

OF THE STATE POLITICAL SETUP
IN NEW YORK

AND I MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK,

AND SO LOUIS HOWE USED
TO GO WITH ME TO MEETINGS

AND SIT IN THE BACK
AND MAKE FUN OF ME AFTERWARDS.

Cook:
LOUIS HOWE IS ABSOLUTELY CENTRAL

TO ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S
POLITICAL EDUCATION.

HE MONITORS HER EVERY WORD.

HE ATTENDS ALL OF THE SPEECHES
THAT SHE GIVES.

AND HE TELLS HER, "YOU SAID
THIS RIGHT, YOU SAID THAT WRONG.

"YOU GIGGLED HERE;
WHY DID YOU GIGGLE HERE?

"YOUR VOICE WENT UP
TEN DECIBELS HERE.

WHY DID IT DO THAT?"

HE'S REALLY HER COACH.

Curtis Roosevelt:
AND SHE VERY QUICKLY,
IN TWO OR THREE YEARS,

MOVED TO THE TOP
IN THE WOMEN'S DIVISION

IN THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

SHE COULD GET UP AND TALK
ON PRETTY MUCH ANY SUBJECT

AND WITH SOME EASE.

SHE TALKED INFORMALLY.

SHE RAN A VERY GOOD MEETING.

McCullough:
ELEANOR DISCOVERED
THAT SHE HAD ORGANIZING SKILLS,

A TALENT FOR DEALING
WITH PEOPLE...

AND SOON FOUND HERSELF

IN THE THICK OF
DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLITICS.

PUBLICLY, SHE SPOKE
IN FRANKLIN'S NAME.

PRIVATELY, SHE WAS DEVELOPING
HER OWN IDEAS.

Cook:
PEOPLE GO TO HER FOR ADVICE.

PEOPLE GO TO HER TO RAISE MONEY.

PEOPLE GO TO HER
AND ASK HER TO SPEAK.

SHE SAYS IN HER MEMOIR
SHE'S DONE IT ALL FOR F.D.R.,

BUT THE FACT IS
SHE LOVES EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

Curtis Roosevelt:
I THINK SHE WAS
PROFOUNDLY IMPRESSED

AND BELIEVED IN HER HEART

THAT HELPING OTHER PEOPLE,
ENABLING OTHER PEOPLE,

PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU WERE
IN A POSITION OF PRIVILEGE,

WAS THE WAY SHE WISHED
TO CONDUCT HER LIFE.

McCullough:
ELEANOR WAS MAKING

ALL THE GREAT REFORM CAUSES
OF THE DAY HER OWN:

CHILD LABOR, PUBLIC HOUSING,
WORKER'S COMPENSATION,

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE.

SHE WAS BECOMING A VOICE
FOR THOSE WHO HAD NONE.

Gurewitsch:
SHE HAD ABDICATED
HER ROLE AS WIFE.

SHE HAD... HE INVITED HER
VERY MANY TIMES TO COME DOWN,

BUT HE WAS WITH THE FRIENDS WHOM
SHE DIDN'T SPECIALLY CARE FOR...

THE CONGENIAL FRIENDS,

THE FRIENDS
FROM THE LUCY MERCER DAYS,

THE... THE PEOPLE WHO
LIKED TO LIVE ON A HOUSEBOAT

AND SWIM AND DRINK AND...
AND HE WAS WITH MISSY LeHAND.

McCullough:
"MISSY" WAS MARGUERITE LeHAND,
FRANKLIN'S SECRETARY...

UNMARRIED, CATHOLIC, HIGH-SCHOOL
EDUCATED, MANY YEARS YOUNGER.

Goodwin:
MISSY HAD STARTED WORKING
FOR FRANKLIN

WHEN SHE WAS 20 YEARS OLD
IN 1920

AND, I THINK,
FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM

AND NEVER STOPPED LOVING HIM
ALL THE REST OF HER LIFE.

IT WOULD BE MISSY
WHO WOULD SIT BY HIS SIDE

AS THEY WENT FISHING.

SHE LEARNED
EVERY ACTIVITY THAT HE LIKED

AND BECAME AN EXPERT AT IT.

SO SHE WAS THE PERFECT COMPANION
FOR THESE LAZY, AIMLESS DAYS

ON THE LAROOCO.

ELEANOR IS NOWHERE IN SIGHT
DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME.

McCullough:
ELEANOR HAD NOW MADE
A LIFE OF HER OWN

WITH HER OWN FRIENDS.

"ALAS AND LACKADAY,"
WROTE HER AUNT.

"I JUST HATE TO HAVE ELEANOR
LET HERSELF LOOK AS SHE DOES.

"SINCE POLITICS HAVE BECOME
HER CHOICEST INTEREST,

ALL HER CHARM HAS DISAPPEARED."

FRANKLIN SUPPORTED ELEANOR'S
NEW-FOUND INDEPENDENCE.

DURING THE 1920s, THEY HAD ONCE
AGAIN REDEFINED THEIR MARRIAGE.

THEY WERE BOUND TOGETHER

BY POLITICS, RESPECT
AND REAL AFFECTION,

BUT THEY LED SEPARATE LIVES.

