Continuing Newstalgia's look at Conventions past, here is the Keynote address by Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt at the 1956 Democratic Convention. Adlai Stevenson was once again the Standard Bearer and it was this convention that the name of Sen. John F. Kennedy was first foisted into the spotlight as potential Presidential material, by being considered a vice-Presidential running mate for Stevenson. Kennedy declined and the VP slot went to Estes Kefauver, whose Crime Committee hearings made him a household name to millions of voters.

Here is Eleanor Roosevelt's complete address from that convention.

While the War was slowly turning in favor of the Allies, The groundwork for setting up The United Nations had been established. On June 7 of 1943, President Roosevelt addressed the very first United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture and discussed what role the allies would play in the Post-War world and the crucial importance of Food production.

Here is that address, complete as given on June 7, 1943.

It should be remembered that the concept of affordable Healthcare for everyone isn't a new concept. It's history goes back as far as 1909 as an idea hatched by Teddy Roosevelt. It was re-introduced during the FDR years, first as a possible adjunct to Social Security, but shelved temporarily, and was in the midst of being introduced again, when World War 2 broke out in December of 1941. It was again introduced by Harry Truman as a continuation of the legacy of FDR. It was bandied about during the Eisenhower years and it was again introduced in 1962 by President Kennedy.

Here is an address made by JFK at a rally in Madison Square Garden on May 20, 1960. Promoted as Medical Care for the Aged, Kennedy hoped for a plan that would insure decent medical care to those over the age of 65 and those who couldn't afford it. The bill was introduced and shelved, but was re-introduced and finally passed during the Johnson Administration in 1964 as a legacy to President Kennedy.

Here is that complete address.

It's a little hard to imagine this radio address is actually from 1948. The problems Progressive Party Presidential Candidate Henry Wallace discusses during this campaign talk are somewhat eerie in their similarities to our current situation.

Political corruption, the over-bearing influence of Wall Street and the Banking system over elected officials. The manufactured prices, the hysteria and the fear mongering - it's all there. Only it's 1948.

Henry Wallace was an ardent New Dealer and Secretary of Agriculture before becoming vice-President during FDR's third term. After FDR's death, Wallace broke with the party and clashed with Truman over domestic and foreign matters. Wallace was repeatedly smeared by both Democrats and Republicans as being pro-Communist, and the fact that he enjoyed a cordial relationship with Moscow probably didn't help matters any.

But he did speak about things that have come back to haunt us now.

So here, in its entirety, is Henry Wallace's Campaign address from July 29, 1948.

And keep reminding yourself of that as you're listening.

Since 1938 was a Mid-Term election year, President Roosevelt embarked on a 28 day tour of the U.S., bringing his message of the accomplishments of his second term and a few words about The New Deal and the Recovery taking place in the country. The NRA had undergone a challenge in the Supreme Court and many of the programs initiated during FDR's first term were in jeopardy. So in an effort to bolster support and to campaign for incumbents, FDR did a series of whistle-stop appearances.

This one, on July 7, 1938 was from an appearance in Covington, Kentucky and was broadcast nationwide to a capacity audience.

Here is the complete address.

Not one to shrink from public life after the death of FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt became, as longtime friend Adlai Stevenson put it, "a citizen of the world". Championing the cause of Human Rights and making it part of the United Nations Charter, Mrs. Roosevelt was instrumental in numerous humanitarian causes and aid throughout the world, particularly in the Post-War period and the emergence of independent nations.

In 1950 NBC asked her to host a series of informal get-togethers between Mrs. Roosevelt and various World leaders on a variety of subjects. The program was called "Today With Mrs. Roosevelt".

This episode features an interview between Mrs. Roosevelt and Pakistani Prime Minister Ali Khan over the emerging independence of Pakistan and India and the recent conflicts that erupted over the Kashmir region.

It's an area that's been of great interest over the last ten years (Afghanistan being a border country) and the political atmosphere in Pakistan has been fluctuating wildly ever since the late 1940's, as have the tensions between Pakistan and neighboring India.

It's early Television and sounds a little primitive by today's standards - but it's a historic glimpse into the Post-World War 2 period. The one that hasn't quite ironed itself out yet.

In what was billed as a "fireside chat style address" on November 14, 1937, President Roosevelt delivered a radio talk about the state of unemployment in the country. Using a census approach, FDR proposed sending questionnaires out asking who was unemployed and how long were they unemployed as a way of gauging what was needed as far as unemployment benefits was concerned.

Pres. Roosevelt: “When we have ascertained the full facts of unemployment, we can extend the voluntary and neighborly character of this effort to the task of finding the solution to the perplexing problem. Its importance justifies a national approach. Free from prejudice or partisanship and warrants the cooperative endeavors of business, of labor, of agriculture and of government. I am confident that this nation of ours has the genius to reorder its affairs and possesses the physical resources of make it possible for everyone, young or old, to enjoy the opportunity to work and earn.”

