Eleanor Roosevelt

Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt joined Mike Wallace on “The Mike Wallace Interview” on Nov. 23, 1957, to discuss, among other topics, her husband (the deceased Franklin Roosevelt), her critics, the performance of President Eisenhower, the prospects for Democrats in the 1960 presidential election, and the Soviet threat.

When asked about whether America, due to its increasingly materialistic and indolent population, was declining as a civilization and world power, Ms. Roosevelt stated, “I feel quite sure that what the American people lack is knowledge. I feel quite sure that the American people, if they have knowledge and leadership, can meet any crisis just as well as they met it over and over again in the past.”

“And for the time being you feel that we are bereft of leadership?” Wallace asked. “Yes,” she replied.

To learn more about Eleanor Roosevelt, visit her profile on findingDulcinea.