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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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members of I.L.O. were there. Did I tell you about that man from Argentina in the first Columbia conference? This was before Peron had come on the scene, but he was expostulating and he was announcing to the world, through this meeting, that that was what was going to happen. He didn't name Peron, but let people know that a group like that were going to take over. This fellow was one of the first arrested and I guess one of the first liquidated by the Peron Government. That was in '41, when everything was pretty chaotic, although I've always been glad we held the meeting because it did keep it alive. Many, many delegates have said to me since that it kept the thing alive, it kept their courage up, it kept them from disbanding and giving up everything.

This second meeting was in '43.

Interviewer:

Now, Peron didn't come in till '46, so wasn't this a little later?

Perkins:

No, this was '41. This was up at the Columbia meeting. I see him standing up there in MacMillan Hall now, a perfect figure, very handsome, big tall man with dark hair, speaking perfect English, or very good English. Frank was his name. He was well known to the I.L.O. They'd known him and our delegates had known him, and our labor men knew him. He was a streetcar conductor by trade, I remember,





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