"Are you laboring under the impression that I read these memoranda of yours? I can't even lift them"

Franklin D. Roosevelt is making a joke in this quote. He is suggesting that he is too weak to raise the memoranda, which suggests that he has not read them. He is likely poking fun at himself, as he was understood for his handicap. He is likewise most likely attempting to lighten the mood and make a joke out of the circumstance. By making this joke, he is showing that he is not taking the memoranda too seriously and that he is not offended by the reality that he has not read them. He is also most likely attempting to reveal that he is not too proud to make a joke at his own expense. Overall, this quote is a funny way of Roosevelt revealing that he is not angered by the reality that he has not read the memoranda.