Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578 of 578

Smith proved to be extremely useful, extremely valuable and to have a good organizing mind, a good sense of propriety, a good knowledge of constitutional law, a good sense of what the form of government of the United States really is, and really had his feet on the ground. He was a somewhat excitable young man too, I may say. He got alarmed when he saw his elders, betters and superiors doing things that he regarded as hazardous and contrary to sound public policy, but he was the soul of loyalty.

Nelson Slater of the Textile Institute also entered into this project of trying to organize the NRA, but it was going so badly that the few who were there - Richberg, Blacky Smith, Nelson Slater, George Sloan, and a few others - would come to me and say, “This is terrible.”

Anyhow the upshot of it was that Mary Rumsey and I talked about it one night and she said, “You know Averell is really a very smart boy, Frances. You may not realize it. You knew him when he was younger. He's really very able. He wants to do something serious. He wants to contribute. Why don't we get him down to help?”

So we sent for Averell Harriman and he came down. He said sure, he'd be glad to help, but he said, “Does Johnson want me?” So we told Johnson he wanted him and Johnson said sure he wanted him. That was the first public