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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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receive them. It wouldn't matter on the social side, but it would offend people. Although they didn't have votes and were mostly District of Columbia residents, still it's a good thing to do.

She hated coming down to the White House dinners. She thought that Mrs. Hull was very prissy. Mrs. Hull was very correct in the Washington way. She was very pretty and very polite. She was elderly and had never been in a nightclub, had never done any of the things that New Yorkers call “fun.” Social life in Washington is not aimed at having fun and this is what Mrs. Farley didn't understand. According to her, social life is meant for fun.

So she was difficult about all this. Jim used to say to me, “Boss hates to come down. I can hardly get her to come down.” Yet, he did his full duty. There was no question of Jim staying out of Washington. He was very good that way.

He was also tremendously interested in the Post Office as an administrative operation. Now most Postmasters General, who are primarily political people, don't give a hoot about the administration of the Post Office. They don't even get interested in it as an administrative thing. Jim got as interested in it as





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