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who is a reactionary and who disliked Ryan intensely but hated Abzug, said to Ryan, who reported it later to others, “Whatever I can do to help you,” and he was then and still is the chairman of the House Administration Committee. He said, “If I could give you a million envelopes. just ask if it'll help.” Everybody was rooting.

Now I had taken a position, which was that I would not enter into any primary race involving an incumbent, even if I didn't like the incumbent, so I did not involve myself in the race that Lowenstein had against Rooney. I just think that you cannot work in a Congress because the other members, not only from your own state delegation but from across the country, do not consider it to be good from, if you will, to get involved in a primary against an incumbent member in support of an insurgent seeking to unseat them. That's my philosophy, too. It's the philosophy of most. It's not of everyone. For example, Bingham and some others took a role against Rooney and some other races, but I would not. But I was rooting for Ryan.

And then at the and of 1971, it's a Thursday or a Wednesday -- I can't remember which -- and there was no business; it was towards the end of, like December of that year; and there was a technical session, but about 11 o'clock I called the whip's office or the majority leader's office and I say, “Are there going to be any votes today?” and they said, “There's an agreement; there are