FDR and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda

On August 31, 1942, FDR made one of his "public" appearances (aside from the 29 secret ones) at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda Maryland. Here is a video of his speech at the dedication ceremonies. Ross McIntire is mentioned at the outset.

FDR took a special interest in the center, choosing the site and providing a rough design of the building. He laid the cornerstone in 1938.

This video comes from the website of British Pathe www.britishpathe.com , the best and most accessible repository of FDR videos in existence. I showed it as part of my lecture on FDR's health at NNMC as the inaugural lecture in the Surgeon General's Lecture Series on FDR's health on November 7, 2007. An ongoing debt of thanks is due to surgeon general VADM Adam Robinson and naval medical historians Jan Herman and Andre Sobocinski.