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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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that had strictly nothing to do with the Reconstruction Commission's program, but dealt with something else, and asked her to recommend them. She took a very strong position about not recommending people to him. I don't mean to say that she never did recommend people to him because she did, but that was always on her own initiative. Where there was a situation where he needed a person recommended to him and she knew somebody and knew him of her own knowledge she would recommend him. That was never known publicly or even privately. She guarded that very carefully. I heard her say many times to people and on the telephone, “No, I never recommend people to the Governor. If you know someone who you think would be good to be the health officer at XYZ, I suggest that you make the recommendation straight to him. He'll be very glad to hear of it.” She never would do it. People would try to work political preferences through her. I think she was very, very careful, very honorable and very shrewd.

She got along all right with Bob Moses. He was junior at that time to all of us. We didn't have any trouble with him - any of us, He was just showing above the surface. He wasn't showing much. It was later on that he became so friendly with Smith. She got on all right with Moses even after that.





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