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Fala At Sea
Prime Minister Winston Churchill (seated, third from left) and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (seated, center) pose with unidentified men aboard the U.S.S. Augusta. Also present is General George Marshall (standing, second from right), and President Roosevelt’s dog, Fala, seated at Roosevelt’s feet, ca. August 1941. (Truman Presidential Library)
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How Do You Spell Fala?
“But all through this we have to remember that there is just one front, which includes at home as well as abroad. It is all part of the picture of trying to win the war. Now, of course, I can’t do anything about it because the thing has got started, and people will continue to refer to the “home front.” It always reminds me of an example I use about things getting started. I have a little dog who is called Fala—F-a-l-a. But in the beginning, everybody got into their heads that his name was F-a-l-l-a, and you can’t break them of the habit. Same thing goes for ‘home front.’” (Laughter) … — Franklin D. Roosevelt: Excerpts from Press Conference, July 27, 1943
Photo: Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., Jan. 7, 1943, FDR Presidential Library and Museum
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FDR’s cousin Laura Franklin “Polly” Delano and Fala, the president’s Scottish Terrier, photographed in 1943 for the “Dogs for Defense” Bond Drive. (Find A Grave)
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Fala Accompanies FDR On Tour
Three Army aviation cadets in training at Maxwell Field, Ala., meet Fala, President Roosevelt’s Scottie, who accompanied him on inspection tour of Army camps. (The Southeast Missourian, April 21, 1943)
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Wag The Dog
A 1944 Word War II cartoon shows President Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the gyrations of Scottish terrier Fala to Gen. Charles de Gaulle. FDR considered De Gaulle’s claim as the leader of France, at a time when the majority of its land was under German control, to be overstated and akin to the tail wagging the dog. — The Washington Post via the White House Historical Association
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What’s The Secret Word?
The White House chef had standing orders to deliver a bone to Fala every single day. And the dog slept in a special area at the foot of the president’s bed. Fala was so well known that during World War II American soldiers reportedly used his name as a “password” to insure German soldiers didn’t infiltrate U.S. battle lines. A simple “What’s the president’s dog’s name?” had only one answer: Fala. — Presidential pets: Past and present | Photographers Blog
