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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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The Democratic Party was casting around for an alternative. That was Jim's real problem. It now turns out that Jim thought of himself seriously as Presidential timber. Until I read that in his book I didn't believe that he thought so, but he really did apparently. It was a ridiculous idea. Al Smith's experience in 1928 was just exactly as applicable in 1940. Jim was self deceived in thinking that his family was more attractive than Al's was. He always said, “It's too bad Katie Smith didn't really have the touch.” As a matter of fact, the people in Jim's family didn't have the touch. He had two awfully smart daughters that went to Wellesley, did well, got honors, and all that kind of thing, which none of Al's children did, although Emily is us bright as they make then. But Jim was self deceived about that. He had no Presidential following I don't think.

But people were casting around. That's how Cordell Hull was mentioned. That's how any number of people were mentioned. Paul McNutt had big hopes. I don't know where he got then, except that he'd been a Governor. The President had pushed him along, gave him high posts of one kind and another. There was some story about his sending him to the Philippines to get him out of the





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