Chapter 61
Summary
- Eleanor Roosevelt feels unburdened as she leaves behind Washington's tense atmosphere during World War II to spend a holiday at Campobello Island in Canada. She is joined by Mr. Lash, a former Communist and organizer of the Student Leadership Institute, who she has allowed to use her house on the island for a summer camp.
- Eleanor has a history of helping lost individuals, a trait which her husband, Franklin, would tease her about. She reflects on the struggles of those she has tried to help before, such as her alcoholic brother Hall, and hopes that Mr. Lash’s outcome will be more positive.
- She admires the beauty of the island, reminiscing on the summers spent with her children there before Franklin’s illness and the difficulty of the terrain prevented regular visits.
- Upon arrival at their longtime holiday home, she receives an urgent telegram from Mr. Randolph and Mary. The draft executive order they're concerned with is supposed to prevent a planned march, but it's been lying unsigned on Franklin’s desk for weeks, with no response to their efforts to make contact about it. Eleanor is irritated at having to handle this situation from a distance and without access to electricity or a phone.
- Walking to the house of Mrs. Mitchell, the only telegrapher and telephone owner on the island, Eleanor sends a telegram and makes a call to Franklin. During their conversation, Eleanor asks about the unsigned draft executive order and urges him to sign it and prevent the planned march.
- Feeling the weight of his responsibilities, Franklin agrees to read the executive order to her. The order aims to ensure the full and equitable participation of all workers in defense industries, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin. The Fair Employment Practices Committee will be established to ensure compliance with the order.
- Eleanor is pleased with the wording and insists that Franklin sign it immediately, which he does. Overjoyed with the progress, Eleanor requests another telegram be sent, this one to Mary McLeod Bethune to share the good news.