I haven't filled one of those out in . . . .forever. Of course, I always wondered just what happened to all the people who ran out of unemployment benefits and who are still unemployed. They seem to drop suspiciously from the roll books. Like most things deemed unpleasant in our culture, they just vanish.

I suspect no one would even remotely think about doing one of those now as the true number of unemployed in this country would be horrifying. Just sayin'.

A particularly grim day in 1940. Starting with news reports that France had appointed delegates to receive the German surrender terms. From the relocated French government in Bordeaux, Marshall Petain appealed to the French people, and the remaining French troops, to give up the War, that France had been defeated.

And while the appeals were going out and the envoys were readying to receive terms, the German Army were quickly advancing on all fronts, taking the important French Port city of Brest and the rumored capture of numerous French warships. What was left of the French Army had been separated into four areas and cut off from communication with each other. The German Army was also poised to take Paris.

All this had an uneasy affect on London, as it was reported that emergency cabinet meetings had taken place and plans for the defense of Britain were underway. Among those plans was the initial evacuation of some 20,000 children to Canada and the Dominions for the duration. The first ships were scheduled to convoy out in 2 weeks and offices handing the evacuation requests were flooded with applicants. It was widely believed that, now with the fall of France, Britain was facing Germany's Final Objective. German Bomber raids overnight hit the industrial cities of Billingham and Hull. The fires from Billingham could be seen for 30 miles. Reports from Berlin claimed they were reprisal bombings for British raids on German cities.

News from Washington initially came in the form of a bulletin that stated FDR made a surprising motion to form a Coalition Cabinet and the unprecedented move of appointing two high-ranking Republicans, Col. Frank Knox and Henry L. Stimson to the posts of Secretary of The Navy and Secretary of War, respectively. Knox was vice-Presidential Candidate for the Republicans in 1936 and Stimson was Secretary of State in the Hoover Administration and Secretary of War in the Taft Administration. The dismay came from the Republicans who felt it created damage to their 1940 Platform and it was purely a political move on FDR's part.

Another nail-biting day in history, this June 20, 1940, as reported on the NBC News Of The World.

Even around Memorial Day, the news on this May 29th in 1941 was about anything but Peace.

Reports from Berlin said a full-on invasion had taken place on the island of Crete. Reaction over FDR's latest Fireside Chat regarding U.S. shipping and neutral waters was swift and predictable. German bomber raids over England had increased, with raids on Northern Ireland included in the mix. In addition to Crete, intense fighting was now taking place in North Africa, concentrating on the area of Tobruk.

It was also reported that Berlin was relaxing its armistice terms to allow the Vichy French Air Force to "defend itself", causing many in London to speculate that it was a ploy on the part of the Laval government and Berlin to stimulate French manufacture of planes, the majority going to Germany in an effort to step up their lagging production with 7-8 of every 10 planes going to Germany. The French Merchant fleet was under Axis control and French Captains were ordered to scuttle theirs ships rather than face capture by the British.

From London came reports of RAF raids over Northern Germany and the French coast and confirmation that German raids the previous night did heavy damage on Liverpool and Belfast.

From Washington came reaction to German reaction to FDR's Fireside Chat saying Berlin was getting nervous and resorting to name calling and that U.S. involvement in the War in Europe would only be a matter of time or if "one of the axis powers decides to pull the trigger".

All that, and it was only the morning news via NBC for May 29, 1941.

With the campaign season just warming up, I will be spotlighting historic campaign addresses from previous Presidential elections, featuring ALL parties, but starting t his series off with a bang.

FDR addresses a crowd estimated at over 60,000 in Pittsburgh on October 1, 1936 - the last full month of campaigning.

He talks about the accomplishments of his administration during the first four years, looks ahead to the next and talks about the current state of the economy, the state of employment and the state of poverty in America.

And in answer to his critics regarding a balanced budget, he offers this:

FDR: "To balance our budget in 1933 or 1934 or 1935 would have been a crime against the American people. To do so we should either have had to make a capital levy that would have been confiscatory, or we should have had to set our face against human suffering with callous indifference. When Americans suffered, we refused to pass by on the other side. Humanity came first.

No one lightly lays a burden on the income of a Nation. But this vicious tightening circle of our declining national income simply had to be broken. The bankers and the industrialists of the Nation cried aloud that private business was powerless to break it. They turned, as they had a right to turn, to the Government. We accepted the final responsibility of Government, after all else had failed, to spend money when no one else had money left to spend.

I adopted, therefore, the other alternative. I cast aside a do nothing or a wait-and-see policy.

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