If You Ask Me
by Eleanor Roosevelt

There is no question in my mind that we publish in our newspapers many things that should not be published. For instance, I think it would have been far better not to have announced that we were sending a man into space until we knew the results of the test. When the outcome was known, either failure or success, it would have been time enough to announce it. There is no point in other nations' having spies in this country, because we tell everything they might use spies to find out. I do not think, however, that the newspapers can be expected to do their own censoring. No newspaper agency could be sure the same standards would be observed by all newspapers. Government departments and government officials have to take the responsibility for keeping secret those things which should be kept secret and for releasing information the American people need to make proper decisions.

I watched all the debates between the two Presidential candidates last fall. I watch newscasts or any program that has special national or international interest. Outside of that, I am afraid I haven't time to watch much TV.

I think it an extremely unwise proposal. It would mean endless discussion, and this is a time when we must come to quick decisions. Having one head is the only possible solution for an effective organization.

This is a difficult question to answer, because it depends on what you consider proper for different kinds of entertainment. Some Presidents have offered nothing but a mild wine punch and cookies at big receptions. Others have had buffets, with a variety of drinks available. We served a little more than our predecessors, but not a great deal, because my husband came into office at the time of the Depression, and it was quite obvious then that one should not be extravagant. I don't think anyone, except Mr. Coolidge, got along without using extra money. In some cases, when a President did not have any money of his own, he was obliged to use a fund that was created for his use by some of his supporters. Few Presidents have ever left the White House with as much money as they came with.

Fala lived to be thirteen years old. He is buried in the rose garden at Hyde Park, near the sundial. Next to him is the first dog my daughter owned, which was a great favorite of my husband's—a police dog named Chief. Each has a little oval stone with his name on it. Fala has descendants, though I don't happen to own any of them. I have a little Scottie, given me by some sweet children in Ohio, whose dog had a litter of puppies at the time Fala died. His name is Duffy and he lives at Hyde Park.

I am not a traffic expert, but I think it might be possible for certain businesses to do their trucking, loading, and unloading during the night or early morning or late evening, so there would be fewer trucks on the streets in the daytime, when passenger traffic is the heaviest.

First of all, I decide what I want to give to the organizations I really work with. My main contributions go to these. Then I consider the organizations I have affiliations with, either through inheritance or use of their facilities, and any particular cause that may be a new one making an especially timely appeal. In these cases, I give whatever I can—frequently, very small sums—and reserve whatever large sums I can give for projects I am working on.

I don't often have a problem of this kind. In the one or two rare instances when it has happened, I have simply written and asked to have my name removed.