Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 912

background of all these cabinet meetings or discussions that you heard about the China situations?

Perkins:

Well, the beginning was the time when Madame Chiang Kai Shek came to this country on a visit. Even before that-- who was the man who represented the Soong family here? There was a member of the Soong family who was here in Washington as a financial some thing-or-other. He was Madame Chiang Kai Shek's brother, and he was in charge of Chinese financial affairs.

Now, this I only heard in Cabinet. Henry Morgenthau's always very secretive, always holding his cards up close, but he was apparently longing to tell the President something. He did say, in Cabinet meeting--and this made an impression on me that I can't forget, and it was before her visit--“Well, Mr. President, I don't know how much longer I can negotiate with the Chinese and with T.V. Soong. It's getting very embarrassing, you know. They're too compliant. They're too anxious to do anything that they think will please us. I told them that they should get rid of”--I don't know who it was, somebody we didn't trust who was in their entourage, apparently one of the bright young men who was connected with their financial mission. I told them that we didn't trust him and we didn't think well of him--we thought he was double--dealing, playing both sides





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help