Although he employed more people than any man in history as head of the Works Progress Administration and was a major force in shaping the modern American experience, the name of Harry Hopkins today does not gain the recognition and respect it once commanded.
But an extraordinary and moving 90-minute documentary, 'Harry Hopkins: At FDR's Side,' narrated by Walter Cronkite, revives Hopkins' place in American history. The documentary airs on PBS Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
As Roosevelt's best friend, chief of staff and essentially the nation's first national security adviser, Hopkins perhaps had more access to and influence on a president than any man before him.
Without Hopkins, a slight, gaunt man who was sick much of his life, the course of the Depression and World War II might have been much different.
His life is detailed through period films and photographs, newsreels and interviews recorded in the United States, Soviet Union and Great Britain. The documentary tells the truly American tale of a man born into near poverty as the son of an Iowa harness maker who went on to influence the course of history before dying at the age of 55 in 1946.
Gen. George Marshall called him 'one of the most courageous self-sacrificing figures of the war -- the least appreciated and the most misunderstood.'
Hopkins, who worked for nearly 20 years as a social worker in New York, had no advanced degrees, spoke no foreign languages and had no connections with Washington power brokers.
It was his Iowa folksiness, his honesty and his dedication to the common man that gained him the attention of Roosevelt, who was then governor of New York.
When the stock market crashed in 1929 leaving millions of Americans without work, Roosevelt chose Hopkins to run the relief program in New York state. Swept into the White House four years later on promises to alleviate hunger and create work, Roosevelt again turned to Hopkins.
Upon his arrival in Washington to head the WPA, the blunt Hopkins said, 'I won't last six months because I'm going to do and say whatever I damn well please.' He went on to serve Roosevelt and then Harry S. Truman for 14 years.
During the winter of 1934, Roosevelt gave Hopkins $1 billion to put people to work, tellinghim, 'Do something, do it quickly and don't come back to the White House with problems.' Within four weeks, Hopkins had put 4 million people to work.
Roads were built, offices and apartments constructed, farmlands cultivated and schools established, all bringing much-needed relief to the nation.
Hopkins, who was neither elected nor confirmed by Congress, wielded great power. But he never allowed favoritism and was never so much as brushed by political scandal.
With the success of the WPA, Hopkins went on to help Roosevelt establish numerous federal programs that continue today, including public housing, medical care, school hot lunch programs, day care centers and adult literacy programs.
But the workload took its toll on Hopkins health, resulting in massive ulcers. Hopkins also developed stomach cancer. Following several collapses and operations, Hopkins, the man who helped feed millions during the Depression, was starving to death.
Roosevelt called in a new team of doctors, who revived Hopkins with experimental drugs, blood transfusions and liquid nutrients. He was to remain on much of the medication until his death.
The president invited Hopkins to live in the White House, where the two became a team as World War II approached.
Hopkins was perhaps the first presidential adviser to understand how serious the threat of Germany was to the United States. Through meetings with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin, Hopkins was responsible for converting American industry to a wartime footing and for forging the alliance that led to summit meetings with Britain and Russia at Teheran and Yalta.
The documentary reaches the level of feature film drama when, using actual footage, the program shows Hopkins races against time, weather and Nazi bombardments, on an urgent trip to Moscow.
'Harry Hopkins: At FDR's Side' highlights one of America's most trying times through the story of one man whose accomplishments influenced the course of history.
