Hearts and Minds

We've been hearing from people who are suprised by the contemporary language of Amigo and parallels are easily drawn to other US military engagements.  We asked our crack team to trace the concept of "hearts and minds" which John encountered in his copious research for his novel "A Moment in the Sun". Here are their findings:

HEARTS AND MINDS - "The knack of turning a phrase was explained by Theodore Roosevelt to his young aide, Lieutenant Douglas MacArthur, in 1906. MacArthur had asked the President to what he attributed his popularity, and Roosevelt replied, 'To put into words what is in their hearts and minds but not in their mouths.' ('Hearts and minds' later became a slogan of sorts, as what had to be won in Vietnam." From a section on slogans in "Safire's New Political Dictionary" by William Safire (Random House, New York, 1993). 

And from another reference: "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The Bible, Authorized Version, 1611: Phillippians, Chapter 4, Verse 7. From " The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations," Fifth Edition, edited by Elizabeth Knowles (Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, 2001)

[source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/20/messages/396.html ]
 

Another reference says, "A reader sent columnist William Safire antecedents from the Bible, a letter John Adams wrote in 1818, and a conversation Teddy Roosevelt had with Douglas MacArthur. Reporters and military officers in Vietnam labeled the 'winning hearts and minds' approach 'WHAM.' The Green Berets had their own version: 'Get them by the balls, and their hearts and minds will follow.'" "Quote Verifier: Who said What, Where, and When" by Ralph Keyes (St. Martin's Press, New York, 2006) Page 236.
[source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/60/messages/258.html ]


And this reference regarding John Adams: "The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations." So wrote John Adams, looking back on the American Revolution from the perspective of 1818. The date when the revolution of hearts and minds began was Jan. 30, 1750, and the leader of the incipient revolt was Jonathan Mayhew, the minister who preached what was perhaps the most important sermon in American history.
[source: http://www.libertyunbound.com/archive/2006_11/kopel-catechism.html ]