The Power of Words.
Verum Ipsum Factum. Truth is itself something made.
A few weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Harry Hopkins found himself in a curious position in the White House in December of 1941. Acting as a trusted advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hopkins would spend night after night in the Oval Office either hearing Roosevelt’s entertaining stories, his concerns, helping prepare domestic and international war strategies, or revising drafts for executive orders, speeches and words…
That shaped the destiny of the American home front.
That played against the fear of the Nazis annihilation menace of the western front.
That came in the darkest hour, with millions of lives sacrificed and many more at risk.
But this time, he was noticing their British guest, Winston Churchill, as he prepared a speech to deliver the next day to the American Senate. As Prime Minister of Britain, Churchill’s goal was to reaffirm the British and American solid Allied position against the Axis powers. So Hopkins was in a unique position to contrast the U.S. president's speech rituals with those of the Prime Minister.
Churchill was a writer and storyteller first, and then a politician, known for delivering some ten million words and over forty books during his lifetime, honing his skills through years of retirement and vigorous debate in the House of Commons. He liked to think on his feet, dictating his speeches as he paced up and down the room, or sometimes writing alone. He used to imagine that a large crowd had already assembled, with most of his phrases emerging from his head and his heart. Entering his world, “you would hear him mutter so often the same phrase in a different way,” said his secretary Grace Hamblin, “you could easily put him out if you entered a line in the wrong place,”. Always quiet before making his speech to the audience, “It is dangerous to speak to him,” as Royal Navy Officer C.R. Thompson pointed out once.
On the other hand, Roosevelt, marking history with over sixteen hundred speeches and almost one thousand press conferences, wasted “little time in turning phrases,” according to Hopkins, “he tries to say what is in his mind in the shortest and simplest words… Always thinks of individuals, never of a crowd.” Usually writing alone for a first draft, then sharing it, and later bringing new ideas and punchlines up to his fifth draft. Roosevelt knew when to move forward and when to pull back, not only in his speeches but also in his broader politics. “I am like a cat,” he once said. “I make a quick stroke and then I relax.”
The remarkable experience that Hopkins had while watching the two world leaders pursue the most creative and careful act of selecting and expressing their words in a critical and far from ordinary time.
Day in and day out, throughout the Second World War, every individual faced their own struggle. From the fear of military conscription to the absence of news of other family members already in the trenches of war. From the foggy times surrounding the war strategy to the unknowns of the economy, education and social changes in their communities. Facing rationing and scoring cards that were not only considering precious food, but also gas, clothing, even coffee, and life's most essential goods. Mothers supporting their children alone, and later on, other orphans too.
In America, people were facing the angst of waking up every morning thinking of the loss of another Pearl Harbor. In England, the British citizens were encountering the continuous bombing and destruction of London sites during the Blitz, awaiting to hear more on the situation in neighbouring European cities, and with them their broken morale as they slept in underground stations to protect themselves.
Yet, through it all, both Western leaders, Churchill and Roosevelt, brought light through their leadership, showcasing the power of words that were either shared directly or translated and sometimes smuggled into different European languages via radio or newspapers. People patiently waited for words that would shift the emotions of millions in the West, words that would shed hope for those surviving in the East.
People counted on them, but how fascinating is that not only were both Churchill and Roosevelt war heroes, but also ordinary and imperfect men?
Churchill was prone to overcommitting and missing politeness even in the most crucial moments, while Roosevelt was known for his evasive answers and relationships. They were not recognised for having exemplary marriages with Mrs Churchill or Eleanor Roosevelt. They were not praised by their parenting either. On one hand, Churchill had a troubled relationship with his children, expecting too much from them, in one case with Randolph, whose outcome became a struggle with alcoholism throughout his life. And on the other hand, Franklin, with his five children, who would go on to have eighteen divorces among them.
Both leaders had insecurities, they faced sadness, they were not perfect all the time. They were human. Yet, how were they able to hold their highest leadership positions in government? How were they able to face the span of thousands of ideas and quotes that inspired millions, and later coordinate the hardship of war when they overcame the fight against fascism and evil?
One word, but a million meanings: Action.
Both Churchill and Roosevelt were pursuing a common goal, achieving an aim, repeating it over and over, driven by great focus and at least a little imagination to find a solution. Despite their imperfections, they found themselves in particular positions at a critical time and knew they needed to rise to the occasion.
They wanted to improve. They needed to help. People were waiting for them. “Do you realise we are making history?” said Churchill to his companion Lord Moran, before presenting himself for another speech.
It was their courage that made them rise to the challenge every day. Their bravery inspired others, turning ideas into agreement, facing and overcoming resistance. It was also in the wonders of this virtue that President Andrew Jackson said two centuries ago, “One man with courage makes a majority”.
Also in a similar vein was the 18th-century Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico, who responded in three words in Latin to the followers of René Descartes: “Verum Ipsum Factum,” or “truth is itself something made,” thereby challenging those who believe that truth is discovered through observation and reason alone. Like Vico's philosophy, both Western leaders understood that truth emerges through action, not just contemplation.
Remaining still in crucial times? The Western leaders couldn’t afford it, but they also didn’t know what the right decision was; with thousands of urgent distractions and competing views, they just tried and learned with everything they had.
They crafted essential teams, they managed roadblocking relationships, they made mistakes, they made bold decisions, they took their chances and risked the balance of millions in the military, and more than once, they also wasted time. Yet with the clock ticking, they kept moving forward. “I felt as though I was walking with destiny,” said Churchill when he became Prime Minister at the beginning of the war, “and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.”
We often gamble with the thought of failure, of learning and doing something because of the fear behind it, of our blocks and limitations, of the unknown ahead. We underestimate the power of our words and everything they can create. We overlook our capacity for courage. But in the moments where the two Western leaders realised their opportunity, they also realised once again that they couldn’t escape their feelings, that they are natural and universal. For them, just as for us, it was the same as every other opportunity in the face of growth.
Action cures fear, even when fear is unavoidable. “To be nearly sixty and still rebel at uncertainty is ridiculous isn’t it,” said Eleanor Roosevelt to an insomniac Franklin as he secretly confessed the military plans the night before D-Day, the invasion of France to recover from the Nazis.
Both Churchill and Roosevelt kept doing their speeches; they inspired, they cared. They learned that fear just shows us how much we want to succeed. Waiting for things to be simple can become a prison. In acting through chaos, they created order. By being present in the moment, they shaped our past.
It was action that brought Churchill’s courage to regather the army in the lowest period of the war and find himself at Westminster saying, “We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France. We shall fight on the seas and oceans. We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.…” And later on at Harrow School, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy…”
Action also drove FDR during the Great Depression with his uplifting words, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” as he made a plan to save America from its darkest financial times. During a low point in the war, sharing in a state of union the “four essential human freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.” It also made him write in his last speech, saved for the posthumous, “the only limit to our realisation of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.”
The call for action is chasing us, and in moments like these, it will keep chasing us. It’s a personal one, but nonetheless also an important one.
Harry Hopkins witnessed something profound that night in December: two very different men united by a single truth. When history demanded action, they didn't wait for certainty. They spoke. They acted. They led. Facing evil, the words that kept emerging from them were driving a message not only about the hope in the war, but also how perseverance and action are often the only things missing to overcome obstacles and win our internal battles.
Sources
[1] No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II - Doris Kearns Goodwin
[2] Constant Revision: How Churchill Polished His Writing - The Churchill Project, Hillsdale College
[3] Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up - Patricia Ryan Madson
[4] Courage is Calling - Ryan Holiday
[5] Churchillbookcollector.com - Photographies
Beautiful!!!