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At the White House with Ron Nessen [Press Conference]
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At the White House with Ron Nessen [Press Conference]
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Digitized from Box 31 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
This Copy For
NEWS CONFERENCE
#585
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
WITH RON NESSEN
AT 12:07 P.M. EDT
SEPTEMBER 22, 1976
WEDNESDAY
MR. NESSEN: We want to move right along so we
can go to the signing ceremony for the defense appropria-
tion bill.
Q We are not late.
MR. NESSEN: I know, I am late.
There were two additions to the schedule today.
At 4:30, John Connally will be coming in to talk to the
President. He is in town. The President asked him to
come in. I am sure they will talk about politics.
At 5:30, Billy Graham will be in. The purpose
for the Billy Graham --
Q
Is it part of the debate preparation?
Q No, Playboy. (Laughter)
MR. NESSEN: Billy Graham is here for the
President Tolbert reception. He indicated that he would
like to stop by and talk to the President. He will
probably ride over to the reception with the President.
Billy Graham and Tolbert are old friends, which dates
from the fact that Tolbert is a Baptist minister, as he
mentioned himeself yesterday, I believe. He also is the
former President of the Baptist World Alliance, which is
an organization covering all Baptists and also, President
Tolbert was a leader in the Billy Graham evangelistic
crusade that was conducted in Liberia. I am sorry, but I
don't have the year of that.
Anyhow, this gives you the background on the
relationship between Billy Graham and President Tolbert.
Q
Is he coming in to endorse the President,
by any chance?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have any indication of that.
MORE
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- 2 -
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Q
Ron, will we get a chance to talk to
Connally after the meeting?
MR. NESSEN: If you like, I could make him
aware of your wishes and ask him to come and talk to you.
Q
Did Connally call the President or did the
President call him?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know. They have pretty
much a standing arrangement where when Connally comes to
town, he gets in touch with us.
Q
How about Graham? I want to be clear on
Billy Graham. You are saying no one in the White House,
the President on down, asked Billy Braham to come? It
was strictly a case of Billy Graham calling up and
saying he would like to chat with the President; is
that correct?
MR. NESSEN: That is correct.
Q Ron, will he talk to the press afterwards?
MR. NESSEN: I think they are probably going
to leave directly from their meeting to go over to the
reception.
Q
Ron, speaking of Southern Baptists,
several of the leaders of this second largest denomina-
tion in the country, along with Members of the Senate of
both parties, have spoken very strong reaction to --
MR. NESSEN: Les, I am not going to comment on
the Playboy interview today or any day.
Q
Would you let me ask the question, Ron?
I have a question. Do you wish to convey to the American
people the idea that the President does not care about
this, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: I said each day I have been asked,
Les, that I am not going to comment on that interview,
and my answer is the same today.
Q Okay.
Q
Is Connally going on the southern tour?
MR. NESSEN: I don't believe so.
Q
Could we get the Reverend Mr. Graham
going in the front door out there? Can you tell us
which door he is going in so we can get him if he is
going in that entrance?
MORE
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- 3 -
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MR. NESSEN: I will check and find out which door
he is coming in.
Q
Thank you.
MR. NESSEN: On the debate preparation, some
of you have asked about that.
Q
This is his first visit to the Ford White
House since the President took office, if I remember
correctly. Is that not the case?
Q
No.
MR. NESSEN: I thought he was at a dinner or
some event or something.
Q
Maybe I was on vacation when he came in.
Q
What time did you say he would arrive?
MR. NESSEN: His appointment is at 5:30, Phil.
Q
Ron, I have a question which does not deal
with Playboy.
MR. NESSEN: Okay.
Q
Let him make his announcements, first.
MR. NESSEN: Why don't you let me give my
announcements, of which I have a fair number.
Q Okay.
MR. NESSEN: On the debate preparations, some
of you have asked what he is doing. I would describe him
as having a relatively quiet day today. He has staff
meetings. In fact, he has spent most of the morning
in staff meetings. He will spend three or four hours this
afternoon, either in the Oval Office or in the study,
alone with some briefing material, some written material.
