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Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929

Boone Papers. Chapter on President Coolidge from the Memoirs of His Physician, Joel T. Boone.

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(Taped
7&8JAN65)

Telephoning Doctor Hayes at Northampton, he informed me that Mrs. Goodhue was not so well at the present time, having lost ground during the past week.

There appeared in the newspaper an article the same day, headlined, "Specialist Called for Mrs. Coolidge", subheadline, "First Lady Officially Said to be Recovering From Six Weeks' Illness, But Her Friends Are Worried".

To quote the article:

"Although Mrs. Calvin Coolidge has been officially described {begin inserted text}as{end inserted text} recovered from the illness that curtailed her social activities six weeks ago, her general condition, it was learned today, is giving her physicians and close friends considerable concern.

"For more than a month she has not attended an official dinner, nor engagement in any of the usual activities that custom demands {begin inserted text}of{end inserted text} the First Lady. She has been absent at most of the cabinet dinners which are a fe w ature of the Capitol's social season and has even been missing at the White House dinner table on formal occasions.

"Normally an enthusiastic walker, she has foregone her usual daily walks about the city and parks. Her only outings have been short rides in one of the White House cars.

"Doctor Hugh Young, the famous Johns Hopkins specialist, has been called in consultation with {begin inserted text}by{end inserted text} the White House physicians. He has been at the {begin inserted text}a{end inserted text} White House visitor three times during the past few weeks.

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"Mrs. Coolidge was first taken ill early in February. Her condition at that time was described as having been induced by a heavy cold. Her recovery has been retarded by unseasonable weather in Washington and by an attack of kidney trobble. She has lost considerable weight, estimated by some of her s close friends to be as much as 20 pounds. A persistent swelling about the ankles has caused her physicians to interdict all walking for the time being.

"Her most strenuous activity since her illness was a trip she made to Northampton, Mass., to visit her aged mother, who is critically ill."

When I was at the White House in the morning of 25 March to see the President and Mrs. Coolidge, the President talked to me about Mrs. Coolidge's health and how she was doing. He then inquired in considerable detail about her diet. I told him I had talked to her at length about eating more. He said with irritation that he had been talking to her about that subject most of his life. He then said with emphasis, "You must force her to eat!"

This being a Sunday, the President decided to take an afternoon outing on the MAYFLOWER.. He and Mrs. Coolidge had as a guests {begin inserted text}{begin handwritten}See page 967{end handwritten} their son John{end inserted text} , Mr. and Mrs. Stearns, their dau? and her husband, the {begin inserted text}Francis{end inserted text} Prescotts, and {begin inserted text}their two daughters,{end inserted text} Mr. and Mrs. Hills, and their son Jack. These guests were all presently visiting at the White House. The President invited me to have lunch and dinner, while we were cruising this weekend, with the presidential party.

I obtained his permission to go to Baltimore the following Tuesday to once more confer with Doctor Young. This permission was granted

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and the President voicing gratification that I was going to have another conference with Doctor Young.

During the night, {MISSING} received a radiogram from my wife 3:45 in the morning, informing me that Mrs. Goodhue had had a turn for the worse. Having {begin inserted text}ob{end inserted text} tained permission and arrange d {begin inserted text}m{end inserted text} ent being made for it, I left the MAYFLOWER at 4:15 a.m. motor sailer to go ashore to find a telephone. I succeeded and contacted Doctor Hayes inn Northampton from Lieutenant Hyde's quarters at the Navy Yard. Y Upon returning by the motor sailer to the MAYFLOWER as she came up the river, I got aboard and woke the President up at 6:30 a.m. and told him and Mrs. Coolidge about the radiogram that I received and of my telephone call to Doctor Hayes during the early morning hours.

I again phoned Doctor Hayes at 8 a.m. Because of the information that Doctor Hayes imparted to me, I recommended to President and Mrs. Coolidge that she leave just as soon as possible for Northampton when we arrived with them to the White House after the MAYFLOWER was docked. I was told to accompany Mrs. Coolidge to Northampton.

We left Washington at 2:30 p.m., arriving in Northampton early the next morning shortly after midnight. John Coolidge, Mrs. Hills and Jack Hills accompanied us to Northampton. {begin inserted text}{begin handwritten}¶{end handwritten}{end inserted text} I regretted that the President and John had quite an altercation that morning in the President's office. He disciplined John for whatever had occurred to displease the President. The latter took John on a long walk about the White House grounds. Both father and son were showing considerable temper. I do not know what caused the altercation.

