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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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He sat up on top of the back of the turn-down cover of the car. It was there and at meetings that we early learned the trick of shielding him, women particularly. Women could shield him better than men because we had skirts and coats. You could sort of lift your hand to fix your hat and that would make the coat hang like a large screen. Two or three women apparently talking to each other would make a screen around him so that the audience didn't see him going through rather contorted movements. I didn't notice whether these movements were physically painful, though they may have been, but they were awkward. He had to lift himself with his hands. His arms later got great strength. Perhaps he didn't have as much strength in them then, because he had to really push to prop himself up. People would attempt to push and help him. I don't remember who was traveling with us then, but there was always somebody who was like a special bodyguard. One of his boys were often along later in the Presidential campaign.

In my book I wrote about one or two of the meetings that were in big cities where he had to go up the back stairs and was hoisted in over the fire escape into the back windows, coming on to the stage that way. I was with the group that was traveling with him then. It was awfully unorganized.





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