It is possible that the President will ask a
staff member to come in from time to time to provide
additional information, but that is how I expect him to
spend today. Then, of course, at 4:30, he sees Connally;
at 5:30, Billy Graham, and then he goes to the reception
for President Tolbert.
I would not be surprised if he spent the
evening after he returned to the White House continuing
to review material in written form.
Q
Does he have people throw questions at him?
MORE
#585
- 4 -
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Q
What kind of presentation, Ron? Kind of
sharpening up on the matter?
MR. NESSEN: He does not plan today to work with
other people or to go through any kind of make-believe
debate or anything like that. He does not plan to.
Q
Has he done that before today?
MR. NESSEN: He has had members of his staff
ask him possible questions, as he does occasionally
before news conferences.
Q
Is he using a television taper so that
he can play himself back?
MR. NESSEN: He is not doing anything today
except sitting alone in his office.
Q
Not today. You say he has had people throw
questions at him. Has he also taped stuff on that?
MR. NESSEN: Not that I am aware of. I have not
seen that.
Q
Will he be doing it?
MR. NESSEN: No, he is pretty much finished
with group meetings on the subject and is concluding
his preparation by himself.
Q
Is it a mock debate with the staff?
MR. NESSEN: No, I would not call it that,
Bob. What it is is basically very similar or really
identical to what he does before news conferences and,
in fact, what he does in the mornings, what he did just now,
when I was talking to him. I said, "Here are some of the
questions that I will be asked," and asked them and he
gave back the answers that he would give.
Q
Ron, the question was asked but we couldn't
hear it so I am not sure of the answer. Has he or will he
try to answer questions in front of a video tape machine,
or whatever you call it, so that he can look at it again?
MR. NESSEN: He does not plan to do that today
or tomorrow and --
Q
Has he?
MR. NESSEN: -- I am not aware of him having
done that before. I have not seen him do that before.
Q
Who is asking him the questions?
MORE
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- 5 -
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MR. NESSEN: The people who are involved in
preparation of written material include Mike Duval,
Dave Gergen, Jim Cavanaugh, Dick Cheney, Jim Baker,
Stu Spencer --
Q
You said this is the kind of thing that
is done normally?
MR. NESSEN: I don't want you to think that is
an exhaustive list but I gave those names as a
sampling of the kinds of people --
Q
You gave them so fast. Gergen, Cavanaugh,
Cheney and who else?
MR. NESSEN: Baker and Spencer, among others.
Q
Yourself?
MR. NESSEN: Yes.
Q
Does he use a timing device, Ron,
for the two minutes and three minutes for answers?
MR. NESSEN: I have not seen anything
that resembles the kinds of descriptions that I have
heard and read about of mock debates and people playing
the part of Carter.
Q No, no.
Q
Would you say whether he has done it and
you might not know about it? That is a classic "I have
not seen, I have no knowledge," and we have got a lot
of that.
MR. NESSEN: It is a classic cop-out.
Q
"As far as I know," is another one.
MR. NESSEN: That is a good one.
Q
Don't be ashamed. We had an elaborate
preview of how the acceptance speeches came forth.
Q
Let him answer it.
MR. NESSEN: I think I can spell out for you
what he is doing today and what, to my knowledge, he has
done in preparation for this before today.
Q
Ron, can you pin this down and say, I don't
know about it but maybe he has done it? That I can
understand.
MR. NESSEN: All I can tell you is the extent of
my knowledge, and I have not seen him do any of these
things that --
MORE
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- 6 -
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Q
Have you heard about it?
MR. NESSEN: I have heard about it on radio and
television and in the papers.
Q
Have you had preparation so you don't have
to answer questions about it?
MR. NESSEN: I think what we have said from the
very beginning is that the President will be fully prepared
for his debate tomorrow night.
Q
"I have not seen," is not enough of an
answer for us, Ron, I am sorry.
MR. NESSEN: That is about all the answer I can
give you, Marilyn.
