Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

But I think he did, because I think other people will have the same recollection of what Roosevelt told them.

It was really curious. He sort of joshed Litvinov. “Josh” is the only word I can think of to use. Litvinov spoke pretty good English. His wife was an English woman. Although he had adopted a white Russian name, he was born of Jewish parents, which the President knew. I didn't know that, but the President knew it. I suppose he had had him carefully looked up before he saw him. Litvinov was a pretty well-know figure by this time because he had been Russia's Ambassador in England, and he was later to be Russia's representative at the League of Nationals. At the League of Nations he made a considerable success, because he seemed reasonable. The other powers in the League of Nations could deal with him. He was always amiable and agreeable, just as he was in this country. Certainly externally he was a very amiable man.

So Roosevelt had him looked up and he knew that his parents were Jewish and that he had been brought up in a Jewish household. He must have found out something about the whole family.

According to the President, the two of them cleared up many questions about the possible recognition - would Russia do this and that, would we agree to this, would they