Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654 of 654

in all kinds of places. He was the one who would run the interference and see to it that the person who could do something for Al was reminded to do it at the proper time.

I don't remember when the Empire State Building was actually finished and opened and I don't remember where Al had his office before it was. I think it was where Johnny Gilchrist's office was too. That was where they kind of operated from until they moved into the Empire State Building.

During this period Al Smith was a very popular public figure in New York City, in great demand at all kinds of civic luncheons, dinners, speaking on this, that and the other subject that related to the welfare of the community. I think he did a good deal of that. I don't think he served on boards of directors of charitable organizations to any extent, although I think he was often asked to. He sort of withdrew from those because he didn't know anything about them. He had a kind of dislike of getting mixed up in them. I don't think he even was on the board of directors of many business institutions. It's my impression that one or two insurance companies put him on the board. I don't think that he had many of those little directorships that so often come to a retired public man, but I may be wrong about that.

Mrs. Moskowitz throughout all this time was of course helping to get him invitations to speak. It was her idea to