Hello. I am very well. We will be victorious.
March 29, 2020 10:09 AM Subscribe
Is there a term for a pre-made message, intended to boost morale, released to the public by a leader that, at the time of the message's release, is dead/deep in a bunker/surrounded by the enemy? Can you name any examples from history?
Boris Johnson is to send everyone a letter by post. He was diagnosed with covid-19 a few days ago so is likely to be in the throes of the virus when the letters arrive.
Given that he probably won't be in a state to speak to the public in a few days time, it seems to me that this mailshot has been designed to be a proxy. I think I've heard of examples of this kind of thing before. I have a feeling that Churchill prepared something to be read in the event of a Nazi invasion. Maybe it's just a cinematic trope.
Is this a thing? Is there a name for it? Can you name any examples in history?
Boris Johnson is to send everyone a letter by post. He was diagnosed with covid-19 a few days ago so is likely to be in the throes of the virus when the letters arrive.
Given that he probably won't be in a state to speak to the public in a few days time, it seems to me that this mailshot has been designed to be a proxy. I think I've heard of examples of this kind of thing before. I have a feeling that Churchill prepared something to be read in the event of a Nazi invasion. Maybe it's just a cinematic trope.
Is this a thing? Is there a name for it? Can you name any examples in history?
Not exactly what you're asking for, but here are a few closely related things:
posted by Syllepsis at 11:27 AM on March 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Syllepsis at 11:27 AM on March 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
Worth mentioning that because Boris tested positive, it doesn’t means that any point he will be in a state where he can’t speak to the public. There is no guarantee he will ever have any symptoms. The whole reason for the quarantines all over the world is that so many people are infected but just don’t know it because they have zero symptoms.
posted by sideshow at 12:13 PM on March 29, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by sideshow at 12:13 PM on March 29, 2020 [4 favorites]
There's also a tradition of eve-of-battle speeches or battlefield speeches.
posted by Miko at 12:48 PM on March 29, 2020
posted by Miko at 12:48 PM on March 29, 2020
After the Emperor of Japan recorded his speech announcing Japan's surrender in 1945, but before it was broadcast, there was a coup attempt to try and stop the broadcast.
Churchill reportedly gave thought to what he would say in the event of invasion, concluding with the phrase: "The hour has come; kill the Hun." Some webpages cite the diaries of Jock Coville, Assistant Private Secretary to the Prime Minister at the time, as the source of this claim.
posted by Clandestine Outlawry at 1:35 PM on March 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Churchill reportedly gave thought to what he would say in the event of invasion, concluding with the phrase: "The hour has come; kill the Hun." Some webpages cite the diaries of Jock Coville, Assistant Private Secretary to the Prime Minister at the time, as the source of this claim.
posted by Clandestine Outlawry at 1:35 PM on March 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by SemiSalt at 11:27 AM on March 29, 2020 [1 favorite]