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This file contains materials relating to General George Brown and Jane Hart.
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Press Secretary Briefings, 1/3/77
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Press Secretary Briefings, 1/3/77
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This file contains materials relating to General George Brown and Jane Hart.
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Ron Nessen Files (Ford Administration)
Ron Nessen's Press Briefing Transcripts
subjects
Puerto Rico
White House (Washington, D.C.)
Amnesty
Presidential transitions
Statehood (American politics)
Taxation
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1977-01-03
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1977
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1977-01-03
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1977
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Digitized from Box 23 of the Ron Nessen Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
This Copy For
NEWS CONFERENCE
#611
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
WITH RON NESSEN
AT 11:35 A.M. EST
JANUARY 3, 1977
MONDAY
MR. NESSEN: I thought maybe today I would wish
you a happy new year and also give you a little thought
about some of the things that are coming along here in the
next 18 days.
First of all, you notice that we inadvertently,
through a clerical error, left off the name of Arthur Fiedler
from the list of Medal of Freedom winners. That is not a
late decision or an addition to the list; it was something
that should have been on it, was on the original list, and
got left off because of a clerical error.
The other thing is, there is one addition to the
President's schedule today. Secretary Coleman is coming in
at 11:30 to talk about a number of things involving the
Transportation Department, including giving the President a
short report on some of the oil spills.
Q
Are we talking to him afterwards?
MR. NESSEN: There is no plan to do it here. I
think he can be contacted at his department.
Q
Excuse me. Is that at his request or at the
President's?
MR. NESSEN: His request.
O
Does he have any new ideas?
MR. NESSEN: In no particular order, the tax cut
proposal which the President has promised possibly will go
up to Congress later this week. The question of what to do
about the continuing --
Q
Could you pause between these things? For
example, in this case you say "possibly will go up to Congress
later this week." I thought we had been hearing that it
would be, in effect, waiting on their desks.
MR. NESSEN: When they go to work, yes, but it
will take a few days for them to get to work.
Q You are leaving open the possibility it
won't even go this week; is that right?
MR. NESSEN: Possibly, yes.
MORE
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- 2 -
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Q
What is it going to be?
MR. NESSEN: I am not going to tell you that today.
Q
Can you give us a general idea?
MR. NESSEN: I would rather not, Fran. I would
rather just wait until it goes and then you can see it in
its entirety.
Q I tried to get into a pause there because I
wondered if Mr. Coleman had any ideas of chemical clean-up
that we hadn't heard about, or licensing of pilots that we
haven't heard about.
MR. NESSEN: I will tell you frankly, obviously I
am not in that meeting and I didn't have any chance to talk
to him before the meeting. I think the best thing to do is
wait until after the meeting and then contact him at his
department.
Q Ron, does the delay in sending the tax cut
proposal up suggest that it still is not quite put together?
MR. NESSEN: No. The major decisions are made. It
is just a question of drafting the letter, and so forth. So
we have that.
Then the question of what to do with the remaining
controls on gasoline. Quite possibly there will be a proposal
in that area within a few days.
&
Is this a pause, because there is a question on
this, too. It takes two weeks for Congress to make up its
mind --
MR. NESSEN: Fifteen days.
Q
Is this 15 working days?
MR. NESSEN: Fifteen calendar days.
Q
Carlson said last week he thought it might be Tuesday.
MR. NESSEN: That is a real possibility, Howard.
I just don't want to absolutely commit to it, but I think it
is a strong possibility.
Q
Is this like the other one, just a matter of
writing a letter? It is all decided?
MR. NESSEN: The President's decision on that has
been made; right.
2
He has already made up his mind what he is
going to do?
MR. NESSEN: That is correct.
Q
But yet he is not going to do it right away?
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MR. NESSEN: No. He is going to do it, I said,
in the next few days, Sarah. Again, that has to be drafted
and transmitted. It will be. And let me say that --
Q
It won't be a matter of wait until the
last day?
MR. NESSEN: No. It is going to be done. Let
me say in that case -- well, the decision has been made. I
don't think I will say any more about that.
