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natural resource industry. Whereas it was true that by right of eminent domain the government could, for extraordinary purposes, condemn actual real property and take it for public uses, it had never been done and was contrary to the policy of this country. It was completely unthought out and might lead us to very serious changes in policy. It should be thought out not only for its affect on the coal industry, but for its affect on the economic life of the country generally. I asked them to kindly think about that.

Anyhow, we adjourned for lunch, Ickes and I, saying, “What in the world are we going to do! This is just terrible. Could you believe it? These men are just desperate.”

They hadn't said all this to Roosevelt in such a way that he gathered it enough to telephone it to us. They wanted something done about the coal industry. He couldn't make out what it was. He hadn't had them in for more than a minute. They said they had some serious proposals to make, and he hadn't been willing to give them the time to explain them.

I called him at noon time and told him that they wanted to give their mines to the government and he said, “The devil they do,” or something of that sort.

He said, “I didn't gather that. They don't want to give them to us, do they?”