Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578 of 578
head of the Consumers' Advisory Board of the NRA. Mrs. Johnson then went away and then she came back again. It was an eternal problem. When she came back she wanted to work in the NRA. Everybody was buzzing in the NRA. Mary had a job in the NRA so why couldn't Mrs. Johnson. She demanded of Hugh that she have a job, so Hugh said to Mary, “You'll have to take Mrs. Johnson on as your assistant in the NRA.” She was absolutely without any public experience or any competence.
I remember her clothes so well. She would come to the office in these fussy, dressy clothes that belong perhaps at a Southern ladies' tea party, but not in anybody's office. They were just too too. I don't mean that they were vulgar. They were just unsuitable for appearance in an office. She would turn up in those and that was embarrassing. She was always having to be looked after. Mary would call up and say, “Frances, can't you ask Mrs. Johnson to lunch today? Don't you want to have a few ladies in to meet her” - anything to get her out of the office for a while. We were always asking other people to ask her to lunch, or to tea, or to dinner, or something or other. It was really quite difficult.
Then she began to be very jealous of Robbie primarily. Then Hugh began to blubber and carry on. He loved his wife,
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help