FOR THE FIRST TIME,
ELEANOR HAD A HOME OF HER OWN

TWO MILES FROM HYDE PARK...

A SIMPLE COTTAGE,
BUILT FOR HER BY FRANKLIN.

SHE CALLED IT VAL-KILL, AFTER
THE BROOK RUNNING PAST ITS DOOR.

Cook:
SHE CAN INVITE
WHO SHE WANTS THERE.

HER MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS TO KNOCK
BEFORE SHE ENTERS.

THERE ARE NO SLIDING DOORS.

SARA IS SHOCKED THAT
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT WOULD PREFER

TO LIVE IN WHAT SHE CALLS
"THAT HOVEL"

RATHER THAN THE PROPER HOUSE...

THE BIG HOUSE WITH THE
PROPER NUMBER OF SERVANTS.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S
VERY HAPPY AT VAL-KILL.

McCullough:
AT VAL-KILL, ELEANOR FELT FREE.

SHE DEFIED CONVENTION,

BEFRIENDING SO-CALLED NEW WOMEN
WHO LIVED WITH ONE ANOTHER.

ELEANOR FOUND IN THESE FRIENDS
THE KIND OF EMOTIONAL CLOSENESS

THAT FRANKLIN COULD NOT PROVIDE.

ALL THROUGH THE 1920s
ELEANOR FLOURISHED.

SHE BECAME
FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT,

WRITING ARTICLES
FOR NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES.

SHE TAUGHT AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL
IN NEW YORK, WHICH SHE CO-OWNED.

SHE CONTINUED TO CAMPAIGN FOR
PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL CAUSES.

SHE TRAVELED WIDELY.

SHE WAS AT EASE WITH HERSELF

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN HER LIFE, BEGAN TO HAVE FUN.

VAL-KILL WAS ELEANOR'S,
BUT THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE,

FRANKLIN WAS A FREQUENT
AND WELCOME GUEST.

ELEANOR'S FRIENDS
BECAME HIS FRIENDS,

SUPPORTING HIS HOPES TO ONE DAY
RETURN TO POLITICAL LIFE.

"I DON'T WANT HIM FORGOTTEN,"
ELEANOR SAID.

"I WANT HIM TO HAVE A VOICE."

McCullough:
IN 1924, THE FORMER CANDIDATE
FOR VICE-PRESIDENT

WAS INVITED TO THE DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL CONVENTION.

HE DELIVERED A ROUSING SPEECH,

BUT HE PLAYED NO FURTHER PART
IN THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

HE WAS STILL FAR TOO WEAK.

THAT FALL, THERE WAS
TALK OF FRANKLIN RUNNING

FOR GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK, BUT
HE QUICKLY REJECTED THE IDEA.

HE WOULD NOT SEEK
PUBLIC OFFICE, HE SAID,

UNTIL HE NO LONGER
NEEDED CRUTCHES.

DETERMINED TO FIND A CURE,
HE ONCE AGAIN HEADED SOUTH.

HE HAD HEARD OF POOLS
OF STEAMING MINERAL WATER

IN WARM SPRINGS, GEORGIA,
WHOSE MARVELOUS HEALING POWERS

WERE THE STUFF OF LOCAL LEGEND.

GUSHING OUT OF THE SIDE
OF A MOUNTAIN,

THE WATERS WERE 90 DEGREES
AND ASTONISHINGLY BUOYANT.

SOME CALLED THEM
"MIRACLE" WATERS.

ALTHOUGH THE WATERS WOULD NEVER
GIVE FRANKLIN BACK HIS LEGS,

THEY WOULD GIVE NEW MEANING
TO HIS LIFE, AND NEW PURPOSE.

"I FEEL," HE WROTE HIS MOTHER,

"THAT A GREAT CURE FOR INFANTILE
PARALYSIS AND KINDRED DISEASES

COULD WELL BE ESTABLISHED HERE."

Man:
WELL, THERE WASN'T MUCH HERE.

THERE WAS ONLY ONE HOTEL
DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW,

AND A GROCERY STORE.

THEY CALLED IT "BULLOCHVILLE."

IT WASN'T CONSIDERED A TOWN...
WHAT I WOULD CALL A TOWN.

I THOUGHT IT TOOK
A LOT OF STORES

TO MAKE A TOWN
BACK IN THOSE DAYS,

BUT I JUST CALLED IT
A GREASY SPOT.

AND I THINK THEY NAMED IT
WARM SPRINGS, GEORGIA,

AFTER MR. ROOSEVELT, ABOUT
THE TIME HE BEGAN TO COME HERE.

McCullough:
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN,

THERE STOOD A ONCE LOVELY
VACATION RESORT,

A FAVORED RETREAT
FOR WEALTHY SOUTHERNERS.

BY THE TIME FRANKLIN ARRIVED,
ITS GLORY HAD FADED

TO A CLUSTER OF COTTAGES IN NEED
OF REPAIR, AND A RUN-DOWN HOTEL.

