Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This file contains materials relating to Graham Martin and Fred Weyand.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
1671396
label
Press Secretary Briefings, 3/25/75
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
1671396
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
Press Secretary Briefings, 3/25/75
description
This file contains materials relating to Graham Martin and Fred Weyand.
citationUrl
collections
Ron Nessen Files (Ford Administration)
Ron Nessen's Press Briefing Transcripts
subjects
Vietnam (Republic)
White House (Washington, D.C.)
Foreign aid
Legislation
Taxation
Vetoes
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
1671396
coverageEndDate
day
25
logicalDate
1975-03-25
month
3
year
1975
coverageStartDate
day
25
logicalDate
1975-03-25
month
3
year
1975
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
50860c167d987d25
ocrText
Digitized from Box 7 of The Ron Nessen File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
This Copy For
NEWS CONFERENCE
#171
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
WITH RON NESSEN
AT 11:57 A.M. EDT
MARCH 25, 1975
TUESDAY
MR. NESSEN: The President met this morning
with a delegation headed by the South Vietnamese Ambassador,
Tran Kim Phuong, and six South Vietnamese members of
Parliament, and the South Vietnamese labor leader, Truong
Quoc Buu.
The parliamentarians are here for an official
visit to tell Congress of South Vietnam's need for
assistance. Mr. Buu is in the United States as a
guest of the AFL-CIO, which requested that the President
see him.
The President said he was deeply disturbed
by the reports of the new fighting in South Vietnam.
He asked the Ambassador and the parliamentarians to
take back to President Thieu, and the Vietnamese people,
a message of the President's respect and admiration for
the courage and determination they are showing in their
fight against the North Vietnamese offensive.
The President explained that he had already asked
for further assistance from Congress for South Vietnam, and
he told them that he would push very hard to persuade Con-
gress to approve those funds. He also told them that the
United States condemns the attacks being made by North
Vietnam and that the United States will continue its
efforts to make clear to the rest of the world our
feeling that North Vietnam is violating the Paris accords.
He said that he realized that morale in South
Vietnam had suffered because of the attacks, and he said
that for that reason he wanted his message to go back
and that he would make a maximum effort to obtain
assistance from Congress, which South Vietnam needs
desperately.
The President told the delegates from South
Vietnam and the Ambassador that he is sending General Fred C.
Weyand to South Vietnam. General Weyand will leave
tomorrow. The purpose of this trip is to assess the
military situation, to report his findings and to make
recommendations on further help that might be needed
for South Vietnam.
MORE
#171
- 2 -
#171-3/25
Q
Will he report directly to the President?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, he will.
The President feels that General Weyand has
good relations with President Thieu, with the South
Vietnamese military and with the South Vietnamese people.
As some of you know, General Weyand has been in South
Vietnam before as a division commander, commander of
II Field Forces, and he was Abrams' deputy and commander
of American forces in Vietnam.
The President wants him to convey to South
Vietnam the President's strong support and to tell
the people that he is making an all-out effort to
persuade Congress to supply money for additional
military equipment.
Q
Did General Weyand meet with the President
this morning? Did you say that?
MR. NESSEN: I didn't say that, but General
Weyand was here this morning.
Q
When is he leaving?
MR. NESSEN: He will be leaving tomorrow.
Q
Did he meet with the President this
morning, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: He was in the building, and he
did see the President, that is right.
Q
Why was Ambassador Martin here today?
MR. NESSEN: I mentioned yesterday, John, that
the Ambassador was in this country for treatment of a
minor medical ailment, and he will be going back to
South Vietnam tomorrow, along with the General.
Q
Was there any kind of a crisis meeting
here on Vietnam on which these decisions were based?
MR. NESSEN: I wouldn't say it was a crisis
meeting, Helen.
Q Well, NSC.
MR. NESSEN: There has been no NSC meeting.
Q
Ron, did Ambassador Martin meet with the
President this morning?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, he did.
MORE
#171
- 3 -
#171-3/25
Q
Why were those not announced?
MR. NESSEN: I did not know about them yesterday
when we put out the schedule.
Q
Who else was in that meeting with Weyand,
Martin and the President?
MR. NESSEN: We will check.
Q
When you say recommendations for further
help, do you mean help over and above the requested $300
million?
MR. NESSEN: I said he will make any recommenda-
tions for possible further help, if it is needed. Obviously,
we don't know what his recommendations will be.
