"Mrs. Roosevelt's Position"

23 January 1947

Washington, Jan. 22 (U.P.)—Americans for Democratic Action, newly formed "liberal independent" group, took Henry A. Wallace to task today for failing to remember that Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt helped establish the organization.

James Loeb Jr., secretary-treasurer of the ADA's organizing committee, said:

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Wallace, without consultation with either Mrs. Roosevelt or with responsible officers of the ADA, should have sought to give the impression that Mrs. Roosevelt has severed her connection with the organization.

Mrs. Roosevelt has authorized me to state that she has consented formally to continue to serve as a member of the committee of the whole. Mrs. Roosevelt served as chairman of the nominating committee at the Jan. 4 organizing conference. At that time she made it clear that because of other duties, particularly with the United Nations, and also because of her conviction that the leadership should be taken by younger people, she could not accept office in the ADA."

Pnews New York Times

Despite her displeasure with Loeb's "rather bad" statement, ER continued to discuss her differences with the PCA, writing in My Day that:

I have always believed in Mr. Wallace's integrity and admired his ability, but that does not mean that you have to agree in the way in which you wish to work for your objectives.

I made it quite clear, when I attended the first meeting of the Americans for Democratic Action, that I was not an active member of any new organization. I am afraid I am too old and too busy to take on new activities. But all the members who attended that first meeting were asked to consider themselves a "committee of the whole" and, of course, I shall be glad to be helpful whenever it is possible.

I would like to see all progressive groups work together. But since some of us prefer to have our staffs and policy-making groups completely free of any American Communist infiltration if we can possibly prevent it, while others have not quite as strong a feeling on this subject, it is natural that there should be two set-ups. That does not mean that the force of all liberals may not go to some of the same objectives, and I certainly hope this will be the case.³

Mrs. Ella Johnson and her son Morse attended the organizing meeting of the ADA and headed the Progressive Citizens of Cincinnati, their local chapter of the ADA. ER's column so disturbed them that on the same day they telegraphed ADA Executive Secretary James Loeb:

mrs roosevelt's column today practically kills any chance of local ada affiliations now or in the future as it completely justifies opposition argument that there is no real division and ultimate unity is possible and desirable. we are at a loss to understand it and frankly very disillusioned. good luck.⁴

After reading ER's column, Loeb wrote ER that "all of us read your column carefully and were greatly pleased." Loeb, who had included the Johnsons' telegram in this letter, suggested that while "we felt that you had expressed your point of view carefully and diplomatically, but very clearly … this reaction from Cincinnati indicates that it was not as clear to everyone."⁵

He concluded by asking ER to drop an encouraging and clarifying note to the Johnsons. Although no recipient's copy of ER's response to Loeb exists, her secretary's notes indicate that ER dictated the following answer in response to the Johnsons' telegram and Loeb's announcement in the New York Times regarding ER's position in the ADA.