Shankar Vedantam
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Appearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, had driven unannounced to the Greenham Common Air Force Base in the United Kingdom.
Paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division were preparing for a historic jump.
General Eisenhower wanted to boost morale.
The soldiers knew they were on a mission, but they didn't yet know the scale.
The general eased their fears with a confident demeanor and friendly small talk.
Spectacular fishing there, Eisenhower said.
He was about to release a short and blunt one-page memo telling troops that they were on a great crusade to liberate Europe.
He ordered them to accept nothing less than full victory.
By that evening, as he made his way back home, the general confided in his driver, I hope to God I'm right.
The weather forecasts were uncertain, and a slight change could lead to failure.
Eisenhower returned to his cottage and wrote a message that no one was supposed to see, a statement taking full responsibility if D-Day failed.
Our landings have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops, he wrote.
If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.
He underlined those final words for emphasis and tucked the note into his wallet.