Bill of Health, Fiscal

Albert J. Engel, Michigan's jar-shaped Congressman who loves to investigate on his own, was sure he had something last week. He dug up the incomes--private and public--of Anna Marie Rosenberg.

As regional director of the Social Security Board, Mrs. Rosenberg makes $7,500 a year. On the side, Congressman Engel discovered, she makes $28,500. He wondered how she could make that much at outside jobs and still give the Government 100% of her time. He asked her.

Little, intense Mrs. Rosenberg, friend and confidante of Franklin Roosevelt, Fiorello LaGuardia and many another bigwig, freely admitted that her outside salary came from R. H. Macy-Bamberger (department stores), who paid her $20,000, and I. Miller (shoes), who paid her $2,500, for giving them advice on labor relations. The other $6,000 came from Nelson Rockefeller, for the same kind of advice and help on "speeches for graduation and commencement exercises."

But Mrs. Rosenberg maintained that she never let her private jobs interfere with her Social Security job. She had visited Macy-Bamberger only six times during the past year for the $20,000; had attended only three meetings at I. Miller for the $2,500. "Two of them were luncheons." Occasionally when she was in Washington she ran over to Rockefeller's office, Anna Rosenberg, who (according to Vogue) can be "soft and feminine and use her great, soft, dark eyes," and can still be "man-to-man" and "swear like a trooper," had another point to make. When she had accepted the Social Security appointment it was on condition that she be allowed to continue her work as a public-relations consultant.

Humphed Congressman Engel: "Mrs. Rosenberg is absolutely in the clear, no matter what we think about anyone drawing a Government salary and making $28,500 on the side." What grieved him was the fact that the Government would not pay high enough salaries to get topnotch talent without strings attached.

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