Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731732733734735736737738739740741742743744745746747748749750751752753754755756757758759760761762763764765766767768769770771772773774775776777778779780781782783784785786787788789790791792793794795796797798799800801802803804805806807808809810811812813814815816817818819820821822823824825826827828829830831832833834835836837838839840841842843844845846847848849850851852853854855856857858859860861862863864865866867868869870871872873874875876877878879880881882883884885886887888889890891892893894895896897898899900901902903904905906907908909910911912913914915 of 915

we all went up Pennsylvania Avenue in our automobiles in a caravan. There we disbanded. He went upstairs and went to work, and the rest of us went to our offices. I really don't remember. I just remember the episode and that it was picturesque in a way. We weren't in a war yet, but the war was getting more serious all the time. This was sort of an expression of loyalty, all one band of brothers thing.

On November 29 there was a Cabinet meeting, and among other things Roosevelt discussed the trouble in the automobile industry, their slowness in converting to a defense economy. We were pressing them to convert their automobile manufacturing at a rapid rate, to expand and convert. They were holding back with a kind of proper caution so far as the business was concerned. Of course, Roosevelt, who could see further into the war situation than most of us could because of his vantage point, was more irritated by it than I would have been. It seemed like a natural delay, a natural reluctance to spend a lot of money and lay out for an enourmous production when you couldn't see the market. It would have been bad business planning without a known, or relatively well-known market. Nobody was yet apparently ready to say to them, “This'll be the number of orders you'll get from the government.”