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7340722
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Pool Report, Air Force One, Andrews AFB to Seattle
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7340722
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Pool Report, Air Force One, Andrews AFB to Seattle
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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1975-09-04
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1975
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Digitized from Box 15 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
September 4, 1975
POOL
REPORT
AIR
FORCE
ONE
ANDREWS AFB to SEATTLE
Wheels up at :03 a.m.
Nessen came back early in the flight, saying the President would be
busy on the flight to Seattle working on the six speeches to be given
during the day. He said Ford would be met by Governor Dan Evans, Senator
Warren Magnuson, Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman and a civic welcoming committee.
He confirmed there would be a question-answer period at the youth festival
meeting in Portland tonight (age of youths ranges from eight to 20.)
On the appointment of an Interior Secretary, Nessen said he had
nothing to announce and expected nothing in the next couple of days.
(OFF THE RECORD : Nessen advised caution on the name of SBA Administrator
and former North Dakota congressman Thomas S. Kleppe.) Nessen also
handed out paper on the renaming of Earl J. Silbert as U.S. attorney for
D.C. and Isabell A. Burgess of Phoenix to. be a member of the National
Transportation Safety Board for term expiring Dec. 31, 197 9.
On the veto of oil decontrol, Nessen said not to expect anything
before Saturday at the earliest. He said denontrol was barely mentioned in
the meeting with Hill leaders and was discussed for only three minutes at
the conclusion of that meeting.
As Ford's helicopter could be heard arriving on the White House lawn, X
for the flight to Andrews, the President said kakQuickly, If let me say
werertainly hope some compromise can be reached on oil decontrol." One
ml When one of the congressmen asked: "When are you going to give a little
more, Mr. Presi dent?", Ford replied: "Oh, come on.* We've come from way
over here (gesturing) and we've given 75 per cent." Nessen said this was
a light hearted type of change. Someone then asked if the President would
go for 60 months. Amid considerable laughter, Ford replied: "Be've gone
a helluva long way already."
Nessen said Zarb held a 45-minute briefing at the White House to
spell out proposals to correct specific problems growing out of decontrol.
Zarb said if the veto is sustained and there is no compromise on a phase out,
the Administration will take the following three S steps: 1. take the #2
tariff off combined with windfall profits and consumer rebates 2. will
natural gas
propose emergencyn legislation and including authority to protect farmers
and rural home owners who use propane gas and 3. submit legislation to help
oil
independent refiners and marketers adjust to decontrol.
2-2-2-2
pool report andrews to seattle
The rest of the pool report will deal with the Middle East agreement and
the Ford-Kissinger meeting with the congressional leaders.
The meeting lasted from Xix 7:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. When Ford and Kissinger
entered the room, Nessen said there was applause from the 19 Senators and House
members plus 17 staff members.
In the middle of the Cabinet table was a large, 3 by 4 foot, relief
map made out of plaster of the critical Sinai disengagement area.
Ford opened the meeting with a statement: "Almost from the first day I
took office, the Middle East has had the highest priority." Paraphrasing,
Nessen said the President went into a reditation of the recent
history of the thicx growing tensions in the area since 1974. In discussions
with Arab and Israeli leaders last year, Ford said they urged him not to
allow stagnation or stalemate.
At this point, Ford mentioned Kissinger's
unsuccessful last shuttle attempt, saying "that disappointment, if we had not
pursued the matter further, would keneux have increased the risk of war. TT
Paraphrase, Ford said that the despite the disappointment, the U.S.
continued its negotiating role and its reassessment of U.S. policy-referring
to the meetings with Sadat and Rabin this summer.
Ford stressed that there was no point in sending Kissinger back to the
Middle East unless there an agreement was almost certain. But he aid that
even when Kissinger did resume the shuttle "it still took some
hard bargaining."
Ford then discussed the role of the technicians, emphasizing there
would be no more than 200 and they would be within the United Nations zone.
Quote: "We did not initiate this ilux idea (for the civilian technicians).
Ford
It came from them. "
said both Sadat and Rabin had separately raised the
with him
Ford
Quote: "It (the technicians) is = crucial and
key to the settlement. 11
Ford called them highly expert individuals, not any part of our military
organization and limited in number. The President said he had conferred with
various security and military advisers and all approved the idea.
Ford said there is a fundamental issue: "If we let negotiations break xax down--
and this was a key item (technicians) -Malmost inevitably war would break out.
This was a gamble for peace the avoid the high probability of war. It's a
risk I'm willing to take."
