Eleanor Roosevelt – My Day (1945)

281

November 20, 1945

NEW YORK, Monday – Saturday I spent in Detroit, but I wasted a good part of the morning in bed, not having reached the hotel until 3:30 a.m. At 11:30 my sister-in-law, Mrs. Dorothy Roosevelt and two of her daughters, came in to tell me about the day’s activities which had been planned for me.

First there was a press conference at 12 o’clock, and then the Michigan Citizens’ Committee held a luncheon attended by almost 1,000 people. After that we went back to my room, where, for about an hour and a half, different groups of people came in to see me, among them the representatives of the women’s auxiliaries of the local unions. They are extremely worried over the fact that women are being laid off in large numbers, with little recognition of their rights of seniority.

I asked them whether they thought the majority of women who had gone to work during the war, but who have young children, would go back to their homes on the return of their husbands. They said that many of them would, if their husbands received enough pay for them to give the children the educational advantages many of them hoped to provide. They added, however, that many women were going to be obliged to work in any case, for a variety of reasons, and that it was essential they be treated in this respect on a par with the men. This seems only fair.

I also saw some of the people who are working on housing and racial tensions. In Detroit, as in every other large city, the housing situation is critical. The situation is far worse everywhere than after the last war, because this war lasted longer and normal building has been completely stopped. The shortage in housing for people, of course, has been brought to our attention first. But I am sure that in every state there is also overcrowding in state institutions, and unless this is remedied very soon we will have some very shocking conditions.

It seems essential that building be undertaken on a very large scale, both by public authority and private enterprise. If there is any slack in employment to be taken up during the reconversion period, this would seem to me the most valuable place to use it. I realize that adjustments may have to be made within the unions, and some training may have to be given. But where the need is so great, it seems to me that our vaunted efficiency should find a way.

From 5 o’clock on, my time in Detroit was spent largely in seeing my family and their friends. On Sunday at noon I boarded the plane for New York City and had a very delightful flight into La Guardia Field, though we were somewhat delayed again.

282

November 21, 1945

NEW YORK, Tuesday – I was very glad to see yesterday that the Board of Regents have asked the Department of Education in New York City to answer various questions which have been brought up in criticism of our city’s educational system. One of the secrets of attaining better education is, of course, greater interest on the part of all our citizens. This is true in rural areas as well as in the city. I have never been able to see how we could expect to get the best kind of teachers and ministers at the salaries they usually receive. We seem to consider them so unimportant that we rarely pay them sufficiently well to have them count their success in terms of the money return which most of us think is the gauge of success in any other occupation.

I grant that you have to be dedicated to the work of being either a clergyman or a teacher, but I still think you should receive better remuneration than most communities consider necessary. I also think that the conditions of work should be more reasonable. In New York City, for instance, the size of classes seems to me to make really good work very difficult.

I had a letter from a mother the other day who does take an interest in the schools, and she feels that every school should be equipped with the best possible modern teaching aids. She says that the Army had made great strides in using visual aids to teach complicated drills and skills of various kinds. In the same way, young children who find reading difficult could learn a great deal if their schools were equipped with a good projector, serviced with the proper kind of films. Truancy might be considerably cut down if, in the higher grades, this same type of teaching could be used in connection with the regular curriculum.

I think it very important, of course, that all young people learn to read, and to do so with pleasure; and I feel that we should use the new methods that have been developed. Where classes are as large as they are in many of our cities, this method might also be extremely helpful to the teachers.

Films, too, could well be used to help us in explaining our minority group problems. If our schools become the community centers they should be, they will be the place where adult education flourishes in the evenings. Much civic education, therefore, could be taught if the equipment were available in every school. I was shocked to find in the last election, for example, that many people did not vote either for or against Proposition No. 1 because they did not know how to do so.

During my plane trips last week, I had a chance to read the manuscript of a life of my husband written by Mrs. Rita Halle Kleeman for children. Mrs. Kleeman has done a remarkably accurate and readable job which I think children will enjoy.

283

November 22, 1945

NEW YORK, Wednesday – In the hearts of many people this Thanksgiving Day there will be a deep and fervent sense of thankfulness. The war is at an end, and many boys and men who were in constant danger are home again with their families.

As a nation, our gratitude should be deep and strong for, having passed through the years of the war, we now find ourselves certainly better able than any other nation in the world to cope with the problems of the future. First, we have never been under the yoke of a conquering army. We have no devastated regions, no factories that have been destroyed, no land that has been laid waste, no cities and towns and villages that have been reduced to mere piles of rubble.

Above everything else, we have a people that has suffered anxiety and sorrow, but which has not had to stand up under the strain of bombing or the prospect of starvation. We have had difficulties and inconveniences, but these should have served to strengthen the fiber of our people rather than to sap their courage or their physical and metal powers. Our thanksgiving might well be approached with solemnity for, as we voice our gratitude to Almighty God for our blessings, we might well pray also for the wisdom and the spiritual strength to accept our place of leadership.