FRANKLIN DREAMED
OF RESTORING ITS ORIGINAL CHARM

AND TURNING IT INTO A MODERN
REHABILITATION CENTER

FOR THOSE
WITH INFANTILE PARALYSIS,

BUT FIRST HE WOULD NEED HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

ROOSEVELT BORROWED A LOT
OF MONEY FROM HIS MOTHER

AND PUT IN A LOT OF HIS OWN.

HIS WIFE WAS ABSOLUTELY OPPOSED

AND THOUGHT IT WAS
A TERRIBLE IDEA.

SHE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING
TO COST TOO MUCH MONEY.

SHE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD GIVE
HIM SOMETHING ELSE TO ATTEND TO

AND TAKE HIM AWAY FROM POLITICS,
THAT YOU COULDN'T DO EVERYTHING

AND WARM SPRINGS WAS GOING
TO COMPLETELY DOMINATE HIS LIFE.

SHE WORRIED ABOUT IT.

ONE OF THE FEW TIMES WE KNOW IN
WHICH HE REALLY GOT ANGRY AT HER

WAS WHEN SHE GENTLY SUGGESTED

THAT PERHAPS THIS WAS NOT
A GOOD IDEA, AND HE WAS FURIOUS.

HE REALLY EXPLODED AND SAID,

"THIS IS SOMETHING
I REALLY WANT.

YOU EITHER SUPPORT ME
OR YOU DON'T."

AND THEN WHEN THAT
WAS SORT OF A...

SORT OF AN EMOTIONAL ULTIMATUM,
SHE DID SUPPORT IT.

McCullough:
INVESTING $195,000...

TWO-THIRDS
OF HIS PERSONAL FORTUNE...

FRANKLIN CREATED AND DESIGNED

THE FIRST MODERN TREATMENT
CENTER FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS

IN THE COUNTRY.

SOON PEOPLE WITH POLIO
FROM ACROSS AMERICA

WERE MAKING THE PILGRIMAGE
TO THE GEORGIA BACKWOODS.

AS FRANKLIN STRUGGLED

TO REHABILITATE
HIS OWN WITHERED LIMBS,

HE DEVOTED HIMSELF FOR THE
FIRST TIME TO HELPING OTHERS.

"YOU WOULD HOWL WITH GLEE,"
HE TOLD A FRIEND,

"IF YOU COULD SEE
THE CLINIC IN OPERATION

"AND THE PATIENTS DOING
VARIOUS EXERCISES IN THE WATER

UNDER MY LEADERSHIP."

Gallagher:
WARM SPRINGS WAS
A WONDERFUL PLACE.

ROOSEVELT WAS A PATIENT
JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS.

"DOCTOR" ROOSEVELT,
AS THE OTHERS CALLED HIM,

WAS REALLY REMARKABLY CREATIVE.

HE BROUGHT IN BLACKSMITHS

AND THEY DESIGNED BRACES
AND CRUTCHES...

A CRUTCH DESIGN
THAT'S STILL USED,

THE WARM SPRINGS CRUTCH.

ROOSEVELT INVENTED
A MUSCLE TESTING TECHNIQUE,

A WAY OF GRADING
HOW STRONG A MUSCLE IS

THAT IS STILL IN USE,

AND IT WAS
A REMARKABLY INVENTIVE TIME.

McCullough:
ALWAYS HE BELIEVED IN RECOVERY.

SWIMMING, SUNLIGHT AND
BELIEF ON THE PATIENT'S PART

THAT THE MUSCLES
ARE COMING BACK.

Man:
HE HAD CHARISMA.

HE WAS JUST GLOWING WITH IT,

AND HE'D DO THAT SMILE
AND HE'D LAUGH.

Woman:
AFTER EVERYBODY HAD TREATMENT,

THEY WOULD ALL GO OUT INTO
WHAT WAS CALLED THE PLAY POOL

AND THEY WOULD PLAY
VIGOROUS GAMES OF BALL.

HE PLAYED WITH THEM,

AND HE WAS JUST AS TOUGH
AS ANY OF THE CHILDREN.

THEY LOVED HIM.

Ward:
WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE GOT BETTER
AT WARM SPRINGS,

THEY FELT THAT THEY WERE BETTER

AND THEY FELT THAT WITH HIM
PRESENT, ANYTHING WAS POSSIBLE.

McCullough:
WARM SPRINGS WAS
FRANKLIN'S CREATION.

FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE,
IN TIMES OF STRESS,

HE WOULD RETREAT TO THE PINEY
WOODS AND THE WARM WATERS.

IT BECAME HIS SECOND HOME.

FRANKLIN LOVED TO DRIVE...
AND HE DROVE FAST.

HE DESIGNED HIS CAR HIMSELF

WITH INGENIOUS LEVERS
AND PULLEYS

SO HE COULD DRIVE
WITHOUT HIS LEGS.

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE
HE WAS PARALYZED, HE FELT FREE.

OVER THE YEARS, HIS DRIVES
THROUGH THE GEORGIA COUNTRYSIDE

WOULD PROVIDE HIM WITH
A VALUABLE POLITICAL EDUCATION.

Man:
HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE PEOPLE

AND HE GOT OUT
AND VISITED WITH THEM.

