Summary of Conversations Between Robert Hannegan and Edward F. Prichard, Jr.

Washington, D. C. PR SUMMARY August 16, 1945 9:58 PM ROBERT HANNEGAN to EDWARD PRICHARD. HANNEGAN mentioned that they are just in the process of moving in now. He said he was sorry he didn't have a chance to get over to PRICHARD's dinner the other night and also regretted that he missed PRICHARD's father when he was in Washington recently. He said that is twice he missed him. HANNEGAN said: "I thought maybe you and I could gab a little tomorrow morning." PRICHARD said: "Whenever" you say." HANNEGAN asked if PRICHARD had given him a copy of (FRED) VINSON's (Secretary of the Treasury) report and PRICHARD said he thought he had but he can give him additional copies. HANNEGAN said that there was going to be a cabinet meeting tomorrow and PRICHARD said that the topics to be discussed included (JOHN) SNYDER's report of August 15th and not VINSON's report, and he said he would send some copies of SNYDER's report over to HANNEGAN the first thing in the morning. HANNEGAN said: "I thought maybe I could get PAUL and a couple of fellows and sit around and talk and maybe we could come up with an idea, discussion of continuation of Selective Service and so on." They thought Selective Service should be discontinued and that as many things as possibly can should be stopped. HANNEGAN invited PRICHARD to be at his office at 11:30 A.M. tomorrow for this discussion. HANNEGAN said he wanted PRICHARD to come out for breakfast at the new place as soon as they get settled and said that he has four iceboxes in which he keeps watermelons and he will show PRICHARD these iceboxes. PRICHARD said: "BOB, something I was going to ask you, oh, have you ever heard anything more about that business over at JUSTICE. H - About you? P - Yeah. H - No, I was waiting---you see, I talked to the Judge (VINSON). P - What did he say? H - Oh, he wants you to stay there with him but he don't want to make you Secretary. P - That's right. H - He says you don't want - he says now he knows PRICH better than anybody in the world. P - Uh, huh. H - And he said that it would be the wrong thing. He said how he just wants to maneuver around, just free-lance around. He said now I know him and that wouldn't be the thing to do. Well, I said, I don't know well, I didn't want to argue with him about it. P - Well, he never asked me. H - No, well, he says he knows - I said, did you ever ask him, I asked him that. He said no. P - Uh, uh, well H - Well, let's talk about that, if that --- I mean, you ought to get that straightened out with him because it's funny if you had --- but that's just what he said, you see. P - I know, I was afraid he would say that. I can't make out whether he really thinks I don't want it or whether he don't want--- H - No, it's not that. It's not whether you want it or not. He thinks that is the best thing for you. He don't think that would be the best thing for you. P - What do you think about it.