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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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say, “How do you do?” and he didn't pay any attention to them. Walked right by. Walked right into my office.

Well, of course, I rose to greet him, and was as polite as I knew how to be. He had quite a lot of people with him, some from the Senate and these people he was going to appoint. I said, “I'm so glad to see you and it's very fine of you to come down, I'm so glad. Now, let me send out for the heads of the various bureaus and staffs and let me introduce you to them.”

“Oh, that won't be necessary,” he said.

Well, I said, “My dear Mr. Schwellenbach, I really insist! I must do that!” And I sent out for them.

He wasn't going to meet them. And I think from the way he behaved, he never would have met them if he hadn't met them that day. Well, they all came crowding in, sort of surprised, you know.

What the ordinary procedure would have been would have been for him to be sworn in by the chief clerk of the Department of Labor, in the presence of the outgoing officers and the presence of the staff and anybody else he wanted to bring.

Interviewer:

Or, the President in the White House.

Perkins:

Well, the President never had done it before.

Interviewer:

Yes he had, Miss Perkins. He swore in Wickard, in the White House.





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