Main Chance

Franklin Roosevelt, adept at keeping his eye on the main chance, spentmost of the week getting ready for the United Nations conference in SanFrancisco. The conference was still six weeks away, but there was nodoubt that the President had pushed other matters with the notableexception of food for Europe (see above) —into the background, wasbending every effort to make the conference a success.

First, he had a three-day visit from Canadian Prime Minister WilliamLyon Mackenzie King, rumored to be the President’s choice for chairmanof the conference. What the President and the Prime Minister discussedwas not disclosed in detail, but it was certain that the conference gotmore discussion than Neighbor King’s home political affairs, aboutwhich Franklin Roosevelt had a few kind words to say (see CANADA ATWAR).

Then seven of the U.S. conference delegates,† after a briefing bySecretary of State Stettinius, trooped into the White House for a chat.Three days later, Commander Harold Stassen, off for a month in thePacific before going to San Francisco, came in to make a private call.

No word of these discussions leaked out. But the President made oneannouncement which drew cheers: like the Mexico City conference, SanFrancisco will be open to the press.

Last week the President also:

¶ Said he knew nothing of German peacefeelers, which had been reported from the Stockholm rumor mill.

¶Celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary on St. Patrick’s Day, with afamily luncheon. Members of the family present: wife Eleanor, daughterAnna, grandson Johnny Boettiger.

¶ Gave the go-ahead to professional baseball for 1945.

¶ Learned that both he and his wife were remembered in the will of hisfavorite secretary, the late Marguerite (“Missy”) Le Hand (see PEOPLE).

¶ Announced the resignation of lean, immaculate William Phillips,onetime Ambassador to Italy, as his personal representative in India.Ambassador Phillips had been in the U.S. since last fall, when hereturned, indignant, after British Foreign Office hints that he waspersona non grata because of his free-India position.

† Allexcept ex-Secretary of State Cordell Hull, now in his fifth month atthe Navy’s Bethesda Hospital.

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