CI
By saying the decision has been made, you are
saying that he has decided to do that; is that right?
MR. NESSEN: But what I was going to go on to say
was to caution you against thinking that the decision is a
very simple one. It is somewhat complex. I think really you
will just have to wait and see the form it is in when it is
announced, which should be shortly.
O You don't mean to suggest we would be wrong
if we had been reporting that he will, in fact, propose a
lifting of the controls?
MR. NESSEN: I wouldn't say you would be wrong, but
you would be incomplete.
Q Ron, is it the President's desire to see this
thing brought to a conclusion while he is still in office?
MR. NESSEN: Yes. On what, gasoline?
Q
Yes.
MR. NESSEN: I don't know what you mean. You mean
bring the controls to a conclusion?
Ω Either lift controls or have Congress reject
his proposal.
MR. NESSEN: This is one of the items that he intends
to deal with before he leaves office, because he believes in
what he is going to propose.
0 My point is, if we are talking about 15
calendar days, he has to do something by Wednesday.
MR. NESSEN: I thought I said in the next few days.
Q
Next few or next two?
MR. NESSEN: Few days.
Moving right along, amnesty. As the President said
out in Vail, he would have a response to Mrs. Hart's request
that this be looked at again in about a week, so in about a
week I think will mean sometime this week, sometime later
this week. What form his response will take I cannot tell
you at the moment.
?
The week was up yesterday.
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- 4 -
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MR. NESSEN: In about a week.
Q
Ron, the President said several times that
he is looking into it; the process had begun. What is he
doing to look into the issue of amnesty?
MR. NESSEN: I think what he told some people at
Vail was that he had asked the Justice Department to pull
together some of the factual material and the number of people
involved and how many had taken advantage of his amnesty
program, and so forth. He will then examine the figures and
think about the matter and make a decision.
Q
You might have been asked this at Vail, but
inasmuch as he is reconsidering the Vietnam question, is he
also including anybody else in this, like some of the Water-
gate figures who have asked for pardons, and this sort of
thing?
MR. NESSEN: I think we are getting a little far
now from what actually happened. Mrs. Hart asked that, and
the President said he would look into it, which he is doing.
He is looking into it.
Q
Which brings up the question of pardon. I
am just asking --
MR. NESSEN: I don't see how it does bring that
question up.
Q
Will the President pardon the Watergate figures
before he leaves office?
MR. NESSEN: The answer there is the same as it has
been every day since I have been asked that question. Anybody
interested in a pardon should file a pardon request in the
routine way with the pardon attorney at the Justice Department.
That is today's answer, yesterday's answer, last month's
and last year's answer.
Q
I have been out of pocket, so I could have
missed this.
MR. NESSEN: You have to ask the Justice Department
pardon attorney whether any were filed.
Q Why can't we ask you?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know of any that are over here.
You will have to ask the pardon attorney.
O This is usually done. I asked you this the
first part of December. It is usually done the first part of
December and by the Justice Department sending a list to the
White House.
MR. NESSEN: That is right. Wasn't that list pub-
lished; 96 names, something like that?
Ω
There is another list?
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#611-1/3
MR. NESSEN: I don't know of any other list.
0
There are supposed to be.
MR. NESSEN: If there is, I haven't heard of it.
Q
When you talked with the President this morning
on this business of amnesty, was there any comment about Mrs.
Ford's remarks last night?
MR. NESSEN: No, there wasn't.
Q
Is the President aware of what Mrs. Ford said
to the press on Air Force One?
MR. NESSEN: I think SO.
O
Did they plan this between the two of them
before?
MR. NESSEN: As the President has said many times,
it is very hard to. Mrs. Ford speaks for herself.
Q
This time she sort of spoke for him, too,
didn't she?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know yet. We will find out
when the President makes his decision.
Moving right along, the pay raise for Federal,
Congressional and Judicial figures: If you recall the back-
ground on this, it was Pete Peterson's report that arrived
here I guess about three weeks ago, roughly. I expect that
the President's decisions on this question will be reflected
in his budget, which is due out, I think, roughly the 17th
of January. I am not ruling out the possibility that the
President would issue a separate statement spelling out what
his decisions are and why. I don't rule that out, but I
would anticipate rather that the decision on pay would be
embodied in the budget.