There are forces in our land that are preaching the philosophy of fear – fear of our allies, hate of our fellow men. On this Thanksgiving Day we should resolve that these forces shall not triumph. Hate has destroyed Germany and Japan. It can destroy the rest of the nations of the world if they allow it to divide them. If we were citizens of the Soviet or of Great Britain or of any other nation, we might well look at the untouched United States and, remembering what she contributed to our ability to fight the war, fear might enter into our hearts. But by God’s grace, we do not need, as citizens of the United States, to look with fear on any other nation.

We have not only the obligation to get on with our fellow citizens at home, and to solve our problems here for our own sake, but we owe it to the people of the world. We have the resources, we have the ability. If we fail, what hope will people with problems far greater than ours be able to muster for their tasks?

We lift our hearts in gratitude this Thanksgiving Day, but let us also pray in deep humility that we may meet the demands of the great good fortune which has been vouchsafed to us as a nation.

284

November 23, 1945

HYDE PARK, Thursday – The more I read of the testimony which is being given – both by word of mouth and in writing – on the subject of universal military training, the more it seems to me that we are not, as a nation, looking far enough into the future. Even our military experts think in terms of the immediate future.

As the situation stands today, no thoughtful person would want to see us give up some kind of universal military training. But a blanket decision now on what will be needed several years from now seems shortsighted.

First, we are about to try to build a United Nations Organization, one section of which, supposedly, will have control of world security. Unless we go into this organization, all of us, whole-heartedly and with the intention of making it work, we have the example of the League of Nations before us. Setting up machinery is never enough. The nations back of the machinery must really want to see that machinery function.

Secondly, we are dealing with new military weapons that may make obsolete a great many of the methods by which we attempted to insure the defense of our nation in the past. It is obvious that for the next few years, before these new weapons are fully developed and while we have men acting as policemen throughout the world, it is probably better to continue the present pattern of universal military training.

I think it should be possible, however, to review this training right along. No one doubts the value of the fundamental training which every boy receives. The checking up on physical defects, the learning to live together, the discipline, the regularity of life and good habits of sleeping and eating are all of value. It may be, however, that in the future they will only be part of the value which should come from a year of training or of service given by the citizen in a democracy to his or her government.

Men and women have an equal share as citizens for what their government stands for at home and abroad. It may be that part of the training should be focused on how to get along with other nations, just as we learn to get along with our neighbors at home. It may be that, in addition to basic training, those with certain aptitudes should not only be given better mechanical training, but should perhaps be afforded the opportunity to progress quickly in science, in medicine, or even in the little understood social sciences.

Perhaps this year should give to every citizen a clearer understanding of his own government and a better ability to see the ultimate objectives for which his nation and his people strive. Certainly, that would make him more valuable as a constituent of any one of our elected representatives. It would also make it more difficult for us to be taken in by people who do not change fundamentally, but who are slippery as eels in the way in which they present their points of view to please what they feel is the public attitude at any particular time.

285

November 24, 1945

HYDE PARK, Friday – I have signed today an endorsement of President Truman’s health message. There is only one point that seems to me not quite to coincide with our practice in other things. For instance, you do not pay school taxes only up to a certain percentage of your income. You pay taxes according to the size of your income. Furthermore, no matter what your income may be, you can send your children to public school, and it seems to me that the same should apply in the case of these new health services. The proposed tax is to be four percent on incomes up to $3600 a year. No matter how much income we have, only that amount, apparently, is taxed for this plan; and only people with that income, or less, are expected to make use of it.

Unless the health needs of the people as a whole can be met by this tax on a portion of the national income, it would seem to me entirely fair to expect to be taxed in proportion to our income, just as we are taxed for education. In some places the school tax may be based on real estate instead of income, but at least everyone pays the same ratio to his possessions. It seems to me that those of us who have more income or more land, whichever the basis of the tax, should pay regardless of whether we use the health plan or not – on the theory that all citizens are entitled to take advantage of any plan which is for the good of the citizens in general. If they do not take advantage of it, that is their choice.

This does not seem to me to have anything whatever to do with socialized medicine; and I am particularly glad that the proposed plan recognizes the need for giving help to our medical schools, since research and education are essential to keeping up the standards of medical care. This may make it possible for young doctors to work in rural communities, where medical care has been very inadequate in the past.

Medical practice is so varied in a rural community that it probably would give invaluable experience to any young man who was willing to put in up to five years in doing this kind of work. It is probably the most exacting kind of work that can be done, and yet it might reach for the first time sections of our country which, from the health point of view, have been almost totally neglected in the past.

Lack of space prevented me from mentioning that the Salvation Army some days ago had its 80th celebration in Kansas City. General Evangeline Booth, who will be 80 years old on Christmas Day, is still able to carry on and help in this organization. This international organization was started in 1865, when William Booth left his pulpit to bring spiritual guidance and material assistance to the slums of East London. Now, 110 countries and colonies are familiar with Salvation Army activities. I think the thing I like about them above all else is that there is no one whom they look upon as unredeemable!

286

November 26, 1945

HYDE PARK, Sunday – I have received from the Chairman of Maternity and Child Welfare in Southampton, England, a letter in which she wishes to thank the women of the United States who, she writes, “have sent us such wonderful parcels of clothes for our wee, small strangers who were making their appearance in a world that was very cruel through the ravages of war.”

