Eleanor Roosevelt – My Day: February 1-7

February 1, 1945

“WASHINGTON, Wednesday—I was very much impressed last night, as I went from birthday ball to birthday ball, by the number of men in uniform who were taking part in these celebrations. Of course, it is obvious that men who are free to do anything of this kind and who are in Washington are the men who are busy all day in various offices.

Still, I think it also shows that the appeal of a home front battle is strong for the man who has to fight our battles overseas. Perhaps if you are fighting for your country in faraway places, when you come home you are more conscious that you want your country to be the best possible place to live in, both for yourself and your children. This, I hope, augurs more responsible citizenship from our returned service men.

This morning I went out to Walter Reed hospital to one of the forums which are going on there from day to day. We were a panel of women—Miss Freda Miller, head of the Women’s Bureau in the Department of Labor; Miss Mary Switzer, executive assistant to Paul V. McNutt in the War Manpower Commission; and Miss Malvina Lindsay, columnist of the Washington Post. I was to act as discussion leader and moderator, though since we were not debating with each other there was very little to moderate. The subject was “Women in the Postwar World.” You can well imagine that we covered a great deal of territory, since women enter into every phase of modern life!”

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