Q
Possibly over and above the $300 million?
MR. NESSEN: It isn't possible to say, Ralph,
because we don't know what he is going to recommend.
Q
Why was it felt necessary to send General
Weyand back when only ten days ago or two weeks ago the
Joint Chiefs sent a top general to make a survey?
MR. NESSEN: I believe you are talking about
General Cleland. General Cleland, if I am not
mistaken, made his assessment in Cambodia and not in
South Vietnam.
The meeting that you are talking about with the
President included Weyand, Ambassador Martin, Secretary
Kissinger and General Scowcroft.
Q
Will General Weyand serve in any advisory
capacity in terms of offering the tactical advice
tothe South Vietnamese?
MR. NESSEN: No, certainly not.
Q
How long did that meeting last?
MR. NESSEN: It lasted 25 minutes.
Q
How long will the General be there?
MR. NESSEN: He is expected to return the middle
or end of next week.
MORE
#171
- 4 -
#171-3/25
0
Will this lead to an increase in the
President's request?
MR. NESSEN: Helen, heis coming back with
recommendations. I don't know what the recommendations
will be.
Q
Would we be wrong to read anything into
Ambassador Martin's presence and the statement here at
the White House in an attempt to interpret it as a diplo-
matic illness?
MR. NESSEN: No, I know what the illness was,
and it was not diplomatic. It was physical.
Q
Is he feeling any better?
MR. NESSEN: Yes.
Q
Did he come back primarily for that
medical reason?
MR. NESSEN: He came back entirely for the
medical reason.
Q
How long has he been in the country?
MR. NESSEN: I think a couple of days.
Q
A couple of days?
MR. NESSEN: Somewhere between a couple of
days and a week, I would say.
Q
Why can't you tell us what it is?
MR. NESSEN: He had an abscessed tooth.
Q
Don't we have any dental people in Saigon,
Ron?
MR. NESSEN: At 12:30 the President will meet
with representatives of the Sister Cities International,
a private organization which sponsors the Association
of American Cities with foreign communities, right now
reaching 70 foreign countries.
The Department of State supplies this organi-
zation with grant funds. The President is Honorary
Chairman of the Sister Cities International. He has been
since January.
The purpose of this meeting is to commemorate
the Association of the 900th American city, which is
Savannah -- for those of you having newspapers in that
area -- with the Sister Cities program. The name of
the Sister City for Savannah is Patras, Greece.
MORE
#171
- 5 -
#171-3/25
I think we are going to have some pictures
of that, if you want them. Bill Roberts will meet
you over here in about ten minutes or so to take you in
for pictures of that meeting.
In the way of personnel announcements today,
we have in the Office of Congressional Relations here
at the White House -- that office is now completing its
staffing -- three people being added to the office.
All of you will get biographies of these people after
the briefing.
The three people are Charles Leppert, who will
be the Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs with the
House. He has been serving as a consultant in that
same general area since January 1. Also, is Douglas P.
Bennett, who will serve as Special Assistant for
Legislative Affairs with the House of Representatives.
He has been a consultant since January 5, and Robert K.
Wolthuis, who will serve as Staff Assistant to Max
Friedersdorf. He has been a consultant in that area
since January 1.
We are also putting out today a memorandum
from the President to the heads of the Executive
departments and agencies advocating employment and full
utilization of handicapped persons in the staffing of
the Federal service.
The President is announcing that he will meet
with President Kenneth D. Kaunda of Zambia on Saturday,
April 19. That evening the President will give a black
tie dinner at the White House in honor of the President
and Mrs. Kaunda. The President and Mrs. Kaunda will be
in Washington from April 18 to 21. The President is
looking forward to meeting with the President and
exchanging views on matters of mutual interests.
Q
Is this an official visit?
MR. NESSEN: Yes.
Q
Could I ask a question on that?
MR. NESSEN: Yes.
MORE
#171
- 6 -
#171-3/25
Q
There have been some reports that the
President may go to the Patriot's Day ceremonies on the
19th of April in Boston.
MR. NESSEN: Is that the old North Church? It
is not on Saturday the 19th.
Q
What is the status of this visit?
MR. NESSEN: It is an official visit.
I don't have anything further. I think we passed
out earlier this morning a statement by the President
expressing his sorrow at the death of King Faisal. Some
of you should have that.
