March 12, 1933: FDR's 1st "Fireside Chat"

"BLUE" was the NBC Blue Network, which became ABC in 1943.

The Mutual Broadcasting System broadcast from 1934 to 1999,

and never made the transition to television.

March 12, 1933: President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers a speech by nationwide radio. Although delivered from the Oval Office of the White House, these speeches would come to be called "fireside chats," the result of a remark by Press Secretary Stephen Early: He said that FDR liked to think of the audience as a few people seated around a fireplace.

The term was coined by CBS broadcast executive Harry Butcher, in a press release before the address of May 7, 1933. The phrase has often been credited to CBS journalist Robert Trout, but he said he was simply the first to use the phrase on the air.

FDR had been inaugurated on March 4, with the Great Depression at its lowest level, and with the nation's banking system in crisis. It was a Saturday, so the banks were closed, anyway. This may have been a stroke of luck on his part. He announced that the banks should close for an entire week, to get themselves straightened out, and that the federal government would support them.

And so, 2 Sundays later, on March 12, FDR spoke before the nation, and, in plain English, devoid of what would later be called "wonkiness," told them this:

I want to tell you what has been done in the last few days, why it was done, and what the next steps are going to be. I recognize that the many proclamations from State Capitols and from Washington, the legislation, the Treasury regulations, etc., couched for the most part in banking and legal terms, should be explained for the benefit of the average citizen.

I owe this in particular because of the fortitude and good temper with which everybody has accepted the inconvenience and hardships of the banking holiday. I know that when you understand what we in Washington have been about I shall continue to have your cooperation as fully as I have had your sympathy and help during the past week.

He then explained his reasoning for his decision to close the banks, and why they were now being reopened. In line with his proclamation in his Inaugural Address that "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," he said, "I can assure you that it is safer to keep your money in a reopened bank than under the mattress." The speech lasted less than 14 minutes, and he closed as follows:

After all, there is an element in the readjustment of our financial system more important than currency, more important than gold, and that is the confidence of the people. Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith. You must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system. It is up to you to support and make it work.

It is your problem, no less than it is mine. Together, we cannot fail.

FDR delivered 4 of these fireside chats in 1933. As the crisis faded, and the Depression became more manageable, he delivered fewer, thinking them more effective if they were not as frequent: 2 in 1934, 1 in 1935, 1 in 1936. They picked up with 3 in 1937, but there were only 2 in 1938, and 1 in 1939. With the coming of World War II, they became more common again: 2 in 1940, 3 in 1941, 4 in 1942, 4 in 1943, and 3 in 1944, for a total of 30.

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March 12, 1933 was a Sunday. Actress Barbara Feldon, best known as Agent 99 on the TV show Get Smart, was born on this day.

Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. And the NBA hadn't been founded yet. There were 2 games played in the NHL. The New York Rangers beat the New York Americans, 8-2 at the old Madison Square Garden. The teams shared the building, which was still relatively new at the time, and the Amerks were the designated home team for this game. And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit.