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candace shireMan
39. F.d.r. to The secretary of state, june 9, 1942; cordell hull to harold ickes, june 13, 1942, Bh-lh File 2, File 1. Francis l. loewenheim states, “it is known that hull contemplated resigning shortly after Pearl harbor, this time over roosevelt’s continued habit of carrying on important negotiations behind the secretary’s back.” (Graham jr. and Wander 1985, 193). shaw was not entirely forthcoming to Percy’s inquiry. dos itself did not have direct authority to acquire real estate in the city, but it could through specific legislation, i.e. its purchase of the lee house property via an appropriations request approved by congress in the april 5, 1941 act. dos did not intend to do the same to acquire Blair house, as a later letter from shaw to Percy states (see pg. 39 of this article), probably because the annex plan did not include preserving the old houses on the block. if a request for appropriations for land acquisition was approved, the process proceeded through the FWa, which then included the Public Buildings administration, precursor of the Gsa. 40. harold l. ickes to “My dear Mr. President,” june 13, 1942; Percy Blair to harold l. ickes, june 18, 1942, Bh-lh File 1. 41. Fdr to cordell hull, june 17, 1942, copy; F.d.r. for the secretary of state, june 24, 1942, copy; cordell hull to F.d.r., copy of dos #110.12/325a—all in Bh-lh File 1. 42. l. [laurence] c. Frank to Fdr, undated, photocopy of dos#110.12/356 1/2, Bh-lh File 1. linda j. lear states, “ickes also served roosevelt’s need to have within his official family a spokesman for policies with regard to civil liberties and protection of minority rights that the president himself declined to take . . . ickes presided over the first integrated government cafeteria, recommended the first black justice for the virgin islands, and publicly snubbed the daughters of the american revolution by his sponsorship of Marian anderson.” (Franklin Roosevelt, His Life and Times, 200). 43. Fdr to the director of the budget, august 13, 1942, secretary of state copy, dos #110.12/322; F.d.r. to cordell hull, august 28, 1942, photocopy of original dos 110.12/326, Bh-lh File 1, office of the curator, Blair house. 44. “order For Forthwith surrender . . . ” docket 2627; “Petition For condemnation,” docket no. 2827; both signed by charles e. stewart, clerk; reynolds to summerlin, February 19, 1943, Bh-lh- File 2.
WhiTe house hisTorical associaTion