Imagine you could jump into your Wayback Machine and dial in a visit to the site of one of the decisive battles of world history, say Cannae or Waterloo, meet Hannibal or Wellington, and have him guide you around his battlefield. In the course of your visit he shares with you his plans of that day, his strongest memories, and his regrets after decades of reflection. Well, you have this opportunity for one, and only one, battle in all of history. In 1964 just before television became overwhelmingly partisan and politicized, CBS News invited former President Dwight Eisenhower, who had been supreme commander of the Allies on D-Day, to visit Normandy on the 20th anniversary of the battle to discuss the event.
Newsman Walter Cronkite does a masterful and unobtrusive job asking the right questions at the right time and place, but the old general is the star. Utterly engaging with his forthrightness and sincerity—although even after eight years in the White House, Ike's not TV-smooth, like almost every present-day politician—he commands the presentation for its full 90-minutes.
Thanks so much for this, Mike. Will watch while in confinement in the apartment.
ReplyDeleteFirst saw this as a teenager in '64. My male teachers were almost all veterans. Both Europe and Pacific.
ReplyDeleteI never tire listening to the story of D-Day.
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