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Silver Cocktail Set (MO 1972.14a-g) and Pernod Absinthe Bottle (MO 1976.331)
FDR had a long-standing practice of hosting a pre-dinner cocktail hour in the White House residence during his presidency. It was a time when he could cast aside the burdens of office at the end of the day and relax with close friends and family. Topics related to politics or government policy were banned from discussion.
FDR always mixed the drinks at these events, often using the Chinese silver cocktail shaker and cups seen above. The President especially enjoyed making unusual martinis, mixing together copious amounts of vermouth with whatever liquor or juice he had on hand. He was also known to add a few drop of absinthe “for flavor” according to his personal secretary, Grace Tully. The Pernod absinthe bottle seen here was from FDR’s tray of liquor in the White House.
FDR even indulged in the practice at diplomatic meetings. “It is cold on the stomach,” remarked Stalin, after being served one of FDR’s concoctions at the Teheran Conference.
Below is the recipe for the “FDR Special” found in the Val-Kill Cookbook:
2 parts gin
1 part dry, light vermouth
olive or lemon peel for garnish
crushed ice
Shake up gin and vermouth in a container half filled with chipped ice. Pour into chilled martini glasses, straining out the ice. Add garnish.
June 10th marks the anniversary of FDR’s famous “stab-in-the-back” speech, delivered June 10, 1940 at the University of Virginia commencement. The speech originally was to be a typical commencement address, made more special by the fact that FDR’s son Franklin Jr. was graduating with his law degree. Although war had broken out the previous year, the conflict had entered into what was known as the “Phony War” because there was very little actual fighting in Western Europe during the winter of 1939-1940. But on April 9th, the German Blitzkrieg began, and Nazi troops quickly overran Denmark, Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and swept into France, pinning British and French troops against the English Channel.
On June 10th–the day FDR was to deliver his University of Virginia address–Italy entered the war for the first time and invaded France, dealing a death blow to that nation. The speech was being finalized as the President traveled by train south from Washington DC to Charlottesville, and en route an additional five pages were typed and inserted into the text referencing the latest events. Thoroughly outraged by Italy’s act of treachery, though, FDR in his own handwriting inserted into his reading copy the phrase “On this tenth day of June 1940, the hand that held the dagger has struck it into the back of his neighbor.” He delivered the line with sharply focused anger, and the speech marked a turning point in Roosevelt’s foreign policy: from then on there would be all-out aid to the democracies and an unprecedented build-up in America’s military preparedness.
June 11, 1939: FDR hosts a hot dog picnic at Top Cottage for King George IV and Queen Elizabeth of England.
Menu for the Picnic at Top Cottage with the British King and Queen
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Did you know:
- On June 12, 1939 FDR addressed the graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.
- On June 10, 1940, FDR issued a proclamation of neutrality in the war between Italy, France and Great Britain.
- On June 13, 1942, FDR issued the executive order establishing the Office of War Information and a military order establishing the Office of Strategic Services.
FDR Sphinx Sculpture (MO 1941.12.40)
This 8-foot-tall papier-mâché sculpture of President Roosevelt as the Egyptian Sphinx was made as a witty commentary on FDR’s prolonged refusal to say whether or not he would run for an unprecedented third term in 1940. The sculpture was the centerpiece for a satiric review at the annual winter dinner of the Gridiron Club (the organization of White House press correspondents) held on December 9, 1939. FDR attended the dinner as an honored guest.
The caricature was designed and executed by James D. Preston, Assistant Administrative Secretary of the National Archives and former Superintendent of the Senate Press Gallery. Mr. Preston used newspapers containing stories about the President’s potential third term run to construct the Sphinx. The sculpture was based partially on caricatures done for Mr. Preston by two of his cartoonist friends, Peter Brandt of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and James T. Berryman of the Washington Star.
The Sphinx sculpture was once a popular object on exhibit here at the FDR Presidential Library. It will once again be on display in the Museum’s new permanent exhibit, slated to open in Spring 2013.
June 6, 1944: FDR announces the D-Day invasion.
D-Day Prayer, pg1
D-Day Prayer, pg2
Click here to listen to the D-Day prayer on our website.
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Did you know:
- On June 2, 1938 FDR addressed the graduating class of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD.
- On June 5, 1942 FDR signed a joint resolution of a state of war between the U.S. and Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria.