EVEN AFTER HE WAS PRESIDENT,

HE WOULD SLIP AWAY
FROM HIS BODYGUARDS AND GET OUT

AND RIDE THE BACK WAYS
AND BACK ROADS AND MEET PEOPLE

AND STOP AND TALK WITH THEM.

BUT HE'D NEVER MET PEOPLE
LIKE THAT BEFORE.

Loftin:
HE USUALLY TALKED TO YOU.

HE STARTED THE CONVERSATION.

AND WHATEVER HE WANTED TO KNOW,
HE'D ASK.

HE DIDN'T HESITATE ABOUT ASKING

IF HE SAW SOMETHING
HE WANTED TO KNOW.

McCullough:
EVERYWHERE HE WENT,
HE HEARD STORIES

ABOUT THE LACK OF ELECTRICITY
IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

AND THE EXORBITANT RATES
PAID FOR IT IN TOWN...

ABOUT BAD SCHOOLS
AND LOW FARM PRICES...

STORIES THAT LEFT
THEIR MARK ON HIM.

Copeland:
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW COME
I LOVED HIM LIKE I DID.

IT WASN'T...

HE HADN'T DONE ANYTHING
FOR ME PERSONALLY.

WE WOULD WALK TO WARM SPRINGS

JUST TO SEE HIM DISBOARD
THE TRAIN.

HE'D COME ON DOWN TO...

"HELLO, WARM SPRINGS,
HELLO, WARM SPRINGS."

THAT'S THE WAY...

WE WANTED TO SEE HIM
GREET THE LITTLE TOWN,

AND WE WALKED FOR MILES
TO SEE THAT.

WELL, HE WASN'T
THE PRESIDENT THEN.

HE WASN'T EVEN THE GOVERNOR
OF NEW YORK, I DON'T GUESS.

BUT HE WAS JUST MR. ROOSEVELT
IN THOSE DAYS.

AFTER HE BECAME PRESIDENT, THEY
WERE VERY, YOU KNOW, POLITE.

BUT THEY USED TO CALL HIM
IN THE EARLY DAYS "ROSEY,"

WHICH I THINK WAS
A WONDERFUL NAME.

EVERYBODY LOVED HIM.

IT GOES BEYOND LIKE;
THEY LOVED HIM.

Eleanor Roosevelt:
I DON'T THINK HE CHANGED
COMPLETELY.

THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS
THAT WERE ALWAYS THERE.

BUT HE CERTAINLY LEARNED TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT SUFFERING MEANT

IN A WAY THAT HE HAD
NEVER KNOWN BEFORE...

BECAUSE HE COULD UNDERSTAND
HOW PEOPLE COULD SUFFER

IN WAYS THAT HE HAD
NOT EXPERIENCED,

AND I THINK THAT GREW
OUT OF HIS POLIO EXPERIENCE.

AND HE CERTAINLY GAINED
ENORMOUSLY IN PATIENCE.

THAT GAVE HIM SOME
OF THE PATIENCE THAT WAS NEEDED

TO MEET THE PROBLEMS BOTH
OF THE NEW DEAL AND THE WAR.

I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY TO HIM,

"BUT IF WE DO THIS, WE DON'T
KNOW IF WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL."

AND I'VE SEEN MY HUSBAND
TIME AFTER TIME SAY,

"THERE ARE VERY FEW THINGS
WE CAN KNOW BEFOREHAND.

"WE WILL TRY,
AND IF WE FIND WE ARE WRONG,

WE WILL HAVE TO CHANGE."

McCullough:
THROUGHOUT HIS LONG STRUGGLE
WITH POLIO,

FRANKLIN REMAINED DETERMINED
TO RETURN TO POLITICS.

BUT HE KNEW HE WOULD HAVE
TO CONVINCE VOTERS

THAT HE WAS NOT AN INVALID,

AND YEAR AFTER YEAR
OF ARDUOUS EXERCISE

HAD NOT IMPROVED
HIS WASTED LEG MUSCLES.

Gallagher:
HE WANTED TO BE PRESIDENT,

AND IT WAS JUST UNTHINKABLE
IN THOSE DAYS

THAT A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR

COULD BE ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES...

AND IN FACT IT'S PRETTY
UNTHINKABLE RIGHT NOW...

AND SO HE HAD TO WALK,

AND SINCE HE WASN'T
GETTING BETTER,

HE DEVELOPED BETTER TECHNIQUES
FOR APPEARING TO LOOK BETTER.

McCullough:
IN 1926, PHYSIOTHERAPIST
ALICE CONVERSE

TAUGHT FRANKLIN HOW TO WALK
MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH CRUTCHES.

Converse:
HE WAS VERY ANXIOUS TO WALK.

HE WOULD PLANT THE CRUTCHES
ON THE FLOOR SO HARD,

YOU'D THINK
THAT THE BOARDS WOULD BREAK

AND THEN DRAG HIMSELF ALONG.

IT HAD BEEN FIVE YEARS
SINCE THE ONSET OF POLIO.

