I want to talk to you this morning a dday mystery that persists despite the millions of words written about normandy. What did dwight d. Eisenhower say when he gave the final order to launch the attack . It is puzzling to me that the most important decision of the 20th century did not deqeev to a memorable quote to mark the occasion. Something to live up to the magnitude of ikes decision. Something iconic like douglas mccar arthurs i shall return. If the overloord operation fails the allies might never have won the war. Eisenhowers decision could not agree on what he said and eisenhower could not agree with himself. He related five versions of his faithful words to journalists over the years. More mysteryousley he wrote five different versions of the statement. Well, to put those words whatever they may have been in context, the high drama leading up to the invasion wont bear repeating. All of the elements for the dday attack was in place. More than 150,000 men 12,000 aircraft, 7,000 sea vessels. It was arguably the largest Amphibious Force in history. Every contingency was planned for, every bit of terrain studied. The invasion force was like a coiled spring ike said ready to strike hitlers fortress. It waited for his command to go. But for all of the pep ration preparations there are things that ike couldnt control, the weather, the moon, and the tide. As we saw a few moments ago those who watched eisenhowers document on dday the dates were the 5, 6 and the 7th. If the attacks were not launched on those days they would be forced to wait until june 19. Any wait would cut into the summertime weather that the allies would have to campaign. The ins inescapable that he would right were too bitter to contemplate. Ike and his staff began meeting to choose the date, the date contingent on the best weather forecast. The Conference Room where they met was large. A former library with floor to sealing french doors and a bluing rug that ike would pace. Empty bookshelves lined the room. Ike, his commanders, and he has weather team met in the library twice a day at 4 00 a. M. And 9 30 00 p. M. On the saturday of june 3, the good weather that england experienced had moved out. He predicted that june 5 would be cloudy and stormy and windy. It would be too windy to disembark troops in Landing Craft and too cloudy for the bombardment of the German Coastal defenses. The Group Reconvened early the next morning to give it a second look. Eisenhower reluctantly postponed the invasion for another day. The group gathered even thing on june 4. Ike opened the meeting and signaled for them to begin. Predicting after a few more hours of rain would come 36 hours of clearer skies and lighter winds to make the invasion possible. He made no guarantees. The commanders debated the forecast when eisenhower spoke up. Just how long can you keep this operation on the end of a limb and let it hang there. Slower ships received provisional ships to sale but ike would wait until the next morning to make the decision. Ike rose at 3 30 and traveled through weathering rain and wind. He had been right. If the invasion began that morning on june 5, it would have failed. Ike started the meeting he repeated his forecast. Eisenhower turned to each of his principle sub ordy gnats for their final stay in launching the next day june 6, 1944. Montgomery who led the Assault Forces said go. The naval commander said go. Air traffic marshal and the air commander and chief said go. Eisenhower stood up and began walking the blue rug pondering the most decision of his life and the fate of millions of people. It was up to him, only he could make the decision. He kept pacing, hands clasped behind his back and then he stopped. The tension left his face he looked up and said what . This is where history draws a blank. What did ike say when he launched the dday invasion and why is there no single memorable quote. Eye witnesses offer answers but little help. Of the 11 of the 14 men who attended the number and that number is in dispute, only four men besides eisenhower what they believe were the words. The account of three of the men appeared in their memoirs. Lieutenant general smith spent as much time with him reported, well, well go. In his memoir, Major General francis who was the montgomerys chief of staff reported we will sail tomorrow in operation victory published in 1947. In an intelligence at the top which came out in 1969 ike had described as the best Intelligence Officer he ever worked with said ok, boy, we will go. Admiral ramsey died in an airplane crash. The story was published behind the quote the invasion of europe. Journalists tried to verify what ike said near the date of the invasion. On june 5, pressing admiral ramsey for the moment by moment details of the final meeting and he was fluent in telling his story until he reached his decision. What words did he use . I cant quite remember but it was a short phrase and something typically american. He peppered him with possibilities, all of which admiral dismissed, until he hit upon ok, let her rip. He rushed to ikes command trailer and asked an aide. The aide returned a few minutes later and said if he and ramsey agreed on the phrase, it was good enough for ike. They forced him to get the quote reconfirmed and once again eisenhower obliged and ok, letter rip appeared in the magazine. His account of the meetings leading up to the decision impressed the military assistant who noted his article in his