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to Lewis - not at first, though I did later. I then told him that I had spoken to the President and the President wanted it if Ickes was willing. But, of course, no moves would be made Later in our conversation I told him I had talked to Lewis and Lewis was tentatively favorable. I saw from the way Ickes looked and the way his mind was working that he wanted it all right. He began to see what he could do. He talked about how you would do this and how you would do that, what the miners would do, what the superintendents do, who they would take order from, what kind of an organization he'd put up.
I said, “You should run up the United States flag in every mine. The superintendants will see to that and this means that from now on this is operated by the United States government.
He began to think. He could think quickly about how he would deploy as few people as he had to go out and be his representative at each mine, watching how the thing was working. This must have been on a Friday or a Saturday, because I had a little difficulty on protocol at that point. He got stuffy and Lewis was also stuffy. He said, “Well, if Lewis wants me to do this, why doesn't he come and ask me?”
I said, “You know things aren't done that way. It wouldn't be proper for him to ask you either. You're going to take over the mines for the President. You're not going to do it at the request of the United Mine Workers.”
Well, he saw that, but still he thought that Lewis
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