The process, just to recall it for you a moment, is
that Congress then has 30 days in which to veto the pay proposals.
If Congress does not act in 30 days, then whatever pay pro-
posals the President will make in the budget will take effect,
too late for us.
O
Do both houses have to act on this?
MR. NESSEN: One house can veto it.
2
Does that mean, Ron, that Mr. Ford has made a
decision on the pay raises already as to whether or not he will
give them or not?
MR. NESSEN: I lost track of where that one stands.
The last time I attended a meeting on the subject he had not
made a decision, but that was some time ago. But due to the
fact that the budget has gone to the printer and the proofs are
beginning to come back, let me check and see if all the decisions
have been made.
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- 6 -
#611-1/3
Q
That question has been kicked around in the
last few days in Vail, too, because he said when he was last
asked about it that he had not made a decision and clearly
left open the possibility when asked that he might let Carter
make the decision on this. That was after you came back, I
think.
MR. NESSEN: Let me check. This is my understanding
of where it stands, that it will be in the budget. But let
me find out.
MORE
#611
- 7 -
#611-1/3
Q
Which would mean, in fact, he had made a
decision?
MR. NESSEN: Of course, the decision may be not to
do anything which would also be emboddied in the budget.
Q
Excuse me, but that is a decision.
MR. NESSEN: Of course. I say, the decision may be
not to do anything about federal pay and to leave it for
Carter.
Q
Except excuse me. I am sorry. I thought
he had a deadline to do it. Never mind.
MR. NESSEN: You include in the budget everybody's
salary at the same level it is now, then that is a decision,
Ted. John is going to double check for you.
Q Ron, can't you give us that budget before the
17th? That is going to be an awful jam of burdens on the
people who have to cover the budget.
MR. NESSEN: My understanding is the budget
submission date is set by Congress.
2
Within a timeframe, I think.
Q
Within 15 days after Congress convenes.
MR. NESSEN: That would be the release date. So,
obviously, we have the normal procedure of getting it several
days in advance, briefings, that kind of thing.
Q
You will do that?
MR. NESSEN: Sure. John is checking on the pay
raise question.
Statehood for Puerto Rico: The Interior Department,
the people over there are, I understand, working on legislation.
It is quite a complicated subject and it may be that the
legislation will not be completed in time for this Administra-
tion to submit it to Congress.
Q
What is going to happen then?
MR. NESSEN: Then it would be up to the next
administration to submit it to Congress.
Q
Could you elaborate a little bit on just
why the President decided to do this?
MR. NESSEN: First of all, as you know, it is a
plank of the Republican Platform. So, his party committed
itself last summer to this. It is something that he
personally believes in and wanted to make that clear that
it is his personal belief that people of Puerto Rico and
the Congress ought to begin the process now of moving.
Ω
Ron, if he was serious about advocating this,
should he not have checked with the Interior Department
people earlier and get moving because if it is not ready
for submission while he is in office we know that it will not
MORE
#611
- 8 -
#611-1/3
be ready for submission when Governor Carter becomes
President.
MR. NESSEN: Not on the date.
Q
Therefore, it is meaningless.
MR. NESSEN: I don't agree with you that it is
meaningless, Ted. This is, as I say, something the President
personally believes in as a proper course.
It is something that the Republican Party through
its platform went on record favoring last summer and he is
putting it out as an item for the public agenda to be
considered.
2
Except he is not putting it on the public
agenda because his Administration will not -- I gather you
are telling us -- submit legislation on this.
MR. NESSEN: There is a question of whether, I think,
the legislation can be completed in time. But it is a matter
of the public agenda because it is something the President
has brought up and presented as a matter for public discussion.
Q
Ron, excuse me. Could we pursue this?
Q
When did the President realize it would not be,
could not be submitted? I take it he did not realize that
when you made the announcement in Vail.
MR. NESSEN: I am not sure whether he did or not,
Allan.
Q
Could we pursue the timing of this a little
further?