Q
Can you tell us how long this preparation
process, as working with other people, has gone on, how
many days?
MR. NESSEN: I would say three or four days,
probably ending over the weekend.
Q
Ron, you said that you would not describe
these things as mock debates and you said they were very
similar to the kinds of things he did in preparation
for briefings and that sort of thing. Why were they
held in the Theater? Are these things done in the
Theater normally when he is preparing for a news
conference?
MR. NESSEN: Some were held in the Theater and
some were held in his office and some were held in his
Residence and some were held in the study.
Q
What were held?
MR. NESSEN: The sessions of aides asking him
questions that were likely to be --
Q
Who was doing that?
MR. NESSEN: As I mentioned before, they were
Duval --
Q
No, we got that list. You prefaced that
by saying, these are the people who asked him the questions.
Are these the same people?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, the same people.
Q
Did the acting Jimmy Carter get to
participate in this -- Mr. Penny?
MORE
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- 7 -
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MR. NESSEN: Phil, there was no acting Jimmy
Carter at any point in the preparation.
Q
What is his role, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: He has played the role that he plays,
which is to help the President with his delivery and
presentation.
Q
Has he asked some questions?
MR. NESSEN: I don't think SO. He does not have
a background in substance.
Q
How will Carter be addressed?
Q
Ron, is the President being given Carter's
positions in sort of a format where he can present his
rebuttal to what might possibly be a Carter answer?
MR. NESSEN: I think I have said here before that
among the material that the President has read in written
form are some of Governor Carter's past statements.
Q
Has the President studied Carter's inter-
view of Playboy?
MR. NESSEN: He has not.
Q
Ron, you said you were not going to comment
on that.
(Laughter)
Q
What is this? What is this?
MR. NESSEN: I am sorry. I take that back,
Dick. No comment.
Q
When you saw and heard reports that
the President was using the video tape, did you ask any
of the people who are involved in this --
MR. NESSEN: Ted, I am trying to give you a
full description of the President's preparation as --
Q
Did you ask any of them if he was using the
video tape?
MR. NESSEN: I am going to give you as full a
description as I can of the President's preparation for
the debates.
Q
But you do not know if he has used questions
on the Carter interview, if he has read all of Carter's
positions on issues, if I may use that expression? Has
he not read the Playboy interview?
MR. NESSEN: He is an avid reader of the
newspapers and the newspapers have covered it rather
fully.
MORE
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- 8 -
#585-8/22
Q
Oh.
Q
Ron, do you know anything more about the
Special Prosecutor's inquiry into campaign contributions
than you did yesterday?
MR. NESSEN: Let me finish my announcements,
okay?
Q Can we go one more step on this?
MR. NESSEN: Yes.
Q You are saying that he interacted
with staff members throwing questions at him for three or
four days, but he stopped doing that now?
MR. NESSEN: He has, that is correct. He will
not do that any further.
Q As of today he is not studying --
MR. NESSEN: As of today he is studying.
Q How does he address Carter tomorrow?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know, Helen. I assume
Governor Carter, Mr. Carter. I think the normal form of
address is Mr. President.
Q That is how he wants to be addressed?
MR. NESSEN: I don't think it is his decision
to make how people address him. That is my understanding
of the custom but it is not his choice.
Q He still has not made up his mind how he is
going to address Carter?
MR. NESSEN: I have not even asked him the
question, Helen.
Q
Why did Ford stop taking questions from
his people?
MR. NESSEN: Apparently, he now feels that he
has gotten all that he needs in terms of working with
other people and is now. working alone.
Q Do you plan to brief tomorrow?
MR. NESSEN: I don't.
Q
Has he asked anyone to look into the questions
of the campaign contributions?
MR. NESSEN: Let me finish my announcements,
okay?
MORE
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- 9 -
#585-9/22
Q
Ar swer the question.
MR. NEWSEN: Do you want to know what time
you have to be a: the airport tomorrow, or not?
Q
Yes.
Q
What about the debate question? Earlier,
I asked you if the President had reviewed the Kennedy-
Ni on debates?
