Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
Franklin D. Roosevelt was in a quiescent state at this time. He struggled to his feet to make the nomination of Al Smith in the convention - a beautiful nomination which was so dramatic and so effective. Then he retired again. When he came to the platform to make the nomination, a change came from the whole convention assembly. There was a hush and everybody was holding their breath. Everybody was sort of weeping inwardly. The old-line politicians remembered him as a very vigorous young man at the previous convention. Here was this terribly crippled person operating on a crutch and an arm and getting himself to the platform somehow, looking so pale, so thin, so delicate that it was a surprise to hear him begin to speak and see that his voice was strong and true and vigorous and that what he had to say had been not only well thought out but was delivered in a very convincing and dramatic kind of a way. While he stood there and while his voice was so vigorous and strong, he was literally trembling. The hand that was on the paper was literally shaking, because of the extreme pain and tenseness with which he held himself up to make that speech. Not everybody saw that, but I did. Where our seats were you could see everything that he did very well indeed.
I remember how awkward it was because nobody learned the trick we later learned of covering him when he was on
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help