HARRY HOPKINS. The Envoy

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "HARRY HOPKINS. The Envoy"

Clement Gibson
5 years ago
Views:

1 HARRY HOPKINS The Envoy

2 HARRY HOPKINS The Envoy Part of the Regional Greats series created by Russ Gifford 2018

3 REGIONAL GREATS Does where you are born and raised have an impact? If you think it does have an impact is it a positive one? Has regionalism declined? If so, does where you are born still matter today? At the end of the session, can you point out a place where you see the regional roots showing through?

4 HARRY HOPKINS Things to Consider: 1 How did Hopkins jump from small town boy to major league advisor? 2 Did Hopkins life have a lasting impact? How well known is Hopkins today? 3 Why was Hopkins so loved, and so hated?

5 WHO WAS HARRY HOPKINS? Hopkins came to Washington to take charge of the relief effort when FDR took power in He would become FDR s strong right arm and his legs. He would also become the focal point for all Republican criticism of FDR.

6 But how did a small town boy from Iowa become the most trusted advisor in Presidential history, to the longest serving President in US History? WHO WAS HARRY HOPKINS?

7 WHO WAS HARRY HOPKINS? Hopkins with Churchill link Hopkins, FDR, Churchill link Hopkins at Yalta link - 1:53 FDR and Hopkins ( ?)

8 What do you know about Hopkins? WHO WAS HARRY HOPKINS?

9 WHO WAS HARRY HOPKINS? What do you know about Hopkins? Born in Sioux City Aug 17, 1890 Lived in Council Bluffs, Hastings, Kearney, Wichita, and Chicago before settling in Grinnell, Iowa. Graduated Grinnell College, in 1912.

10 WHO WAS HARRY HOPKINS? What do you know about Hopkins? Hopkins, the adult, was always the most focused man in the room. His specialty was finding the facts. He was always known to ask questions to cut to the heart of the matter.

11 TIMELINE

12 Harry Hopkins frequently started his stories with What are you doing here, Hopkins, the son of a harness maker from Sioux City? HOPKINS IN IOWA

13 EARLY YEARS His father was the most popular man in town but he rarely stayed in any one spot too long. Charming, Erratic, Easygoing and somewhat shiftless.

14 EARLY YEARS Harry s mother, Anna, a school teacher, who was also active and dominant in church functions. She was strongly involved in the Methodist Missionary Society of Iowa.

15 Harry, who had survived a lengthy illness with Typhoid, as usually called skinny. In high school, and later in college, he was outstanding only in pranks and shenanigans. WHILE AT GRINNELL

16 In the early years of the 20 th Century, Grinnell College had a high reputation for scholarship, which Hopkins neither increased, or appreciably lowered. AT GRINNELL

17 COLLEGE At Grinnell, Jesse Macy, a Civil War era soldier who had taught American History at the college since the end of the war, Macy developed and taught what is likely the first political science course and it fascinated Hopkins.

18 COLLEGE Dr. Edward Steiner, who would write on immigration, taught a course called Applied Christianity. Saying good bye on graduation, Steiner showed Hopkins a telegram from NY

19 Steiner s telegram offered a summer position as a councilor at a camp in New Jersey for poor kids from New York. CHRISTODORA HOUSE

20 FIRST BATTLE Hopkins, whose plans had been to travel to Montana and take over a newspaper with two other classmates, thought a summer in the big city would be a nice experience. He never intended to make a career of being a welfare officer, or a social worker.

21 NEW YORK On the way to New York, he stopped in Chicago and got into the 1912 Republican convention, posing as Elihu Root s secretary. He heard TR tell the convention that the renomination of Taft was naked theft.

22 He also stopped in Baltimore to see the floor fight to secure the 1912 nomination of Wilson. NEW YORK

23 IN NEW YORK But the experience that would transform Hopkins was in New York. Poverty in the City was a far different circumstance than poverty in rural Iowa. The poverty was alien, shocking, and enraging.

