Annotated Text and Audio link to March 1st 1945 Yalta Speech

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Another Roosevelt Fairy Tale




FDR never denied his polio. In fact, he used it to his advantage as an example of how he overcame it to achieve the Presidency. Yet, he never admitted just how disabled he really was, taking extraordinary measures to present to his constituents the picture of a man who was only minimally bothered by his disability.

Here is a wonderful example. I just purchased this photo on ebay that ostensibly shows FDR after his polio riding a horse. With the state of his legs, this is simply impossible.


This must have been a very calm horse, for if he had taken a step, FDR would have surely fallen off. No doubt a skilled rider was just off camera should any problem had arisen.


I've included the back of the photo that confirms that this was (allegedly) taken after 1921,