Evening star., 1941-09-29
Mrs. Roosevelt

Mrs. Roosevelt's observation-disclosures
a-title. Mrs. Roosevelt's title is 'an
assistant director of the Office OF
Civilian Defense"
In Former Living Room.
Mrs. Roosevelt's office is the former
living room Of an apartment. Though
not large, the Office has a choice
location, right at the blunted point
of the building overlooking Dupont
Circle. 1t has three exposures, four
windows.
One wall boasts a gray-painted
fireplace innocent of andironS or
logs. The floor is carpeted in null
berry. The former somewhat ornate
wall lamps have been allowed to
remain.
The rest of the Office is business
like-no curtains at the windows
regulation desks and chairs. The
leather folding clocks on the two
desks, it was explained. were a Gus
tomary Government gift to its ex-
ecutiveS.
In the bend of the corridor out
side the door sat Mrs. Roosevelt's
secretary, Mrs. Edith Mae Knight,
who has been with the o. c. D.
since its organization last May.
While Mrs. Roosevelt was waiting
for the Mayor to arrive by plane
from New York, officials in his Office
were holding a hurried conference.
Oath-Taking Waits.
All Government employees must be
sworn in. Who was going to swear
in the Presidents wife? The Mayor
didn't have the authority. A hurry
call was put in for somebody from
| the personnel department of the
Office of Emergency Management
It was decided that the SWearing-in
should be a routine affair some time
during the day.
Yes, it was all right for Mrs
Roosevelt to go to work even if she
hadn't been sworn in.
The Mayor hustled into his Office
crowded with neWSreel men and pho
/ tographerS. Mrs. Roosevelt was sent
| for and hurried up the back stairs
| from her office on the floor below
She peered into the open doors along
| the corridor looking for the Mayor
until a reporter guided her to the
spot.
Later, for the benefit of the news
reels, the Mayor told her he wa;
| happy to welcome her to the o. G
D., that there was much to be done
that the o. C. D. needed the hell
of every man, woman and child. Mrs
Roosevelt thanked him and said she
hoped she would be able to helr
him in what must be tremendou.
job.
Press Conference Departure.
Back at her own desk again, SHE
held a brief press conference, an
nouncing that when she was ii
residence on the job and held s
press conference, man and woman
reporters both would be invited, {
departure from the exclusively fe
male press conference of the past
Strictly feminine conferences, how
ever, still will be held regularly
but at the White House.
In answer to a question. she sale
she hadn't asked whether she woult
get a dollar a year. She said sh,
expected to come to work every da,
that she was in town. but that Mrs
Morgenthau would carry on in he
absence.
AS busy executive, she will no
handle all the people who come Il
her asking what they can do abou
national defense, she said. She ex
planned that it would be impossible
to get any work done at all if sh
saw everybody who came to cal
Miss Dorothy Overlook and Mrs
Ernest Lindley will do the inter
viewing and send the volunteers t.
the right place.
Maps and Charts to Go Up.
Asked if she would do any redeco
rating in the office, she glance,
quickly around and replied tina
there was going to be plenty O
maps and charts on the cream
colored walls.
The overall objectives of he
work. she said, were to give ever
person wishing to volunteer hi
services in the interests of civilia
defense an opportunity to train fo
the work he wants to do; to provid
opportunities to participate in som
type OF work which will be OF benef
to the community now, and to pre-
pare citizens to meet any emergenc
call that may come in the future.
For her first day on the Job, Mr.
, Roosevelt wore 4 simple black sil
. dress with white at the throat an
multiple strands ef pearls.