MR. NESSEN: He has reviewed the first video tape
or a kinescope, I suppose, of --
Q
Why did you say he didn't when I asked
you that question a couple of days ago?
MR. NESSEN: I didn't say he hadn't. I said
I would look into it.
Q
No, you said he had not, Ron. You really
did.
MR. NESSEN: I don't remember saying that.
Q Yes, you did.
MR. NESSEN: He has, or I have checked and
found he has, and he has looked at the kinescope of the
first debate in 1960. The staff people have looked at
that one and the other three.
Q
When did he look at it, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: It has been some time ago. I
don't know the exact date.
I don't recall saying that he didn't,
Marilyn. I think I said I would check, that I didn't
know.
Q
Along those lines --
MR. NESSEN: I am going to lie big. I am not
going to lie about a little thing like that. (Laughter)
Q
I thought you were completely indiscriminate.
(Laughter)
Q
Ron, did you say earlier today, a few
minutes ago, that the President had concentrated the
preparation with other people mostly to three or four
days, ending over the weekend?
MR. NESSEN: Ending yesterday.
MORE
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- 10 -
#585-9/22
Q
Well, that means that he spent the
weekend doing it; is that correct?
MR. NESSEN: Some of the weekend, some sessions
over the weekend.
Q
He was not spending any time over the
weekend working on the debates?
MR. NESSEN: I don't think so, Dick.
Q
I think you did, and both I and the Associated
Press reporter quoted you as saying that. Why did you say
that?
MR. NESSEN: I don't recall that I said that.
Q
Well, we didn't make it up, Ron.
MR. NESSEN: No, but why would I say he was
not working on preparation if he was working on
preparation?
Q
You even made a point of saying that you
and Mike Duval were the only people who really knew
what was going on and could talk about it and you would
speak only on the record about that.
MR. NESSEN: That is correct.
Q
I mean, you said all those things, how
is it you don't remember --
MR. NESSEN: I will review whatever -- I don't
think we had a transcript around here on Saturday, but
why would I say that he was not preparing it if he was
preparing it?
Q
Because the White House has tried to play
down any preparation, we have all known that for days.
MR. NESSEN: Helen, that is not correct.
Q
But you admitted that he was boning up.
MR. NESSEN: No, I didn't. I said the
President would do all the preparation he needed to be well
prepared for the debates.
Q
Ron, don't your polls show what the Carter
polls show, to wit, that people resent the idea of
either candidate spending a lot of time preparing for
these debates?
MR. NESSEN: I have not seen that in any poll,
Adam, quite honestly.
MORE
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- 11 -
#585-9/22
Q
Ron, could you ascertain from the President,
or anyone else that might know, whether he has watched himself
on any video tape? I mean, it appears to be an important
issue.
MR. NESSEN: It truly does seem to be an important
issue and I will check.
Q
Ron, how long ago has it been since the
President engaged in a debate, do you know?
Q
What was the question, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: What was the last time the President
engaged in a debate. It would have to be during one of
his Congressional campaigns, and I will look into it.
I have not looked into it.
Q
Do you know for sure he did during a
Congressional campaign have a debate?
MR. NESSEN: He debated, I think, on a number
of occasions over the 13 times he ran for office.
Q
Why does the President feel he has to
devote this amount of time in preparing for debate when
he has emerged daily on the issues of State? Why wouldn't
he expect to know that?
MR. NESSEN: He spent as much time preparing for
the debate as he feels necessary.
Q
I know that, but why does he feel all this
time. isnecessary is my question.
MR. NESSEN: I suppose so he can look good in
the debates (Laughter) as opposed to looking bad in the
debates, which would be bad for his campaign.
Q
What does "looking good in the debates"
mean, Ron? Does it mean winning this debate? Does it
mean looking attractive? What does it mean to the
President? What does looking good mean?
MR. NESSEN: I would say it means --
Q Winning.
