Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Floating White House” Oakland, California 2009 Volume 6 Number 1 Elections 2008… A Magic Night on the Presidential Yacht POTOMAC! By Marti Burchell Regardless of your politics; Libertarian, Republican, Democrat, Nearly 100 invited guests joined “The President” on the Presi- Green, or Independent, Election Night on the Presidential Yacht dential Yacht for the cruise. Mr. President welcomed all our Potomac was a truly historic and magical evening. To hold an guests as we boarded in Oakland, and again after a short cruise event for this particular election, on this particular ship, the to Pier 40 to pick up the San Francisco contingent. The ship Presidential Yacht Potomac, used by this particular President then set sail for the Golden Gate Bridge on a beautiful, clear, was a synergy of cosmic proportion. and cold evening of cruising. The energy on board was high, hopeful, and cordial as we all watched the results of this historic The Election Night election unfold. Cruise was the brain- child of professional On our way back promoter David Perry to Pier 40, and and Associates. David after two hours and his team provided of cruising, sip- not only the concept, ping fine wine, but also the invitations and feasting on and the access to me- a sumptuous din- dia for the event, both ner, we saw the of which were fabu- news that the lous. The objective of election had been the Election Night Cruise was to raise funds for two historic decided. When ships, the Presidential Yacht Potomac and the Liberty Ship, Jer- the announcement was made, it became obvious which can- emiah O’Brien – and we did. didate was the strongly suported. The atmosphere on the ship was that electric, and one might say that the venerable Potomac It was an evening of took a few skips across the bay. As we pulled into Pier 40, the numerous firsts, not speeches began and we decided to stay docked until the conclu- the least of which sion of President Elect Obama’s acceptance speech. Response was having two big to the speeches of both candidates from the Potomac crowd was screen televisions loud and joyous. on board to watch the election returns. While we were docked, a large party boat pulled in just behind Westat Communi- the Potomac and began unloading passengers. It was quite clear cations was very that the folks from that ship had not voted for the newly elected generous in offering president, but rather his honorable opponent. If looks could kill, the entire set up at a the Potomac might have sunk a second time!! Later we learned reduced price for the evening. The crystal clear reception and that a well-known celebrity talk show host, of a contrary persua- sound they provided was amazing, especially considering we sion, had chartered the party boat. were on San Francisco Bay all evening. The evening was awe- Kincaid’s Bayhouse and Palomino Restaurants donated a splen- some on so many lev- did dinner for our guests. The food was superb, and extremely els - I could not have generous, the servers and chefs were all totally professional and felt more honored to be added greatly to the ambiance of the evening. Foggy Bridge sharing in this unique Winery donated a selection of premium wines, much to the en- and historic event that joyment of all. Also available for sampling were vodka and seemed to bring the past several whiskeys offered by Brown – Forman. and present together as we look to the future. Page 2 Marti’s Musings……………. Is it really HIM ? That’s a somewhat foolish question considering the age of the individual referred to would be 128, but none the less, a question I have heard more than once. Our Mr. President, Kurt Lauridsen, PhD, is much, much more than an FDR Impersonator. His breadth of knowledge about Franklin Roosevelt, the era, and the key events of the time is encyclopedic. Kurt’s persona, while wearing the Brooks Brothers Cape, is in fact that of our late, great President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Kurt is our ambassador to the past, and the rich history of FDR, Win- ston Churchill, the War Years and of course the Potomac’s place in all of that. The smiles I see when “Mr. President” greets our guests at the dock, or holds court on the fantail, reinforce what a treasure he is to our association. Kurt is and has been a history docent and Friend of the Potomac almost from the beginning of our operation in Jack London Square. He was a History docent first, and happenstance promoted him to “Mr. President” in 2000; we are very grateful it did. Kurt’s support of the Association in both time and donations are substantial. One of the most delightful aspects of watching Kurt work a crowd is to follow the faces of the passengers, ages are 70 and over. They remember the man who was like a father to many in America