Q
Have you decided who will be the official
representative of the United States at the funeral?
MR. NESSEN: We are waiting now for information
from the Saudi Embassy on what the funeral arrangements
are in keeping with the religious customs of the Saudis.
Pending any word on what the funeral arrangements are,
the President is contemplating sending a high-ranking
official to Saudi Arabia to extend to the country
and the people and to the King's successor the condolences
of the United States. I don't have anything further on
that.
Q
Ron, it was reported on UPI this morning
that the President heard this news on radio, not TV.
Is that correct?
MR. NESSEN: My understanding is that the
President received a phone call from Dr. Kissinger at
about the same time he heard it on the radio.
Q
Do you know what radio station was
involved? Was it an all news station?
MR. NESSEN: And if so, which one?
Q
I didn't ask that.
MR. NESSEN: I don't know that.
Q
Has the President ruled out himself going?
He would not go himself?
MR. NESSEN: I have not heard any discussion
of that .
MORE
#171
- 7 -
#171-3/25
Q
What is the status of the President's
off-the-record plans to go to Palm Springs Saturday?
MR. NESSEN: As you know, we have not announced
any trip to Palm Springs officially. I guess some people
may have picked up word of the possibility.
The fact is, the President is reconsidering
going to Palm Springs and is weighing a number of other
alternatives for that period.
Q
What are they?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know exactly what the
possibilities are. Staying in Washington is certainly one
of them.
I want you to know that this reconsideration
is brought on primarily because of the uncertain status
of the tax cut bill.
Q
Are you on the record or off the record?
MR. NESSEN: I am on the record. I am always
on the record at the briefing.
Q
The wires are reporting the President
may ask for a special session.
Q Let him finish.
MR. NESSEN: I was saying that this was brought
on primarily by the uncertain status of the tax bill.
From what I see in the papers, they didn't make very much,
if any, headway yesterday. Of course, there is the
possibility he would have to veto it. In that case,
he would certainly want to be here to push through a
tax cut if he had to veto this one.
Q Would that mean a special session?
MR. NESSEN: I am not clear on what the
parliamentary technique of doing that is. Somebody asked
me yesterday, incidentally, whether any President had
ever vetoed a tax bill. We have only been able to do
some quick research on this, but Harry Truman vetoed
(Laughter) -- remember him? The old Harry Truman
precedents.
He did veto three tax bills that would have
decreased income taxes. One on June 16, 1947; another
on July 18, 1947; and a third one on April 2, 1948.
I think it is interesting to note the
language he used.
MORE
#171
- 8 -
#171-3/25
Q
I think we can skip that. Why don't we
go on?
Q
I would like to hear it.
Q
Was any overridden?
Q
Ron, since you haven't announced on the
record the President is going, how do we use this
information?
MR. NESSEN: You could say he is reconsidering
his consideration of going to Palm Springs.
Q
This has nothing to do with the Middle
East or South Vietnam?
MR. NESSEN: Primarily, it has to do with this
feeling that he wants to stay here until a tax bill is
passed.
Q
When you say several alternatives, is he
considering a trip abroad or anything in any kind of
other realm?
MR. NESSEN: No.
Q
Ron, if there is a veto and he wants
immediate renewed action, that would lead to a special
session, would it not?
MR. NESSEN: I just don't know the parliamentary
situation that well, Ralph. But my understanding was
that Congress had always intended to be on this 3-day
rule anyhow, which is not, in effect, a real adjournment
or recess.
Q
Has the President been in personal contact
with Ullman and Long?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, he has. Since when?
Q
Since the conference started yesterday.
MR. NESSEN: You mean seeing them in person?
Q
Or talking to them on the phone, working
out the compromise?
MR. NESSEN: No, I don't think he has been directly
involved with them.
MORE
#171
- 9 -
#171-3/25
Q
Ron, why might the President have to veto
the bill?
MR. NESSEN: As I mentioned yesterday, because
it -- at least in the Senate version and to some extent
in the House version -- has provisions in it which he feels
are ill-advised and do not belong in this bill which was
intended, when he recommended it more than two months
ago, to be a quick and simple tax cut to fight the
recession. it is no longer, with all these amendments
on it, that kind of bill.
Q
Such as which amendment?
MR. NESSEN: Do we have to go through all that
again?
Q
Did you go through it yesterday?
MR. NESSEN: As I said before, basically he is
opposed to all amendments.