24 After his two months at the camp, he began working at Christodora House for $5 a month. IN NEW YORK This was the New York of O. Henry, of Tammany Hall, of a young Al Capone. Of Diamond Jim Brady, and the Millionaires Row, the Tenderloin, and all the rest.

25 THE FIRST STEP Hopkins would convince John Kingsbury in charge of the relatively wealthy Association to Improve Conditions for the Poor to hire him. Kingsbury gave him a temp position and Hopkins continued to work at Christodora House in the day, and at the AICP at night.

26 THE FIRST STEP Hopkins returned within a month to ask for an additional for an extra $5 a month. Why in the world would I pay you more money? Hopkins had fallen in love and wanted to marry.

27 Kingsbury gave him the money. NEW YORK In return, Hopkins did something no one had done he produced a study on the statistics of those in need, and why they were unemployed. He was no longer an intern. Kingsbury put him in charge of the program.

28 Armed with facts and a better understanding of the situation, within a year, he found $5,000 in donations and created the Bronx Park Employment program. NEW YORK It was one of the first public employment programs in the U.S.

29 By 1918, Hopkins had transformed the Association, raising more money than ever and spending it all. WAR He had amalgamated other charities into the program. And had changed how the poor were treated when they were approached. But with the coming war, things changed.

30 Hopkins, who lobbied against the war, immediately attempts to enlist when war is declared. He is turned down. NEW YORK However, he is asked to takeover the Red Cross efforts, and will eventually run them all. He will return to the AICP as the executive director in 1924.

31 THE CHIEF Herbert Hoover, an Iowan, an orphan, and a self made man, became President in He was a gifted administrator, and people who worked for him loved him.

THE CHIEF - 1929 Herbert Hoover, an Iowan, an orphan, and a self made man, became President in 1929.

32 THE CHIEF Herbert Hoover, an Iowan, an orphan, and a self made man, became President in He was a gifted administrator, and people who worked for him loved him. But he was a technician, not a politician. It was believed he was the perfect choice for the good times of the era.

33 At the same time that NY Governor Al Smith is defeated for the Presidency, former VP Candidate and Polio survivor Franklin Roosevelt overcomes Democratic losses to win NY Governorship. FDR ELECTED NY GOVERNOR

34 FDR ELECTED NY GOVERNOR On taking office, he pledges that government is the tool of the people, and that enlightened government must be used to help those less fortunate. It is not the message of the rugged individualist GOP.

THE CRISIS - 1929 But the Boom conditions of the First World War, and the continued demand, lead to

35 THE CRISIS But the Boom conditions of the First World War, and the continued demand, lead to unrealistic expectations. Speculation and poor business practices continue the money chase. Until..

36 CRISIS In 1929, the bottom fell out of the Roaring 20s. The Market, which usually traded 1 million shares, traded 12 million in one day. Many lost millions. Millions lost everything. 11 wealthy speculators committed suicide.

THE CRISIS - 1929 Only 1% of the public was in the Stock market but it was the most

37 THE CRISIS Only 1% of the public was in the Stock market but it was the most influential 1%. A spiral of cutbacks and business layoffs caused the economy to completely bottom out.

38 THE LOSSES The Stock market lost 90% of its value! $30 Billion more than all the US money spent in the first World War! 5% owned 33% of the wealth and they were the ones in the market, and owned the business. A full THIRD of the Gross National Product GONE!

39 UNEMPLOYMENT Unemployment quickly grows beyond anything anyone could anticipate toping 25%. Jobs cease to exist, and men will hit the road looking for new jobs, and wind up in Hooverville's.

40 October 1929: Wall Street Crashes! Dust Bowl Bank failures 1300 in by 1932 Farm Strike FDR elected President! TIMELINE Within days $30 B gone US expenses in WWI! Unemployment 25% - or more. Hoovervilles arise around nation. MacArthur routs Bonus Army The start of the 100 Days

41 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT The AICP had found $75,000 to pay people for work, and spent it all with Hopkins usual effort at making things happen quickly. He found more money, and continued. Then FDR decided the STATE should provide the funds and tapped Hopkins to run the new agency. He dispenses $20 Million and NO graft.

