Summaries of Telephone Conversations

Washington, D. C. October 21, 1945 CO SUMMARY 10:40 AM LEO CROWLEY, from Madison, Wisconsin, to TOM CORCORAN. The following is their conversation: LC - I got home here late last night and JIMMY (BYRNES?) was calling me. I didn't take the call because I didn't get in until after 10 'clock. Now, outside of yourself and JIMMY, I'll tell you what my wishes are in this thing here, and that is now that I'm out I'd like to stay out. TC - Yes. LC - You have no idea how tired and how good it feels to be out. Now, I talked with JOHN TOWNSEND and FRED WALCOTT (both phonetic) and they will not go on the board (Export-Import Bank?). TC - Yeah. LC - They don't want any part of it. And here's what I worry about, other than you, TOM, that we're going to have very little voice in those foreign loans, yet we will have a voice in the loans of the Export-Import Bank. TC - Yeah. LC - What I'm afraid of is on the British loan and some of those other ones, they've been handled outside of the bank. TC - Well, they couldn't handle them without your being in on them. I thought you wanted to be out of the British loan. LC - Well, but what I'm getting at though, TOM, is this. Are you going to have much of any voice--they've got that thing pretty well negotiated now. Now, suppose that - - TC - But you're going to have a terrific voice on the Russian business and on the Balkan business and on the Polish business. LC - That's right. Now, if--maybe on the Russian thing I ought to keep my hands out. TC - Well, I think you ought to keep your hands out of the English thing, but I think this gives you an enormous position with re- lation to the Russian thing and to the satellite states that are part of the Russian thing. LC - Well, now, here's what I have to do, TOM. I have to spend some time on my own business, you understand that, TOM. TC - Yeah. LC - And I'm also-I'm going to take the chairmanship of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul. TC - Yeah. LC - Of course that isn't a full-time job. TC - Yeah. IC - But the question, TOM, is whether it is worth it for you or for me la tching into this thing again. TC - It is for 3 or 4 months. It is till the first of the year. IC - But TOM, if we go back in this we can't get out because if we have another row we're going to look like HILDRETH (phonetic).