We were told in Vail that it would be submitted
before he left office. He said he would do that.
MR. NESSEN: If the legislation can be completed,
it will be.
I
Obviously, if it can't be, then it may not be
submitted at all. I mean, I don't mean to belabor this
question. But you seem to be suggesting that, in fact, this
whole step may not be taken after all, if I understand you
correctly.
MR. NESSEN: Dick, the facts are fairly simple.
The President has come out and said publicly that he believes
in statehood for Puerto Rico. The Interior Department and
the gentleman over there who you may want to talk to about
the details, named Mr. Austin --
Q
Do you have a number for him?
MR. NESSEN: The legislation is being drafted. If
it can be completed in time, it will be submitted. But in any
case, it has been presented as a matter for public discussion
and consideration.
MORE
#611
- 9 -
#611-1/3
Q
Ron, on the day the President made his public
statement did he know then that it was very complicated and
they might not be able to get it out before he leaves office?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know, Ted.
Q
Could I try it a different way?
MR. CARLSON: The statement we issued said the
President proposes the enactment of legislation. It doesn't
say the President proposes legislation.
Q
I am sorry. Didn't the statement say he would
propose -- "I will propose legislation to the 95th Congress"?
That is, I think, quite accurately what it said.
Q
Ron, when did he ask the Interior Department to
start drafting legislation?
MR. NESSEN: We will have to check the timetable for
you. I don't know.
Q
That could explain a lot of things.
Q
Was it a gesture or a serious proposal?
MR. NESSEN: Serious proposal.
Q Was this occasioned because of some briefing
he had. had with the Department of Defense people about a
very serious situation in Puerto Rico?
MR. NESSEN: Not to my knowledge, Sarah. As I
said, it was in the Republican Plactorm last summer. So, his
party went on record last summer as favoring statehood for
Puerto Rico. It is, as I say, a matter of personal conviction
with him and to my knowledge that was the primary spark for
the recommendation was his personal conviction that that was
the proper relationship.
Q
It is four months since the Republican
Convention.
Q
Would you please check for us to see if there
was an intelligence report that he received shortly before
he did this?
MR. NESSEN: On the subject of?
Q
Of Puerto Rico and security.
Q
Castro of Cuba.
MR. NESSEN: I will check that.
Q
Did he ever mention this during the campaign?
MR. NESSEN: I would have to check the record and
find out.
Q
He had not talked with the governor, the new
governor of Puerto Rico before he did this?
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#611-1/3
MR. NESSEN: As I understand it, the new governor
is the leader of the Statehood Party, if I am not mistaken.
Q
That is not my question. Before he did this,
had he discussed this with the new governor?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know, Sarah.
Q
Can you find out for us?
Q
How is the President reacting to the consider-
able criticism that has come out from Puerto Rico and Congress
and other sources in regard to statehood at this point?
MR. NESSEN: I am not aware of the considerable
criticism, Fran. As I said, it is a matter of personal
conviction, a matter that is a plank of the Republican Platform.
He believes in it. And obviously, there are a number of
steps which I think John went over with you last week in
Vail that must precede statehood, including an expression 1
of opinion by Congress and by the people of Puerto Rico.
So, that is where the decision will be made, rather
than -- as I say, I am unaware of the considerable criticism.
But if there is any, if there is that much criticism, this
proposal I think sets in motion the process that the President
believes in.
Q
Ron, has the President received any comment
from the government of Puerto Rico from the new governor?
MR. NESSEN: I will have to check. I don't know.
Q
Ron, look, I don't want to beat this thing to
death. But are you now saying, in fact, the President may not
submit this legislation after all?
MR. NESSEN: I say that the legislation is complex,
Dick.
Q
We know that. He knew that when he issued
his statement. Obviously, that possibility now exists and it
did not exist --
MR. NESSEN: The President said in his statement
last week, "I will recommend to the 95th Congress the
enactment of legislation providing for the admission of Puerto
Rico as a State of the Union."
To me that means that in his State of the Union
speech or in some other form, he will recommend that Congress
enact legislation to provide that Puerto Rico be admitted to
the Union.
Whether the legal document is ready to hand over to
the Interior Committee on January 20th, I don't know. But
the President will stand there or send in writing a recommen-
dation that Congress pass such legislation.
Q
Is that the date of the State of the Union?
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MR. NESSEN: The State of the Union -- FOR GUIDANCE --
I would look for around the 12th.
Q
Ron, if he believes as strongly in it, why
did he wait until last week to make a statement about it?
MR. NESSEN: Again, he ran on the Republican
Platform. This was a plank of the Republican Platform. This
was the time when this came up for proposal and he has made
it.
Q
Ron, will he deliver the State of the Union
message personally?
MR. NESSEN: I anticipate he will.
Q
Also, in the Republican Platform, as you know,
there is very strong support of Israel and when Dr. Joseph
Churba, Chief of the Air Force's Middle Eastern Intelligence
criticized General George Brown's statement on Israel, his
special security clearance was removed and he was urged to
resign which he did.
My question is this: Since the Vice President-
Elect has publicly stated that General Brown isn't fit to be
a sewer commissioner, will the President help ease the
transition by urging General Brown to accept retirement?
MR. NESSEN: I am not familiar with the case, Les.
Q
You are not familiar with General Brown's case?
Both times he has issued statements and has been reprimanded.
Mondale, Senator Mondale has said that he is not fit to be a
sewer commissioner.
This man who was in the Department of Defense was
edged out. I am wondering if the President is suggesting he
could ease the transition by asking General Brown to retire?
MR. NESSEN: I think the President's views of General
Brown have been stated publicly a number of times.
Q
Yes, but that was before Senator Mondale termed
him not fit to be a sewer commissioner. I just wonder, has
the President given any thought to General Brown, asking him
to leave with him or not?
MR. NESSEN: I think his views of General Brown
have been stated publicly a number of times.
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Q
Could I ask you a question on another subject?
Q
On Puerto Rico, before we change the subject,
in view of the fact the President has these strong convic-
tions and he wants to discuss it publicly, is there any
special reason why his personal representative to the inaugura-
tion yesterday made no mention of it in her text, in the
message she brought from President Ford?
MR. NESSEN: I don't attach any special signifi-
cance to that. The President clearly last week, in his state-
ment issued at Vail, indicated his views of this and his
promise to recommend that Congress begin this process. So I
don't know what you are suggesting in Mrs. Hill's speech.
Q
At the inauguration of the Governor or the
President of the territory
MR. NESSEN: The Governor of the Commonwealth.
Q
It would be an auspicious occasion, or at least
one in which it would be very appropriate at least to make
mention of statehood.
MR. NESSEN: I don't know what your question suggests.
Q
I am not suggesting anything. I am asking is
there any special reason why there was no mention in the
President's message of statehood?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know of a special reason, no.
Q
Ron, has the President been in touch with any
of the congressional leaders about initiating an enabling
act on this statehood question?
MR. CARLSON: Jim Cannon, in behalf of the Presi-
dent, has contacted a couple dozen leaders about the legis-
lation.
Q
Do we know who will introduce the enabling act?
MR. CARLSON: I don't believe SO.
Q
The Interior Department, are they drawing up
draft legislation or simply a set of guidelines on which they
hope Congress eventually will act?
MR. CARLSON: Interior, since they deal with terri-
tories and so forth, has the most expertise, so they are draft-
ing legislation in conjunction with the White House and then
the White House will transmit it to Congress.
Q
It will be draft legislation and not simply
guidelines?
MR. CARLSON: It will be legislation. We hope to
complete it by the 20th.
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Q
Ron, there has been talk about the Soviets
gaining military superiority over the U.S. or may be gaining
it in the future. Now Major General Keegan, retiring Air
Force Chief of Intelligence, says they already have superiority
and they had it four years ago. I wondered what the Presi-
dent's view is of the balance between the two superpowers.
MR. NESSEN: I think both Don Rumsfeld and George
Bush answered questions extensively on that subject yesterday
I don't have anything to add to what they said.
Q You couldn't tell what George Bush was talking
about. He didn't say one thing or the other.
