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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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States. I still don't believe it's perfect, even in Puerto Rico.

Q:

But that says something, doesn't it? In a country lie that?

Lasker:

Well, it shows the influence of an individual powerful personality talking to another powerful personality; in other words, President Roosevelt and the Bishop of Puerto Rico.

I tried to say something about what an adequate child spacing program would do for the country, meaning the United States, but the conversation drifted off to other things, such as the sanatarium the President had just discovered in California for the use of the Navy. Anything about the Navy was fascinating to him.

We left the President and went off to a meeting of women to hear about the Office of Civilian Defense. It was uninspiring, although Mrs. Roosevelt was a dear as usual.

Q:

What about Mrs. Rosenberg's interest in this subject?

Lasker:

Well, Mrs. Rosenberg was interested and willing to help me, but she never took any active interest herself, directly.

The next day Mrs. Roosevelt had some ladies in for lunch, including Mrs. Henry Morgenthau, and I had a pleasant talk with her about Mrs. Sanger, who was a neighbor of hers in the country.

Mrs. Roosevelt had made an appointment for me to talk to the Secretary of Labor, Miss Frances Perkins. I wanted to ask





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