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Among the numerous Roosevelts who spend all their time making news, Gracie Hall Roosevelt is usually notable for making no news at all. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt's younger (46) brother, his most conspicuous appearance in print up to last week had been in his sister's autobiography in which she wrote that she felt a "great responsibility for him." Last week Gracie Hall Roosevelt suddenly found himself paraded across the front pages in the U. S. This was surprising enough but the reason was more so. It was a rumor that he had invited Henry Ford to lunch at the White House. Two days later, even more astonishingly, the rumor was confirmed. Said Henry Ford in Sudbury, Mass.. where he was inspecting his collection of antiques: "I want to give the President a chance to look at somebody who doesn't want anything."

A conference between the nation's highly individualistic No. 1 Businessman and its highly individualistic President has often been rumored before. Now that it was definitely scheduled it served to symbolize as dramatically as possible the conciliatory feelings toward U. S. Business which the President expressed in his Fireside Chat last fortnight. It also served to launch the U. S. press on a guessing game. Best guess as to why Gracie Hall Roosevelt--a onetime Comptroller of Detroit, who now spends most of his time in New York--had given the invitation was that the President considered it more tactful to invite Mr. Ford through an emissary than to summon him directly. Having deduced this much--despite rumors that Hall Roosevelt had given the invitation on his own account, thus putting his brother-in-law in the position of being forced to second it--the nation's press spent the rest of the week speculating on what, since he wanted nothing and had also promised to give no advice, Mr. Ford was going to the White House for. As to this, neither Mr. Ford--who is scheduled to speak at the A. N. P. A. convention in New York City the evening after his White House visit --nor Franklin Roosevelt had anything to say.

P: Fortnight ago Mr. Roosevelt let it be known that he soon would ask Congress to waive judicial precedent and end the reciprocal exemption system whereby the Federal Government may not tax State employes' salaries and the income from Governmental bonds; whereby, also, States may not tax Federal employes' salaries or income from State or Federal securities. Last week he did so. P: Major White House visitors of the week: Union Pacific's William Averell Harriman, who discussed a Business Advisory Council meeting at Sun Valley, Idaho; Chairman Frank R. McNinch of the FCC, to discuss the Commission's investigation to ascertain whether radio broadcasting is a monopoly; Idaho's Senator William Borah, to discuss his bill to enforce anti-trust laws through Federal licensing of corporations. P: Presidential plans: a ten-day fishing trip starting this week; a two-month cruise along the west coast of South America next summer "if possible."

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