World WAR threee 1983
They were the words intended to help us face the tragedies that never were.
The failure of the D- Day landings, the death of the Apollo 11 astronauts, and the outbreak of World War Three were events that thankfully never came to pass.
The speeches written in case the unthinkable happened have survived, however. All have now been gathered together in Speeches of Note, a collection of some of the greatest orations of all time.
The unspoken speeches provide a fascinating and chilling look at an alternative history, according to Dr Fa b i a n Hilfrich, who teaches contemporary history at Ed inburgh University.
“These read almost like obituaries. Like those, they’re written in advance because once the event happens, i t ’s almost too late to send someone away to write a heartfelt speech,” he said. “When you look at Eisenhower’s words [ to be read in the event of failed D- Day landings], it is a typical soldier’s speech. He very clearly takes responsibility and it suggests the next step he might have taken may have been to step down.”
The speeches also reveal the thinking of world leaders at the time, according to Dr Hilfrich. “Nixon’s speech is much more lyrical, reflecting the large speech-writing staff a US President has,” he added. “This one is very soft and he probably employed a more lyrical writer, perhaps a former journalist.
“Nixon was enjoying a honeymoon period at the time, and he wanted to keep the attention away from the unpopular Vietnam War. His speech was an attempt perhaps to preserve that honeymoon period even in the event of the moon landings failing.”
The Queen’s speech, to be delivered if The Cold War turned into a full- scale nuclear conflict, is especially chilling, in Dr Hilfrich’s eyes.
“What I find interesting is that it tells us something about this period of the Cold War,” he explained.
“Some historians consider 1983 to be the Second Cold War, when tensions were rising again after a period of détente in the 70s. We now know the Soviets believed NATO’S Able Archer military exercise was cover for a real attack and were preparing to respond.
“Tensions were high and the Queen’s speech was written in response to this. It maybe shows just how serious the threat of World War Three actually was.
“There’s an otherworldliness to this speech,” explained Dr Hilfrich. “The writer is trying to do their best to convey the same feeling of previous British conflicts, and the spirit of The Blitz.”