Transcript of Interview With Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt Recorded for National Educational Television.

THE PRESIDENT. We are glad to have you at the White House again, Mrs. Roosevelt.

MRS. ROOSEVELT: Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, I would like to thank you for being on this program. You probably don't realize this, but in the 3 years that we have run this program, you have been our most distinguished guest, and we are very grateful to you.

Now I would like to ask you, because I have always been interested in women's affairs, and I was very much honored when you made me Chairman of your new Committee on the Status of Women, perhaps you would be willing to tell the people what prompted you to name this Committee at this time and what you feel is the real need for it?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, we are attempting to make sure that the women, for example, who work--one-third of our working force are women--we want to try to encourage every company in the United States and certainly stimulate governmental leadership in providing equal pay and equal conditions for women. Twenty-two States do it now, but we can do a much better job on that. We want to make sure that the available talent which we have in this country in trained women is being used effectively. I think we want to make sure that some recognition is given to the special problems women have as the mother and the housewife, and at the same time their desires to participate usefully in public and private life.

This is a matter of great national concern, and I think that in this great society of ours, we want to be sure that women are used as effectively as they can be, to provide a better life for our people--in addition to meeting their primary responsibility, which is in the home.

MRS. ROOSEVELT: Thank you very much. I think that's a very good objective, but there is one thing that I think a great many women are interested in, and that is that here, where women have in many ways a very much better situation than they have in other countries, that still in some of the other countries women can be found in higher positions, policy-making positions or legislative positions, than they are in this country. Have you any idea why it is that in this country we have not, somehow, managed or found people to put into these higher positions?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I suppose it's first the interruption in their careers that takes place in the lives of most women because of their keeping a family--raising children. But I quite agree. I don't think we make the most use of our talent, not only in the Government. And there are an awful lot of women that hold very key positions in the Government. In fact, the other day, when we gave the awards for the five outstanding civil servants, two of them were women of great technical skill. We have women in the U.N. delegation, of which you are a distinguished example, and we have them in the--as Treasurer. But I still think we ought to do better.

I think we ought to do better in the field of medicine, for example. I think that the number of girls who are admitted to medical school, the number of practicing doctors, I don't think we do as good a job in this country as we ought to. We do better than a number of other countries, but not nearly as well, considering the talented women that we have, the great need for doctors. I think they do a good job in teaching, but in medicine is one of the great areas where I think we should stimulate. I think women make good doctors. They have the personal qualities and the patience. And I think to have 2 or 3 percent of each class admitted to be women is a great lack. But I know, Mrs. Roosevelt, I am always getting letters from you about getting women in these policy-making jobs, and we are very conscious of that responsibility.

MRS ROOSEVELT: Well, I am very conscious of the fact that this ought to happen. But I am also very conscious of the difficulties, and I frequently, in answering foreign people who say that women, because we are such a big country, in this country have greater difficulties because of our ways of life, but a woman in India has a multiple family, she can leave her children, because she lives with grandparents and sisters and brothers, and so forth; and here this is a great problem.

So I see all the problems, but I still think that we should use everything available, and therefore I want to see women used to the very best of their ability. And that's the thing I'd like to ask you about.

We have this high standard and I think women in their homes set the standards in America for many things, both for men and women. And in view of this, I am wondering if American women are using their education to the best possible advantage or whether many women who don't want to leave their families, who don't want to be in outside work, still couldn't do a better job if they used their education better than they have? What do you think about that?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I think when you look at Radcliffe College, that the curve of academic excellence at Radcliffe is higher than it is at Harvard. And therefore you assume that this is really the most highly developed student body. What happens to those girls 2 or 3 years later? They get married, many of them become housewives, and all that talent is used in this family life but is not used outside. Now of course it is true that they work on school boards, they work in the League of Women Voters, they work in church groups, in a whole variety of ways they use this talent for strengthening the cohesion of our society. But I wonder whether they have the full opportunity to develop their talents. As the Greeks said, the definition of happiness is full use of your powers along lines of excellence, and I wonder whether they have that opportunity. And this is not true just of Radcliffe, but of colleges and educated women, talented women, all over the country.

MRS ROOSEVELT: Well, of course, one of the things that you have asked us to look for in the status of women is what services could be given which would make it easier to use to the maximum. Do you think before our report even is in, that certain things are going to be done?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I think we are going to wait--this, particularly--the problem of how a mother can meet her responsibilities to her children and at the same time contribute to society in general--is the most sensitive and important matter, and I think that's really what I am interested in, what your suggestions would be. We do have legislation, before you do make a report, for example, on this matter of equal pay in interstate commerce, and which I think would be very helpful.

MRS ROOSEVELT: Yes. Well, that of course is one of the things we are studying already. But I do think that we will make--this is one of the studies which we in our mission are going to hope to find recommendations that will be of value. I think as a last thing to ask you, whether you have any objections, to helping women to be employed, from people who say that we should have more women taken out because there are unemployed men?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, in the first place, most of the women who work really need to, to maintain their families. That's the first point. And secondly, most of the women, a high proportion, work in areas which are really more suited to them than to men. And the kind of work, and in some cases the pay, is not competitive with men, so that I don't think that many women are working who are not contributing directly to the maintenance of the household, the family, the children, so that I don't think that there is a broad duplication.

We have to meet this problem of unemployment for men and women, and I think the way to do it is not to attempt to deprive women of the chance to work and contribute, but to try to expand the opportunity generally in the economy. I think that's the direction of our efforts, rather than squeezing the labor force.

MRS. ROOSEVELT: That is what I would say, too. And now I am sorry, but our time is up, and I want to thank you so much again, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT. Well, we are glad to have a chance to. And I think the report of the commission can be extremely useful. All the progress that has been made has been the results of these kind of periodic examinations of the status of women, both privately and in Government. So we are very hopeful.

MRS. ROOSEVELT: And I am hopeful it will be useful. Thank you again.

THE PRESIDENT. Thank you.