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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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government personnel in it. This day he made very clear to us at the Cabinet table that, although the Cabinet officers were to be members of the Council of National Defense, they were not to have the responsibility of doing it, but that the advisory commission was to do the work, and we were to help them.

The advisory commission was both to plan and to do whatever had to be done in an emergency. As it turned out, the commission moved ahead of what the President had anticipated, but not entirely. It wa a very confused situation and was confused from the very beginning. When we walked out of Cabinet meeting that day, not one of us really knew just what we were supposed to do. I put up quite a scrap in the Cabinet meeting. I haven't said this in my book, and I wouldn't have said it there. I said to myself, “This is the time to say something. It's got to be said.” I thought it was a mistaken way to approach it and that that departments were able to do it. I thought what would be the best thing to do would be to lay this burden heavily upon the departments, transform us from being Cabinet officers and his advisers into being a Council of National Defense, and if any of us weren't fit for it, replace us right away quick. But at least put upon the





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