MR. NESSEN: I don't have anything to add to what
they said on TV.
Q Ron, one final question on Puerto Rico. I am
sorry. This story, if I read correctly what you are saying,
that whole story may be right now out the window. Carter has
said that he disagreed with the President on this question.
I don't want to misrepresent what you are saying here, but
obviously you are leaving open the possibility and clearly leaving
it open that you will not have this ready in time. You have
given us no indication why it won't be ready in time if the
President felt so strongly about this, why he chose to wait
so late in this Administration to do it. He explained that
he was doing it then because it wouldn't raise questions about
his motives, his political motives, but certainly some of the
legislation could, the drafting process could have been
started earlier.
Is the President going to ask Carter, for example,
to submit the legislation if it is not done in time?
MR. NESSEN: Let me see if I can clarify this, Dick.
Certainly nothing that was in the President's statement last
week, issued at Vail, has changed a whit, nor has anything to
my knowledge really been added today at this briefing beyond
what John and others told you last week at the time this was
announced.
It seems to me the operative sentence in the
President's statement last week is, "I will recommend to the
95th Congress the enactment of legislation providing for the
admission of Puerto Rico as a State of the Union." The
President said that last week. I will reiterate it today and
he will do that before January 20th.
What I tried to say, Dick, is whether the legal
document, the draft legislation, is finished down to the last
period and comma on January 20th, I don't know right now. We
hope so. But regardless of whether it is or not, that opera-
tive sentence in the President's statement remains. It is his
position. That is what he will recommend to Congress and
that is what he believes Congress should do. If the Interior
Department and the White House have finished drafting the
particular piece of paper that would carry this out, it would
be introduced, but I am not sure that this is a major factor.
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Q
If it is not --
MR. NESSEN : Then the President will still recommend
that Congress enact legislation to admit Puerto Rico to the
Union. No change.
Ω Does the President hope the new Secretary of
the Interior will direct his solicitor's office to draft the
legislation?
MR. NESSEN: Legislation, Phil, as you know, can
be introduced by any Member of Congress. I would only as a
guess say there are Members of Congress who favor statehood for
Puerto Rico and they could introduce the legislation.
Q
Will the President ask some Member of Congress
to have hearings on this right away?
MR. NESSEN: If the legislation --
Q
He can do that. He doesn't have to draft legis-
lation. He knows the legislation is coming. They can go
ahead and start having hearings on it anyway if the President
wants to push this.
MR. NESSEN: I know no reason not to, Sarah. The
President wouldn't tell Congress what kind of timetable.
Q
Is he conferring with any particular Member
of the House?
MR. NESSEN: I think John said Jim Cannon has con-
ferred with several Members of Congress on this proposal.
O
Tell us some leading person that the President
has talked about this with.
MR. NESSEN: We can get that.
Q
Can you answer the second part of my question,
which is, if in fact the legislation is not ready by the 20th,
will the President ask Carter to submit this?
MR. NESSEN: My consensus of how the thing works is --
not how the thing works--that the President will stand up there
in front of Congress as he stood up in front of the public
and say, "I think Congress ought to pass legislation. I can
recommend they pass legislation to put Puerto Rico in the
Union." If the legislation is ready by the 20th, fine; it
will be introduced. If it is not ready by the 20th, then it
can be introduced by a Member on the 21st, 27th, 1st of February,
or whatever.
Q
Ron, except perhaps someone trained as a
lawyer, anybody else would read that as implying he is going
to introduce legislation.
MR. NESSEN: And will.
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Q
Does he, in fact, intend to introduce legis-
lation when, since he made the announcement, he has learned
it is more difficult than he anticipated? Is that wrong?
MR. NESSEN: I think we are arguing about how many
angels can dance on the head of a pin.
0
Let's leave theology out of this one.
MR. NESSEN: I am sorry. I didn't mean to get
into your business, Les. (Laughter)
Q
Why can't you arrange to have a briefing for
us by the Interior Department men?
