Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495050a51525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534536537538539540541542 of 542

the time I wouldn't have known it because Stettinius was a very nice polite, sophisticated man, able to handle himself. Anyhow, he came.

We had a pleasant talk about this and that for a few minutes. Then I said that frankly I wanted to canvass this labor situation in the steel industry with him, and without speaking as Secretary of Labor at all. That was one of the reasons that I wanted it to be private, off the record and unofficial. I wanted to know where we all stood, what was possible, what he thought was possible. I didn't want to have something break out and find that neither U.S. Steel nor the Labor Department was in a position to have any thought-out policy.

He said, “Well, what do you think their demands will be?”

So we talked about who was organizing, if they could organize, how many members they would have, what had become of the old union, how it had been washed out, who was carrying on this drive, where they got the money, all that kind of thing. I told him all that I knew, as frankly as I could. He asked me for an estimate of the situation - that is, how much progress the union had made. It had to be an estimate because the union had no figures that were reliable. I knew the figures