42 But around the country, confrontations are escalating.

43 THE FARMERS HOLIDAY July 30, 1932 Farmers, tired of the falling prices, are desperate. Goal to withhold from market all farm products for 30 days. Eight days later, first pickets appear on roads outside Sioux City.

44 THE FARM STRIKE 1932

45 Reno s Army Clashes at the picket lines in: Sioux City Danbury Cherokee Cushing Omaha and surrounding areas CLASHES

46 CONVOYS

47 LE MARS 40% of all Iowa farms taxes are delinquent Penny Auctions lead to Conflict Judge C. C. Bradley taken by farmers

48 PRIMGHAR

49 FDR FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE IN 1921

50 PARALYZED FROM THE WAIST DOWN

51 BUT YOU D NEVER KNOW IT

52 THE 1932 CAMPAIGN Whoever got the nomination in 1932 was assured of victory. The party bosses were not settled on Roosevelt for many reasons.

53 POLITICIAN But FDR will not be denied and out maneuvers the party bosses by cutting a deal with John Nance Garner, Speaker of the House, and Presidential hopeful.

54 BOSSES, VOTERS, AND HOOVER The Party bosses say, Stay home. You ve got this won. He was used to dealing with bosses and he went past them to make his pitch to the American public.

55 FDR convinced the American public he understood them and would fight for them. Hoover never had a chance.

56 INAUGURATION DAY, 1933 A quarter of the workforce was unemployed. (13M) Farmers prices had fallen by 60%. Industrial production less than half 1929 levels. Two million people were homeless. By the evening of March 4, 32 of the 48 states as well as the District of Columbia had closed their banks. The New York Federal Reserve Bank was unable to open on the 5 th.

58 A Look at the Times The Great Depression 1 FDR -- 8:15 WPA footage Brother can you spare a dime

59 THE 100 DAYS The nation asks for action, and asks for action now. We must act, and act quickly. Major legislation passed in the first 100 days of FDR s administration.

60 Emergency Banking Act THE 100 DAYS To give Americans confidence in the banks, Roosevelt signed the Glass Steagall Act, created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Federal Emergency Relief Administration - Roosevelt's favorite the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) hired 250,000 young men. Federal Trade Commission broad new regulatory powers -- and provided mortgage relief to millions of farmers and homeowners. Reconstruction Finance Corporation, financing for railroads and industry. Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

61 GLASS-STEAGALL ACT Vote! Vote! House Bill read to them no copies available. 40 minutes allowed for debate! Senate decided not to wait took the copy and opened debate only to shout down any amendments by Huey Long and others wanting a more leftist bill. Sen. Huey Long

62 TALKING TO THE REAL BOSSES Link

63 STILL TRIES TO BALANCE THE BUDGET Cuts military Cuts veterans pensions Congress balks Second Bonus Army descends on Washington FDR kills them with kindness: Army camp, tents, three meals a day, and endless coffee.

64 Hoover sent the Army. Roosevelt sent his wife. THE DIFFERENCE

65 EMERGENCY May, 1933 The goal of the Federal Emergency Relief Act was to put paychecks in the hands of the unemployed as soon as possible without giving them a handout.

66 ACTION No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933, on signing the National Industrial Recovery Act.

67 ACTION No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933, on signing the National Industrial Recovery Act.

68 THE FACTS 25% unemployment perhaps higher? for three years No desire for direct relief must have work Huge projects in pipeline for PWA $3.3 Billion in dams, roads, airports But how to get people money NOW.

69 THE MAN FOR THE JOB FDR wants Harry Hopkins to take the national job. NY won t let him go. FDR orders NY to give him up and the new governor writes you have the whole country to chose from!

