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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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The President, however, continued to lay the blame for the state of public disrepute into which the board had fallen, to Chairman Madden. The discussions about Madden were all private and there were no open breaks.

But the President was adamant that Madden had to be sacrificed, saying that Madden ought to have done what he was asked. I told Madden that the President would like to have the rule changed about taking a vote when there was already a contract not over a year old in a plant. He wouldn't do it. I asked him to modify the rule about an employer ever making any statement - publicly or privately - about his point of view. He refused to do it.

So the President was very angry. It made him sore at this man. He said, “He must be just a fool.” He never would see his good qualities after that. I believe I took Madden over to see the President at least once, and he didn't make too effective a showing. Madden is one of these slow people. The President made some pleasant, off-hand remark and Madden sat there solemnly and didn't say anything for a long time. Then he managed a very serious answer of a few words. All of this gave the President a very cold feeling about Madden, a drippy feeling about him, a feeling that he wasn't quite human. Anyhow, that was that. All the other things he heard about Madden, that he was just as bad as Smith and so forth, didn't





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