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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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intelligent man, extremely intelligent--very vigorous, very lively, very sure of himself. And he also was a sensible man. He had a great skill in the use of words, and he used them well.

Those were the four most useful people. The British Government delegate wanted to be useful and helpful, but he was one of those sticklers for “his word.” I mean, his word was the only word that he could possibly tolerate, and he'd have to speak a while about why his word ought to be used. It was amusing and difficult.

Interviewer:

Were these sessions usually carried on in English, or French, or both?

Perkins:

They were carried on in three languages. They used to be in three languages--German, French, and English. Since the War, at least at that session, they were carried on in French and English only. But I on that particular committee, there were a good many people for instance who were Hungarians; there were poles on the committee; there were Czechs. Of course there were no Germans there then. But there were others on the committee whom I was sure could not understand clearly either English or French. They might understand a little. But it's very difficult for them to follow the speaking and the objections and the give and take of a committee that's trying to formulate something, in a language that they're not quite





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