Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578 of 578

that. We'll take a vote. We'll determine who is the representative.” It smacked too much to me of the very thing I had begun to dread in the NRA - namely that it might develop into a semi-tyrannical administrative body within the American government system in which the government would have the final word and the labor unions themselves would just be kind of pawns pushed around, and would not have the vitality, and therefore the spiritual contribution which I thought they ought to make and could make to a free democratic society in the pattern of western civilization. I also thought it was almost impossible to operate with any degree of fairness, or propriety, and I never felt that it was a good idea.

I did talk about it with the President fairly early when it was just a thought in the Senator's mind and a preliminary draft in Rifkind's right-hand desk drawer. I think I talked with him about it in such a way as to offer no bias and no opinion of my own - at least that was my effort. I wanted to test and see if anything about the idea struck him sympathetically. It did not. I remember that he said to me, “Why that sounds crazy to me. What's Bob want to do that for?” I had to explain to him how irritated Wagner had become by the refusal of people to negotiate. The President had said, “I