People of Western Europe speech
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The "People of Western Europe" speech was made by Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the run-up to the invasion of Normandy in 1944. Addressed to the people of occupied Europe it informed them of the start of the invasion and advised them on the actions Eisenhower wanted them to take. It also addressed the Allies' plans for post-liberation government.
Approximately 47 million copies of the speech were printed, in five languages, for distribution to the peoples of Western Europe. A recording for radio broadcast was made on May 28 but, due to one problematic sentence, had to be re-recorded in the following days. One commentator states that Eisenhower's frustration and fatigue is discernible in the recording, when compared to his June 6, 1944, order of the day recorded on May 28. The speech was broadcast over British and American radio on D-Day, June 6.
The metal disc of the recording was delivered by the Americans to the BBC late at night at 200 Oxford Street, then the headquarters for some operations of the BBC World Service, where it was entrusted to young sound engineer Trevor Hill, who was told to test it for quality. After hearing the content, he was not allowed to go home, speak to anyone, or even go to the washroom without an MI5 escort, until the speech was officially broadcast. After D-Day, Hill attempted to give the disc to the BBC for storage, but was told that, as the recording was not made by the BBC, they were not interested in it. Hill promptly took the disc home and kept it in his father's attic for several years, before eventually turning it in for preservation.[1][2]
The invasion of Normandy was a significant moment in World War II. A British, American and Canadian Allied Expeditionary Force landed in northern France on June 6, 1944 to begin the liberation of Western Europe from occupation by Nazi Germany.[3] Eisenhower's People of Western Europe speech, named after its opening words, was addressed directly to the people of occupied countries. It informed them of the invasion, the Allied plans for post-liberation government and the actions Eisenhower wanted civilians to take in the meantime.[4] Some 47 million printed copies of the speech were made in five languages for distribution to the occupied peoples of Europe.[5]