3-3-3-3
pool report andrews afb to seattle
Ford emphasized that timing was important and urged them to do anything
possible to expedite consi deration. He urged them to approve the plan
within two weeks. (Later, Nessen said Kissinger explained that the timetable
now called for the technicians to law start taking their posts within 2 ½
weeks.)
At this point, Ford introduced Kissinger who continued the briefing.
The Secretary said war would almost certainly have occurred if steps were
not taken and the stalemate had continued. Using the large relief map
and two other maps on easels (those already made public) Kissinger described
the agreement in general outline.
Referring to the stations to be manned by U.S. technicians,
Kissinger said: "The threst of surprise attack is essentially removed.
We do not guarantee the agreement. We have no role to enforce the
agreement."
Kissinger then went into negotiating history, before going into what
Nessen said was considerable detail on the technicians. He said the
American technicians would be placed in
five stations in total. Two of the stations already exist (one Egyptian and
one Israeli) and three others would be manned entirely by Americans.
At any time, Kissinger said, there would not be more than 75 Americans
on duty. He said we committed ourselves in writing to mo more than 200.
Those not on station, he said, will be housed that outside the disengagement
zone, possibly in the Egyptian city of Ismailia on the West Bank of the
canal.
More figures: Nissingerg said. that at the two stations
-
still manned
by Israelis and Egyptians there would be a
group
of
no
more
than
five to ten Americans on duty at each. At the three to be manned totally
by Americans, there would be 10 to 12 on duty at any time.
Based on
these figures, the total at any one time at all five stations would be
56 or lower than the 75
limits
mentioned
above.
Kissinger said the job of the civilian technicians would be to stay in
communication with both sides and the UN. He noted they would only be
where the UN is located in the bufferzone. Before there would be any
of several thousand
danger to Americans, Kissinger said, the UN force would have to withdrawn.
He said the agreement states specifically that the President can withdraw the
American technicians whenever he believes they are in danger. It is
totally his indrement
4-4-4-4
pool report
andrews afb to seattle
Kissinger elaborated on the timetable for congressional approval,
mentioned earlier. He said anything beyond the 2½ week period --when
American technicians are scheduled to be going to their stations--would
hold up the process. Kissinger quote: "This (agreement) gives the best
possibility for peace in a long time."
At the start of a question-answer period, Speaker Albert was the
first to respond. White House source quoted Albert: "I am ready to
recommend that the House of Representatives approve a concurrent resolumion
as sson as possible. I intend to support the proposition."
Albert asked about how much aid would be given to each country.
White House sources (Nesson on background) confirmed the figures
given publicly after the meeting by House minority leader John Rhodes.
Rhodes said the aid for Israel in FY 1976 would range from 2.1 to 2.3
billions of dollars. of that total, 1.5 billion would be military
assistance. For Egypt, Rhodes said the economic aid (no military) would
range from 600 to 650 millions.
After dEsclosing the aid range, the President said: "When you
look at the need for stability and the enormous cost of another war,
this (the aid) is a good investment."
Nessen said that Majority Leader Mansfield raised the question of
the Israeli loss of the a oil field at Abu Rudays. Nessen declined
to give details, subject to Kissinger's testimony later today to the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The President repeatedly made the point, according to Nessen,
that the agreement was a first step
, but that continued
momentum is needed to avoid war.
Asked about = any private understandings or secret agreements
Kissinger said: "There will be no
secret agreements that will be kept from Congress."
Another question dealt with whether this agreement would lead to Soviet
THEIR
demands that
troops be stationed along the Golan Heights. Kissinger note
this seemed to be an unlikely prospect since both Israel and Egypt had asked
for the U.S. technicisns,
Kissinger said that if the U.S. can keep the peace progress going,
war can be avoided.
5-5-5-5
pool report
endrews afb to seattle
Kissinger, on his own, noted 4.5. that some people had made an emeligony
analogy between the stationing of technicians on the Sinai and the
original dispätching of U.S. advisers to Bietnam. Nessen, paraphrasing
Kissinger, said in Vietnam, the U.S. got involved in a military operation
to help one side win, to train the army of one side. In the Sinai,
THEY
the number of Americans is small are volunteers, civilians, technicians
and they are there at the request of both sidesm to give warning of
suspicious movements. He said they would be withdrawn if in danger.
On board AF One for the flightquer were Senator Bob Packwood,
Republican of Oregon; Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, and
Rep. Joel Pritchard, Republican of Washington.
mashek, usn&wr
kelly, chi trib
bell, abc