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A newspaper article that day, March 26th, said, "Mrs. Coolidge off to Mother's Side", adding, "White House Hears Mrs. D Goodhue Has Suffered Serious Relapse". The dateline was Northampton, Mass., March 26, and it was an AP article.

To quote the article: "Mrs. Lemira Goodhue, mother of Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, was failing rapidly today, her physician, Dr. J. B. Hayes, said after he had visited her at the Cooley-Dickinson Hospital at one o'clock this afternoon. He said her condition had continued to become worse since he had seen her early in the day and expressed doubt whether she would live until her daughter arrived from Washington t night.

"Mrs. Coolidge will leave Washington this afternoon for Northampton, Mass., where her mother, Mrs. Lemira Goodhue, has suffered a serious relapse in her illness.

"The White House was informed today that Mrs. Goodhue's condition had become decidedly worse during the past day or so and that little hope is held out for her recovery.

"Mrs. Coolidge will be accompanied by her son John, Lieutenant Commander Joel T. Boone, medical officer of the Mayflower who has been her attending physician during her own recent illness; Mrs. R. B. Hills of Northampton, a schoolgirl friend who has been a house guest at the White House for several weeks, and John J. Fitzgerald of the Secret Service.

"This will be the third trip to Northampton Mrs. Coolidge has made within the past two months. Her last visit, several weeks ago, is said to have greatly cheered Mrs. Goodhue.

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"It was upon their arrival back at the White House this morning from an overnight cruise aboard the presidential yacht Mayflower, that the President and Mrs. Coolidge were advised of Mrs. Goodhue's relapsse, and it was immediately decided that Mrs. Coolidge would return to her mother's bedside. She is preparing to remain in Northampton for an indefinite period.

"Accompanying the President and Mrs. Coolidge aboard the Mayflower yesterday, besides her son John who is spending his spring holiday at the White House, were Mrs. Hills and her son John who is a freshman at Am {begin inserted text}h{end inserted text} erst, Mr. and Mr s . Frank W. Stearns of Boston who have been guests at the White House during the greater part of the past winter; Mr. and Mrs. Francis Prescott of Boston, son-in-law and daughter of Mr and Mrs. Stearns, and their four children, two of whom are 20-year old twin daughters."

As soon as Mrs. Coolidge had reached the Coolidge Massosoit Street home, I immediately went to the hospital to see Mrs. Goodhue, returning at once. I advised Mrs. Coolidge to accompany me forthwith to the hospital to see her mother, which she did, remaining at her mother's bedside about an hour. The nurse and I aroused Mrs. Goodhue. She was under sedation, so we knew she could readily go back to sleep after she saw her daughter.

I had been up 24 continuous hours and was really tired, sharing some emotional strain of Mrs. Coolidge hurried departure from Washington, and the travel from that city to Northampton.

Evening time of the day of our arrival in Northampton there seemed to be slight improvement in Mrs. Goodhue's condition. Mrs. Coolidge

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and I dined with the Hills in their home. That evening I advised Doctor Hayes to issue a bulletin.

The following day Mrs. Coolidge and I made several visits to the hospital and spent quite a little time there. I realized that Mrs. Coolidge should relax as much as possible and we took an automobile ride into the country for a while before we had dinner at the Hills.

I telephoned to Everett Sanders in Washington, requesting that an Army car be assigned for the use of Mrs. Coolidge while she was in Northampton. The Commanding General of the Army with headquarters at the Boston Army Base, I believe, was none other than General Preston Brown, Chief of Staff of the Second Division as a colonel in the early days of the formulation of that Division in France and in the battles in which it participated for some months. He was delighted to make a large Packard limousine available to Mrs. Coolidge and a very bright and courteous and well groomed sergeant as the driver. He communicated with me and told us me to keep it just as long as I wished. The car would be constantly available while she was in the Northampton this visit and would always be available for her should she ever be required to return to Northampton, and he asked me to communicate with him promptly whenever we knew we were going to leave Washington for Mrs. Coolidge to come back to see her mother, as upon our arrival the car would be waiting for us at the station and remain with us at Northampton until we left for Washington each subsequent visit. I am sure General Brown felt it was a high privilege for him to make this service available and to render every courtesy he could to Mrs. Coolidge.

