Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

State Department.”

That was the last I ever heard of it, except I do know that he sent for Colonel Cooper once more perhaps two weeks later. Cooper did not telephone me at the time and I don't know what they discussed, except that my guess is that the President sent for him after having taken up certain things with the State Department.

At any rate, almost immediately there began to be movements. I think that the President, within the next month or six weeks, mentioned in Cabinet, certainly after having discussed it with the State Department, that perhaps the time had come when it was a good thing to recognize Russia and have one more of the economic blocks to the revival of world trade out of the way, and one more opportunity to have a civilized Europe.

It was discussed in Cabinet meeting a little, not too much. The President mentioned it as being a matter of exploration which he and the State Department were conducting. There was no opposition to it certainly, and I recall the tone of the assent of the Cabinet members, the tone of “It ought to be done if it can be done.” George Dern felt that way, as did Claude Swanson. Swanson was Great pacifist, a great believer that you could keep the peace of the world by civilized agreements. People have forgotten