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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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because Harry Hopkins was there. It must have been in '34 or '35. Some usher came in and wheeled the President back into his own office for a telephone call-I think it was on overseas call. Anyhow, he had to take it. He never was interrupted in Cabinet meetings, but that was one time he was.

He was out of the room for fifteen minutes or so. The Cabinet fell to continuing the conversation they had had while the President was there. One by one they edged to the front of their seats and said, “Well, now I don't think we do this. I don't think we ought to do that. I think this would be a great mistake. I don't think the President has the right story on this.” All of a sudden I began to realize that the members of the Cabinet were running loose and were I remember that almost at the same moment it must have struck Henry Morgenthau and Harry Hopkins. Harry Hopkins was at one end, Henry at another and I was also there. We looked at each other. Our eyes sought each other and what we were saying to each other was, “Look here, we're the only friend the President has got in this room. We've got to defend him. We've got to keep the conversation from coming to a head.” We started go talk,





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