“The Warning Paul Harvey Gave In 1965 Has Sadly Become A Reality”

 By Sharmeen Kaif

The passage describes Paul Harvey’s famous “If I Were the Devil” speech that was broadcast in 1965 and how it has become relevant to current events.

The warning, which will live in infamy, was broadcast in 1965. More than 50 years later, it has tragically come true and it is horrifying to hear.

At the height of his career, conservative American news pundit and talk radio pioneer Paul Harvey reached tens of millions of listeners. His staccato delivery made him one of America’s most recognizable sounds. On the radio, his “idiosyncratic news delivery with dramatic pauses, quirky intonations and many of his standard introductions and exits” made him instantly recognizable.

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No one could have predicted that his famous statements from decades ago would be prophetic, depicting the reality of today, even though he was very accurate in his reporting. In fact, during a 1965 show, famed ABC radio analyst Paul Harvey Aurandt, who was born in 1918, claimed to foresee what the United States would be like today.

The famous line, which serves as both the title of the speech and a recurring theme throughout the essay, is heard by most of us and we recognize the broadcast almost immediately. Paul Harvey famously remarked, “If I were the devil” in 1965, before talking about the problems we face today. Harvey’s statements are undoubtedly true, but they may not be as foreboding as some may think.

It is true that Paul Harvey first wrote his famous article “If I Were the Devil” in 1964. The report debuted in 1965 and is still widely read today. Harvey, who tragically died in 2009, adapted the version currently popular on the internet to reflect current events. The earliest authentic version of this essay by Paul Harvey that we have yet discovered was published in his newspaper column in 1964:

If I were the devil If I were the prince of darkness I’d like to engulf the whole planet in darkness.

I would rule a third of his land and a quarter of his people, but I would not be satisfied until I had picked the ripest fruit from the tree.

So I should start making all the preparations necessary to conquer America.

I would start with a whisper campaign.

I would say to you with the wisdom of the serpent, “Do as you will,” just as I said to Eve.

I used to whisper to the children, “The Bible is a myth.” They would believe that “man-made God”, not the other way around when I convinced them. I would say, “What’s bad is good and what’s good is square.”

I would whisper that work is humiliating and cocktails are healthy in newlywed ears. They should avoid becoming “extreme” in their morals, patriotism, or religious beliefs.

And I would train the older people to pray by repeating after me, “Our Father who is in Washington.”

Then I would organize myself.

To make everything else seem dull and uninteresting, I would teach writers how to make bloody literature appealing.

I would threaten TV with more disgusting movies and vice versa.

To encourage laziness and less work, I would infiltrate unions. My best work comes from idle hands.

I would sell wine to exceptional ladies and gentlemen, sell drugs to anyone who could, and soothe the rest with pills.

If I were the devil, I would advocate that schools develop the intellect of students while neglecting to control their emotions and allowing them to run wild.

I would choose an atheist to represent me before the Supreme Court and get the support of the preachers by saying, “He’s right.”

I would influence the judges to rule against God and in favor of pornography through flattery and promises of power.

As a result, I would kick God out of the courtroom, the classroom, and eventually the Houses of Congress.

Then I would deify science and replace religion with psychology in his own churches.

If I were Satan, I would make the symbol of Easter an egg.

And the bottle serves as a symbol of Christmas.

If I were the devil, I would steal from the rich and give to the needy until I killed the desire for ambition. Everyone would then be forced back to work by my police state.

Then I would divide families by placing the children in uniforms, the women in the coal mines, and the dissenters in slave laboratories or concentration camps.

If I were Satan, I would just go on doing what I am doing and the whole world would perish as surely as the devil.

If I were the devil, I would pray to the Father who is in Washington, according to Paul Harvey. Gadsden Times (October 13, 1964), page 4.

Paul Harvey’s “If I Were the Devil”, which appears to be what is heard in the video above, was published in newspapers in 1996, yet is often heard today and misidentified as the same song from the 1960s. However, there are significant differences.

The 1996 revision developed the content to include current events of the moment while maintaining the original theme and structure of the essay. Even so, this more than 20-year-old version is still quite relevant to the current situation in our country:

If I were the prince of darkness, I would like to submerge the entire planet into my kingdom.

I could have a quarter of his land and a fifth of his people, but I would not be satisfied until I had taken the ripest fruit from the tree, which was you.

So I would begin the process of taking control of the United States if necessary.

I would infiltrate the churches first, starting with a whisper.

I would say to you with the wisdom of the serpent, “Do as you will,” just as I said to Eve.

I used to grumble that the Bible is a children’s story. I would convince the children that God did not create man; rather it was the other way around. What’s good is square, and what’s terrible is good, I’d say.

Then I got organized and educated authors on how to make terrible literature fascinating, making everything else seem dull and uninteresting. And the old man, I would order him to pray for me, “Our Father which art in Washington—“

I would sell drugs to anyone who could. I would sell alcohol to important ladies and gentlemen. I would give P-pills to calm others down.

If I were the devil, I would soon have nations at war with themselves, families at war with themselves, and churches at war with themselves until they were all wiped out.

Plus, I’d have compelling media feeding the flames with guarantees of better viewership.

If I were the devil, I would advocate that schools develop the intellect of students while ignoring emotional control. I would advise teachers to let these students go. And before you know it, there will be metal detectors and sniffer dogs at every classroom door.

In ten years I will have overcrowded prisons and judges who support pornography. I was going to kick God out of the courtroom, the classroom, and eventually the House of Congress.

I would deify science and replace religion with psychology in its own churches. I would tempt priests and pastors to abuse children, women, and church funds.

If I were the devil, I would steal from the rich and give to the poor until I quenched my desire for ambition.

What are the odds that I failed to convince entire states to support gambling as a source of wealth?

I would convince young people that marriage is outdated, swinging is more enjoyable and what you see on TV is how things are supposed to be done.

For that, I could undress you in public and use diseases that have no cure to get you in bed.

In other words, if I were the devil, I’d just keep doing what he’s doing.

Paul Harvey’s song “If I Were the Devil” is the source. The Reading Eagle, July 1, 1996.

Whether it was 1965, 1996, or even another adaptation, Paul Harvey’s notes have never been more accurate. He was a wonderful man with even greater insight.

But perhaps another quote from Harvey better shows how he once seemed able to predict how America would evolve.

Paul Harvey once said, “In times like these it is helpful to remember that there have always been times like these.” Whether you believe his remarks to be prophetic or not, they are undoubtedly powerful and serve as a warning to our country that we should finally start listening. Maybe it’s time to right our ship and throw the devil overboard permanently rather than accept that we will always have “times like these”.

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