Transcripts For CSPAN2 Book Discussion On 1932 20151213 : vi

CSPAN2 Book Discussion On 1932 December 13, 2015

Good evening. And welcome to the mid Manhattan Branch of the New York Public Library. Thank you for joining us this evening. Tonights program is a talk based on the authors recent book 1932 the rise of hit her and fdr. Two tales of politics, betrayal, and unlikely destiny. In 1932, two depression battered nations confronted their destiny, going to the polls to choose new leaders. Americas president ial choices were gregarious athis tocrat Franklin Roosevelt, or tarnished wonder boy, Herbert Hoover. Germany suffered two rounds of bloody elections, and two president ial contests. Reactionary, paul von pin den berg against rising radical hate monger, Adolph Hitler. As unstoppable politics and economic forces advanced upon weakened, disoriented societies, a merciless worldwide Great Depression brought opportunity for a transformation. Perhaps hopeful. Perhaps deadly. Through fdrs new deal and hitlers third reich. Destiny unrolls, but reviewing history may reveal whether the outcomes of the two moms movement movements were inevitable. I have the usual requests please silence your cell phones, pagers and any other noisy devices that might interrupt the program. Secondly, please do not a take any pictures or make any recordings this evening unless you have received prior per permission from the New York Public Library administration, and we thank you for your courtesy and consideration in that. Tonights program is being filmed by cspan so would you please hold your questions until the end of the presentation. Our speaker tonight is david pietrusza, author of several awardwinning books, including 1920 the year of six president s, rothstein, 1948 Harry Trumans improbable victory and, 960 lbj vs. Jfk vs. Nixon, the Epic Campaign that formed three presidencies. He has appeared on good morning america, morning joe, the voice of america, the history channel, espn, npr, and cspan. So, would you please welcome tonights speaker, david pietrusza. [applause] thank you. And thank you all for coming tonight. So glad to see such a nice crowd here. Always have two excuses why a crowd doesnt show up. Its the weather, its like either the weather is too nice or too bad. So the weather must have been right in the middle for all of you to find your way here tonight. Last month i was up in hyde park at the fdr president ial library, and i had discovered when i got there that i had forgotten all my notes, left them on the kitchen counter at home. Every spoke they said, dont ever bring your notes again. Or maybe they said dont ever come again. Im not sure. Im still sorting that out in any case, since then ive gone completely noteless and just sort of winged it, and its far more exciting for myself and jackie mason might say in reverse, dont know if its going to be exciting for you, but for me its invigorating. This is why i was asked downstairs before the program started bay lady the elevator, how did you come to write this snook i had written three previous books on president ial history and the 1920s, 1948, 1960, so we have been on this path before, and so you keep on it. Plus, you have to sort of couple up with a twist at some point. We had these juxtapositions of jfk versus lbj versus knickson, the six president s involved in the 1920 election in one way or another. And here we have this immense juxtaposition of historic figures, on a world scale, in 1932, where Franklin Roosevelt and Adolph Hitler run president ial campaigns and then they take power in early 1933, and of course, they die. They die within a couple weeks of each other in early 1945, and then between theyre this thing called world war ii. So we have a certain synergy going on there, and we take a look at the parallel and the subtitle of the book has some meaning. I think a lot of subtitles now are like the flank which changed everything forever. But here we deal with three things. We deal with politics, we deal with betrayal, and we deal with unlikely debt destiny. And well deal with unlikely destiny here tonight. Hitler is unlikely by any standards, any standard at all, aside from public [inaudible] but he is essentially a High School Dropout derrek need entrance twice to art school. Then he goes and essentially is living in a homeless shelter. At one point he is homeless on the streets of vienna. A bohemian of sorts, an aitinerant artist, and world war i, in the mental ward of a military hospital. And exhibits so little thing about it. Theres a million german casualtoworld war i and the rises shoot through the top rank of corporal. Then he leads a coup, which fails. A disaster. He is accused of personal cowardice. Could have been shot for treason. Executed. Or at least sent back to his native austria. But it is unlikely because people are not sure if he has the right stuff. I am not just talking about republicans. People wonder if he is a lightweight or the intellectual capacity to lead america in this time of great crisis in the Great Depression to go full bore into 1932. Walter regard him as a fellow with no particular qualification to be president and no great reason and the finance your of the Democratic Party calls in the annual boy scout. May be like Thurston Howell the third rising to the top in 1932. Also not sure where he stands on the issue. With his political honesty. He never will do that. That administration is remarkably free of that. But where does he stand on the issues . One of the big issues of 1932 is prohibition. For the accounts of the 1932 republican and democratic convention. In the midst of the financial and a world crisis , which time is devoted to prohibition . And to be decidedly coy on the issue and to be very late to the game until early that year not quite sure where it stands for that. Did we see in their current