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said the Congress had a perfect right to do. It was a temporary measure and the act was set aside for a specified period. When the period ended was among the President's emergency powers to declare. Of course, a great deal was made of the fact that this action took place under the President's emergency powers. The Congress specifically permitted this, but it was inaugurated by the President's executive action under his emergency powers, or it was to be modified under his emergency powers. That was the Attorney General's great argument. You could do anything in an emergency, just as if it had been a war.

We went away from that conference with the concept that the public works program was in the bill. The bill was to be introduced the next Monday and it was understood and agreed that Wagner was to introduce it. There were just a few final licks to be done to it, such as the amount of money to be appropriated for public works, and a lot of other little things that had been left open until the President said whether he wanted it this way or that way.

Johnson made a very good appearance that day. I remember how well he argued, how well he spoke, how clear he was. It was his best foot foremost all right. He showed himself in his most competent and most effective side.

We went away and the putting of the bill into shape