70 Hopkins arrives the next day, and tells Roosevelt he can put 4 million people to work if he just has the money. THE MAN FOR THE JOB

71 Action is almost instantaneous. By the evening of the second day, he had thrown together a staff, began collecting information, and sent emergency aid to seven states. THE MAN FOR THE JOB

72 CWA Within 2 weeks of opening the program, more than a million people signed on. 800,000 get a paycheck the first payday of the program 2.6 million employed by Christmas

73 They are fighting over the shovels in Sioux City. Lorena Hickok report THE MAN FOR THE JOB

74 CWA WILL BECOME WPA With success, Hopkins eventually takes over lion s share of the relief effort Lauded for not letting politics make a difference Much of the program hatched in a car ride back from Grinnell!

75 Hopkins lean, loose, disheveled man who talks quickly and out of the side of his mouth. He is irreverent, concise, and sometime profane. He fires a volley of short, sharp questions, until he slashes through to the heart of the problem. THE MAN FOR THE JOB

Hopkins leads WPA press conference, 1935.

76 Hopkins leads WPA press conference, Hopkins desk was in the hall in the basement of the White House.

77 WPA Food, shelter, and work. 40 hours a week, $30 a month - $25 sent home.

78 CCC in Siouxland CCC Camp at Stone Park

79 CWA / WPA in Siouxland

80 WPA in Siouxland Woodbury County: The Floyd River had five years of various projects. Floyd River channel 379 men created a 4,950 channel Average pay: $44 to $78 a month, for 120 hours work.

81 THE RESULTS? In one year since taking office: Unemployment drops for first time down to 22% Stock Market gains back some of its value International Trade is up Gross National Product up from year before.

82 THE CHALLENGES As things proceed, the one person Roosevelt finds he can rely on is Hopkins. And he enjoys his company. Hopkins and Mrs. Roosevelt work well together, pushing FDR to go further.

83 OTHER EVENTS IN 1933 Work starts on Golden Gate Bridge Hitler takes power Einstein moves to Princeton, drops German citizenship Shirley Temple signs a contract with Fox (she s 5!) The original King Kong Movie is shown The First ever drive in Theatre is established in New Jersey The Chocolate chip cookie is invented The Board Game Monopoly is invented (sold in 1934)

84 The Depression continues, but things are changing. WPA, Social Security! By 1935, there are noticeable positives.

85 Signing into law one of those active parts of the government Social Security, in 1935.

86 WHAT IS THE PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENT? Note that FDR continually appealed to the citizens to tell him if he was right but did not resort to manipulation to persuade them. In fact, he listened to what they said. Including when they said he was wrong.

87 THE MAN FOR THE JOB Part of that is because Hopkins (and Mrs. Roosevelt) have a network of people everywhere. They consistently tell FDR what he needs to hear the truth.

88 WHAT IS THE PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENT? Most importantly, FDR repeatedly led Americans AWAY from the dangerous shoals of the far Left, where Long, Coughlin, and Townsends were leading people. Fr. Coughlin wanted nationalized banking, and repeatedly blamed Jews for the economic woes.

89 WHAT IS THE PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENT? Other changes after FDR: security issues moved to the control of the Presidency, recognizing the difficulty for FDR preparing the US for the issues in Europe. Consider for a moment, that major countries in Europe fell to Dictatorships yet like George Washington, FDR avoided grasping the power that was offered.

90 CHANGING STATUS By 1938, FDR had been looking for his successors. William O. Douglas, Henry Wallace, and James F. Byrnes, and John Nance Gardner all thought they might be the one. FDR had encouraged each of them but he seemed to want someone else and it might be that Hopkins was that someone.

91 RELIEF VS DOLE The GOP hated Hopkins He d spent $8.5 BILLION But 15 million people had been helped.

92 THE MAN FOR THE JOB FDR made him Commerce Secretary in 1938, clearly preparing him for elected office. But his health decided the issue.

93 FDR doted on him, though getting doctor s updates, and sending him handwritten notes.

94 It is Hopkins who stage manages the 1940 Convention to go for Roosevelt. BUT FIRST

95 THE MAN FOR THE JOB FDR valued his knowledge, and his insights without bias. When he returned, Hopkins resigned as Commerce Sec, and FDR made him his special envoy.