HIS UPPER BODY WAS VERY STRONG
BUT HIS LEGS WERE PRETTY WEAK,

SO WE TRIED TO GET HIM TO USE
HIS BODY MUSCLES IN SUCH A WAY

THAT THEY WOULD HELP LIFT UP
A LEG AT A TIME AND TAKE A STEP.

McCullough:
BUT CRUTCHES WEREN'T
GOOD ENOUGH.

HE KNEW THEY WERE
POLITICAL POISON.

THEY WOULD, HE SAID,
"INSPIRE PITY."

HE LEARNED INSTEAD TO APPEAR
IN PUBLIC WITH A CANE.

Gallagher:
HE DEVELOPED THIS TECHNIQUE

THAT LOOKED LIKE WALKING...

HIS SONS WERE STRONG MEN.

THEY TOOK EXERCISES

SO THEIR ARMS WOULD BE
AS STRONG AS A PARALLEL BAR,

AND HE WOULD LEAN
ON ONE SON'S ARM,

PUTTING ALL HIS WEIGHT ON IT,

AND THEN HE WOULD SWITCH
HIS WEIGHT FROM THE SON'S ARM

ONTO A CANE, WHICH HE CARRIED
IN THE OTHER HAND,

SO THAT HE COULD SWITCH
HIS WEIGHT FROM SIDE TO SIDE

AND THUS PROGRESS,

AND HE INSTRUCTED HIS SONS,

"YOU MUST NOT LET PEOPLE SEE
THAT THIS IS DIFFICULT

OR TAKES EFFORT OR HURTS."

THEY WOULD CHAT AND JOKE
AND LAUGH AS THEY WENT ALONG.

IT WAS A SLOW PROCESS,

BUT THEY LOOKED AS THOUGH
THEY WERE TAKING THEIR TIME

SO THEY COULD SMILE AT PEOPLE

AND SAY HELLO TO THE CROWD
AS THEY WENT ALONG.

AND IT WAS SHOW BIZ,
BUT IT WORKED.

McCullough:
ONLY FOUR SECONDS OF FILM EXIST
WHICH CLEARLY SHOW

THE WALK FRANKLIN
SO TIRELESSLY PRACTICED.

Ward:
THE GOAL REALLY WAS
SIMPLY TO TAKE ENOUGH STEPS

TO GET FROM A CAR
INTO A BUILDING

OR FROM HIS SEAT ON THE STAGE
TO THE PODIUM AND BACK AGAIN.

IF HE COULD DO THAT WITHOUT
SEEMING HOPELESSLY CRIPPLED,

HE'D SUCCEEDED.

Gallagher:
ROOSEVELT HAD NO HIP MUSCLES,

AND IF A BREEZE, SOMEONE SHOULD
JOSTLE HIM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

HE COULD JUST PIVOT
AND FALL DOWN.

HE WAS NOT STABLE AT ALL.

IT WAS NOT A SAFE WAY
OF LOCOMOTION, OF MOVING AROUND,

AND NOT A PRACTICAL WAY,
BUT IT WAS A POLITICAL WAY.

McCullough:
BY THE SUMMER OF 1928,
FRANKLIN WAS READY AT LAST

TO MAKE HIS WAY BACK
INTO THE POLITICAL WORLD.

THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
WAS IN HOUSTON,

AND ELEANOR HAD WRITTEN HIM,
"I'M TELLING EVERYONE

YOU'RE GOING TO HOUSTON
WITHOUT CRUTCHES."

AS HE BOARDED
THE TRAIN FOR TEXAS,

HE KNEW HE WAS ABOUT
TO RISK EVERYTHING.

ALL THROUGH THE 1920s, FRANKLIN
HAD KEPT UP HIS CONTACTS

WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERS.

NOW HE'D BEEN ASKED TO NOMINATE

THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK...
AL SMITH... FOR PRESIDENT.

SMITH WAS A TOUGH, WORLDLY
CATHOLIC FROM NEW YORK CITY

AND ONE OF HIS ADVISERS ARGUED,

"YOU'RE A BOWERY MICK
AND HE'S A PROTESTANT PATRICIAN.

HE'LL TAKE SOME
OF THE CURSE OFF YOU."

WITH 15,000 DELEGATES WATCHING,

FRANKLIN SET OUT TO WALK
TO THE PODIUM WITH A CANE,

WITHOUT THE AID OF CRUTCHES.

AN ACCIDENTAL FALL WOULD
LEAVE HIM SPRAWLED HELPLESSLY

ON THE CONVENTION FLOOR,
HIS POLITICAL HOPES DESTROYED.

WITH ONE HAND
HE GRIPPED THE CANE.

WITH THE OTHER
HE BALANCED PRECARIOUSLY

ON HIS SON ELLIOTT'S
POWERFUL ARM.

HE APPEARED TO BE WALKING.

ONE REPORTER
DESCRIBED THE SCENE:

"HERE ON THE STAGE
IS FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT...

"A FIGURE TALL AND PROUD
EVEN IN SUFFERING,

"PALE WITH YEARS OF STRUGGLE
AGAINST PARALYSIS,

"A MAN SOFTENED AND CLEANSED
AND ILLUMINED WITH PAIN.

FOR THE MOMENT,
WE ARE LIFTED UP."

