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As a friend I therefore let Roosevelt off the hook, but as a public official I don't. As a friend I understood the quality of his mind that made him easy prey for anybody who wanted to fool him. I think he should have backed out, but at some point he got mad.
My memory is that the members of Congress left the Cabinet meeting that day when that part of the Cabinet meeting was over. They expressed themselves as being astonished and startled. Summers said, “Mr. President, I just don't understand how anything so radical as that can be put through now. You'll have a hard time convincing members of Congress who are your friends, including me, that this is a wise thing to do. I strongly recommend that you abandon it for the present and let us give it some more thought.” He was a very diplomatic person. “Let us give it some more thought. In the meantime this bill for the retirement of the judges will solve your immediate problem. Let us put that through. Give us your blessing on that. Give us the go ahead sign. Let us put this through with your approval. I think that will solve your problem. This other plan will be a very hard thing to discuss in the
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