Evening star., 1953-11-29

ident had indicated he wanted
He sent the letter to the White
House and was asked to lunch
there. The President came UP
with a memorandum in his
handwriting. "PWA is not re-
pudiated PWA is not ended
I did not make it impossible for
you to go before the committee
I have not indicated lack of con-
fidence. I have full confidence in
you. You and I have the same
big objective. You are needed to
carry on a big common task.
Resignation not accepted"
Mr.. Ickes stayed on.
The President listened sym
pathetically when Mr.. Ickes sug-
gested SIS billion earmarked
for Hopkins WPA in the bill be
amended to have it admins
tered by the President. Mr..
Roosevelt insisted he wasn't
going to eliminate PWA. Mr..
Ickes recorded:
Il pointed out that WPA could
be the biggest joint in our armor
during the coming campaign.
said, whether justly or unjustly,
Hopkins was being criticized in
all parts of the country, and that
while I had no opinion to ex-
press as to the justice Of any OF
these criticisms, ! did think that
it was not a good time for him
to be thumbing his nose at the
country as he would be doing
if he allowed a bill to go through
that would give Hopkins greater
power and authority than had
ever been given to any one in
history"
The bill was passed in a form
that gave the President, not the
WPA head, control over the
huge sum. and Mr.. Ickes felt his
face was saved. the taxpayers
also saved.
Discussed Reds.
Mr.. IckeS recorded a confiden-
tial talk he once had with Secre-
tary OF War Dern. "He feels
about Red hunting just as I do
and thinks it is absurd to deny
Communists an opportunity to
express themselves or to have a
ticket on the ballot. believe he
would be as unhappy in a COM
munistic state as I would be. He
feels. as I do. that it is better
to bend somewhat to the wind
than to be torn from the trunk
OF the tree and be dashed to the
ground.
I'VE discussed the political
situation. He thinks the Presi-
dent is not nearly as strong as
ne was, and he deprecates as
much as I do the fact that the
cabinet meetings are such a
waste Of time. He thinks the
Presidents family handicaps
him politically, especially Mrs.
Roosevelt. He has the same opin-
ion of the Secretary of the
Treasury that I have and we
agreed also on the Vice Presi-
dent (Mr. Garner)
Mr.. Ickes several times re-
ported himself infuriated at the
interference of Mrs. Roosevelt
in behalf of PWA projects. Mrs.
Roosevelt practically took hold
of Reedsville herself, where most
OF our mistakes and our greatest
extravagances have occurred"
He described a dinner in the
Presidents private car during a
Western trip, with the whole
family present. Mrs. Roosevelt
expressed belief in a strict lin
itation of income, whether
earned or not, and the boys in
sisted that every man ought to
have the right to earn as much
as he could"
Immediately after the election
of 1886. when Mr.. Roosevelt was
swept back into Office with the
loss of only two States, Maine
and Vermont, Mr.. Ickes was not
sure he would be reappointed to
the cabinet. He explained: "I am
still of the opinion that I do not
stand in too well with Mrs.
Roosevelt, and there are doubt
less others who would like to see
my head fall in the basket"
Stayed on in Cabinet.
But he was reappointed, and
he stayed in the cabinet until
after the Presidents death and
through a portion of the Truman
administration. Despite his crit
ical attitude toward Mr.. Roose-
velt at times. Mr.. Ickes admired
the New Deal President and was
in sympathy with most of his
objectives. Many entries in the
diary make this clear. Mr.. Ickes
also said more than once that
he felt the country was more
radical than the administration
and he expressed fear that Mr..
Roosevelt would turn too con-
servative.
Once, when an engineer on his
staff showed a letter from Mrs
Roosevelt urging elimination OF
q grade crossing in Jersey City,
he reflected: 1T is bad enough
to have the President give orders
or suggestions down the line
L. IS