Franklin Roosevelt:
WE OFFER ONE WHO HAS
THE WILL TO WIN,

WHO NOT ONLY DESERVES SUCCESS,
BUT COMMANDS IT.

VICTORY IS HIS HABIT.

THE HAPPY WARRIOR,
ALFRED E. SMITH.

McCullough:
THE NOMINATION WAS AL SMITH'S,

BUT THE VICTORY BELONGED
TO FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT.

WHEN SMITH URGED HIM TO RUN
FOR GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK,

ROOSEVELT SAID HE WAS READY.

SOMEONE ASKED SMITH
WHY HE HAD PUT ROOSEVELT

BACK IN THE POLITICAL LIMELIGHT.

"AREN'T YOU RAISING UP A RIVAL

WHO WILL ONE DAY
CAUSE YOU TROUBLE?"

"NO," SMITH REPLIED.

"HE'LL BE DEAD WITHIN A YEAR."

SIX MONTHS LATER, SMITH HAD LOST
HIS RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY

AND ROOSEVELT WAS GOVERNOR
OF NEW YORK.

ROOSEVELT WON OFFICE
BY THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS,

CAMPAIGNING MORE VIGOROUSLY
THAN ANYONE EXPECTED.

NOW AS GOVERNOR, HE WOULD
CONTINUE TO SURPRISE EVERYONE.

HE TOOK COMMAND AT ONCE.

IN HIS FIRST SIX MONTHS, HE
ADVOCATED TAX RELIEF FOR FARMERS

AND CHEAP ELECTRIC POWER
FOR CONSUMERS.

BUT WHEN DISASTER SUDDENLY
STRUCK THE ECONOMY,

NO ONE WAS SURE
WHAT ROOSEVELT WOULD DO.

ON OCTOBER 24, 1929,
THE STOCK MARKET CRASHED.

IT WAS THE BEGINNING
OF THE WORST CALAMITY

THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY
HAD EVER KNOWN.

BANKS CLOSED,
MILLIONS WERE PUT OUT OF WORK.

HOMELESS PEOPLE WERE SOON
CAMPING JUST A FEW BLOCKS

FROM THE TOWN HOUSE
SARA ROOSEVELT HAD BUILT

FOR FRANKLIN
AND HIS BRIDE YEARS BEFORE.

ELEANOR GAVE INSTRUCTIONS
TO THE COOK

TO PROVIDE ANYONE
WHO CAME TO THE DOOR

WITH HOT COFFEE AND SANDWICHES.

Man:
THERE'S ONLY ONE WORD THAT
ADEQUATELY DESCRIBES IT,

AND THAT'S SURELY DESPAIR...
A SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS,

A SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS.

ABOUT A THIRD...

IMAGINE A THIRD OF LABOR
TOTALLY UNEMPLOYED.

14 MILLION PEOPLE.

THERE WAS A SENSE OF FRIGHT...
A SENSE OF HORROR.

IT WAS A FEELING THAT,
WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

WAS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOMETHING
LIKE THIS COULD OCCUR

IN THE COUNTRY?

McCullough:
SINCE THE START
OF THE DEPRESSION,

THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT,
HERBERT HOOVER,

HAD SETTLED INTO
A DISMAL PESSIMISM.

AFTER ONE GLOOMY
WHITE HOUSE MEETING,

HIS SECRETARY OF STATE SAID,

"IT WAS LIKE SITTING IN A
BATH OF INK TO SIT IN HIS ROOM."

HOOVER BELIEVED THERE WAS
NOTHING HE COULD DO

TO TURN THE ECONOMY AROUND;

THE CRISIS WOULD
HAVE TO RESOLVE ITSELF

WITHOUT THE AID OF GOVERNMENT.

AT FIRST, ROOSEVELT AGREED
WITH HOOVER.

"INDUSTRIAL AND TRADE CONDITIONS
ARE SOUND," HE WIRED A NEWSPAPER

THE MORNING AFTER THE CRASH.

BUT AS THE CRISIS DEEPENED,
ROOSEVELT BEGAN TO CHANGE.

ALL HIS LIFE HE HAD BELIEVED

THAT RELIEF SHOULD COME
FROM PRIVATE CHARITIES,

BUT FACE-TO-FACE WITH
THE PROBLEMS OF THE DEPRESSION,

HE BECAME CONVINCED

THAT ONLY MASSIVE GOVERNMENT
INTERVENTION COULD HELP.

FOR THE FIRST TIME,

ROOSEVELT BEGAN TO EXPERIMENT
WITH BOLD NEW IDEAS...

ASSISTANCE FOR THE AGED,
AND THE COUNTRY'S FIRST PROGRAM

TO PROVIDE RELIEF
FOR THE UNEMPLOYED.

"THE IMPORTANT THING," HE TOLD
THE NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY,

"IS TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS
A DUTY ON THE PART OF GOVERNMENT

TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS."

IN 1932, PRESIDENT HOOVER
INVITED THE NATION'S GOVERNORS

TO A WHITE HOUSE DINNER.