MR. NESSEN: I think John told the folks at Vail
last week and Larry told the people who called here last week,
Mr. Austin at the Interior Department is the expert on this
subject and is dealing with the legislation. My problem is
that I haven't said anything here today that John didn't say
last week at Vail. Nothing has changed. The statement remains
the same. The intention remains the same. I don't quite get
the drift of what all the questions are about.
Q
Why is it so difficult?
MR. NESSEN: It is not difficult for me.
Q
Ron, what is the difficulty?
Q
Is he going to include this line definitely in
the State of the Union message? That is what you seem to be
saying to us here.
Q
Didn't you say he would?
MR. NESSEN: I said in the State of the Union or in
some form he will let Congress know what he said in the public
statement.
Q
What is the difficulty with the drafting of
this legislation?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know. You will have to ask
Mr. Austin. I don't know.
Q
Did the Puerto Rican Government ask the Presi-
dent not to make any mention of statehood in his message?
MR. NESSEN: In Carla's statement yesterday?
Q
Yes.
MR. NESSEN: Not that I know of. No.
0
Ron, did the President, while he was at Vail,
talk to any Texas oil men about offshore oil deposits off
Puerto Rico?
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MR. NESSEN: I wondered how long it would take us
to get to that. If anybody has done any research on this, you
know that under the present commonwealth status, if there were
any oil off of Puerto Rico -- I don't have the vaguest notion
whether there is or not -- it would be far more advantageous
to the Federal Government than it would be under statehood
status.
I did check up on that this morning because I had
some rumblings like that over the weekend. But I am told
that if there is any oil, and I don't know if there is or not,
the Federal Government would be better off under the current
status rather than changing it to statehood.
Q
You didn't answer my question. Did the Presi-
dent talk with any Texas oil men while he was at Vail about
this?
MR. NESSEN: Not to my knowledge.
Q
Congressman Andrew Young --
MR. NESSEN: Are we finished with Puerto Rico?
Q
-- strongly criticized the statement that
Field Marshal Amin is a racist murderer, which as you recall
was made by President Ford's appointed Ambassador to the
United Nations and who is now the junior Senator from New
York. Does the President have no comment on this denunciation
of his appointed Ambassador?
MR. NESSEN: The question was, does the President
have no comment?
Q
I just wondered. Does the President have a
comment or is he going to just have no comment whatsoever on
the fact that his own Ambassador has been denounced?
MR. NESSEN: That is correct.
Q
Ron, is the President going to meet this week
again with Connally, Reagan and Rockefeller?
MR. NESSEN: He will. I don't have the exact date.
I saw the schedule proposal come through.
O When do you think it is going to be? Isn't it
supposed to be tomorrow?
MR. NESSEN: That soon? Later in the week.
Q
Can we say later this week?
Q
Does the President have a recommendation now
for Chairman of the Republican National Committee?
MR. NESSEN: No, not to make today.
0
They meet on the 6th, don't they, the Executive
Committee?
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MR. NESSEN: I think it is about the 13th or 14th,
isn't it?
?
Anyway, has he decided whom he is going to
back?
MR. NESSEN: He does not have a single name.
Q
Will we get a name from him?
MR. NESSEN: I don't want to speculate on what may
happen in the future.
Q
Ron, seriously, do you have any information
yet on the pay raises?
MR. NESSEN: What do you mean "seriously"? I
thought it was all serious.
What did you find out about pay raises, John?
Can they make them retroactive 28 months?
MR. CARLSON: The President has not made a final
decision on the pay raise.
Q
I thought you said the budget had already
gone to the printer.
MR. CARLSON: There are still portions of the budget
that are not completed.
Q
That would be in every department, thought,
wouldn't it?
MR. CARLSON: Not the separate section that goes in.
Q
Ron, I have a housekeeping question, if that is
in order. The President, I gather, still of course is in
command of all the Secret Service; is that correct?
MR. NESSEN: Let me reserve judgment on that answer
until I hear Question No. 2. (Laughter)
Ω
Ron, there was yesterday a prank played on the
press in Plains where they had gotten 70 miles an hour out to
the airport.
MR. NESSEN: A prank?
