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will be very hard, Mr. Lewis, for you to persuade them. They never do what you want them to do!”

And he laughed one of his “Ha-ha” laughs, you know. I said, “I don't know whether the Government's prepared to do this. This is just me. I've got to decide how I can best make the approach.”

“Well,” he said, “I should have first to be assured as to what Harold Ickes is like, and what Harold Ickes will do, and what Harold Ickes will think.”

“Well,” I said, “will you be at your office? Can I get you at this number for the next two hours?”

“Yes, I'll stay right here.”

I said, “I'll explore the situation.”

So we hung up. This was only half-promises. It was a very ticklish business, because I had never mentioned it to the President, and the President was getting ready to sign all kinds of things, I knew, and the Army was pressing him. Up until that time he had, I knew, agreed with me that the soldiers can't get out the coal. But he had tried every other ruse that he knew of.

Well, then I telephoned to Ickes, you see. Ickes hadn't been consulted. Never a word.

Ickes was not Fuel Administrator at this time, was he?