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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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if they can't.” He thought it was wonderful. He hadn't realized how he could multiply himself and spread himself all over the country by just a little procedure.

I got good ideas from him. Sometimes we'd have to bring a stubborn strike of some sort into Washington. The little prestige of asking the parties involved to come to Washington would help them. He was very good on those things. I'd have him in on this. He'd say,” I think, Madam Secretary, we'd better have a little subcommittee. If you'll appoint 'So-and-So and ‘So-and-So’, they can come in my office and we can kind of get together in there at a kind of low level before you try to deal with the heads.” He was very smart about getting the ideas implanted further down so that the recommendation to the head of the union would be made by one of his own subordinates. Kerwin would take this subordinate into his office and very quietly and peacefully give him an idea. It was the same way with the employers' groups.

He was really an admirable person in that way. He was not a good operator, because he didn't know anything about operation. But we were able to supplement that. I was able to give him a very good clerk out of the business office of the Department. I put in one very good clerk and then gave him a couple others - a very good secretary,





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