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Part:         Session:         Page of 654

THE SECRETARYSHIP OF LABOR

After the election the newspapers started to wonder about who would be appointed to the Cabinet. I don't think my name was mentioned at the beginning. I pretty nearly know when the first leak came on my name. The election was in November and we took office on the 4th of March. So there was a long time lapse. Roosevelt undoubtedly went to Warm Springs after the election for the usual rest-up.

On November 22nd there was a conference between Roosevelt and Hoover. I don't know anything about what went on, but I knew there was a conference and that Roosevelt thought very little of it.

Either in December '32 or January '32 Grace Abbott, who was the head of the Children's Bureau, asked me to come down to Washington and to meet with and address a conference on children's problems in the unemployment period that she was calling. I learned afterwards, although I didn't know it at the time, that there was a method in this idea of having this conference at this time and having me address it. I was as innocent as a child about it when I accepted. I





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