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Yes, probably. I'm not sure they would have been wise decisions, but without the strong partnership that she represented, I would probably have succumbed to the heady wine of it being offered to me.
Which do you think you really would have taken? Which opportunity? Would you have gone with Truman?
I would have gone with Truman.
What offer was that? Could you remind me? Was it a cabinet position?
Secretary of Commerce. Secretary of, I guess, Transportation, although I'm not sure it was called that or existed as Transportation. It was equivalent to what became transportation. Commerce would have been a mistake for me, I wasn't cut out for that. But I enjoyed the excitement of the Washington scene. I thought I could possibly make some contribution to the administration of a department. If I had a job I was cocky enough to believe I could handle my relations on the hill, which are very important if you're in the Cabinet. I had the utmost respect for Truman. Roosevelt I didn't know.
But he seemed to be very close to you. He called you to his bedside as he was dying, isn't that right?
Who?
Roosevelt.
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