Black Belt and Blue Water
his dog , jeopardizing American lives to do so�maybe even costing American lives , for who knows but that the destroyer sent for Fala would have sunk a Japanese ship that subsequently sank an American transport ?” ( Rigdon 1962 126 ).
The Baltimore had been ready to depart at 4:00 on the afternoon of August 2 , but the weather was too severe to permit the tugs to get the large ship out of the cove and into open waters . FDR , though , Rigdon writes , “ was not to be completely outdone by the weather . To the surprise of us all , he put on a rain slicker and boots and was wheeled out on deck , carrying a campstool . He found a spot on the cruiser ’ s forecastle and dropped his fishing line over the side . He sat there in the rain for nearly an hour and appeared to relish the Down East atmosphere ” ( Rigdon 1962 127 ).
When FDR arrived a week later at the Navy Yard in Bremerton , Washington , he “ had been out of the country twenty-nine days and had traveled 10,000 miles by ship , a voyage that in past years would have restored him .” 5 By nearly all accounts , the Bremerton speech was a disaster . With an election nearing , his radio audience generally agreed that he had been “ rambling , halting , and indecisive .” Republicans gleefully reported that “ the Old Man is through ,” and continued to spread the tale about Fala while calling attention to a photograph of the president looking haggard . To add to it all , FDR ’ s doctor earlier had placed him on a diet which had caused him to lose 15 pounds , exaggerating the appearance of frailty , and that was when the photo had been taken ( Cross 2003 181-182 ).
Rigdon , who had been present at FDR ’ s speech , presents the Bremerton speech with more nuance . He conceded that “ FDR ’ s usually flawless delivery was the poorest of any speech that he ever made ,” but noted the adverse circum-
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