President Roosevelt is subject'to strains which no man.of less robust constitution buoyant personality could bear. He alone' is faced swith the responsibility for decisions upon which not only the fate of his own' country but the future history of the world will depend. But these decisions cannot be made in a calm detached atmosphere for the President can never withdraw himself from the bustling routine of his Administrative duties. They must be made as it were on the run and time for reflection snatched from an overcrowded day which is always too! short for the tasks which must be done. If fat times the President appears to hesitate and to be confused in his own mind and to waver between caution and boldness the' reason is plainly tobe found in the many-sided roles which he is forced to assume.
The President is a political leader. He cannot ignore public opinion, but must move with it, He can exercise his skill in modify-Ing it, but must always bear in mind that the strength of his Administration depends upon the strength of the public support! which it commands. He might by bolder Jeadership evoke the public support which he strives to create but in so doing might subject the party organization which elected him to such strains that it would no longer be an efficient instrument when the next elec~ toral test took place, 'The President is not only concerned with' the war but with the social programme he inaugurated before the war and wishes to see continued after the war, The. desirability of some move from the international or strategic point of view] must always be tempered by considerations) of its effect on domestic politics.
The President is Commander-in-chief and) strategist-in-chief. He is responsible for running the army and navy and he is also responsible for questions of high policy. The United States is at the moment the most im~ portant single unknown factor in the world situation, It is the last strategic reserve of Democracy. If this last reserve is badly ap~ plied or dissipated the cause of Democracy is lost, Nothing remains to fall back on, Not! only is the President responsible for American policy but as administrator for the Lease] and Lend Act he is responsible for world policy. The final decision on where to send supplies from the American arsenal of De~ mocracy rests with him, His judgment may dangerously deplete one area or pile up un~ essential material at another, may cause the collapse on one front or lead to the continued resistance of another.
The President is an administrator. He is the executive head of an enterprise which finds work for over 1,000,000 civil servants. In addition to the powers conferred on all presidents by the Constitution he holds vast powers delegated him by Congress. As from. July 1 he is responsible for the expenditure of $22,000,000,000 (£5,200,000,000). His is the hand which must guide the controls over prices and regulate finance. He has vast Power over trade, over agriculture, over industry. He has the power to avert disaster and conversely by wrong use of those powers to create it, Even in peacetime the killing burdens laid on American presidents were a subject for comment. In time of emergency they are fr heavier. Hitler as a dictator need not' shoulder the burdens of a political leader. Mr. Churchill as head of a united nation enjoys the same freedom of action. Both men are able to delegate administrative powers and confine themselves to broader ques~ tions of strategy and policy, The President, however, feels that since the consequences of administrative action may have repercus~ sions in the realm of policy he must exercise minute control over all phases, Moreover he is, thinking not only of the war effort but of the subsequent peace. Unless all authority is dependent on the White House centres of of position maybe created in the defence organ~ {ation to many of the fundamental new deal) policies, Finally the President by temper: ment likes to keep his finger on every control lever and know the contents of every government dossier.
The two individuals who now have most, influence on the President are his wife and Mr. Harry Hopkins, Mrs. Roosevelt's trips throughout the country and her habit of turning up in the most unexpected places have been made the butt of innumerable Jokes and cartoons but these trips serve a Very useful purpose. 'They enable the President to learn what the current of opinion is in widely scattered areas. Mrs. Roosevelt has also maintained her contacts with New'
Dealers and acts as a link between them and the White House. She exercises a strong influence particularly over domestic policy.
Mr. Harry Hopkins lives at the White House and is the only person in the Administration who can approach the President! at any time. He is handicapped by ill-health which usually reduces his working day sto six hours, but despite this there is no phase of the Lease and Lend programme which he does not supervise. Since his trip to London Mr. Hopkins whose previous back
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.