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On March 30th the situation seemed to be improving somewhat a in Mrs. Goodhue's condition. I am sure Mrs. Coolidge's presence was very beneficial to her mother. Of course, it relieved Mrs. Coolidge's feelings to see for herself exactly how the situation was going. Even when {begin inserted text}as{end inserted text} Mrs. Coolidge was very, very ill, Mrs. Coolidge was buoyed up to be near her mother and to be back in her beloved Northampton. I felt her trips to Northampton did her more good than any medication that could possibly be provided for her in her protracted convalescence from her very, very serious illness. I continued to impress upon her the need for her to eat more. She was very underweight; I also urged her as regularly lying down in the afternoons, get to bed early. She was always very fond of staying up late.

Under date of March 31, 1928, appeared an article in the Army and Navy Regis ter with the caption, "Army Favoritism Versus 'Antagonism'". {begin inserted text}{begin handwritten}Page 971{end handwritten}{end inserted text}

Newspapers were giving considerable attention to Mrs. Coolidge's mother's illness and Mrs. Coolidge's visits to Northampton. In one of the newspapers about that time accompanying the news items, pictures of Mrs. Coolidge in front of her house on Massosoit Street, Northampton; one of Mrs. Coolidge sitting on the porch in a rocking chair; alongside of her mother in another rocking chair. The caption under that particular picture said, "When President and Mrs. Coolidge returned to day from a weekend cruise on the Ma r yflower, they received news that Mrs. Coolidge's mother, Mrs. Lemira Goodhue, had suffered a relapse and was in critical condition in Northampton, Mass.,

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hospital. Mrs. Coolidge is speeding to her mother's bedside this afternoon, accompanied by Lieutenant Commander Joel T. Boone, her physician who will give aid to Mrs. Goodhue."

And another photograph, there is one of Mrs. Goodhue on the arm of Major Solbert of the Army who is dressed in h his daytime formal, full military dress. I think that photograph was taken at the time of President Coolidge's Inauguration in 1924. Major Solbert was one of the White House aides.

Then there is another photograph on the w same page of my head and shoulders, identifying me as Mrs. Coolidge's physician who had accompanied her to Northampton on her visits to see her ill mother.

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From The Army Navy Register of March 31, 1928:

"Army Favoritism Versus 'Antagonism'."

The Army and Navy Journal, with which it is sometimes necessary to take sharp issue, makes this misstatement of fact and erroneous analysis of situation: "One of the minor proposals made by the President was that the rank of Colonel be granted to the Army Medical officer detailed to as White House physician, so long as he was serving in that capacity. It was a reasonable and proper recommendation and one that should have been accepted without question. Every President for the past two decades at least has had a high-ranking medical officer assigned to look after the health of himself and family. But Congress is cavilling at Mr. Coolidge's proposal. The Senate military committee has reported favorably the bill granting the temporary rank of colonel to the White House physician, but withholding the right from the present incumbent--Maj. James F. Coupal. The House military committee has been more sensible. Its report permits Maj. Coupal to benefit by the provisions of the legislation. A like bill is now under consideration for the naval medical officer, who it contemplates shall have the temporary rank of captain. It is hoped that Congress some day will cease this policy of petty antagonism to the Executive. The White House physician bill should pass and pass promptly."

This particular proposal is not "one of the minor" instances where Congress has treated President Coolidge with disrespect; there has been no question in any quarter which would deprive Maj. Coupal--or Comdr. Boone, of the Navy,--of temporary promotion while

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serving in the capacity of physician to the President; there is, on the contrary, a desire on the part of the War and Navy Departments, and on the part of Congress, for that matter, to allot temporary rank with accompanying compensation to those officers. The bill passed by the Senate did not fail to provide this advantage to Maj. Coupal; instead of Maj. Coupal being ignored, the bill related to the Army medical officer "who is now assigned to duty", and so forth. The House military committee has, therefore, not "been more sensible" in the matter.

