Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous “I Hate War” speech will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday, July 25, at the Hall of Christ at Chautauqua Institution. The viewing will be the first time a reproduction of the speech, delivered by Roosevelt in l936 at Chautauqua, will be shown with audio and visual segments shown simultaneously. John Q. Barrett, Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow of the Robert H. Jackson Center, and Jackson Center President Gregory L. Peterson, will speak as part of the program.
According to Peterson, a well-known Chautauquan, separate audio and visual clips of the speech have long been available. It wasn’t until recently, that the two versions were discovered and edited together to create the audio-visual version. Peterson says he stumbled across the complete version when visiting the website of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum website, in search of information about Robert H. Jackson who was on the Amphitheater stage in 1936 when Roosevelt delivered the famous speech.
“I called the Library and Museum to obtain a copy of the reconstructed
version,” explains Peterson, “and the archivist was not aware
that the version existed. After some research, the archivist found the clip
and sent it to me for the Jackson Center. I thought others would find it fascinating
to have the opportunity to view the speech which has never before been shown
in a public venue.
The Roosevelt President Library and Museum has worked with Mr. W.H. Utterback,
Jr. to reconstruct on film selected public addresses of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt. Film footage used in the reconstructions comes mainly from the
Universal Collection located at the National Archives. Roosevelt delivered
the speech originally from the Chautauqua platform on August 14, 1936. Robert
H. Jackson, a Jamestown attorney, was Solicitor General and Attorney General
in the FDR administration. President Roosevelt appointed Jackson to the Supreme
Court in l941. President Truman subsequently selected him to serve as the
Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials of major Nazi war criminals.
The Robert H. Jackson Center was founded in 2001 to celebrate the life and
works of Robert H. Jackson. The Center operates extensive programming featuring
the colleagues of Jackson to discuss his life, writings and deeds and their
relevance today. The Center also houses exhibits and original photographs
from the Nuremberg trials. Tours are available weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon
and by appointment at 483-6646.
For more information: Rolland Kidder,
Executive Director 483-6646