Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 915

these committees.

What I recall about Wickard is that he brought very realistic information to this committee - not to the committee that Byrnes headed so much as the one that met over in the Federal Reserve building, which was much more vigorous and much more creative because it didn't have all those sticks from the farm agencies and the labor unions. It didn't have Eric Johnston and the Associated Industries present, who had no part in these things. It's just an embarrassment when they're present. Johnston was the head of the Chamber of Commerce at that time. Those people are just an embarrassment when they're represent, because they don't know the material, are not responsible officers, haven't any secrets that they must keep because they are sworn to keep them. They just act as they always do when they go to meetings - they make a rumpus. They show off by objecting. So that group, when they got to meeting with Byrnes, never was really very effective because there were too many strangers present. Strangers being present goes against good work. It goes against arriving at any decisions; piecing out of work, or agreeing to do certain things and then doing them. You just have a debating society for a couple of hours.





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help