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They're the ones that got left holding the bag, it seems to me.

No, they didn't, because Ickes called them down. What could they do? I mean, they were struck. They didn't want the soldiers in there trying to mine coal. They were Horrified. I knew, I'd had calls from several of them, telling me how deeply they knew that there mustn't be any soldiers come in, that the soldiers couldn't do it. They said, “The only way you can mine coal is with coal miners. That's the only way it can be done. Don't they know that?”

They had a passionate feeling about it. Only coal miners could do it, and the only person who can superintend a mine is an experienced mine superintendent. “Those people don't grow on bushes--doesn't the Goverment know that?”

I always said, “Yes, yes, I know, I know. But you know, there are people,”--and so forth. I had to pacify them.

Well, they were delighted with the announcement. I mean, this seemed to them the answer. They could get out coal. Then, of course, the question of the profits rose, and Ickes reassured them on that, kind of informally at first and formally later when they saw how it would work out. John L. Lewis got quite an acclaim all over the country for accepting Ickes' invitation to go to work for the Government of the United States, under the protection of the United States flag.