Evening star., 1948-02-17
CHAPTER Xxx.

consequence OF Hitler's conquest o1
France and the specter Of Britain:
standing alone between the con.
queror and ourselves. Our danger.
GUS position induced President
Roosevelt to run for third time.
Up to that time the President, ir
personal conversations with me anC
with some Democratic Party lead.
ers, had indicated his expectation
and wish that I should be his sue
cessor. 7 had taken every step
could, however, to make it clear ]
was not q candidate for the pres
idency.
With Europe at war, with Japan
preparing for her next move, and
with the United States facing in
Vulnerable problems in foreign af-
fairs, felt it was more important
to the Nation that I should con-
tinue to guide our foreign affairs,
under the President, than to strive
to be President myself. Moreover
my health at times was not all 1t
should have been and I had no in
tention of being drawn into ma
tional politics in 1910.
From the END of 1898 until July
1910, President Roosevelt expressed
himself to me as definitely in favor
of my being his successor in 1910
The matter first came up in Octo-
ber, 1888, when I went to the White
House to discuss q point of foreign
policy with him.
"This point" said, will not be
settled for several years, until after
this term is over"
Ruled Self Out rs Candidate.
His face lighted up and he re-
piled, "why. that's fine. At that
time you'll be in my chair, If my
efforts succeed, and you'll be in
good position to deal with It,"
might have thanked him and
suggested that we proceed toward
organizing my candidacy. This
did not do-just the contrary.
made clear to him that I did not in
tend to get into presidential pol
itics.
II believe the world is going
straight to hell" I said, "and ]
think I can be OF greater service
in the State Department"
Several times after that the Presi-
dent took occasion to mention the
same subject. Each time he brought
it up, I, instead Of proposing that
we organize, said just the opposite.
If we had proceeded to organize, he
would have been committed.
Mr., Roosevelt also mentioned to
numerous Senators and Congress
men and Democratic leaders
throughout the country his interest
in having me succeed him.
In April, 1910, during q cabinet
dinner, Mrs. Hull sat next to the
President. There seemed some indi-
cation that I would be called upon
to speak after the dinner. Mrs. Hull
remarked to the President that I
did not like to make speeches, to
which he replied: "Wel, tell him
ne had better get used to it. He'll
have q lot of 1t to do soon."
Reused Left Wing Fears
Beginning in January, 1910. I
made several press statements in
which I said had no ambitions
whatever for the presidency. A.~,
In the spring Of 1910 a popular
opinion poll gave me q slightly
larger number Of votes than the
President as a candidate for the
next term, and a much larger num-
Der OF votes than the prospective
Republican candidate paired of
against me.
Within my own party this situa-
ton aroused considerable alarm
among extreme left-wing elements
in the New Deal group, including
some persons very close to the Pres
ident. This group and others were
determined that the President
should run for a third term, and
they did not relish the prospect Of
my being q candidate.
As late as about June TO-. 1910,
when I saw the President at the
White House, he again referred to
the statement he had made at re-
peated intervals since October, 1888,
that he wanted me to be his sue
cessor. On this occasion he still gave
me no indication that he intended
to run again-in fact, just the op-
posite.
The New Deal group close to him
had been insistently urging him to
run, but he had held them of.
Scattered critics have said that the
in telling 4 few close
friends that I was his choice in 1910,