diary. He leapt lent his diary in 1944. Notes found in davis personal papers, which are at Kansas State University confirms that he was aware of the quote but published his own phrase in his 1945 book. All right davis report, we move. Davis presumably got this from eisenhowers interviews. The davis book project was backed by eisenhower and ikes younger brother, the professor at kansas state college. Milton encouraged davis to right the buy eave biography so at least one good one is produced. Hatch will do an interesting and incredible job. It will not be very deep. He feared millers book would read like the ensigh close peed ya britain a. Gentleman, we will go ahead as planned. Millers account stopped on the eve of the invasion and omits ikes final words. This appeared on bookshelves four days after we landed on normandy. So we were pretty quick. Milton assured ike that the davis book will have real historical information. Ike will have call ms with the soldier of democracy. He thought davis overemphasized but he approved the secretarys recommendation of the work who wanted to know what your thoughts were at 4 00 a. M. When you had to make the great decision. Additionally, while eisenhower made 250 annotations he did not comment on davis version of his dday words. Another wartime writer of the bbc reports, ok, well go in the struggle for europe that came out in 1952. Wilmont interviewed him twice and he submitted his questions to the general before the 1945 interview, which we have here in the library. Question three asks specifically for the details of the june 5 meeting. Lichenlike ken Kenneth Davis had no evidence of his quote. His version was confirmed by eisenhower, which we watched a few moments ago. An Anniversary Special filmed in july and august of 1963 that aired on june 6, 1954 that was on a saturday night. Walter kron crick interviewed him and he said the likely weather was the best of a bargain and i said ok, well go. The Interview Transcripts prepared for publication by the historian, ike made almost 80 revisions to the text but did not touch the dday quote. The ok, well go, is strengthened by his grandson. Allies, by john that came out in 1982 and eisenhower at war that came out in 1986 but do we make about the early quote, i guess we better go that appears in letters in 1978. A similar version of the quote is ok, lets go, which appears in his many popular world war ii books. The commander that came out in 1972, they gardened in a 1927 interview. He was sure that is what he said. He did not see the young historian that day. Ike was playing golf in augusta georgia, cursing his slice, not revisiting the past. Further more in his book, dday june 6 he attributes the quote to the 1963 interview that is when ike said ok, well go not ok lets go. The confusion of the words spreads beyond the englishspeaking world. They interviewed eisenhower at his Vacation Home in 1964. His version adding one word ok, well go ahead. Eisenhower reviewed the article before publication but as usual did not comment on the dday quote but he did strike out the statement that the allies would have dropped atomic weapons on germany had the dday invasion failed. The last encount we are an authors version is found in a manuscript. Reader records well, well go. I rely on the courage of your men and dwight david eisenhower, which is a childrens book. Ike reviewed the draft and he made almost 180 comments on the manuscript but he did not question the dday quote. In fact, i found no evidence in any of our records that ike ever commented on or corrected the different quotes he found in the journalists, biographer, or former comrades. Neither did he use them in his own detailed account of the june 5 meeting or did he use his statement, ok, well go. He wrote five different versions in the quote in drafts in the 1964 article for the paris match magazine. Paris is in france not texas. It is about d bay but it had a Strategic Plan as well. Nato at that time and reminding the french of their shares sacrifice during their second world war. A leading advocate for european unity said to ike i feel sure that an article by you at this moment on the landing would be politically most important. Given this importance ike presumably put a lot of thought into the story, which either makes the various versions more complexing or it explains them. He might have been searching for right words for his french readers. His notes for the article ike wrote, question, we will attack on the sixth. In his first full draft, he writes yes gentleman, we will attack on the six. Then he scratches that out and says gentleman, we will attack tomorrow. He said we will make the attack on june 6, which restriction out and wrote we will attack tomorrow. In the final draft he makes two rrcheses to his decision, we will attack tomorrow and gentleman, we will attack tomorrow by demonstrating once again his apparent lack of concern for exactly what he said in the Early Morning hours of june 5, 1944. The article appeared within days of the tribune series. The cbs airing to put three different eisenhowers quotes in three languages. The quote was lost before there was a chance before it could be lost in translation. What accounts for all of these accounts of his words and those of eye witnesses and others . The historian captured it best in his description of the june 5 meeting. Howard writes, nobody was there as an observer. His capacity for thought and feeling is