Evening star., 1941-05-25
By Raymond p. Brandt.

very natural surprise at his ability to
do so. he replied, Why, Nom, would
be ashamed of myself if I couldn't do
at least two things at once"
In a recent issue of Cosmopolitan
Magazine, Alexander Woollcott related
how he had been appointed by Con-
gressional Librarian Archibald Mac
Leish as special counselor to the Library
to select mystery stories for President
Roosevelt and his successors. WOOL
colt carefully refrained from noting
whether or not Mr.. Roosevelt had read
his selections or was likely to do so.
This brings up a shrewd observation
OF Richard Jervis, who, as chief of the
White House Secret Service. had been
responsible for many of the numerous
human interest stories in the news
papers about President Coolidge.
Use of Official Reports.
You'll never go wrong" Jervis once
said. by telling reporters that a Presi-
dent. any President, loves dogs, children
and mystery stories"
The Presidents heaviest and most ex-
tensive reading comes from the basket" ="
the White House name for the stack
OF governmental reports and official
memoranda which is on his desk during
the day and at his bedside at night. 1t
has plagued every President and its
size Is measuring rod of the stories
surrounding the Chief Executive. In
normal times the stock is low. for the
President can dispose OF problems as
they come along; in emergencies it
rises-problems have piled up
One indication of the increase in
White House burdens is the fact that
President Hoover received an average
of 400 letters a day while the Roose-
veltian average is 1000. OF course, only
fraction of these receive personal at
tention, but the added work is heavy.
Mr.. Roosevelt is a fast reader and has
memory that retains even seemingly
useless information for years. His
mother, commenting on his career at
Groton, observed, He did very well in
his studies, but was far from being a
prodigy" He was in the upper six
in the final form at Groton and won an
all-school Latin prize. He could have
been graduated after his third year at
Harvard but elected to take the fourth
year because he had been elected man
aging editor of the Crimson.
The Hyde Park library was stocked
with books and magazines from all over
the world, and the President boasts
that his understanding of British char
acter comes from his pouring over the
bound volumes and the current issues
of Punch at the country estate. There
were full sets of the classics and of his
tories and the usual standard works
found in a wealthy gentlemans library.
At Harvard the President hoped to
build up his own library of Americana,
and began haunting the second hand
bookshops of Boston and Cambridge.
Studied Navy.
Quickly he learned that this venture
was beyond his more than modest purse.
and he reduced his special field to
American naval history Today he has
more than $4,000 books and pamphlets on
this subject and other subjects, together
with many valuable naval prints. They
are housed in the old Hyde Park home,
but eventually will be moved to the near
by Franklin D. Roosevelt Library after
the President has had an opportunity to
Gull out those he believes unworthy of
preservation.
Commenting on the contents of this
personal library the nroduct of aholIt an
years loving labor, R. D. w. Connor,
archivist of the United States, told the
annual meeting of the Society of Ameri-
can Archivists in 1899:
Franklin D. Roosevelt is the Nations
answer to the historians prayer.
Never before has the White House
sheltered a President who has had so
clear and understanding and so sympa-
thetic appreciation of the historians
unceasing petition for the raw materials
of his science. AS collector, the Presi-
dent has to his credit the best private
source of material on American naval
history in existence"
DR.. Connor was pulling rather long
bow. Considering time and resources,
John Adams and jefferson
ranked among the highest as collectors,
and former President Hoover's War
Library at Stanford University is one of
the great libraries of the world.
The Presidents paralysis increased his
love Of books and writing, although when
Assistant Secretary Of the Navy he had