WITH HIS PRESIDENCY IN JEOPARDY,

HE WANTED TO SIZE UP
THE MAN FROM NEW YORK

WITH THE PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS

WHO WAS RAPIDLY BECOMING
THE DEMOCRATIC FRONT-RUNNER.

Man:
AND THE NIGHT OF THE DINNER,
WITH A CANE IN HIS HAND,

HE STARTED GOING
TO THE DINING ROOM,

DRAGGING HIS LEGS FROM HIS HIPS

AND SUPPORTING HIMSELF FROM THE
CANE AND HIS BODYGUARD'S ARM.

AND HE WALKED TO THE ANGLE, THAT
45-DEGREE ANGLE OF THE TABLE,

AND I WAS ALERTED TO A NOD

THAT WAS TELLING ME
HE WAS GOING TO TAKE THE SEAT.

WELL, WHEN HE DID,
HE LITERALLY FELL IN THE SEAT,

AND THAT SCENE WAS WITNESSED

BY ALL THE GUESTS
AT THE DINNER TABLE.

AND EVERYBODY SAID, "WELL, THAT
MAN, WHAT IS HE THINKING ABOUT?

"HOW'S HE GOING TO BE PRESIDENT?

HE'S ONLY A HALF MAN."

McCullough:
ON JULY 1, 1932, AFTER FIVE
TENSION-FILLED DAYS

AT THE DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL CONVENTION,

THE DELEGATES RALLIED
BEHIND THE MAN

WHO HAD FOUGHT HIS WAY
BACK FROM DESPAIR.

Man:
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT...

HAVING RECEIVED
MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS

OF ALL THE DELEGATES VOTING,

I PROCLAIM HIM THE NOMINEE
OF THIS CONVENTION

FOR PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES.

McCullough:
NOW F.D.R. WAS READY
TO BEGIN THE RACE

HE HAD BEEN PREPARING FOR
ALL HIS LIFE.

Franklin Roosevelt:
THIS IS MORE THAN A
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.

IT IS A CALL TO ARMS.

GIVE ME YOUR HELP,

NOT TO WIN VOTES ALONE,
BUT TO WIN IN THIS CRUSADE

TO RESTORE AMERICA
TO ITS OWN PEOPLE.

McCullough:
HE REFUSED TO LET
HIS CRIPPLED LEGS

KEEP HIM FROM RUNNING HARD
AND WITH CONFIDENCE.

I USED TO SAY,
"IF I GO TO WASHINGTON

ON THE FOURTH OF MARCH NEXT."

BUT NOW AT THE... VERY NEARLY
THE END OF THIS SWING,

I'M NOT SAYING "IF,"
I'M SAYING "WHEN."

THE GREAT WAR AGAINST DEPRESSION

IS BEING FOUGHT ON MANY FRONTS
IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD.

McCullough:
HIS REPUBLICAN OPPONENT,

THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES,

APPEARED OVERWHELMED
BY THE DEPRESSION.

THE LAST 18 MONTHS TO CARRY
OUR FINANCIAL STRUCTURES SAFELY

THROUGH THE WORLDWIDE
COLLAPSE...

McCullough:
ONE OBSERVER REMARKED,

"IF YOU PUT A ROSE IN
HOOVER'S HAND, IT WOULD WILT."

Man:
HE GAVE THE IMPRESSION
TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC

THAT HE WAS JUST OUT OF CONTROL.

AND ROOSEVELT GAVE
THE IMPRESSION

THAT HE KNEW WHAT
THE COUNTRY NEEDED

AND HE WAS GOING
TO GIVE IT TO THEM.

WE FACE THAT CRISIS.

WE FACE IT WITH
SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE

AND, ABOVE ALL, WITH FAITH.

KEEP THAT FAITH CONSTANT.

KEEP THAT FAITH HIGH.

SO SHALL WE WIN THROUGH
TO A BETTER DAY.

McCullough:
IN SPITE OF THE CRISIS
THE COUNTRY FACED,

IT WAS A CAMPAIGN
OF PERSONALITIES.

AMERICANS WANTED A LEADER,

AND PEOPLE EVERYWHERE
WARMED TO THE BIG SMILE,

THE CONFIDENT TOSS OF THE HEAD,
THE CLEAR DELIGHT IN PEOPLE.

McCullough:
WHEN IT WAS OVER,

ROOSEVELT HAD WON
A SMASHING VICTORY.

Man:
BY MIDNIGHT,
THE COUNTRY ALREADY KNEW

THAT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT WAS THE
WINNER, AND A VERY LARGE WINNER.

ONE MAN SENT HERBERT HOOVER
A WIRE SAYING,

"VOTE FOR ROOSEVELT
AND MAKE IT UNANIMOUS."

LET ME THANK YOU AGAIN

AND TELL YOU THAT I HOPE
TO SEE YOU ALL VERY SOON

AND BID YOU
AN AFFECTIONATE GOOD NIGHT.

McCullough:
"I WAS HAPPY FOR MY HUSBAND,"
ELEANOR LATER WROTE.

