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‘Day of Infamy’ press release offers glimpse of the past

By ERIC C.RODENBERG
AntiqueWeek Correspondent

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — For 67 years now, Dec. 7, 1941 – “that date which will live in infamy” – lives, well, in infamy.

It was that inauspicious date – cited in what is now entitled the “The Infamy Speech” by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt – that indelibly marked the attack on Pearl Harbor and our nation’s entry into World War II.

The address is roundly regarded as one of the most famous American political speeches of the 20th century. Roosevelt kept the speech short, a little more than six minutes, in the belief that it would have a more dramatic effect.

However, the day did almost not live in “infamy.”

The story goes that early in the afternoon of that day, Roosevelt upon learning of the attack, composed the speech in his head. He then dictated it to his secretary Grace Tully.

Biographer Nathan Miller recalled: “He inhaled deeply on his cigarette, blew out the smoke, and began dictating in the same calm tone he used to deal with his mail. He enunciated the words incisively and slowly, carefully specifying each punctuation mark and new paragraph. Running little more than 500 words, the message was dictated without hesitation and second thoughts.”

Tully typed what Roosevelt dictated and the President reviewed the draft. He edited the first line which read: “A date which will live in world history,” deftly striking out “world history” and inserting “infamy.”

Roosevelt, ever the great communicator, succinctly defined the cause and effect of the attack.

His revised statement worked to crystallize and channel the response of the nation into a collective response and resolve, argues author Neil J. Smelser in the book, Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity (University of California Press).

Prior to Roosevelt’s historic 12:30 p.m. speech in Congress, press secretary Stephen Early oversaw the preparation of press releases for the media. Using a mimeograph machine, he cranked out several copies of the release, with the admonishment across the top of the page: “HOLD FOR RELEASE, HOLD FOR RELEASE.”

Below that, he wrote: “CONFIDENTIAL: To be held in STRICT CONFIDENCE and no portion, synopsis or intimation to be published or given out until delivery of the President’s message to the congress HAS BEGUN.”

Just to be emphasize his point, the release added: “CAUTION: Extreme care must be exercised to avoid premature publication.”
It was a different age; a different era of journalism. The edict from Roosevelt and Early was abided by – there were no “leaks” by the press prior to the address.
“Can you imagine that happening today?” says historical document collector and dealer Tom Lingenfelter. “Something like this would be over the Internet … or on television within minutes.”

The original draft of the speech is considered to be priceless. The typewritten draft, with the President’s handwritten editing notes, is housed at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, N.Y. The reading copy – considered a Milestone Document – is located in the National Archives.

The only other available copy of the document with any historical significance would be an original press release. The Roosevelt Library has at least three of the original press releases, according to Bob Clark, the supervisory archivist.

Lingenfelter also has one, which he had procured from a working journalist of the times. He bought the press release among a stack of other paperwork, he said, at least “20 or 30 years ago.”

Lingenfelter believes that his original press release is the only such document privately held.

It is not known how many copies of the press release were produced.

“There is no way for us to know ultimately how many copies of the release were made,” the archivist Clark said. “We do know that the White House would send the press release version of speeches whenever anyone from the public wrote in asking for the text. The White House often retained the original stencil for the mimeograph and could thus produce more whenever necessary.”

Despite that, Lingenfelter believes his original is a “rare find.”
“I don’t believe another one exists in private hands,” Lingenfelter says. “This piece was immediately handed out and was forgotten. At the time, the message was important, not the document.”
The value of such an item is difficult to determine, Lingenfelter says.

Lingenfelter said he has no current plans to sell the press release.
Normally a major speech by Roosevelt took three to 10 days to prepare, according to historians. But, because of the urgent nature of

“The Infamy” speech was quickly crafted and delivered.
The famous speech was a call to arms for its national audience. It meant that the country was shifting to a war economy that would demand wage and price controls; and shortages of food, fuel and other strategic materials. And, of course, the induction into the armed forces of sons, husbands, fathers and sweethearts.
It was, indeed, a date of infamy.

12/3/2008