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gave this whole project of the NRA Cabinet status, special Presidential concern, and so forth and so on. That all suited Johnson. He took it all very well.

Then we met with him. The first report was a very interesting report. He brought along Richberg and perhaps somebody else. We had a very good and interesting report. I was in a position at that time to ask certain questions that brought out certain things, so it was a good first meeting. We were able to report to the President at the next Cabinet meeting that we had met with him and that all had gone well.

I, of course, was greatly relieved, because up until that time I was the only Cabinet officer who had any contact with him. All that the President would know about what was going on over there was what he read in the papers and what I told him. But with these other Cabinet members sharing this responsibility I had a great sense of relief that at least they knew what was going on as well as I did, and that nothing was going to be concealed from the President.

So the first report was very good. They all felt that everything was underway and everything was going well. They said, “He has hopes that all this will affect the economy and we think there's a chance it will. Certainly things are moving.” It was the fashion in those days, even