MR. NESSEN: I don't know. Winning and losing,
you know --
Q
Looking good to the American people in
terms of voters? (Laughter)
MR. NESSEN: Could you hum the first few words,
the first few bars? (Laughter)
MORE
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- 12 -
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Q
The real winners will be the American
people.
MR. NESSEN: Right, the real winners will be
the American people.
Q
It is a good question. I want to hear the
answer.
MR. NESSEN: I have some announcements to
make. We can fool around -- again, I must learn my
lesson here not to try to be facetious.
Q
Oh, Ron,don't.
MR. NESSEN: Don't learn my lesson? Don't stop?
Stay as facetious as you are.
Q
Have you finished your announcements, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: Not quite, Sarah.
Q
Would you please finish them?
Q
Do you have an answer to the question?
MR. NESSEN: The press check-in tomorrow --
Q
Answer the question, please.
Q
Let us find out what time we are leaving
tomorrow, for God's sake.
Q
Get on to something more important.
MR. NESSEN: Sarah, what has gotten into you?
The press check-in is 12:30.
Q
You are not going to answer the question?
Q
You are not going to say what looking good
means?
MR. NESSEN: I think maybe the American people
will decide what looking good is. Will that work?
Does that sound right? That is good.
Q
What are the elements that will go into that
decision?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know. I think that is a
decision. for the American people to make, who looks
good.
Q
We didn't ask that. The question was,
what --
MORE
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MR. NESSEN: I think you have to ask the American
people who they think looks good.
Q
What image is the President seeking to
convey tomorrow?
MR. NESSEN: The President is not seeking
to convey any image. The President is seeking to dis-
cuss the important issues that face the country this
year in detail. As we have said from the very beginning,
that is what we believe to be the purpose of the debates,
is to have an opportunity for the two candidates to
discuss in great detail the issues that are of
concern to the American people this year and are impor-
tant to the country this year.
So, looking good would be to be able to dis-
cuss the issues, the President's record, the President's
proposals for the future and his policies in great
detail and depth so the American people will under-
stand fully what he has accomplished in his first two
years and what he plans to do in the next four years.
That, I would say, would be looking good for the President.
Q
Ron, in preparing for the debate, has the
President looked at reruns of his Kansas City speech?
MR. NESSEN: Of the Kansas City speech? Not that
I know of, Dave.
Q
He probably saw the edited version that
was put on the air.
MR. NESSEN: I don't think he watched it that
night.
Q
Could we look ahead to the weekend trip?
Check-in on Friday may be a little hectic.
MR. NESSEN: 12:30 tomorrow is the check-in time
for the Philadelphia trip. The press plane leaves
Andrews at 1:15. The President departs the South Grounds
at 1:50 and departs Andrews at 2:10. The press plane
will arrive in Philadelphia at 2:00.
Q Where?
MR. NESSEN: Philadelphia International Airport.
The President departs at 2:10 and arrives Philadelphia
International Airport at 2:40. Then, the President goes
to the private residence.
Q
You were going to get that for us.
MR. NESSEN: I am looking for it now.
MORE
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- 14 -
#585-9/22
Q
Do you know what terminal at Philadelphia
International?
MR. NESSEN: No, I don't. It does not show on
my schedule.
Q
Will he see any press at the airport when
he arrives?
MR. NESSEN: Do you mean in the way of a press
conference? No, he plans to get in the car and go over
to the private home. I don't have the details of the private
home, yet.
Q
Whose private home?
Q
Ron, does the President get butterflies
before something like this?
Q
Why is that a secret?
Q
Is that private home the home of Mr.
Roman Haas?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have it. I have not sat
in on the scheduling meetings these past few days.
Q
Ron, what is the private home that the
President is staying in?
MR. NESSEN: We have not announced the name
or location of the home, yet. We will find out as soon
as we can.
Q
Where he stays belongs to all the people.
If he has an open Administration, he cannot stay at
somebody's private home and accept their hospitality
without telling about it.
MR. NESSEN: We will post this afternoon.
Q
You mean you just want it to leak out. It
is going to leak out. It is going to get out.