FDR: SPACE RANGER
In March 1944, the publishers of the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century newspaper cartoon strip wrote to FDR asking permission to include a cartoon version of him in an upcoming strip. The proposed storyline had Buck Rogers exploring a new world and discovering a machine that could look back in time and compare good and evil. FDR, of course, was to be an example of humanity’s good, and Hitler and Japan’s Tojo were to be examples of evil. To sweeten the request, the publishers included a membership card making the President a member of the Buck Rogers Rocket Rangers! The White House gave permission for the proposed strip, but unfortunately we don’t know if it ever appeared. If anyone in the blogisphere can find FDR’s cameo in the Buck Rogers cartoon strip, we would love to see it!!!
From the Mountains of Clay County, Kentucky
“I am a cripple, a Veteran of the Spanish-American war and the father of three boys in the Armed Forces. I have a feeling that the pride engendered by carrying one of your canes, a cane from your collection, preferably one you had carried and discarded, would vastly improve my stride.” – Joseph L. Delph to FDR, April 5, 1943.
Throughout his Presidency, FDR received thousands of letters from the general public. Americans shared their reactions to Roosevelt’s speeches and policies, requested action on political issues, expressed support or voiced concern over the President’s approach to the New Deal and to the war effort. Some even requested financial or material support for themselves and their families.
Many of the letters were very personal in nature and the FDR administration made it a point to respond accordingly. Mr. Delph of Kentucky not only received a personal response from Grace Tully, FDR’s personal secretary, but one of President Roosevelt’s canes, as well. Delph wrote back, “Your gift to me is something that money could not buy. I shall carry it with much pride and it shall ever remain one of my most cherished possessions.”
Read all four pages of correspondence related to this 1943 cane request. Materials were reproduced from FDR’s President’s Personal File (PPF) 50-d: Congratulations, 1943.
May 11, 1935: FDR creates the Rural Electrification Administration to bring electricity to isolated rural areas not serviced by private utilities.
Rural Electrification Admin (REA): lineman working on pole as farmer watches.
FDR Library Photo Collection. NPx. 63-295.
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Did you know:
- On May 10, 1939, FDR participated by radio in the dedication of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
- On May 14, 1942, FDR signed the act establishing the Women’s Army Air Corp. This was the first time women were enlisted for noncombat military service.
FDR’s Wild Kingdom
FDR and ER received a lot of interesting and sometimes strange gifts. But these are the strangest we’ve come across so far. In 1934 and 1937, two brothers in the import/export business, Benjamin and Raymond Lepow, gave FDR live rare African animals! The first set of animals, a lynx kitten and a serval felis kitten, were presented to FDR in 1934. The inspiration for the gift? The fact that FDR’s cousin and predecessor as president, Theodore Roosevelt, had been unable to capture these species on his big game expeditions. The native Kenyans with whom the Lepows traded had guided TR on his safaris and wanted to bestow these gifts on FDR, “The New Chief”. The White House accepted the kittens and sent them to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, the poor kitties came down with a case of rickets, so could not be exhibited right away. Three years later, Benjamin and Raymond again sent African animals to FDR–this time a pair of midget Tropical Porcupines. These prickly little guys also found a home in the National Zoo. The correspondence relating to these four-legged favors is in the President’s Personal File 9: Gifts, “L”. You just can’t make this stuff up!
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April 21, 1945
“WASHINGTON, Friday—There is always a certain emotional strain about the last time for anything. When you have lived twelve years in a house, even though you have always known that it belonged to the nation, you grow fond of the house itself, and fonder still of all the people connected with your life in that house…
…I have always looked out at the Washington Monument from my bedroom window the last thing at night, and the little red light at the top of it has twinkled at me in friendly fashion. That simple shaft, so tall and straight, has often made me feel during this war that, if Washington could be steadfast through Valley Forge, we could be steadfast today in spite of anxiety and sorrow…
…I wonder if others have been thinking, as I have, of the rather remarkable way in which our people and our Government have passed through this major period of change. Ordinarily, when there is a change of Administration, there is a period between election and inauguration during which the outgoing President and his family prepare for their departure, while the incoming President and his family prepare to assume their new responsibilities.
Never before has a sudden change of Presidents come about during a war. Yet, from the time that Mr. Truman, followed closely by Secretary of State Stettinius, walked into my sitting room and I told them of my husband’s death, everything has moved in orderly fashion. There was consternation and grief but, at the same time, courage and confidence in the ability of this country and its people to back new leaders and to carry though the objectives to which the people have pledged themselves.
That this attitude established itself so quickly is a tribute to President Truman, to the members of the Cabinet, and to the Congress. But above all, it is a tribute to the people as a whole and it reaffirms our confidence in the future.”
In Roosevelt History 