This is CBSI and the world with David Petrucia, the author of the new book Roosevelt Sweeps Nation.

I'm John Batchelor, and we're about to look at two of the most important figures of the 1936 election,

who were not elected, but made very important contributions to how the president, Franklin Roosevelt, saw his campaign ahead. The first is Francis Everett Townsend, born 1867, a senior figure who is a physician, and he comes forward with the Townsend plan.

This is in the time of great want and doubt for the people who are elderly in America.

At that time, that was considered 60 years plus was elderly.

David, Francis Townsend looks to be an amateur, and the fact that he

enters into politics at all is so unlikely. What do we need to know about how Roosevelt thought

of Townsend? Well, Townsend was this old geezer doctor who writes a letter to the local paper saying we've got to have this plan which is

going to give $200 a month to everyone over 60 and they will have to do two things for it.

One, not work anywhere and two, spend it all in 30 days, he thinks this is going to be, create a

velocity of money, which sort of like priming the pump, getting the economy up and running.

He's a pretty dull fellow otherwise, but millions and millions of people join these Townsend clubs around the country,

and they start electing congressmen. Now, Franklin Roosevelt, well, first off, one thing about

Franklin Roosevelt is, for all his big spending, hates the dole. He hates the idea of people just sitting around and giving a government,

getting a government check. This is one reason why we have so many remnants, relics,

artifices of the New Deal still around today. He built all those post offices and dams. He wanted

people to do things for them.

And the Townsend plant is just a giveaway. And it's a giveaway based on a use tax, which is,

you know, 2% on every transaction in creating a product or service. So you have a pencil and it may be 2% on the wood

and 2% on the lead and 2% on the eraser and 2% to sharpen it. And this is going to cause

amazing increases in the cost of goods. Franklin Roosevelt hates this plan. But he's not crazy about doing old age pensions until the Townsend Plan threatens to sweep the nation.

Harry Hopkins, his big welfare advisor, gives a speech one day and says, oh, the next priority has to be

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