The valid objection to the original proposal embodied in the Reece bill, was founded on the fact that it provided permanent promotion for Maj. Coupal only, advancing him over 500 officers of his corps now senior to him. This and the omission of Comdr. Boone from the same temporary advancement and failure to similarly p provide for their successors are destined to be corrected. The in incident is not worthy of being classified as evidence of "petty antagonism to the Executive", who, it is proper to assume, had no knowledge of, or would not give his consent to, a project that permanently promoted Maj. Coupal, exclusively, and failed to do anything for Comdr. Boone and those who are detailed hereafter to this duty. The bill, as originally framed, was defective, because it represented favoritism by no means justified because of a conspicuous precedent for it. That is a circumstance to which there has been, and should be, opposition in Congress. Anything which selects an individual for uncommon reward, even on the request of

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the President of the United States, is entitled to be resisted as an act from which only harm is wrought. A fair recognition in the direction of promotion and emolument for service and assignment is warranted. The officers who are attached to the President and the members of his household as physicians deserve the benefit contemplated during the period of such intimate and responsible relation to the head of the nation, but anything done in that direction should be entirely separated from the bestowal of undue favor to an individual, extended through the remainder of his lifetime.

Incidentally, it now appears that the original project which would give permanence and exclusiveness to the Coupal reward was intentional. The omission of provision for his successors in the detail was to the remarkable end that as each new case was presented, Congress would act and so avoid promotion of anyone not regarded at the Capitol as deserving.

(End of article from Register of 3-31-28.)

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On April 1st, Easter Sunday, while in Northampton, before Mrs. Coolidge and I went to church, we visited her mother at the hospital. Then after a midday dinner at the Hills' home, we stopped at the hospital, John Coolidge and his girl, Florence Trumbull, motored up from Plainville, Connecticut. They prevailed on Mrs. Coolidge to ride with them back to Plainville and for me to accompany them. 50-mile lovely ride. We had a Sunday evening meal with Governor and Mrs. Trumbull, Florence, and John. Then Governor Trumbull sen d {begin inserted text}t{end inserted text} a Mrs. Coolidge and me back to Northampton in his own car.

Even though it was after 10:30 when we arrived at Northampton, we went to the hospital to see Mrs. Goodhue before retiring.

John was very pleased that his mother would go to Plainville with him and Florence, because he was anxious to have her get better acquainted with Governor and Mrs. Trumbull. I was sure the excursion Would do Mrs. Coolidge a great deal of good. It would remove her for a few hours from too close to the scene of her sorrow in Northampton. Beautiful cool day and a lovely moonlight night returning.

The newspapers learned of our excursion, but wrote up a very decent article. There was some apprehension as to what the President's reaction might be.

When we went to the hospital that night upon our return from Plainville, we learned that Mrs. Goodhue had had a fairly reasonably {MISSING} period during our absence, fairly comfortable. Of course, in her very, very ill condition and with oral medication not taking effect to provide relief from some of her most disturbing symptoms and to afford her sleep, morphine dramatically had to be resorted to. Mrs.

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Goodhue became very discouraged. Respirations and pulse became very faulty. Failure of functions of several body organs. When awake, she talked very rationally. She was able to take very little even liquid nourishment and had great difficulty retaining anything. It was evident that she was very definitely losing ground, showing marked exhaustion with progressive weakness.

I did not talk with Mrs. Coolidge at this time about any prospects of our returning to Washington, for I felt she should stay on in Northampton for the timebeing.

I told Mrs. Trumbull when we were at Plainville that she expected to "stay on". I could not help but anticipate there would be a marked change for the worse in her mother's condition by the following week.

The next day Mrs. Coolidge told me that John--he had ridden home to Northampton from Plainville with us the night before--had commented to her that he didn't see how she put up living with his father sometimes. John had told his intimate friend, Jack Hills, that he (John Coolidge) was more like his father in disposition as he grew older. That worried him very much.

Mrs. Coolidge looked upon my proposal very favorably that I would contact my cousin, Boone Abbott, who was a high official in the Reading Railroad, interested in John's employment after he graduated from Amherst. (John, following graduation from Amherst, had employment on a railroad, not the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.) {begin inserted text}{begin handwritten}Boone offered employment to John by a letter dated May 4, 1928. His father wished him to accept employment in the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. which John did, continuing so employed for several years and until his health become impaired.{end handwritten}{end inserted text}

On April 4th Mrs. Goodhue showed some slight improvement at which

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time she did it gave Mrs. Coolidge a lift in spirits. Very surprising to us physicians and to Mrs. Coolidge how long she was able to live as desperately sick as she was.