“During the bombing periods,” the letter continues, “we took 2,300 mothers to emergency hospitals in the country. And did not lose one mother in childbirth. That, we feel, is a remarkable record, especially as some of these expectant mothers had nowhere to sleep but in underground shelters previous to their evacuation. Many babies were born under heavy fire and bombing, but one and all of the mothers received their sweet little parcel of baby clothes with a smile, and, of course, perhaps a few tears. These mothers were at this time very near the mothers of the USA who had sent such wonderful gifts, and I can tell you not only material, but also psychological benefits resulted because someone was thinking of them in their suffering.”

I hope many of the women who did this fine piece of work will read these words and feel gratified that they were able to give such comfort and joy. What a world it must have seemed into which these mothers were bringing defenseless human beings! Pray God we will learn to safeguard these babies from similar suffering in the future.

I have been up in the country since last Wednesday afternoon and, except for the heavy rain on Thanksgiving morning, we have had the most beautiful weather.

My husband always loved all celebrations and family gatherings. He liked to include old and new friends, particularly if he thought they were far away from their own country and friends. During the last war, when our children were quite young in Washington, I remember his inviting the British Ambassador, Lord Edward Grey and his colleague, Sir William Tyrell, for Christmas dinner and our children’s Christmas tree.

Only one of my sons was at home for this Thanksgiving, but we kept up the old customs and thought with gratitude of our many blessings. How much more most of us get from life than we really deserve. And how fortunate it is that though most human beings are often punctilious about seeing that their fellow men get their just deserts, Providence – or, as our ancestors used to say, “the hand of the Lord” – is often much lighter and kinder than some of our fellow men.

As I look back over the years, I think that I am most grateful for the fact that my husband earned and deserved the love and respect of his countrymen. He cared greatly about his fellow men and they returned his concern with a full measure of affection.

287

November 27, 1945

NEW YORK, Monday – I was interested to see today that Mayor La Guardia had called a meeting of labor, contractors and investors, all of whom are interested in building. They might start giving New York City some of the new housing we need, if they could just get together and overcome their timidity! It is natural that those who are at present putting bids on buildings should be a little nervous unless they actually know what materials are available and what the cost of these materials will be. Here is where I think the Federal government, if it wishes to see the country start on the necessary building program, must step in immediately and furnish the necessary information to contractors.

After the last war, which lasted a far shorter time than this one, we went through the same difficulties on housing problems and delayed our building of state institutions for so long that the overcrowding became a complete disgrace. I am speaking now, of course, about the State of New York, but if I remember rightly the same conditions existed throughout the nation.

With that knowledge in mind, it seems tragic that we should be doing the same thing over again. The people in institutions who suffer because of state and Federal government negligence cannot defend themselves: as inmates of these institutions, they are helpless victims. The people who need housing today, however, are citizens able to speak for themselves and to use their ballot. Returning veterans are doing their share in presenting their needs in the housing field. They should be supported by civilians in urban and rural areas who know that the need exists.

This is in no way a party matter, and politics should not enter into it. But anything may be used for political purposes, and so we should serve notice alike on Republicans and Democrats in office that meeting our building needs is a strictly business proposition and we do not wish it regarded as a political weapon.

So far, in the General Motors strike, I think the labor representatives are showing a more public-spirited attitude than the company officials. Why should anyone in any business these days refuse to conduct further negotiations, if these will lead to production? When labor is willing to have the government conciliators present, there should be no objection. It looks as though the company officials were not interested in production. Of course, we know that it would probably not hurt the company financially if they were not to be in active production until the first of the year. But even if they do not lose money, they should be interested in the public.

We are anxious to get new cars, and we are also anxious to see the resumption of work in all lines of business production in this country. It is bad for the morale of the rest of the world when we do not produce.

288

November 28, 1945

NEW YORK, Tuesday – The press this morning reports that Dr. Morris Fishbein, editor of the American Medical Association Journal, has called President Truman’s plan for a national health program “socialized medicine” at its worst. So the American Medical Association will oppose this plan and, I imagine, any other which would really help the nation to have better and more widespread medical care.

At the same time, I notice yesterday’s statement by Dr. Claude Robinson, president of the Opinion Research Corporation, who said: “The evidence is irrefutable that the public strongly desires some easier way of paying for medical care… An overwhelming majority of the people (64 percent) say they personally prefer to pay in advance – more than half are willing to admit they have at some time experienced hardship in meeting medical bills.”

Under the plan as suggested to Congress, people will have a choice of doctors. As I read it, there is no compulsion, so that those who can afford to remain outside all insurance plans have not changed their situation in the least. They have never needed help to get medical care. This bill is designed to meet the needs of those who have not been able to meet their own needs in the past.

The country needs more doctors, but there will have to be some method by which those who practice in certain areas of the country are assured of a stable income. Otherwise, these areas will continue to be without medical care.

It is inevitable that new ideas always meet opposition. Yet in this particular case, not only do the new ideas have solid backing from many doctors, but the great mass of people affected are going to understand this situation and think of their own interests. Incidentally, these interests coincide with the interests of the nation, because a strong people are essential to a strong nation.

New York is an interesting city to live in, because you never know where you will meet unusual situations. I was standing with my arms full of bundles waiting to cross the street, the other day, when a lady near me tried to take some of my bundles from me, saying: “May I carry them home for you?”

I insisted they were not heavy and that I was quite able to carry them home myself. Then it occurred to me that that was the type of kindness you expected in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else, but which you hardly expect in a big city like New York. When it happens, it warms your heart. In the same way, if I stand for a long time without being able to get a taxi, sooner or later one is sure to drive up and either the driver or the passenger, addressing me by name, will turn out to be old acquaintances who are willing to help out!

289

November 29, 1945

NEW YORK, Wednesday – Two of the women who went over to Paris for the International Labor Organization meeting are back in this country. Congresswoman Mary T. Norton got home a short time ago, but unfortunately Paris after this war seems to be as dangerous for civilians as it was after the last war. At that time almost everyone picked up some kind of germ, and Mrs. Norton seems to have done the same thing this time. Of course, we house and feed our people over there, but Mrs. Norton’s illness points up a fact we should remember – namely, that all our efforts at isolation never really isolate us. If the greater part of the population is hungry and cold, disease will spread and the well-fed and well-housed people will suffer along with the others.

Yesterday Miss Frances Perkins came back full of optimism and hope for the success of the ILO and its work. Her return made me reflect on many things. No Secretary of Labor has stood up under more press attacks than did Miss Perkins during the latter part of her public service. Even the women of the country failed, in many cases, to stand by this member of their own sex. You would hear people say: “We need a man, a strong man who will prevent strikes,” or “We need someone who will knock the heads of the leaders in the labor movement together, and make them see the light,” or “A strong man would make labor and management agree.”

Well, we have the strong man, and everyone will agree that Secretary of Labor Schwellenbach has done as good a job as any man could do with the difficulties which face his department at the present time. I think it is not unfair to point out, however, that we have not done away with strikes, nor have we reconciled the warring elements in labor. Congress is no more cooperative than it was before, and though Secretary Schwellenbach on the whole has a better press, I don’t believe he has any fewer worries.

If we look back over Miss Perkins’ whole record we will find that she accomplished a great deal. In view of that record, I hope many women now recognize the fact that, before condemning one of their own sex in office, they should really know the truth about the situations which the particular officeholder has to handle.

A woman will always have to be better than a man in any job she undertakes. There is no woman in the Cabinet today, but there will be again in the future. When there is, I hope she will get more support from the women of her own political party than has been the case in the past.

290

November 30, 1945

NEW YORK, Thursday – A very great sadness came to all of us who write for the United Feature Syndicate when we heard yesterday morning of George Carlin’s death. It seemed almost impossible to believe. The last time I saw him he seemed so vital and alive, full of interest in his recent trip abroad and in the results which he hoped to achieve now that he was home again. For his wife and family this is a terrible personal loss. For those of us who worked with him, and I am sure others feel as I do, it means the loss of a friend and wise counsellor. He had vision and imagination, and he was still so young that most of us who worked for him counted on the good he would be able to do for many years to come. As general manager, he held a position which could and did have great influence on the thinking of the people throughout the nation, and the loss to the country is a real loss.

On Tuesday night, with Mrs. Henry Morgenthau, Jr., her daughter and Miss Thompson, I went to see “State of the Union.” In this play, Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse have managed to treat a serious political subject in an amusing and light vein. All of us laughed, but I hope, when we went home, we thought about some of the serious aspects of what we had seen and heard. It was so natural that I could close my eyes and think I heard certain individuals talking. No one character is a counterpart of any particular individual; but the situations and phrases have been so carefully picked out and woven together that at some time one remembers hearing and seeing almost exactly what is acted on the stage. We need many more women like the play’s Mary Matthews.

After seeing a number of people in the office yesterday, I attended a very pleasant tea at the Ladies Home Journal office, given for one of their London correspondents, Miss Dorothy Black. It provided an opportunity for gathering in many members of the staff. Strange to say, writers and illustrators in many cases had never met, though they had corresponded for many years! If the others enjoyed as much as I did this chance to meet those whose names they had read in print for a long time, I am sure the party was one of the most successful ever given by Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Gould, coeditors of the magazine.

When I left, my troubles began! No taxis were to be had, and we dashed through the streets with wind and rain impeding our progress. Finally I got a bus on Fifth Avenue to take me downtown. After a rather hurried supper, I reached the Women’s Trade Union League clubhouse before 7 p.m. for my class there. A very kindly lady took me in her automobile to Greenwich House, where from 8:30 to 10 p.m. the trade unions of today were discussed.

291

December 1, 1945

NEW YORK, Friday – Yesterday afternoon I opened the church fair at old St. John’s, at 11th Street and Waverly Place, keeping a promise I had made a long while ago. Anything in the neighborhood interests me because in walking about, at different times, I have seen so many of my neighbors, and yesterday I had an opportunity to meet them!

At 4:45 I took the train to Poughkeepsie because, again a long while ago, I promised to speak for the student council of the New Paltz State Teachers College. When I left here it was rainy and blowy, and when I got off at Poughkeepsie I found that snow had already been falling for some time. Mr. Haggerty, the president of the college, his wife and two small girls met me at the station and we had a snowy but pleasant drive to New Paltz.

I had dinner with the student council before going to the auditorium, and after the talk was concluded, spent almost an hour in a question and answer period. Since the college has a practice school which is attended by 450 children, and all children these days collect autographs, I found myself sitting down to sign a goodly number of programs.

But I soon noticed that there was some concern about our return trip. A kind gentleman was finally located whose car had chains, and we started in what seemed to be ample time. But by now the storm had taken on blizzard proportions. Every little while we had to stop to clean the windshield, and just staying on the road required all the concentration of our excellent driver. We reached the station ten minutes after train time, but luckily it turned out that the train, too, would be late. I finally prevailed upon my hosts to start back home, and I hope they reached New Paltz safely and did not spend the night in a snowdrift.

My train did not pull in from Albany until 1:15 a.m. The people on it looked a little worn and weary. Servicemen were plentiful and most of them fast asleep. A few woke up sufficiently to ask me to sign their discharge papers. The nice sailor in the seat with me, who was on his way back to Norfolk for two more years of study, said he was on Espiritu Santo when I was there in 1943.

Somewhere around 3 a.m. we reached New York City. Hesitatingly I looked for a taxi and found a kindly driver who greeted me warmly and deposited me at my door at 3:20 a.m. I felt far from the usual gay spirits that one is supposed to enjoy when one returns at that hour in the morning!

292

December 3, 1945

NEW YORK, Sunday – Friday afternoon my son, Elliott, and his wife went with me to the ceremony on board the carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, which is getting ready for a trial cruise. We attended a simple ceremony at which the most interesting event, from my point of view, was the presentation of a certificate to the captain and all the men who had been connected with the outfitting of the ship from the very beginning. These certificates symbolize the ownership of a plank in the ship, and are called “Plank Walkers” certificates. I am sure they are much prized by everyone and handed down from generation to generation.

I was so glad of the opportunity to see some of the men who will sail on this ship. Many of them are very young and, as I looked at them, there was a great thankfulness in my heart that the youngster of this age no longer needs to go out in these great battleships to war. Nevertheless, officers and men alike carry a heavy responsibility, for this ship, like many others belonging to our navy, will visit many ports throughout the world, and the men on board can carry a message of goodwill and foster friendship between our nation and the other nations of the world. Every traveler going from one nation to another is, in a way, an ambassador of peace; but the men in uniform are really our official ambassadors almost as much as if they belonged to the diplomatic corps. I hope my husband’s spirit of goodwill will go with the ship and bring her good luck!

I received a long telegram the other day from the president of the United Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Employees of America, CIO, telling me of the strike which was made inevitable by Sewell Avery’s refusal to arbitrate union proposals for the betterment of work and conditions of Montgomery Ward employees. This has been a long and almost continuous struggle between management and employees in this particular business. It seems to me that when the union is willing to accept any arbitrator appointed either by “President Truman, Secretary Wallace, Secretary Schwellenbach, the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the American Arbitration Association,” the employer should be willing to accept and abide by the decision of such an arbitrator.

The other morning I had the great pleasure of calling on Henry Morgenthau, Sr. I hope if I reach the age of 89 that I will retain the keenness of intellect and interest in the world scene that Mr. Morgenthau has today. Older people can look at the present with so much perspective if their lives have moved in interesting and wide spheres. We had a pleasant half hour which was thought-provoking for me.

293

December 4, 1945

NEW YORK, Monday – I am beginning to feel that what we need above everything else, at the present time, is a calm evaluation of how much more we could accomplish if various organizations which are now divided and working against each other could come together and work cooperatively. To begin with, the continued division in the labor group between the AFL and the CIO is causing great confusion and no little harm to the advancement of labor. Because of that division, it is always possible for those opposed to any particular program to attempt to enlist either one side or the other in opposition. This is confusing to the public and, in the long run, damaging to the labor cause.

In the political and social field, it seems to me that much more could be accomplished if the various organizations would define their fields of work and appeal for help among themselves when results require cooperation in a number of fields. For instance, the National Citizens Political Action Committee – which is group of independent liberals working with whichever political party they think represents the best interests of the people as a whole – should give representation to all political groups wishing to cooperate on the same measures and objectives. It should also be able to cooperate with other organizations that do not take direct political action, but that work in the social and educational fields.

Similarly, in the different states and cities throughout the country, we could survey a great number of organizations which have sprung up for civic, social, educational and international work. I believe far more would be accomplished if they could all sit down together and find out where cooperation would be valuable and in what fields each one was best fitted to take major responsibility. Instead of each one working for a limited objective, they could see the work that needed to be done in the state or city as a whole and allocate it in such a way as to accomplish the best results.

One thing which struck me in Detroit about the Michigan Citizens’ Committee was that they did seem to have brought together groups working in different fields, or at least individual representatives of such groups. As a result, there was a degree of coordination in the general work for progressive government. The trend in the nation in the past few years has been, I think, away from what used to be called “charitable work,” so that much of this type of work is now included in government programs. This means that churches and private agencies, in many cases, have to change their programs. In the case of churches, it may mean that the influence over people will be more spiritual and less material, and that may on the whole be good for our souls.

Yesterday afternoon I went over to Greenwich House, where they are having an exhibition by local painters. It always gives me pleasure to feel that I live in a neighborhood where people are doing creative work in the arts. I was interested to find, among the prize winners yesterday, a young man from Australia who said he had chased me around many of the islands of the Pacific!

294

December 5, 1945

NEW YORK, Tuesday – Yesterday I attended the luncheon given by the Citizens’ Committee on Children of New York City, Inc. This committee is set up to do a coordinating job in the hope of bringing all the agencies which touch a child’s life to work together, so that the child can be treated as a whole. The need for concern about our young people is evidenced by some of the items which appear in our daily press and I am quite sure that the same need exists in every city and rural area throughout the nation.

The reports here are that social diseases have been reported to be rising rapidly in the teen-age group – 15 to 19 years old. It is safe to say that for one case reported there are three or four cases unreported. Also in our police line-up, the papers tell us that there is an increase in the teenage group of young criminals. All of this indicates the need for social planning on every level in our community.

The committee on children will concentrate, I think, on the problem of child care centers and Miss Bond who spoke for New York State yesterday announced that the Governor would back a continuance of the state appropriation for these centers and had the promise of the leaders of both parties in the Legislature that they would cooperate in the coming legislative sessions. Governor Dewey deserves the thanks of the citizens of New York for this action and I hope that many governors throughout the country are doing the same.

The Federal Government which at one time, under the Lanham Act, was able to give some support to child care centers, cannot now continue this assistance. I am told, however, that 28 percent of the women now working have been found to be heads of families, and 77 percent of the husbands of the women who are still at work, earn less than $41.00 a week. It is easy to understand, if they have several children, that what they earn is necessary to make it possible to live in a decent house, to have sufficient food and proper clothing.

I think there are few women with little children who would not prefer to stay at home. But if they are the only breadwinners in the family and are not subsidized by the government sufficiently well so they can stay at home, they have no alternative. The same is true if the breadwinner does not earn enough to support a family. This is one reason why full employment at adequate wages is important to the community as a whole.

During the last few days I have been bombarded by a series of postcards from Chicago which seem to be inspired. The writers insist that every evil in the country is due to the manufacture and consumption of liquor. They all seem to forget that once we tried the experiment of legislating virtue through prohibition with very little success, and that we have now gone back to the longer, but perhaps more successful, effort of trying to make our homes and our schools and perhaps our communities produce young people with character enough to control themselves and live with moderation.

A very beautiful woman who came to see me yesterday afternoon announced that she was 85 years old and that she laid her looks and her ability to keep active to her moderation in living.

295

December 6, 1945

NEW YORK, Wednesday – Of course, the most interesting news yesterday was President Truman’s request to Congress for the appointment of a fact-finding group to look into the difficulties as they arise between management and labor. He added the request that no strike be permitted for a period of thirty days while this group is at work. Most of the papers seem to hail some such legislation as being the solution for future labor troubles, but I am not quite sure, since it is not really very different from the type of thing which the War Labor Board has been trying to do.

If that couldn’t be made to work successfully, I can’t quite see why we should have higher hopes for this kind of machinery. I am also not quite sure that I think we need more methods of operation and certainly such legislation should not be attached to any other Bill but should stand on its own merits. It seems to me that what we need is a real desire on the part of management and labor to find solutions!

Yesterday morning at eight-fifteen a very nice young Army officer from Fort Devens picked me up on his way back to camp and together we made the trip by air to Boston. There we were met by another young officer and a WAC, one of the best drivers I have ever seen. With a police escort we made good time over decidedly snowy roads to and from Fort Devens.

After a rather hurried lunch with General and Mrs. Crane and Colonel and Mrs. Goethals, I went directly into the Red Cross recreation hall which was filled with men. These were the patients well enough to walk about. I have learned, however, that for men who have been ill it is much better not to talk too long, and so in about fifteen minutes we started on a discussion period which proved really most instructive to me. It showed that these men are deeply concerned with what is happening in various parts of the world.

One asked me why we should be having men killed in China. He wanted to know whether it was not interfering with China’s internal affairs when we transported the Generalissimo’s troops.

Another man asked me about our policy in the treatment of the people of Germany and Japan. It was evident throughout that their interest in what was happening in the different theatres of war was keen and thoughtful.

I went through one of the wards afterwards and found that the great majority of the men were back from the European theatre of war. There were very few from the Pacific. Fortunately many of them are now in this hospital, near their homes. Only one man told me he was anxiously waiting the day when he could be sent out to Denver which was his home. Another came from Albany, N.Y., but the rest appeared to be from Massachusetts and Connecticut.

They seemed to have very few amputee cases, at least, I saw none, but the hospital is so large that I only saw one small section. The talk and discussion period, however, were carried into every ward by a loud speaker and I hope that I was able to leave with these men, many of whom have spent months in hospitals, some food for thought and further discussion.

296

December 7, 1945

NEW YORK, Thursday – I was reported the other day to have made a criticism of Madame Chiang and that leads me to devote this column today to a few thoughts on the Chinese situation and our own relationship to that situation.

Sensational things have been said of late by people in high places. My few words are aimed at something quite different from criticism. I believe we should make an effort to understand a situation which to most Americans is difficult and confusing.

When Madame Chiang was here she spoke of democracy in words which we all applauded. Anyone living in China however knows quite well that there is still a great gulf between those words and the possibility of living in China today in what we would consider a democratic way of life.

We, of all people, should know that democracy requires a literate people. The Chinese people have been divided by different spoken dialects so that a man from one section of the country cannot be understood in another. The educated Chinese are held in high esteem because it takes so long to become educated, and the average Chinese who is for the most part, a peasant or a worker, has only had an opportunity in the very few past years to learn basic Chinese. Only a few million of China’s teeming millions can read and write what may someday become a common language and this is the first step in the unification of China.

The Generalissimo’s great strength has been his desire to unify China in which Madame Chiang always has helped him. But because this is such a difficult task and those undertaking it, are at times in such precarious positions, there is greater fear of the opposition than there would be, let us say, in our own country, of any movement against our country’s democratic form of government. We are not seriously afraid of either fascism or communism because we know that as long as through our democratic form of government, we meet the needs of the people, there will be no threat to democracy.

But the needs of the people are far from being met in China today and so the comparatively small group, known as Communists, do inspire greater fear in the Central Government.

The papers have reported of late, a movement in China under the Democratic League, whose leader is Mr. Sun Fo, son of Sun Yat-Sen. From what one reads it would seem that this might be the middle of the road group which might bridge the gap between the left and the right. One thing seems to me quite certain, according to General Hurley and our State Department, we agreed to support the Generalissimo in his efforts to create a unified government in China, and that is our obligation. But we did not agree to use force against any group in China, and it would be very undemocratic if we tried to settle Chinese internal problems for them.

It is obvious to us as citizens of a democracy that there never can be any unity in any great country unless all parts of that country and all shades of opinion have full expression and representation. That seems to me vital in the solution of Chinese problems today.

297

December 8, 1945

NEW YORK, Friday – The General Motors management and the United Automobile Workers’ leaders have renewed their negotiations. If the threat of legislation which neither side wants, brought about a willingness on the part of management to renew a serious effort at collective bargaining, then it is doing a service.

If, however, it is only the promise that prices may be raised, because we have recognized that there is an increase in living costs, and that therefore wages should be raised, then I think we may be doing the public, and that includes both management and labor, a great disservice.

Any of us who remember the First World War, realize that a rise in prices now will start inflation that may give us a boom at first. But it inevitably will give us a depression afterwards, and it is the “little” people who suffer in a depression. The “big” people suffer, too, but not as a rule actual hunger and cold and lack of shelter.

Mr. Chester Bowles of the OPA, has been like a voice in the wilderness on the question of sticking to price ceilings, and I surmise that the pressure on him from business groups must be tremendous. I am quite sure that the public is not sitting in his outer office, but I doubt if we ever could find a time when representatives of some large business could not be found on his calendar of visitors.

If we do not hold our rent and price ceilings, we can look forward to a repetition of conditions as they were in the early 1930s. This may seem hard to business, because it does limit their ability to earn greater profits at a time when the demand for goods is great. It means that apparently they will have to bear a greater cost for labor and get no compensation by higher prices from the public.

I have faith, however, in the ingenuity and ability of our business people on the management level. I am quite sure that if faced with this fact, once they accept it, they will set themselves to work to find ways of cheapening the cost of manufacture of their products without really impairing the quality.

Mr. Ford taught us many years ago that greater profits can be made out of increased output, and I do not think that our industrialists, as a whole, will ignore that lesson. This will mean that our people, the average you and me, will be able to have more things that we really want because our wages will be higher and the cost of the things we desire will remain stable.

I want to see business prosper. I believe that the prosperity of the people is tied up with the success of big and little business, but I see no way for business to prosper unless the people prosper. We must have prosperity in this country before we can give a lift to the other nations of the world who are going to find prosperity much harder to attain than we. In the future their prosperity will mean more than it does now to us. Today there are savings in this country and needs to be filled far above our average requirements. Later we will need greater markets in other nations and that is why their prosperity is linked to ours.

298

December 10, 1945

NEW YORK, Sunday – I think the time has come to look carefully at this question of the newly proposed labor legislation. Its formula is drawn from the Railway Labor Act, but the important factor lacking in the situation before us is that the Railway Labor Act was based upon an agreement between management and the labor unions and their joint request for that type of agreement and legislation.

We have but to look at the history of labor in Europe to see that when the rights of labor are curtailed, a danger signal is flying. Certainly taking away the right of any man to stop work at any time he wishes to do so, except with his agreement, is abrogating a right. In Germany this led to ultimate slavery. It does not happen immediately, but fascism can come upon one unawares. We have always been more fearful of communism but at the moment, I think we had better watch out for the possibility of enslavement from the fascist side.

In the particular case which has brought about this proposed legislation, the unions offered to arbitrate but the management apparently did not object to a strike. That is easy to understand because in a strike it is the workers who really suffer, particularly in this case where a portion of management’s earnings are safeguarded by legislation passed during the war in order to get their full cooperation for production.

