Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495050a51525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534536537538539540541542 of 542

briefly. I had two missions in Europe. I had to go to Geneva to the ILO and I also was asked to go to the big conference of the International Business and Professional Women's Organization. While I was in Paris I took occasion to have a number of series of conversations with people in the Labor Ministry, with Mr. Blum, whom I had the opportunity to have dinner with one evening, and with the people in the Confederation General de Travail, of which Leon Blum was the President at that time, as he had been for many years. I had known Blum very superficially really, but for a long time. As a matter of fact, he was in Washington in 1919 when the International Labor Organization was formed. I suppose that was the first time I'd ever seen him.

I had several long talks with him in 1936 and with his principal aides. At that time the Confederation was engaged in greatly expanding their membership, considerably to Leon Jouhaux's disgust. But Blum had insisted on it. After these strikes they found that these people in the department stores didn't belong to any union. There wasn't any union. When they came to try to deal with them, or have the employers meet the union leaders for conference, there wasn't any union. There was no leader. There was no one who could be selected and