"I KNEW THAT IT WOULD MAKE UP

"FOR THE BLOW THAT FATE HAD
DEALT HIM WHEN HE WAS STRICKEN

"WITH INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

"BUT FOR MYSELF,
I WAS DEEPLY TROUBLED.

"THIS MEANT THE END OF ANY
PERSONAL LIFE OF MY OWN.

THE TURMOIL IN MY HEART AND MIND
WAS RATHER GREAT THAT NIGHT."

McCullough:
IT WOULD BE FOUR MONTHS

BEFORE ROOSEVELT
WOULD TAKE OFFICE,

THE WORST MONTHS YET
OF THE DEPRESSION.

5,000 BANKS CLOSED.

EACH MONTH 20,000 FARMERS
LOST THEIR LAND.

THE ECONOMY HAD COLLAPSED.

AMERICANS EVERYWHERE WAITED
FOR THE PRESIDENT-ELECT

TO TELL THEM
WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO,

BUT ROOSEVELT GAVE NO CLUES.

Leuchtenburg:
AT ONE POINT,
REPORTERS ASK HIM A QUESTION

AND HE SIMPLY HOLDS UP
HIS FINGER AND GOES "SHH."

HE WILL NOT BE DRAWN OUT.

McCullough:
ONE MONTH BEFORE
THE INAUGURATION,

ROOSEVELT WENT CRUISING
IN THE CARIBBEAN

WITH HIS WEALTHY FRIENDS
ON VINCENT ASTOR'S YACHT...

THE BIGGEST AND
FASTEST OCEAN-GOING MOTOR YACHT

EVER BUILT.

DURING THE CAMPAIGN,

HE HAD PROMISED
WHAT HE CALLED A NEW DEAL

FOR THE FORGOTTEN MAN.

BUT AS YET HE HAD SAID NOTHING

ABOUT WHAT
THAT NEW DEAL MIGHT BE.

MEANWHILE, ELEANOR
WAS EXPECTED TO GIVE UP

HER TEACHING AND WRITING TO
BECOME THE NATION'S FIRST LADY.

TO GET TOGETHER AS YOU ARE HERE

AND FORGET THAT THERE IS SUCH A
THING AS A DEPRESSION FOR A TIME

AND FORGET ALL THE TROUBLES
THAT WEIGH US DOWN

AND SIMPLY SING
IS A GRAND THING TO DO.

Crowd:
♪ THERE'S A LONG, LONG TRAIL
WINDING ♪

♪ INTO THE LAND OF MY DREAMS ♪

♪ AND THE NIGHTINGALES
ARE SINGING ♪

♪ AND A WHITE MOON BEAMS... ♪

McCullough:
ON MARCH 2, 1933,
WITH THE ROOSEVELTS ON BOARD,

THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO TRAIN
HEADED TOWARD WASHINGTON.

IN TWO DAYS, FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
WOULD BECOME

THE 32nd PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES.

ELEANOR SAT QUIETLY BY HERSELF.

SHE FEARED SHE WAS ABOUT TO LOSE
HER HARD-WON INDEPENDENCE.

"I NEVER WANTED TO BE
A PRESIDENT'S WIFE," SHE SAID,

"AND I DON'T WANT IT NOW."

THE PRESIDENT-ELECT'S
MOTHER, SARA,

WAS, AS ALWAYS,
CONFIDENT IN HER BOY.

"I AM NOT IN THE LEAST WORRIED
ABOUT FRANKLIN,"

SHE TOLD A FRIEND.

IN THE LAST CAR,
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT SAT ALONE.

"IN ALL THE YEARS I KNEW HIM,"
HIS SON JAMES WROTE,

"THERE WAS ONLY ONE TIME

"WHEN FATHER WORRIED
ABOUT HIS ABILITY.

IT WAS THE NIGHT
HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT."

"YOU KNOW, JIMMY,"
HE SAID TO ME,

"ALL MY LIFE I HAVE BEEN AFRAID
OF ONLY ONE THING: FIRE.

TONIGHT I THINK I'M AFRAID
OF SOMETHING ELSE."

"AFRAID OF WHAT, FATHER?"
I ASKED.

"I'M AFRAID THAT I MAY NOT HAVE
THE STRENGTH TO DO THE JOB."

ON MARCH 4, 1933,
A MAN WHO COULD NOT WALK

WOULD BEGIN TO LEAD
A CRIPPLED COUNTRY.

Franklin Roosevelt:
I, FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT,

DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR

THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE

THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES

AND WILL TO THE BEST
OF MY ABILITY

PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND

THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE UNITED STATES,

SO HELP ME GOD.

FIND OUT MORE
ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS

AT AMERICAN EXPERIENCE ONLINE,

WHERE YOU CAN WATCH
COMPLETE PROGRAMS,

EXPLORE CONNECTIONS

BETWEEN PAST PRESIDENTS
AND THE CURRENT ELECTION,

AND SHARE YOUR VIEWS...

MAJOR FUNDING
FOR AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

IS PROVIDED BY:

MAJOR CORPORATE FUNDING
IS PROVIDED BY:

MAJOR FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM
IS PROVIDED BY:

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
IS ALSO MADE POSSIBLE

BY THE CORPORATION
FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING

AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.