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President's great friend, was the confidant of both sides of the Senate, and he was a very charming and very dear man. He didn't help with health insurance very much because it never came to the floor, but, however, he did try to help us with our efforts to get more appropriations and our efforts to get legislation. And he was a very sweet, kind person.

About a week after this visit I returned to Washington to be present at an informal hearing for a deficiency appropriation for diseases of the heart and circulation held by Bridges. Present were Dr. Charles Conner, who was then a paid worker of the American Heart Association; Dr. Henry S of Columbia, Senator Pepper, Dr. Russ S of the American Heart Association, and D. R.W. B of the National Institutes of Health.

I made a statement on the need for more funds for research on diseases of the heart and circulation and after the others had made their statements asking for about three million dollars. Bridges seemed sympathetic, but we actually got only 500,000 dollars earmarked for research in this field on a deficiency appropriations bill. However, it was 500,000 dollars more than there was in existence at the time. It was a beginning.

And that was perhaps all you could expect from a deficiency appropriation.

Well, actually, Bridges could have done anything, but he was hesitant probably because nothing had ever been asked for