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wants put on the commission?”

I said to him, “There's no earthly sense to it. She doesn't know anything about labor matters. She knows nothing about the case. She has no standing. She has no political standing. I've taken pains to find out if any of the politicos of New York know her or care anything about her and they don't. The woman's organizations don't know her or care anything about her. She doesn't know anything about the subject. It's the most ridiculous thing. We're sending a serious commission of labor leaders and industrial leaders with Will Davis, who knows the thing theoretically, at the head of it. We are putting the best people in our Department at their disposal to make a serious study and a serious report.”

“Well,” he said, “Wagner is just burning me up. I haven't hardly been able to think of anything else for two days he's been at me or so. What's the matter? Who is this woman? Is she a lady friend of Bob's?”

I said, “Oh no, but she's a friend of the lady friend.”

The President roared with laughter and said, “Why don't you put her on?”

I said, “Mr. President, I can't. It's so ridiculous to take a person along for the ride. I've promised Gerard Swope and Will Davis that this wouldn't be a junket.”