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Part: 12 Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536 Page 182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212 of 1143
Rosenberg and I sent out wires to our various friends, including Bill Donovan and Mrs. Wendell Willkie. No, wait, I sent out wires signed by Anna, Bill Donovan, Mrs. Willkie and Emerson Foote to 75 leading/citizens, plus some key doctors in the American Heart Association, asking them to join us in support of the bill. Emerson wrote the wire, and it got about 90 percent acceptance. Pretty good, isn't it?
Yes, I would say so.
The next problem was how to get hearings for the bill, because the Republicans were in control of the subcommittees in Congress. Alexander Smith of New Jersey was the one that would have to hear it in the Senate, and I didn't know him. And Wolverton of New Jersey was in control of the House hearings. We mobilized our Heart Committee to write and wire the members of the full committees and subcommittees repeatedly during the next five and a half months.
On the 10th of February Albert and I went to the West Coast and after much difficulty and anxiety the Senate subcommittee finally held hearings on the heart bill in March or early April in which both Emerson Foote and General “Wild Bill” Donovan and others testified at my earnest urging.
Did you resort in this instance also to ads in the newspapers?
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