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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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conference. Then I began to realize what a Senator is, and what it is to travel a la Senator. You see, public transportation in Paris was almost nil. You could take the tube, which was crowded to death. You could get the Metro and go anywhere, go where you could go. But some parts of the Metro were closed down some parts of each day. That was a saving of power, you see. And there were no taxicabs--just no taxicabs. No gas.

So the military had been asked to provide transportation for the American delegation, and I guess other delegations had similar arrangements, to get us to the Sorbonne every day. Anyhow, the military produced some little cars, little old taxicabs. There was a fleet of taxicabs outside the door of the hotel which were definitely recognized as the American Army's taxicabs. They were just like the old Paris taxicabs, but the American Army bossed them, and the chauffeurs were working for the American Army. They were mostly very small cars, or very shabby old cars, and that was all right.

But Senator Thomas--and I don't know yet how he did it or what he did, because I never thought of it--you know, I took what was provided and rode to the Sorbonne. It was all right. I could get there all right, and we always filled the car up so as to make as few trips as possible. And I rode anywhere else I wanted to go if I could get one of these cabs. They were fairly unreliable. I mean, they were always there in the morning, but if you needed to go out in the evening anywhere,





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