times when governor of the same party. We have seen that before with john lindsay and rockefeller to deal with tammany hall the great democratic machine and cricket as can be starting off as a reformer in the senate and resulted his head handed to him. Then he realizes that isnt quite tammany hall lead alone city hall. But there are three big investigations one after another and what will he do about it . The socialist Leader People like that say do something. They know tammany will control the Democratic National convention to do as little as he can end only when he absolutely has to. But it cannot be too favorable because people around the rest of the country do not like him so there is the third issue that is shifty. As a member of the wilson administration. To be wilsonian it to favor the league of nations. And Franklin Roosevelt did. And William Randolph hearst gets on the radio out of los angeles to blast everybody. One guy after another. And the chief political advisor says what do we do about this . Add a prestigious and bin you upstate in which to see the league of nations as an issue that will not be a major issue. People wonder what they can do america and germany will have a president ial election every seven years in the 1932 bond hindenburg and to win the support of the ultranationalist. He is antidemocratic there is plans for reparations in germany. But by this time a dollar adolf hitler is gaining steam. There are parallels between Franklin Roosevelt and hitler. He had been elected for this to the new york than it is real close. You better count the votes correctly. If it is that close Franklin Roosevelt is elected. When nazis win 12 of them. So they are going nowhere fast. And then in new york state roosevelt wins reelection by the biggest margin than any governor up to that time. So the next day people like will rogers in germany in 1930 and the nazi rise from 12 12 delegates about 107 the secondBiggest Party in germany. And that capacity for creating mischief back in 1932 the National List no longer likes hindenburg but he is all that is holding the republic together. Even though he doesnt like republics. And the socialist in the social democrats that is the centerleft party they support him. And what happens is the germans vote it is a fourman race essentially. Hindenburg, adolf hitler who has become a german citizen by the fact he has received a minor government appointment with the rules of the republic german citizenship. There are the nationalists. And the not see nazis think they will do well as the instructions were given dont get too drunk to celebrate we have work to do the next morning but in fact, it is not close at all. In the fourman race misses it by be eyelash. But hitler immediately announces a running again to do the election to the german people. Because adolf hitler would get crushed. And that will show him. It has been said they were a combination of the super modern. He only has to ruth three weeks to run and he can draw big crowds at mass rallies. How many can he do in a short period of time . Not too many. Good radio is statesponsored at this time and when they do put them on the air by two of the henchman so they will do in a different way. But he will fly to all the campaign stops. Just seven years after lindbergh. Ended hicksites the german people. And then he will have power over germany. But hitler comes a lot closer than anyone thought. And has done it by taking votes from the nationalist and the economists and people wonder if they can ever stop this nazi ties that the ballot box is getting worse by the month. In america fdr is blast blast blessed to be the nominee against Herbert Hoover. The you cant beat somebody with nobody then those who want to be rivals but it is one of the lessons of 1932 to watch out for them and the game players and those whod take a chance in rows about really wants power also. To have a working semblance of a modern campaign. Just like richie from maryland. With limited government in traditional democrats. But he talks was supporter and says i can be better known if i gave more speeches but i dont have any more ideas. Each is limited. There is a governor who is say what job. And who can take a guy named of self was seriously . From governor of ohio and when hearst gives the speech in california he trashes everyone. In to be speaker of laos. And gardner could never given any thought so he enters the race. To be clobbered by a Herbert Hoover dont worry about being governor. Back to be the power behind the throne. So if you want to then he will run the state in your place and i will tell about. With the executive mansion. Bin to be given up on house met. To have the Empire State Building and the two people he really wants roosevelt of very parent pioneering figure. And he really was roosevelt to keeper of one. And smith also for the secretary of state to stay on under Franklin Roosevelt. End is for robert moses. And eventually smiths and anchored feels betrayed. It bubbles up early 1932. Now is off to a good start he wins a couple of primaries. Id people warn him. Because it is all of irish catholics. But they dont love you yet. But he ignores that. And then garner takes the go. And then as it comes up as a dozen california if you are what to vote for smith if you dont know where you stand over roosevelt. People knew where they stood. And to get all those from california roosevelt still has delegates so why is he in trouble . Because the democrats have a couple of rules. Line is the twothirds rule and he is short of that. And than Franklin Roosevelt when they want to do something else. In the same thing that happened in arkansas. And begging the california people. And his name is joe kennedy. He is on the phone to William Randolph hearst. With a mistress in the industry just like William Randolph hearst. Bin he says no. Give it