“He [Herzog] quotes the famous teaching of rav saadya gaon that klal yisroel is a nation only by virtue of the Torah – this is the first time I’ve seen a zionist, religious or secular, mention it. ”
There were [and still are] many religious Zionists going back to the late 19th century who expressed similar perspectives but added a duality of needing to provide an economic and national security framework wherein those dedicated to limud torah could coexist with a secular population. In those days it wasn’t as much of a binary choice between secular and frum.