How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X

Washington, D.C., March 12, 1933. Three mimeographed sheets, titled in type "Address of President Roosevelt by radio, delivered from the President's study in the White House at 10 P.M. today." Each sheet measuring 14 x 8 1/2 in. (356 x 216 mm); stapled at top. Noted in type "For the Press" at top of first sheet, and below of same, "Caution: Not to be Released by the Press in editions appearing on the streets before 10 P.M. today.", with manuscript at top of same, "Roosevelt-Address / Radio Desk No. 1-Banking". Scattered soiling; scattered wear along edges.

Scarce original press release typescript of the first fireside chat delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

One of the most celebrated and innovative achievements of his presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his first "fireside chat" just eight days into his first term, amidst a severe month-long banking crisis that had triggered bank runs and closures nationwide. The broadcast aimed to inform and reassure the distressed public, with Roosevelt explaining what his administration had done in the preceding days, the reasoning behind those actions, and the steps planned for the future. Using direct and accessible language, Roosevelt addressed the events that had eroded public trust in the banking system and outlined his strategy to restore economic stability. His plan included declaring a national bank holiday to temporarily shut down the banking system and stock market, passing the Emergency Banking Act, which established federal deposit insurance, and gradually reopening only those banks deemed financially sound by federal inspectors. As Roosevelt assured listeners, "It is safer to keep your money in a reopened bank than under the mattress." The fifteen-minute address reached over 60 million Americans and helped restore public confidence, such that in the two weeks that followed, Americans deposited more than half of the currency they had previously withdrawn during the panic.
Over the next ten years Roosevelt would go on to deliver approximately 30 more fireside chats that covered topics ranging from New Deal initiatives, economic recovery, to foreign policy and the unfolding events of World War II, and have since been recognized as one of the defining moments of his presidency.

Rare to auction, according to RBH, we can not locate another example at auction. OCLC locates only one other example, at the Hagley Museum and Library.

Lot also includes a press photograph of FDR.