AN INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN FENBERG (cont.)
Executive Producer and Co-Writer

Q: Why did Jones' political career come to such a bitter end?

Jones and FDR's vice president, Henry Wallace, clashed over policy from the time Roosevelt assumed office. Wallace, at first, was FDR's secretary of agriculture. The feuds between Wallace and Jones escalated and eventually spilled over into the press. When it became apparent that the Democratic Party leadership would not support Wallace as Roosevelt's running mate in 1944, partially due to his conflicts with Jones, FDR promised Wallace any other position he wanted. Of course, Wallace chose secretary of commerce since at that point it was one of the most powerful positions in Washington. FDR was then forced to fire Jones in order to replace him with his rival, Henry Wallace. However, Congress, with Jones' persuasion, decided that Wallace was not qualified to handle the financial power Jones had amassed and removed the RFC and other lending agencies from the department of commerce. So, Wallace got the position but not the power.

Q: Brother, Can You Spare a Billion? airs nationally on PBS this April. What do you hope to accomplish through bringing the story of his life to a broader audience?

I hope that Jones' work will be examined for the solutions it may offer to some of today's challenges. I also hope that he will be looked upon as a model for others to emulate.