Evening star., 1939-11-19
Third Term Question
Raised by Roosevelt
Library Plans
Speculation Centers on
Making Personal Papers
Available in 1941
BY the Associated Press.

q third term.
AS soon as the aide, William D..
Hassett, announced plans for the
library, whose cornerstone will be
laid by the President tomorrow,
persons who have access to the
temporary White House here began
to talk about this question:
Would President Roosevelt, If he
were going to seek a third term,
open his personal and official cor
respondence in 1941 to the scrutiny
not only of researchers and students
but also OF possible critics?
Mr.. Roosevelt's present term ex-
pires January 20, 1941. His personal
and private papers will be preserved
In the library now under construc-
ton and, he said through Mr.. Has
sett today, probably would be made
available for research and study
sooner than those of any Chief
Executive in the past.
No Answer From White House,
There was no answer from White
House ohicials or the President to
the new question. Only yesterday
Mr.. Roosevelt laughed at reporters
who he said bit at bait he had
dangled for third-term speculation.
This speculation also was based
on the date Of expiration of his
present term. In Washington We'd
nesday, at the laying of the corner
stone of the Jefferson Memorial,
he said 1t was the second time he
had come to the memorial in an off,
cial capacity and added that by
January, 194l, he hoped to be able
to come to the final dedication of
the memorial itself, scheduled for
that month.
The politically minded immedi-
ately wondered whether he wanted
to return in an official capacity or
as a private citizen. He did moth
ing to clarity the matter yesterday
when he said he deliberately had
thrown in the sentence about l941
and that everybody bit.
It's going to cost money, Incl
dentally, for the casual sightseer
to drop in at the library. Mr.. Has
sett said a small fee would be
charged visitors, the money to be
used to defray costs of maintain
ing and staining the library it has
been turned over to the Govern
ment. Students and research work.
ers will have free access to the g.
100000 Presidential papers and
other collections.
Roosevelt To Make Brief Talk.
Frank c. Walker, who has been
in charge of raising funds for the
library, will preside at the corner
stone laying. Besides Mr.. Roose-
welt. Archibald MacLeish. librarian
Of Congress-, and R. D. w. Connor
archivist of the United States, will
speak.
The President has invited the
public to the corner stone laying at
3 pm. E. S. T) tomorrow. He
will make a brief talk. A luncheon
for a few guests and a reception
for a larger number will precede
the ceremonies. Numerous officials
are coming up from Washington
(Three networks, WARC - CHS
WJZ-NBC and WOR-MBS will
relay the address,.
The foundations of the $3.50 ,00C
library have been completed and
part of the superstructure is up. II
will be story and half structure
of weathered Dutchess County fielo
stone taken from old walls.
The north wing will house the
Presidents papers-the originals OF
communications received by him
and copies of those he dispatched
They will cover the period since
he became a New York State Sena-
tor in 1910.
The central portion of the biuld-
ing and the south wing, forming 9
museum, will contain the collec-
tions, 5000 volumes from Mr.. Roose-
velt's own library. and material he
has collected on the history of the
Hudson Valley.
The President envisages the IL
brary as an ultimate repository fol-
papers of other individuals currently
in public life, so that in it may be
assembled a wealth of data on the
last quarter century of American
history.
Several Signify Interest.
Mr.. Hassett said several persons
already had signified an interest in
the matter, one Of them a very i'm
portant' man whose papers would
be an extraordinary asset" The
man, he said. is not a cabinet Of
ficer, although it would be natural
for cabinet members to place their
papers in the library. That probably
would require considerable expan-
sion of the building, however.
The structure is scheduled for
completion by July l, 1910, but Mr.
Hassett said it would take about q
year to install the documents and
collections. Then it will be opened
to the public and students.
The process of cataloguing and
making cross references of all the
material may take 10 or 20 years.
The library has been financed by
private subscriptions and will be
given to the Government without
cost. 1t will be administered by
the National Park Service, Mr.. Has
sett said, and the entrance fee will
be commensurate with that charged
for viewing similar buildings in the
custody of the service.
The building was erected on a 12-
acre hayheld on the Roosevelt es-
tate which was decided to the Gov.
ernment last summer.