CI
A prank similar to a reporter for the New York
Times being sent all the way to Camp David and similar to our
being told that the White House party that you didn't tell us
about, the whole thing was a joke, about going to Michigan.
What I am wondering is, if any of the press, segment of the
press, decided to reciprocate this frivolity, will the Presi-
dent see that they are -
MR. NESSEN: Shot? (Laughter)
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Q
I mean, fair is fair, Ron.
MR. NESSEN: I agree. Fair is fair.
Ω
What if these guys had done the same thing to
the Secret Service? Seriously, fun is fun.
MR. NESSEN: Fun is fun.
Q
What do you say about that? Suppose somebody
got hold of some NBC letterhead and wrote you a letter saying
We do want you back on Saturday Night live"?
MR. NESSEN: I would know that is a prank, Les.
(Laughter)
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2
Can we have that question repeated?
MR. NESSEN: I agreed with Les that fair is fair
and also that fun is fun.
(Laughter.)
Q
Can you tell us where things stand now regarding
the President's future plans? Has he sold his house in
Alexandria? How close is he to buying a permanent home in
the Palm Springs area? What are his plans?
MR. NESSEN: Fran is wondering on a number of
future Presidential plans, things like has the house in
Alexandria been sold. I don't know the answer to that. I
haven't checked. How close is he to buying a house in Palm
Springs? I don't know the answer to that.
Can I tell anything more about the plans after
January 20th? Other than the plans already announced, I
don't have anything to announce today.
Q
Do you have any staff announcements of people
who will go with him that he will keep?
MR. NESSEN: I think you know Major Barrett has
resigned from the military and will stay with the President
as his more or less Chief of Staff. I don't have any other
names to give you today.
Q
Did you have any more items on this list of
issues?
Q
When is the economic message going to go up?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have the date on that.
Q
Is that the end of the list?
MR. NESSEN: Yes.
Q
Is he going over a large list of unfinished
business, commitments and things and deciding what he will do?
MR. NESSEN: I think it would be fair to say that the
President hopes to, as in the case of the Puerto Rican
independence proposal in the time remaining, for him to at
least talk about it, and in some cases propose steps that he
has a deep personal commitment to.
Q
Ron, there is a very interesting paper put out
here. Had you finished on that?
MR. NESSEN: Yes.
Q
There is a very interesting paper put out here
state by state; a very interesting book as far as I know.
It is the first time we have ever had this in the Federal
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Government, maybe I am totally wrong -- probably am -- but
anyway, it is from the Community Action people. It was a
study, county by county, state by state, of how much federal
money is being spent in that county.
Was this used in the Presidential campaign?
MR. NESSEN: I have never seen the Community Action
list.
Q
It has now been put out to the general public,
printed in handsome copies and all that. Was this material
used in the campaign?
MR. NESSEN: I have never seen it before.
Q
But Ron, you might not have been just -- were
you working on what the President knew just before he went
to each county?
MR. NESSEN: I never left his side.
Q
That is not an answer, Ron.
Q
You wouldn't have known anything about it. It
may have been done.
MR. NESSEN: I don't know of any document that the
President carried around with him or referred to that dealt
with Community Action programs county by county.
Q
This is all of the federal programs, this is
a Community Action problem, project summing up all the federal
money being spent county by county.
MR. NESSEN: I am not familiar with that.
Q
Can we find out if the campaign people had it?
MR. NESSEN: I will find out. I have not evidence
that they did.
Q
Can you say anything about a separate State of
the World or a farewell address?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have anything on that, Russ.
Q
On either one?
MR. NESSEN: No.
Q
How long will the Coleman meeting last?
MR. NESSEN: We will find out for you.
Q
Ron, may I ask a question about his residence
in Vail? Will he move in the condominium? Is he going to sell
that, is he going to continue renting in Vail?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know what his plans are. His
next trip out there, I guess he told some people yesterday,
will be in March. Where he will stay during that period, I
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don't know.
Q
He doesn't have his condominium in Vail up
for sale?
MR. NESSEN: Not that I know of.
THE PRESS: Thank you, Ron.
END
(at 12:15 P.M. EST)
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