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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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between the two wars, first, as to what war is and what modern war is in particular in its destructive capacities, what its political reactions and reverberations are, and what the total economic destruction is that goes along with war. Also we had a much greater sophistication about the possible spread of war than we had at the time of the First World War. Now, by sophistication, I mean to know a great deal in a purely intellectual way and therefore be sophisticated, be informed, be without emotional expectations and prejudices, and so forth—that is, being able to say, “So far as this little area is concerned, I know about it. I'm not allowing some little ideal to project itself into my intellectually acquired knowledge.”

At any rate, we certainly knew more about what was likely to happen in 1940. I realized, as did most knowledgeable people, that if we, Western civilization, did not come out on top, nothing would have any value. The whole value of money would disappear, and you couldn't have any exchanges. At one time it looked as though we were going to be completely overrun. All Europe was overrun by a tyrannical mob.

I think Roosevelt believed that we would be repaid in the same way that I did. We would be repaid not in kind or in money, but that we would be repaid in security for ourselves, which we purchased by bolstering up the British.





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