to roosevelt. A guy named newton baker. Secretary of war under woodrow wilson. But he really dislikes baker. Cant we just throw it to albert ricci . No. You have the top of the ticket or garner for Vice President. What how are you will have. Okay. Roosevelt gets the nomination. Here is another custom. Let you do not tender the notice of your nomination immediately. Several weeks later a big shot comes up to your hometown and says surprise. You won the nomination than the nominee gives a speech. What does he do . He gets in an air plenum breaks tradition flying to chicago with the dnc and this is a big deal because one of fpr sons get sick of the plane and it takes seven hours. That is how primitive it is. With two stops. This excites people that roosevelt says we will have a new deal in america. He is off and running. In germany has a lot of elections in 1932. And they are just getting started. That the nazi in july of that year move from 107 through to madrid 30. Now the Biggest Party. And there is the phrase from the french anarchist and that is right. Sova nazi moves out. And even with the germans but then the people at the top of the government are larry of that. And as a representative of the republic but we complain that there is the lot of reasons to complain about that. Of what happens totally in his party. So with the coalition is to get things done. Everybody to get along with anyone the 51 parties. The socialist state the communist the communist take the socialist the nationalist hate the nazi. The middleclass parties had evaporated since the depression so you cannot form a Parliamentary Authority anymore. And then hindenburg will name that. So the constitution of the republic says you can do two things. There is article 48. That is like executive orders. They canby overridden but there is article 25 that says they can call for new elections. So if you want to overturn the executive order . You have a dictatorship going on. With one chancellor after another. Now back to america. One thing that will help roosevelt to neil that down you have a rise against demonstrations or other planets with philadelphia and cleveland and people protesting against foreclosures then you get the bonus march people coming into washington with a bonus for world war i service they go home and later in adjourned to say we may stay until 1945. They will never go home. Is like of really big occupy wall street. Zoo, the park was really small but this is maybe 20,000 people not leaving washington. And the occupied government buildings that are about to be torn down to create jobs for people. To of them are shot dead. End of the u. S. Army comes down pennsylvania avenue with the tanks rolling down the street but then that burns out the bonus marches for the first couple of days. And with those veterans to be thrown out at the Bayonet Point really comes in. November 1932 there still the Biggest Party but theres finally the rise is going down and as the saying goes maybe hitler has this germany has a betrayal thing going on where that is a fellow named kurt who had broke one chancellor after another and then he becomes chancellor and doesnt want to become chancellor but peter is preachers dealing in the shadows because in germany he needs schemers and that is him to the end to the degree. One of the guys that he dumped as become great friends and he has an idea. He is going to get his revenge and hes going to do it by making adolf hitler chancellor of germany pretty risky stuff but he says this isnt that risky because who is issuing a, who has really got the power . Not chancellor. Notice i havent mentioned the chancellors name until this point. If hindenburg. So, you can make hitler chancellor and we will create a new office of the vice chancellor which would go to who would have the ear of an also do not seize it gets only two of the eight cabinet vote in the post so what could go wrong . You know the end of that story. Dictatorship is also in the air in america be leaving or not. Also working for mcarthur is a young officer named Dwight Eisenhower not exactly a fiveyear ban extremist, hes a moderate in history as the note and a very middleoftheroad kind of guy. People call me the dictator because i think that is what is necessary in this country. There is a film called gabriel over the white house and then they chose to congress whats noteworthy about it, it talks of a president in the United States becoming a dictator is in chile at another studio puts out a film called mussolinis speech which is essentially an infomercial and that is a Million Dollars coming you tried making money, not easy. And people like smith been violently opposed to Franklin Roosevelt are even saying youve got to take charge of this depression and to his credit, Franklin Roosevelt does not do that. He is hes different than adolf hitler. The United States is a far different country than germany. During the campaign in and american journalist Dorothy Thompson went to the hotel in berlin and interviewed adolf hitler and was expecting a pretty wicked sort of guy that came away very impressed and wrote little man, little man you will never be chancellor of germany. But after hitler takes power she sees one of those that she has coming through the arch with a their porch lights lit and their arms out and the search light piercing the sky and she says wow. Postwar germany has ended in prewar germany has begun and so had prewar america. And thats how i ended my book. Thank you all for listening. [applause] as i had to cover a lot of things in a lot of and a lot of countries and continents, i left out some things so if you have any questions, let me know and the gentle man from cspan will hand you the microphone and give it a shot. Dick mussolini used the same church as hitler used . Did they u

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