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Portico. They got his car and got him away.

Then I went back into the White House. Richberg was standing there looking red, white and blue. I said to the President, “What in the world did you send for me and Richberg for?”

He said, “I knew I had to have witnesses. Hugh would not understand or believe that I was asking him to resign unless I had witnesses, and I didn't know anybody but you two whom I could safely have as witnesses. Johnson thinks a good deal of both of you. He trusts you. You're both close-mouthed. You won't tell the world about this. Yet you can testify that I did tell him to resign. You can tell him if he asks you, because I expect that he'll be confused again by tonight and not know whether he's been told to stay with his feet nailed down, or to go.”

The President forgave him for what he had said earlier when he left, on the theory that he was totally confused, that he was in a mental state, which an alcoholic sometimes gets into, in which he doesn't comprehend the realities and thinks that what he desires to near has been said. That was the President's idea. But, of course, I don't know just how gently and politely the President may have said it to him that first day. Anyhow, this day he had steeled himself to do it completely.