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photographs to amuse ourselves, and then Johnson came in with MacNamara, and we went out to the next room. The place was buzzing with people: Bundy and Salinger were milling around, along with Kermit Gordon in Miss Roberts' office, the President's secretary. And when I came back a little bit later in the day for some reason Baruch came out after having had an interview with Johnson. The atmosphere was one of intense activity and on-going business in a rather informal way. The President is very mobile and moves around quickly, just as Kennedy did, which is quite in contrast to the feeling one got with Truman and certainly with Roosevelt. I mean, he seldom moved because he was in a wheelchair and got pushed around a lot and didn't move from room to room quickly. The whole atmosphere was very fast and informal.

The President asked me if I had taken up the matter of the appointment of the commission on cancer, heart and stroke with Fortas, as he wanted Fortas' recommendation, and I said, no, I was coming back to do that at once. I did make a visit to Fortas, I think on Wednesday of the same week, and as I think I've said that Fortas thought it was a very good idea, and it's now back on Feldman's desk.

I did mention to the President that I thought HEW needed reorganization, but we didn't go into it in any great detail at dinner, the night of the 8th. His conversation was largely to the table and dominated the whole table, but it was