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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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they were not there. They don't keep a death watch on Sundays. They assume that nobody will go to his office on Sunday.

So Lewis went down, and I went down to my office. I said, “Do let me know what happens.” He went down and went to Ickes office, and they spent an effective two hours or so together in which each explored the other's mind. And of course. Lewis proved very fruitful.

Interviewer:

You were there?

Perkins:

No, I was in my office, Oh no, I was not there! I was content to be the wire-puller. Oh, it was much better that I shouldn't be there. I mean, after all, I was the Secretary of Labor, you know, I wasn't supposed to be in on it. This was going to save the operators' faces, you know. They were going to get their profits out of this. Less, of course, the Government costs.

Lewis proved to be very fruitful in ideas as to how it could be done, and he reassured the Secretary at every point about how you do this and how you do that. He knew. He'd been thinking all the time. He knew exactly how it could be done.

So Lewis called me about one o'clock, and Ickes called me also. I think he called me before Lewis got there. I'm not sure which called first. Anyhow, Lewis asked to come over





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