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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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it. When I finally talked with Henry at the President's request about various things--

Interviewer:

How did this come about, “at the President's request?”

Perkins:

Oh well, that was later on. In the summer I don't remember much about it. I talked with many people about it. Because there were all kinds of economic bodies being appointed, and all kinds of investigating bodies being appointed, and Henry certainly wasn't going to be the kind of person who would be appointed to take a ride through Europe and enjoy himself and make a report. He had his ride, you see, when he went to Siberia--and he made an interesting report on that, to the Cabinet. It was a very interesting report. He didn't read the whole thing to the Cabinet, but he made a digest of it, I suppose, and reported it verbally.

Of course, then the campaign was on and the President was very much preoccupied. We had inauguration on the 20th of January. Some time between Christmas, I should say, or between December I and this Inauguration period, the President said to me--and I was all alone on the day he said it to me-- “By the way, I've got to find something for Henry Wallace, and it's got to be good.”

I said, “Well, have you talked with him?”





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