only human. One may imagine the one may imagine the capacity of each of these men were taxed to the limit so none of them had the leisure or inclination to detach from the problem and remember it for the sake of historians. The stress compounding the other key details of if meeting. Who was there . Was he sitting or pacing when he made up the decision . How long did it take to make up his mind . Witnesses place it at 4 00, 4 15 and 4 30 a. M. In the early paris drafts, he states he made the final decision at 4. In the last draft, he says the meeting started at 4 15. In his war memoir records that he made the decision at 4 15. A general puts the decision on 4 00 but at 4 15 in his memoir 12 years later. Another six eye witnesses cast votes for 4 00, 4 15, and 4 30. The identity of these eye witnesses is questioned by the eye witnesses. A june 5, 1944 memo by Major General harold bull, air chief marshal, air vice marshal, rare general and general smith. Rob had his own list that adds Humphrey Gail and the officer h. E. P. Wigglesworth. Captain stag attended the meeting but left before the decision was made. Bradley states in his 1951 war memoir that he was aboard the u. S. S. Augusta at the time of the ikes decision. Eye witnesses rapidly losing its force further disagree on ikes movements during the decision meeting. He paced the room, that i shared early but general smith asserts that ike sat. Was it on a sofa as smith writes or at a concerns conference table or on an easy chair . How long did it take for eisenhower to make up his mind . Was the 3045 seconds that he recalled in an interview or was it a full five minutes as general smith recorded in his 1956 memoir. Ike pondered these discreep century cities and while he did not direct his quote but in his essay writing a memoir, he agreed with the implications. Ike wrote, accuracy is all important, memory is an untrustworthy crutch. Witnesses under oath given different details hours later. How do we expect two or more individuals in the same dramatic accounts of the event. Ike says you cant. There is more, i believe, to the mystery of ikes dday words. His humble character contributes to it. It cannot explain the mystery but it might explain why there is no single memorable quote associated with his dday association. He disliked what he called the slick talker and the desk founder. The history on the declaration was not in his personality. As his biographer writes there was nothing dramatic in the way he made the final decision. He dinltd think in terms of history or destiny nor did arise in him the consciousness that describes a hitler or a napoleon. Everything about eisenhower was restrained. Apart from the four stars of his rank a single ribbon of his breast pocket and the eisenhower shed all distinguishing marks. There was little evidence of his authority. No flag, maps, of signed graphs of those who visited him. There is no memorable quote because of his good Old Fashioned modesty. Contrast this with his former boss whose i shall return was crafted for press. The u. S. Office preferred we shall return but lost the fight. Eisenhowers character is revealed in his other dday word words he never intended anyone to hear. The words show he is far more concerned with taking responsible for failure than whatever success crowned dday. During the somber lull between the decision and ike scribbled a quick note and stuffed it in his wallet. He miss dated it july 5, providing more evidence of the stress. He found the note a month later and showed it to an aide who convinced him to save it. The note said simply, our landing have flailed to gain a with hold and i have with drawn the troops. My decision was based on the best information available. The troops did all of the bravery a devotion could do. If any blame attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone. His worries lay with the consequences of the great decision not the style or lack there of in which it was uttered and while the result of his dday decision is wellknown. His not so famous last words will remain a mystery probably he t way he would have wanted it. Thank you. [applause] we do have a few minutes for questions or comments. We ask that you use the microphone please since they are doing some filming today. But if not, that is ok too. We would welcome you all back for our next session that begins at 1 30 this afternoon. Thank you all very much. [applause] you are watching American History tv, 48 hours of programming on American History every weekend on cspan3. Follow us on twitter at cspan history for information on our schedule upcoming programs, and to keep up with the latest history news. Up next, author Dennis Okerstrom talks about his book, project 9 the birth of the air commandos in world war ii. He explores the creation of a new elite team during the 1940s, later to be called the air commandos. These pilots, together with british troops, innovative japaneseoccupied erma burma in 1944. Mr. Okerstrom is joined by three of the original air commandos who talk about their experience. This hourlong event was hosted by the kansas city public library. Let me tell you what to expect tonight. Im going to talk to you about this littleknown organization known as the First Air Commando group. I will show you some photos, give you a guest version of how they came to be and what they did, and at the same time, i will give you some excer
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