An amazing broadcast was aired for everyone to hear in 1965. It’s regrettably come true almost half a century later, and it’s terrifying to hear.

At the height of his career, Paul Harvey, a conservative American news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato manner made him one of America’s most-known voices, attracted tens of millions of listeners. His “idiosyncratic delivery of news stories with dramatic pauses, quirky intonations, and many of his standard lead-ins and sign-offs” made him instantly recognized on the radio.
Although he was quite precise in his reporting, no one could have predicted that his famous statements from decades ago would be prophetic and characterize today’s reality. Indeed, during a 1965 program, the great ABC Radio analyst, Paul Harvey Aurandt, who was born in 1918, seemed to anticipate how the United States would be today.

Most of us know the broadcast almost immediately after hearing the famous statement, which is also the title of the lecture and is repeated throughout the essay. “If I were the devil,” Paul Harvey famously quipped in 1965 before analyzing current concerns. Although Harvey’s statements are undeniably true, they may not be as prescient as some assume.

Yes, Paul Harvey published his renowned essay “If I Were The Devil” in 1964. The article was broadcast in 1965 and is still popular today. However, the current rendition, which is widely circulated on the internet, was revised by Harvey to reflect current circumstances throughout his life, which regrettably ended in 2009. The first authentic Paul Harvey version we’ve located so far occurred in his 1964 newspaper column:

What If I Were the Devil?

If I were the Prince of Dar-kness, I would encompass the entire world in Dar-kness.

I’d have a third of its land and four-fifths of its inhabitants, but I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d gotten my hands on the ripest apple on the tree.

So I should do whatever it takes to take over the United States.

I’d start with a whisper campaign.

With the insight of a snake, I would say to you what I said to Eve: “Do as you please.”

I used to tell the kids, “The Bible is a myth.” I would persuade them that “man created God” rather than the other way around. I’d say, “What’s bad is good, and what’s good is square.”

In the ears of the newlyweds, I would murmur that work is demeaning and that cocktail parties are beneficial. I would warn them not to be “extr-eme” in their faith, patriotism, or moral conduct.

And I would educate the elderly to pray—to repeat after me, “Our father who is in Washington.”

Then I’d organize myself.

I’d teach authors how to make gruesome literature fascinating, so that everything else appears dull and uninteresting.

I’d alternate between watching TV and watching dirtier flicks.

I’d infiltrate unions and advocate for more lounging and less work. I normally work with my idle hands.

I’d market narcotics to anybody I could, sell wine to distinguished ladies and gentlemen, and calm the rest with pills.

If I were the devil, I would push schools to sharpen young minds while neglecting to discipline emotions, allowing them to run wild.

I’d choose an atheist to represent me in the highest courts, and I’d get preachers to say, “She’s right.”

I would persuade the judges to vote against God and in favor of po-r*ography by flattery and promises of power.

Thus, I would kick God out of the courts, next the schools, and finally the Houses of Congress.

Then, in his own churches, I’d replace religion with psychology and deify science.

If I were Sa-tan, I’d make the Easter emblem an egg.

And the Christmas emblem is a bottle.

If I were the devil, I’d take from those who have and give to those who seek until the motivation of the ambitious was ki-ll-ed. Then my police state would compel everyone to return to work.

Then I’d split families by placing children in uniform, women in coal mines, and conscientious objectors in slave labs or camps.

If I were Sa-tan, I’d just keep doing what I’m doing and the entire world would go to h-ell as certain as the De-vil.

[Source: Paul Harvey, “If I Were the Devil, I’d Pray, Our Father Who Art in Washington.” The Gadsden Times, October 13, 1964 (p. 4).

A 1996 newspaper version of Paul Harvey’s “If I Were the Devil,” which appears to be what’s heard in the video above, is frequently heard today and wrongly identified as the same work from the 1960s. There are, nevertheless, significant distinctions.

Although it retained the original essay’s theme and structure, the 1996 edition expanded the substance to cover current events at the time. Nonetheless, this version is nearly two decades old and incredibly relevant to what our country is going through right now:

If I were the prince of dar-kness, I would want to cover the entire planet in dar-kness.

I’d have a third of its land and four-fifths of its inhabitants, but I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d gotten my hands on the ripest fruit on the tree—you.

So I would go to any lengths to take over the United States.

I’d start by subverting the churches, and I’d start with a whisper campaign.

With the insight of a snake, I would say to you what I said to Eve: “Do as you please.”

I would tell the kids that the Bible is a fable. I would persuade the children that man created God rather than the other way around. What’s awful is good, and what’s good is square, I’d say.

And I would instruct the elderly to pray after me, “Our Father, which is in Washington…”

Then I’d get organized, and I’d teach authors how to make lur-id literature thrilling enough to make everything else seem dull and uninteresting.

I’d sell narcotics to everyone who would listen. I’d sell alcohol to distinguished women and gentlemen. I’d sedate the rest with pills.

If I were the devil, I’d quickly have families at odds with themselves, churches at odds with themselves, and nations at odds with themselves, until each was burned in turn.

And I’d have seductive media feeding the flames with promises of bigger viewership.

If I were the devil, I would push schools to sharpen youthful brains while ignoring emotional discipline. I’d advise teachers to let such youngsters loose. And before you knew it, metal detectors and drug-sniffing dogs would be at every schoolhouse entrance.

I’d have pris-ons overflowing and judges supporting por-n*graphy if I had a decade. Soon, I would kick God out of the courts, the schools, and the Houses of Congress.

I would replace psychology for religion and deify science in his own churches. I’d entice priests and pastors to mistreat boys, girls and church funds.

If I were the devil, I’d take from those who have and give to those who want until the incentive for the ambitious was gone.

What’s your wager that I couldn’t convince whole states to push gambling as a means to make money?

I’d persuade the young that marriage is outmoded, that swinging is more enjoyable, and that what they see on television is the way to live.

As a result, I may u-ndress you in public and entice you into bed with dise-ases that have no cure.

To put it another way, if I were the devil, I’d simply keep doing what he’s doing.

[Source: Paul Harvey, “If I Were the Devil.” Reading Eagle, 1 July 1996.]

Whether in 1965, 1996, or another rendition, Paul Harvey’s remarks have never been more appropriate. He was an outstanding man with even more understanding. But perhaps another Harvey remark better illustrates how he could seemingly foretell what America would look like today decades ago.

“In times like these, it’s helpful to remember that there have always been times like these,” Paul Harvey remarked. Whether or not you believe his comments are prophetic, they are certainly powerful, and they represent a warning to our country that we should finally begin to hear. Rather than assuming that we will always have “times like these,” perhaps it is time to right our ship and cast the devil overboard for good.