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Background
In the midst of a re-election campaign, it made sense to Franklin Roosevelt, administratively and politically, to replace the just deceased Secretary of War, George Dern, with Assistant and Acting Secretary of War Harry Woodring – but only temporarily. With this telegram, then, Woodring is thus informed that he will be Secretary of War, ad interim. He would hold that position until May 6th, 1936, at which point Roosevelt appointed him Secretary of War - but even then, his “full” appointment would not prove permanent: in July 1940, the controversial Woodring became the only man Roosevelt ever removed from his cabinet.
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S. C. FORM No. 8
Signal Corps, United States Army
Received at War Department Message Center,
Room 3441, Munitions Building,
Washington, D.C.
WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH CO.
WAR 31 107 GOVT COUNT ALL PCTNS AND THREE PARAGRAPHS=
HYDE PARK NY SEP 25 1150A
HON HARRY H WOODRING= ACTING SECRETARY OF WAR=
PERSONAL AN D [sic] CONFIDENTIAL. AFTER GEORGES DEATH AND BECAUSE OF OUR VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP FOR MANY YEARS, I HAD DETERMINED NOT TO FILL HIS PLACE, OFFICIALLY AT LEAST, FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. ¶
UNDER THE LAW, HOWEVER, I AM ADVISED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THAT YOU CANNOT REMAIN AS ACTING SECRETARY OF WAR BEYOND A PERIOD OF THIRTY DAYS. THEREFORE, I AM ANNOUNCING THE TEMPORARY SELECTION OF YOU AS SECRETARY TODAY. ¶ I AM DELIGHTED TO DO THIS AND I KNOW YOU WILL UNDERSTAND MY REASONS FOR MAKING THIS A TEMPORARY DESIGNATION. ¶ MY WARM REGARDS.=
FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT. 1214P