(INSERT) Mrs. Goodhue showed some improvement early in April which cheered Mrs. Coolidge. She thought perhaps we would be able to return to Washington soon. Sometimes I felt Mrs. Goodhue would not live long--perhaps not a week--then even though she was very weak and continuing to lose weight, together with very faulty memory, I thought she could live for a considerable period of time. I did not even ask Mrs. Coolidge when she might give thought to going back to Washington. She was a very discerning person and could appraise the situation herself and I knew she would do what she felt was the wisest. (END.)

We learned that day with much interest Senator Simeon Fess of Ohio had been selected to be the keynote speaker of the National Republican Convention the forthcoming June. He and the President worked very closely together and I had seen him at the White House on many occasions in recent months.

Under date of April 6th, 1928, while Mrs. Coolidge and I were at Northampton, I wrote her home at 21 Massosoit Street my very dear friend, Commander Lester L. Pratt, Naval Medical Corps, who was then serving on the hospital ship RELIEF. I shall excerpt some portions of my letter to him:

"Dear Pratt:

"I came up here a week ago with Mrs. Coolidge because of a turn

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for the worse in her mother's condition. Now things instead of terminating rapidly are going downhill gradually but constantly. Old people so many times die so slowly that their younger kin are sorely taxed physically and mentally. We were here together the 12th of January before we left for Cuba and again for a week the first part of March. Mrs. Goodhue has been in bed since December--one of those slow, tedious body destroying conditions. Mrs. Coolidge and I are living in the Coolidge home. Her mother is at a hospital a mile away. Ours is a watchful waiting existence. . . .

"As {begin inserted text}with{end inserted text} for you, I have wondered where next {MISSING} shall go for duty. The Surgeon General thinks wise for me to select a hospital detail and that interests me. . . . I so do want to change and anxiously look forward to next March as do my two most distinguished patients (that refers to President and Mrs. Coolidge). . . .

(The last paragraph was in reference to promotion for a White House doctor.) "I wish I could talk to you in person on that subject. The whole thing has been one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life. It nauseates me.

"For a year I have known of efforts of Coupal to be promoted permanently. In fact the bill failed for that purpose last year (March 1927). So convinced in my own mind that such legislation was detrimental to the best interests of the Service, I took no co ng {begin inserted text}gn{end inserted text} izance of it. I am informed that he first tried to work it to be made a major general because Grayson was made a R rear admiral. You know that General Ireland (who was then Surgeon General of the Army) is the only major general in the Medical Corps of the Army; then he

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then he {begin inserted text}(Coupal){end inserted text} tried to be made a brigadier and that could not get the necessary support. Finally last December a bill was introduced to make him a colonel from the time of his assignment for the rest of his life. I did not know of its introduction; in fact Coupal has never mentioned promotion or legislation to me. There has been a very secretive game played. When we returned from Cuba {begin inserted text}in{end inserted text} January, someone brought to my attention a clipping stating the bill for Coupal's promotion had been objected to on the floor of the House of Representatives. Not until then had I seen the bill nor taken the slightest notice of it. Friends of mine were much concerned feeling promotion for him would appear as discrimination. I asked the Surgeon General if he had seen the bill and he said that it had been forwarded from Congress to the Navy Department ten days previous to ascertain if the Navy were interested. The Surgeon General endorsed it as desiring equal application to the Navy as to the Army. I told him, the Judge Advocate General, and the Chief of Navigation that the bill was a rotten bill and without merit in the present form; for, first, it provided for permanent promotion with which I was unalterably opposed; and accordingly, it stated that 'any medical officer of the Army assigned ' , etc., would have the rank of colonel' I pointed out that that meant even a lieutenant if so assigned would thereafter have the rank of colonel for the rest of his life, that it wasn't improbabl y {begin inserted text}e{end inserted text} that in a period of a 4-year administration a number of officers might be so assigned, their services being terminated for one reason or another; thus would the Army Medical Corps become littered with immature colonels and if it applied to the Navy, we would be

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littered with immature captains. I said I wanted no such stigma attached to my name; that I believed in finding a way to provide whoever had duty as I had, with extra compensation as and as increased rank was the only possible meeting it, I approved a temporary promotion or rather ex-officio rank for White House duties; adding had not Coupal initiated it (that is the legislation proposals) I would not have taken any steps myself, for I recognized such legislation made for unpleasantness and bad feeling.

