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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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doubtful. He would ask me about other people who were supposed to be high in his confidence. He would ask me to find out what was really back of somebody's move to do something or other, because apparently they did not always tell him what the opposition was.

You ask if at this time I saw any indication that the President's feelings about the Supreme Court were strong enough to carry him through this fight. No, I did. That's the funny part of it. I'm sure that Cummings was always trying to work him up against the Supreme Court. I've told about this vigorous show that Cummings put on against the Court, telling the President that he was very angry and that the President should be too. Roosevelt didn't seem to be angry about the Court. He would say, “That's right. They certainly have usurped their powers.” But it was the kind of thing said in courtesy. He was agreeing with his visitor. I've seen Roosevelt mad and stubborn and gritting his teeth about something, but I never saw a trace of it with regard to this, until, of course, he was being put on the spot about it. Then he got stubborn. But that was merely because he had started something and was going to stick to it.





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