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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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of interest and of comfort to you to know that I was with the President night before last. Is topped off on my way up from Florida--stopped off and had lunch with him and spent the afternoon, and then took the later train that evening. He was in fine condition. He was bright and intelligent and gay and lively, talking about the speech for San Francisco that he was working on, and having a very good visit with me, a good time, a good talk. He showed no symptoms of any kind that such a thing as this could happen.”

When we all were gathered together, Mr. Truman of course announced formally the President's death, and said so far as he knew what had happened: that he had had a stroke, they had telephoned Mrs. Roosevelt, she had had difficulty getting a second report from them, had told them what to do and waited for a second report and finally got them again; that after phoning back and forth had established that the stroke was serious and she must come at once, and then had been contacted again by telephone to say he was dead. He told that, and told it as simply and directly as anybody could. Nobody was in the room but the Cabinet then. Of course we all expressed our grief, and our loyalty to him, which was the natural thing to do.

Interviewer:

Did you notice Wallace, or anything about him?





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