Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Mary LaskerMary Lasker
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 1143

commission was finally announced. Just before the announcement of the commission, Florence and I got cold feet about what we had gotten started and felt perhaps that from the amount of turmoil that Magnuson was already making the whole thing would turn out badly.

Q:

There was no turning back at that point.

Lasker:

No. “Perhaps it would be well to stop it before it got started,” we thought however, it looked as if things had gone too far and we made no effort to put an end to it.

Late in January of '52 Florence and I were calling on Matt Connolly to see what we could do about getting a new job for Mike Gorman as a speech writer in the White House. Matt was on the phone when we arrived and Eric Johnston, who headed the Point-IV Commission came into his office. I described to him what Leonard Goldenson wanted to do about making a large theater collection for the outstanding health agencies, and Eric Johnston agreed that this was a good idea. Matt suddenly appeared, holding the door open to the President's office, and said gaily, “Three minutes.” This was a complete surprise as we had not asked to see the President.

We greeted him and asked how he liked the new Presidential Health Commission. He said he hadn't heard anything about it since he'd appointed it and said, “How are they doing? I'm only interested if they get something done, accomplish something.” I mentioned that Magnuson was a good





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help