711.61/406
Extract From a Radio Address on November 22 by the Assistant Secretary of State (Moore)39
The negotiations were carried on under the supervision of Secretary Hull before his departure for South America and after that under the supervision of Acting Secretary Phillips. There were three days of conference between officials of the State Department and Mr. Litvinoff and there were vastly more important and pivotal conversations between Mr. Litvinoff and President Roosevelt at The White House. There were no stenographers present and no reports made and thus, so far as the conferences are concerned, there will be a bare outline and not a full picture exposed to the eye of the future historian. But after all, to repeat the legend on the coat of arms of the Washington family, “It is the result that proves the work”. Within less than twenty-four hours after the President had accorded recognition the result of the work which had been devoted to a subject of great magnitude was announced to the public at The White House on the afternoon of November 17th. The announcement was made by the President [Page 43] and, before the sun sank behind the Blue Ridge Mountains West of this City there had been communicated to the American public the final texts of the agreements obtained by the President in the form of exchange of notes.
- Complete text of the address is printed in Department of State, Press Releases, November 25, 1933, p. 285.↩