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So far as I know he never appointed another one like that, and of course there are hazards in that. Some of these committees were formal and some informal. This committee on economic security was a formal committee. It was appointed formally. Roosevelt announced to the Cabinet that he was going to appoint it. He signed letters to each of the members saying that they were appointed to this committee. That, of course, was early in the administration. I was accustomed to doing things that way, and, of course, I prepared the letters informing the members of the committee that they were appointed, and had them ready for him to sign. That didn't mean that I handed them to him without their going through his office. Certainly not. Everything went through Rudolph Forster. It is true that Roosevelt didn't very often appoint a committee as formally as that after that.
I almost think that this committee to look into the propaganda was quite formally appointed. Whether he sent us each a special letter of appointment or not, I don't know, or can't recall now. It was done, at least, in such a way that it seemed serious. I remember thinking at the time that he was really handing over a hot one to a responsible Cabinet committee, and that he expected them to arrive at a conclusion and a program. For that reason I think I took it more seriously than I took some other committees.
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