We forgot at the same time to pass legislation to safeguard the workers, who during the reconversion period would run the same risks as management. Nevertheless, we expected the workers to cooperate and our record of production is such that I think we can safely say that, by and large, both management and labor did a magnificent job during the war.

Now we come to peace, and suddenly we hear on every side that organized labor has grown so strong it must be regulated. I believe all of us should live under a rule of law, but I think we had better really look at the record and see how the numbers in organized labor compare with the public in general, and with the numbers of unorganized working people.

Organized labor throughout the nation now claims about 47% of the workers engaged in industrial occupations where unions are actively engaged in obtaining written agreements under collective bargaining. This does not include members of unions which do not come under collective bargaining contracts, such as government employees, etc.

We had better remember that the gains of organized labor have been eventually the gains of all workers, and that they only have the power of numbers as opposed to the very great powers in the hands of industrial associations and organizations.

It might well be that through negotiation the two parties in the present struggle would in time ask for some such legislation as is now proposed. But without that agreement it seems to me tyranny to impose it, and an abrogation of fundamental rights which eventually would do harm to every citizen.

299

December 11, 1945

NEW YORK, Monday – I was greeted at the breakfast table the other morning with “The Experiment in Autobiography” by H. G. Wells. The book looks as if it would be fascinating reading. If I have the opportunity of spending a few consecutive days in the country at Christmas time, I will take it along for my literary diet.

I also received a copy of the November issue of “Commentary,” a magazine published by the American Jewish Committee. While this is frankly a Jewish magazine which plans to discuss the interests and varied points of view of the Jewish people themselves, it also plans to relate their particular problems to their larger interests in the nation and in the world.

As in every other group, there are great varieties of opinion among the Jewish people on various questions. In this country especially, I think that the great majority of people of the Jewish faith, even those who have come from other lands, consider themselves only as Americans. They have fulfilled their duties as American citizens ever since the earliest days, with a patriotism and devotion to this country equal to that of the members of any other group. Back in Revolutionary days, our financial existence was assured by the contributions of two men, one of them a Jew.

I have always felt, therefore, that it would be far better if, like every other group, those who wished to be primarily American citizens could be so considered, with no discrimination practised against them any more than it should be practised against any other American citizen.

Until we have complete equality of opportunity in every field, equal rights socially and economically, we cannot consider ourselves a real democracy.

Equal rights mean that we live our personal lives as we choose. Our friends and our activities are our own choice, but we conform to the national pattern in all public contacts.

There cannot be, of course, complete equality for every human being because, even though we have equal opportunity, our native gifts and the circumstances in which we are born condition our development. But our race and our religion should not place any special handicaps upon us. That is the concept on which these United States came into being, and the sooner we bring it to fulfillment, the sooner will the dreams of many of our people come true.

The American Council on Race Relations has just published a pamphlet called “Hemmed In”, which deals with the housing problem of Negroes and other minority groups in the North and West over the period of the last twenty-five years. It is a sad record, and I think that no one who reads it can fail to recognize the fact that such conditions are a blot on our great democracy. They affect not only the minorities concerned, but the well-being of all of our citizens.

300

December 12, 1945

NEW YORK, Tuesday – During the week I saw two plays which illustrated again for me that good theater can do certain things better than they can be done by any other medium.

I do not consider myself a professional critic and so I judge plays by the standards which I suppose are those of any theatergoer. First, am I interested? Secondly, are the characters portrayed naturally? By both standards these plays rated highly.

The first was Lillian Smith’s “Strange Fruit.” I had been told the book was better than the play. That may be true, but nevertheless, there are strong, tense scenes in the play. It will be a long time before I forget the one between Dr. Sam and Tom Harris, the kindly courageous Southerner who tries successfully to stop the lynching.

The play points up the tie between the need for low-wage labor and the emotional outlet of a religious revival or a lynching. It isn’t pleasant drama, but neither are life and some conditions in our country.

We need to understand these circumstances in the North as well as in the South. There are mental and spiritual lynchings as well as physical ones, and few of us in this nation can claim immunity from responsibility for some of the frustrations and injustices which face not only our colored people, but other groups, who for racial, religious or economic reasons, are at a disadvantage and face a constant struggle for justice and equality of opportunity.

I should like to pay tribute to the cast of this play as a whole, but particularly to Jane White whose first venture this is on the stage and who plays her part with restraint and beauty.

Mr. Robert Sherwood’s “The Rugged Path”, I had been told, was not a very good play and without Mr. Spencer Tracy might not succeed. Mr. Tracy does a perfectly beautiful piece of acting. I have never seen anything more completely natural and every little gesture is just right.

Even when you have given him his due, however, you must give the play, great credit, too. It says things well that need to be said to all of us who were not actually in combat in this war. As I sat through that scene on the Destroyer Townsend, I hoped there was no man in the audience who had been through such an experience. I felt it would be almost unbearable for anyone who had lived through it, because it would bring back so vividly the agony and the suspense. Certainly no one around me lost interest for a moment.

The entire cast is good. I hope it is giving them all, from Mr. Tracy down, a great sense of satisfaction, to be giving to people at home a little understanding of what their men have been through, and a glimpse of some of the things that all of us must remember for the future if we are going to avoid a repetition of the past.