Shakedown Cruise

In Charleston last week the President was piped over the side, of the Navy's sleek, light cruiser Philadelphia, about to put out on a six-day "shakedown cruise." Across the dock from the Philadelphia lay the ancient battle sloop. Hartford, which Rear Admiral Farragut comm.anded in the Civil War battle of Mobile Bay and the capture of New Orleans. Cried the President to Rear Admiral William Henry Allen, standing with his staff on the pier:

"It looks awful. It's in horrible shape. Why don't you get a WPA project down here and fix it up?"

Embarrassed, Charleston Navy Yard's commandant glanced at the historic relic, shouted back: "Well, we have not any money for that sort of thing down here."

Answered the President gaily: "You just send in a request for the appropriation and I'll put it through."

While Navy cannon boomed a 21-gun salute, the Philadelphia slid out of the harbor into the open sea. headed for the Caribbean. Plans called for several days' Gulf-Stream fishing.

P: For the first time since he moved into the White House, Franklin Roosevelt last week was not its centre of attention. That distinction went to a spindling elderly gentleman who came there to have lunch (see col. 3). Before and after entertaining his extraordinary visitor, the President prepared for his holiday by getting through a heavy week's work:

Sent to Congress was his long-awaited message on antimonopoly legislation (see P.13).

Approved was a resolution signed by 16 leaders of U. S. industries offering the Administration full co-operation (see p. 55):

Signed was the biggest ($500,000,000) regular Navy appropriation bill in U. S. peacetime history.

While the Senate debated his $1,500,000,000 Navy Expansion Bill, the President added a request for an additional $25,000,000 to provide for starting work on two more battleships--which would bring the total currently planned or under construction to nine.

P: At press conference, a reporter asked what the President thought of a proposal by Senator Sherman Minton to make it a felony for a newspaper knowingly to publish a false statement. Jovially Franklin Roosevelt replied that he was trying to pare expenses and didn't want to build any more prisons.

P:In Memphis last week, Secret Service agents held a 35-year-old salesman named Keith H. Rapp for sending the President a letter saying: "I have an overwhelming urge to kill you."

P:In Washington, Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt frankly discussed the technique whereby, when shaking hands with lines of people, she whisks them along before they have time to start a conversation. Ex- cerpt :

"Grasp firmly the ends of the fingers of the guest, never allowing him to take yours, and. as you say 'how do you do, I'm so glad to see you,' draw him gently forward and past you."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.