As best I can tell, FDR first used the phrase “rendezvous with destiny” in his acceptance speech at the Democratic national convention on June 27, 1936, which of course was more than three years before the beginning of World War II–and more than five years before the United States entered the war. (The speech was a beaut, by the way. The Miller Center at UVa provides both the text and audio here.)
Can anyone tell me whether FDR used the phrase again during the War?
If you reply, please put “FDR” in the subject header.