No acting President
Washington (UP) –
There was no “acting President” while President Roosevelt was in Africa.
The Constitution provides only that the powers and duties of the Presidency shall devolve on the Vice President in case of removal, death, resignation or the inability of the President to perform his duties and powers. Absence from the country has never been held legally to constitute an “inability,” so there was no necessity for delegation of powers to Vice President Henry A. Wallace.
Sets new precedents
Casablanca, Morocco (UP) – (Jan. 24, delayed)
President Roosevelt, who has probably broken more precedents than any other U.S. Chief Executive, added these to his record in connection with his North African meeting with Winston Churchill:
- He became the first President who ever left the United States while the nation was at war.
- He became the first President ever to fly while holding office.
- He became the first President since Abraham Lincoln to visit an actual theater of war.