96 But as war approached, on the night of the end of the Phony War, FDR asks Hopkins to stay the night so they can talk further. He will stay for years. MAY 10, 1940

97 As special envoy, FDR will send Hopkins to England to assess the British will to fight and if they would stick with it. THE MAN FOR THE JOB

98 Unlike the envoy to St. James Court, Hopkins said the British would stand and fight, and never give in if they had the materials to fight with. THE MAN FOR THE JOB

99 On his last night in England, he told Churchill, If you are wondering what I am going to say,i will quote from the book of Ruth: Whither thou goest, I will go... THE MAN FOR THE JOB

100 FDR Agrees, and backs the British. Against the wishes of his actual envoy to England, Joe Kennedy. LEND LEASE IS BORN

101 Hopkins is asked to make the same assessment of the Soviets when they are attacked by Germany and after a grueling flight that almost kills him, he delivers his assessment that against all odds, the Soviets can win. THE MAN FOR THE JOB

102 His ability to make projects move, and avoid boondoggles and graft makes him vital as liaison between business and government as the War Productions begin. MAY 10, 1940

103 FDR AND HOPKINS Hopkins would be at FDR s side through the Atlantic Conference with Churchill, at Casablanca, and Teheran, and Yalta.

104 Though he tried to leave with Roosevelt s death, Truman pressed Hopkins to remain. h yet another long flight to Russia, and with the work to pull together the Potsdam conference, and the United Nations.

105 Hopkins would pass in 1945, at the age of 55. HARRY HOPKINS

106 In the later Red Scare of the McCarthy years, the right would try to paint Hopkins as a secret Communist agent when even Red baiter J. Edgar Hoover dismissed. HARRY HOPKINS

107 Gen. George Marshall, no fan of the usual pinhead government paper pushers, would later say, He rendered a service to his country which will never even vaguely be appreciated. THE MAN FOR THE JOB

108 HARRY HOPKINS Did you learn something about Harry Hopkins? 1 How did Hopkins jump from small town boy to major league advisor? 2 Did Hopkins life have a lasting impact? How well known is Hopkins today? 3 Why was Hopkins so loved, and so hated?

109 REGIONAL GREATS Does where you are born and raised have an impact? If you think it does have an impact is it a positive one? Has regionalism declined? If so, does where you are born still matter today? At the end of the session, can you point out a place where you see the regional roots showing through?

110 YOUR THOUGHTS? Do you know more about Harry Hopkins than you did when you started? Do you know more about the causes and the relationship to events from the Great Depression to WWII? Can you name something that stood out to you in this class? Feel free to me your answers!

Depression, the New Deal, and America s dealings with England and Russia in

111 FOR FURTHER READING Harry Hopkins is an example of a selfless public servant. Reading of his experiences also informs you of the actual facts of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and America s dealings with England and Russia in WWII. The Gold standard on Hopkins is Roosevelt and Hopkins, by Robert Sherwood (1948)

112 CREATED BY RUSSELL GIFFORD Lifelong Learning Instructor, Western Iowa Tech Community College, Sioux City, Iowa 2004 Present

113 RUSSELL GIFFORD Outstanding Instructor Award (Western Iowa Tech CC), 2011, Iowa All Star Award (Institute for Lifelong Learning), 2013, Iowa Gateway Spotlight Award (Gateway), 2004, South Dakota Outstanding member, Rural Enterprise Program (Center for Rural Affairs), 2003, Nebraska American Hometown Leadership Award (National Center for Small Communities), 2000, Business Leadership Award (Chamber of Commerce), 1997, Nebraska

Name Date MOD. fireside chat informal in which FDR. FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; government agency that. and generate power

Name Date MOD. fireside chat informal in which FDR. FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; government agency that. and generate power Name Date MOD United States History Section 13:1 [Slide 1] Objectives Analyze the impact Franklin D. Roosevelt had on the American people after becoming President. Describe the programs that were part