during an extraordinarily desperate time. He brought their families out of The Great Depression, he provided jobs, and he reassured them when our country was under attack. He was the head of the household who figuratively held the family in his arms and told them that everything would be all right. With this in mind, one begins to understand why the question “Is it really him?” So Kurt, for all you do - thank you, “Mr. President.” TRUTHS AND MYTHS ABOUT FDR’S FIRST HUNDRED DAYS By Edward I. Bloom In this period of economic recession and uncertainty, and with a new presidential administration about to assume the powers of gov- ernment, there is much talk about comparisons between today’s problems and those that faced Franklin Roosevelt as he took the oath of office on March 4, 1933. Attention has been focused on the so-called First Hundred Days (actually 103 days). Many things were accomplished in that period, but some important matters did not come into being until years later. The most notable legislative accomplishments of the First Hundred Days included: 1. Emergency Banking Act – March 9, 1933 a. Expanded the president’s powers over gold and foreign exchange transactions b. Authorized the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to purchase the preferred shares of bank stocks c. Authorized the Federal Reserve Board to issue currency d. Authorized the reopening of banks (following FDR’s bank holiday) under strict governmental supervision 2. Economy Act – March 20, 1933 a. Cut $500 million from the existing federal budget b. Eliminated some federal agencies c. Reduced the pay of military and civilian government employees d. Reduced payments to veterans by 50% 3. Beer – Wine Act – March 22, 1933 a. Anticipated repeal of prohibition b. Provided for new taxes on beer and wine continued on page 3 Page 3 4. Civilian Conservation Corp Act – March 31, 1933 Federal employment of a quarter million young men on forestry, flood control and beautification projects 5. Agricultural Adjustment Act – May 12, 1933 a. Induced inflation by reducing the gold content of the currency, coining silver or issuing $3 billion in “greenbacks” b. Authorized direct government payment to farmers to not grow selected crops 6. Federal Emergency Relief Administration Act – June 16, 1933. Direct federal unemployment aid to the states. 7. Public Works Administration Act – June 16, 1933 a. Authorized federal employment for selected public works b. $3.3 billion initial appropriation 8. Tennessee Valley Authority Act – June 16, 1933 a. Generated and distributed electric power to rural areas from Muscle Shoals Dam b. Built additional dams for flood control c. Built a 650-mile navigable waterway from Knoxville, Tennessee to Paducah, Kentucky d. Upgraded health and educational services in depressed areas of the Tennessee Valley e. Developed recreational facilities in the Tennessee Valley f. Attracted new industries to the area 9. National Industrial Recovery Act – June 16, 1933 a. Established board to regulate maximum work hours and minimum wages in selected industries (later declared unconstitutional) b. Established right of industrial workers (not farm laborers or domestic staff) to organize unions c. Established the National Recovery Administration (NRA), to form approved cartels in selected industries, to control prices and wages in selected industries, with suspension of anti-trust laws in those industries 10. Glass-Steagall Banking Act – June 16, 1933 a. Divorced commercial from investment banking (later repealed in the 1980’s) b. Instituted federal insurance for bank deposits (FDIC), over Roosevelt’s objections The major problems of The Great Depression remained, with high unemployment of 25%, tight credit restricting business growth and activity, mortgage foreclosures still rising, and the problems for small-farm agriculture remaining chronic. The First Hundred Days created a national sense that the government was actually doing something about these problems, and hope was restored. It did not, of itself, end The Great Depression. Among the major pieces of legislation that most people today associate with FDR’s New Deal were Social Security (1935), and the Works Progress Administration (1939), both of which were not enacted until years after the First Hundred Days. Sources: FDR The New Deal Years 1933-1937 - Kenneth Davis Freedom From Fear - David M. Kennedy The Defining Moment - Jonathan Alter From the Radio Room of the Presidential Yacht…President Roosevelt In May of 1941; on board the Presidential Yacht Potomac, President Roosevelt gave his annual Jackson Day speech to the American people. Thanks to Docent Olaf Elander, we now have a recording of the President’s speech set up in the radio room in such a way that with the push of a button, you can hear FDR’s Jackson Day chat.