"They (the above 3 senior Naval officers) were splendid and said they wished the Navy to have equal consideration. Then Representative Palmer, Senator David Reed, both of Pennsylvania, introduced bills in each branch of the Congress providing for temporary rank of captain for a medical officer of the Navy while so serving. This would provide for the present as well as the future. You no doubt saw favorable comment in the Army and Navy Register of March 10, 1928, March 17, 1928, on the Navy bill and adverse comment on the Coupal bill. His bill never was referred to the War Department and, failing in his bill described above, another one somewhat similar in substance to the Navy one, was introduced and passed the House. The Coupal bill provided for him alone and does not take care of the future as did the Navy bill. The Secretary knows from me personally the entire situation and approves of my position. I have been unwilling to do anything not meeting the Navy Department's approval. If the bill for Coupal is not passed, then I feel it better to let the Navy side rest, as it was initiated because of C a oupal proposed legislation;

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unless the War and Navy Departments propose joint legislation.

"There was a very good article last week, March 31, 1928, in the Army and Navy Register titled "Army Favoritism versus 'Antagonism'" There have been several most unpleasant phases to the matter. Coupal still maintains his silence as far as I am concerned, but I get much evidence of his activity in behalf of his bill. His efforts for permanent promotion have been defeated; whether he will g be granted a temporary promotion remains to be seen what action the House takes. To date it has prevented favorable consideration of his bill.

"As my valued friend, I wanted you to know the circumstances in connection with an important service subject as well as a personal matter. Giving you the facts quite briefly considering all that has transpired. I wish that I could talk it all over with you. My part is distasteful and repugnan s {begin inserted text}t{end inserted text} to me, but I must stand fast in the position of principle as a Naval officer, with proper regard for my family and self respect and that I safeguard my own record on which our career so greatly depends. I wish I could avoid or withdraw from the position I have been placed into by circumstances foreign to my nature or election but that would be neither courageous nor just." (End of letter.)

I regretted very much that I could not be at home with my wife and little daughter over the Easter period. I had well knew, but I had not let Mrs. Coolidge know, that I had other thoughts than recognition that I should remain right here at Northampton, and she should, until she felt it was reasonably safe for her us to return to Washington.

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She and I had to live from day to day while keeping vigil over her mother.

Early in April, about the 5th, I asked Doctor Hayes to notify the newspapers that there would be no more bulletin g {begin inserted text}s{end inserted text} at this time in regard to Mrs. Goodhue's condition. For some time he had been issuing daily bulletins, particularly while Mrs. Coolidge was there.

One day she commented that her mother was speaking very complimentarily of me and saying: "We can't let Doctor Boone go; yet his wife will not be willing to let him stay."

Mrs. Coolidge said, "Re will stay as long as we need him; so do not worry about his leaving", Mrs. Coolidge adding, "Mrs. Boone will let him stay as long as it is necessary."

It was gratifying to know that Mrs. Goodhue liked the times when I would go to feel her pulse, and she would reach and take my hand and hold it for quite some time. I found that she was a very sweet old lady, very excellent patient who rarely complained.

Under date of April 9, 1928, Mrs. Coolidge wrote my wife from her home in Northampton on White House stationery, as follows:

"Dear Helen:

"You are angel and that's all there is to it. Better feel your shoulders and see if the wings which Suzanne wrote about have sprouted. If a woman took my husband off and kept him over Easter Sunday, I doubt if I could write and tell her how glad I was he could be with her to comfort her.

"He certainly is a comfort to both Mother and me. She feels perfectly safe with him around. If you want her to do a thing or

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take something, all that is necessary is to tell her Doctor Boone left it or ordered it. And everybody says he has put her new life in her and restored pep, and she has a renewed interest in the physician in charge.

"Mother has seen {begin inserted text}seemed{end inserted text} so much better for the last four days that I have been thinking we might be able to return to Washington before long. Of course, she isn't really better. If one didn't know conditions, one would be convinced that she is. She sat in a chair for 15 minutes, yesterday afternoon, and did not seem tired.

"Hope this is a nice day in Washington for April. The sun shines brightly here but it is colder and there is a strong wind.

"Give my love to Suzanne and tell her I was much pleased with the Easter greeting which she sent me.

"With love to you,

"Sincerely,
"Grace Coolidge."

With Mrs. Goodhue showing improvement, Mrs. Coolidge decided to depart from Northampton for Washington April 12 at 7:25 p. m. We arrived in Washington the next morning at 8:35.

(End of reel.)

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