Q
Will he veto a bill with any amendments
on it?
MR. NESSEN: Let's see what comes up here
before he makes that decision.
Q
Which are the worst ones?
MR. NESSEN: He is opposed to all of them.
Q
I understand, Ron, but in the real world,
you are not suggesting he is going to veto it because
it has one amendment that changes the tax credit on
insulating homes, are you?
MR. NESSEN: He is opposed to all amendments
on this bill because it changes the purpose of the
bill. The amendments were not considered carefully.
Many of them were voted on in the middle of the night
without hearings, and so forth.
Q
Is the amendment on the size, then?
MR. NESSEN: He said, himself, that what he
feels is necessary is a bill in the area of $16 billion,
$19 billion, or $20 billion.
Q
I thought you were going to tell us
about the Truman bill.
MR. NESSEN: The Truman veto message of his
June 16, 1947 income tax reduction said, "The right kind
of tax reduction at the right time is an objective to
which I am deeply committed" --
Do you really want this?
MORE
#171
- 10 -
#170-3/25
Q
Yes.
MR. NESSEN: -- "but I have reached the conclusion
that this bill represents the wrong kind of tax reduction
at the wrong time. It offers dubious, ill-appointed,
and risky benefits at the expense of a sound tax policy
and is, from the standpoint of government finances,
unsafe," and so forth.
Q
Ron, I hate to bring this up, but I checked
yesterday after I asked you about that and got the same
quotes. He also went on to explain that it didn't
give enough relief to low income people and too much
to high income brackets. (Laughter)
MR. NESSEN: That is Charlie Ross' problem.
Q
No, it is your yours, being as you used the --
MR. NESSEN: You asked me a question and I dug
it up.
Q
Does the President feel the quote is
applicable to this situation?
MR. NESSEN: I am not going into that.
Q
Were any of the Truman vetoes overridden?
MR. NESSEN: No, it seems the first couldn't
have been. That was H.R. 1. Then, on July 18, there was
H.R. 3950, which was almost identical, so I would say that
was a new bill rather than an overridden. bill.
Then, the next spring there was H.R. 4790.
That would have been the only one -- do you know whether
it was overridden? I don't know why we need to get
into that.
Q
If he suddenly gets a bill with no
amendments, he likes it and it is clean, will he
reconsider his trip to Palm Springs?
MR. NESSEN: Let's leave it where it is, Phil.
That is hypothetical.
Q Ron, last week, in answer to some questions
about vetoes and things, you were giving us the constant
answer that the most important thing here was the speed
with which a tax cut was voted.
Now, suddenly, they voted out a bill the White
House doesn't like and speed becomes less important.
MORE
#171
- 11 -
#171-3/25
MR. NESSEN: Certainly not less important. I
don't know why you say,"less important." That is one of
the reasons he is reconsidering his vacation, so he
doesn't have to wait 18 days for Congress to get back
from its Easter vacation.
Q
You gave us a primary reason. Are there.
other reasons? What are the other reasons?
MR. NESSEN: That is the primary reason.
Q
Is there a secondary reason?
MR. NESSEN: I think that is the primary
reason.
Q
Ron, on the $3.67 billion foreign aid,
does the President regard this bill just passed, which
includes aid even for Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, and
so forth; does he look on this as anti-inflationary? Are
we still trying to whip the inflation?
MR. NESSEN: I am afraid I don't understand
the question.
Q
What is the President's viewpoint on
this bill that proposes providing money to Saudi Arabia?
MR. NESSEN: The President is disappointed that
Congress made such a large cut in the bill. He is
especially disappointed about the very deep cut in
humanitarian funds for South Vietnam.
As you know, he proposed $900-some billion
in humanitarian reconstruction funds for South Vietnam.
Congress cut that down to about $450 billion.or so,
more than in half. That is a disappointment.
The dollar figure is a disappointment because
it is considerably lower than what he felt was should
be sent.
Q By giving all of this overseas, what effect does
he feel it will have on inflation as well as the fact that there
are old people on fixed incomes that are buying dog
food at the present time? Should we be sending all of
this overseas, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: America is a big enough and strong
enough country to be able to fulfill its commitments,
both at home and overseas. Is that it?
Q
Have you heard anything on the resignation
of Alexander Butterfield?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have anything to announce now.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END
(AT 12:22 P.M. EDT)