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whether the original bill carried with it a director. I doubt if it did, because I know there wasn't a director for an awfully long time and we did it all in the Department of Labor.
There was a great hurly-burly. The Congressmen were so frightened and so anxious to do something for the poorer kind of people that this seemed to them to be one of the many solutions. They felt that Roosevelt had been quick- witted enough to think or something that would help people who were on the breadlines and poverty-stricken.
I remember saying to the President privately, “Now, I'll have to get an awful good man to run this at the Department of Labor level. Is that all right with you? Can I have anybody I want?”
He said, “You can have anybody you want and can get. It doesn't matter who it is. Just get anybody and get it going quick. That's all I ask. Get it going quick.”
I sold it to the Congressmen, I guess, because they reported the bill out.
I think I ought to add a story here just to give the color of those days and to show just how hard it was to see a woman in a Cabinet office and taking a responsible position on behalf of the President before a committee of Congress. This was an episode which was reported to me before
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