Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
probably he and Mrs. Roosevelt were responsible for keeping Roosevelt alive and for keeping him interested enough to get well and to overcome his difficulties and handicaps. They were probably putting fleas in Roosevelt's ear and other people's ears that he was a great political figure that couldn't be overlooked. Even though he did have a little handicap, that was nothing. That was easily overcome and so much the more to his credit. I think he probably put that idea around a good many people.
Having him Governor of New York would be a fine idea to Louis. You can't leap from a sickbed to be President, but you go to the Governorship of New York, make a success of that, and there's lots of chance to operate from there. I'm sure that Louis had conceived the idea that Franklin Roosevelt would be President way back from the time that he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy. I know he had. I know that was the case. He said so many times. I heard him say that he had so conceived it. I didn't hear him say so at the time, but I heard him say to me afterwards, “I always knew that Franklin would be President. I knew it from the first day he walked into the office there. The more I saw of him as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the more I knew that that was what he was destined for.” He had won Louis almost at first sight.
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help