Evening star., 1941-08-31
Text of Roosevelt Talk
Presidents Neighbors Told Decision
On Peace May Not Lie With US.

Yet. as you know, 1t isn't all in
our keeping. 1t isn't all our de-
cision. This morning I got a let
ter-going to read it TO you in
minute-on what very observing
ewes have seen around this world
of ours.
The Atlantic Meeting.
Now I would like very, very much
to tell you a great many things,
such as the-the development of
the airplane program, and the tank
program, and the shipping pro-
gram; to tell you about all of the
details of our problems in the far
waters of the Pacific; to tell you
all kinds of details about those very
wonderful days-tremendously in
teresting days-that l spent with
the Prime Minister of Great Brit
ain, Winston Churchill. I would
like to tell you all about those
things.
But here's my trouble. My hands
are tied The reason why my hands
are tied is this-it's the press. This
group of old and very good friends
of mine, writing for papers, taking
stills, q nding out movies, who
travel with me all the time, day
and night. And the reason that I
went up to that distant spot in the
Atlantic was to give them a rest.
And they went up, while people said
I disappeared. Well, suppose
that's the newspaper way of saying
1t. 1t happens to be true, I did.
They went up to a hotel in
Swampscott, where there was good
golf and boating, and everything
else, expecting to get holidy. And
then some enterprising person in
England discovered that the Prime
Minister had gone, and Furthermore
discovered that their chief of staff
had gone, and that the chief of
their air corps had gone, and the
chief Lord of the Admiralty had
gone and somebody must have had
real imagination-real intelligence.
They put those-all those four fel-
lows together and they figured out
that they had all gone. Disap-
peared.
The Poor Newspapermen.
Well, they made great to-do
about it. Why should all these four
people disappear like that. So they
put something about it in the paper
and sent 1t in to Washington and
some terribly enterprising news
paper editors around the country
began sending kilograms to the boys
of mine up in Swampscott. where's
the President?" well, they couldn't
Il was 30O-320 miles at sea at
that moment.
And then some enterpriSing news
paperman in Washington found that
my chief of staff was gone, and the
chief of naval operations, and Gen
Arnold of aviation. They had gone
too. And, by jove, that shows the
value and the brilliance of a free
press. They not only put two and
two together, but they put two
more, and two more, until they
added it up to eight.
And the fellows at Swampscott
were deluged with kilograms from
Washington, What about it?" They
couldn't find me. They couldn't
find me any place near there, but
they were kept up all day and all
night, trying to find me-in Swamp
scott.
Helping the Reporters.
So this week, I knew they had
been working awfully hard-they
had really had no holiday, and I told
them yesterday down in Washing
ton that there wouldn't be any news
on Saturday afternoon from what
I said to the home club. So you
see how my hands are tied. want
to tell you all about the program
I want to tell you about Japan
I want to tell you about the meeting
with Churchill, and I can't do it.
So I am hoping they will have
time enough this afternoon to &c
down to Poughkeepsie and write
the story and get back in time tt
have picnic over there at the Val.
kill Cottage, and that is why I an
going to help them. I am going tt
help them to fill in the story thai
they have to send over the wire
by giving them something that 1,
all prepared for them.
I think it will interest you, in.
cidentally. 1t is the letter that
was telling you about. 1t happen.
to be from a woman, a woman VIII,
is an exceedingly good observer, ane
because of the occupation of hel
husband, she has been all over tn,
world, in different posts. The kinc
of life that in the last Is or q
years has allowed her to observ,
things in Europe and Asia, Africs