MR. NESSEN: I said we would post this
afternoon.
Q
You will be posting it this afternoon. I
thought Mr. Carlson just told you that you wanted to keep
it a secret.
MR. NESSEN: No, what he said was, we will
post this afternoon.
Hello, Mary. Nothing has changed, right?
MORE
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He will spend the day in the private residence
from the time he arrives until it is time to go to the
theater.
Q
Doing what?
MR. NESSEN: Relaxing and continue preparation.
Q
What is the reason for not telling us
now?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have it now or else I
would tell you now.
Q
Certainly, the White House has it. They
have been investigating the home for weeks.
MR. NESSEN: I said we would post it this
afternoon.
Q
Why not give it to us now?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have it now, Sarah.
Q
You have somebody back there who could give
it to you in two seconds.
Q
Sarah, please.
MR. NESSEN: At 9:15, the President departs
this private residence to go to the Walnut Street Theater
and at 11:00, the debate concludes. He will spend the
night at the private residence and, as I said yesterday,
the press will spend the night at the Sheraton Hotel.
Q
The President is going to the Sheraton Hotel
tomorrow night?
MR. NESSEN: No, the press is going to be at
the Sheraton.
Q
What about the victory party?
MR. NESSEN: After the debate, I don't
have anything to -- I am sorry, I didn't hear the question.
Q
Isn't he going to the Bellevue-Stratford after
the debates for a victory party?
MR. NESSEN: I am told that the PFC is having
sort of a "watchers" party at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
and I would not rule out the idea that the President might
drop over there.
Q
A "watchers" party?
MORE
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MR. NESSEN: A group of people coming to watch
the debate, sponsored by the PFC.
At 10:30 Friday morning, the President speaks
to the Polish-American Congress at the Ben Franklin Hotel
at 10:30. I don't know the outlook for a text, frankly.
At noon, the President will leave Philadelphia to come back
to Andrews. The press plane will leave Philadelphia -- it
is scheduled for 12:30, but that is really up to you when
you want to leave. The President arrives on the South
Lawn at 12:50 and the press plane will land at Andrews at
1:00.
Q
You said there might be one other activity
in Philadelphia Friday morning. Is that scratched?
MR. NESSEN: No, it is still possible.
Q
Earlier or later?
MR. NESSEN: Later.
Q
Would it alter the return?
MR. NESSEN: It would not alter the return.
Q
It won't alter the return if he has a
10:30 thing.
MR. NESSEN: No, because it will be a very short
event on the way to the airport.
Q
Ron, is this PFC thing open to the press
or is that a private thing?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know the details of it, Tom,
but I think it is in the public rooms or in the lobby,
even, at the hotel.
Q
The next morning will it be the situation
where the President will be questioned or in some way say,
"How I did"? I mean, that is a fairly obvious sort of
thing you would want.
MR. NESSEN: Do you mean --
Q
You know, "What is your reaction now that
you did it?"
MR. NESSEN: I would hope that I would be able
to reflect to you sometime Thursday night how he feels he did.
Q
Yes, but getting it from him, having him
on tape, on film.
Q
Why don't you give it to us now and we
will hold it for release. (Laughter)
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MR. NESSEN: I can give you that HFR now,
if you like. (Laughter)
It is time to go. We plan to go in two or
three minutes.
Q
Could we not get that before Thursday night?
MR. NESSEN: I said I would give it to you now,
for release at 11:00.
Q
The President is going to make some other
drop-in appearances on Friday morning, isn't he? Besides
the Polish Congress, he is going some other place, isn't he?
MR. NESSEN: There is the possibility of one
other event in Philadelphia on Friday morning, but it is
not for sure.
Q
Do you have anything you want to say about
the Prosecutor's investigation of campaign contributions?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have anything further to
say because there has been nothing changed since yesterday.
Q
What is the Saturday check-in, please?
Q
Have they changed the status of that?
MR. NESSEN: They have not.
Q
The Saturday check-in, please.
MR. NESSEN: 4:30 a.m. is press check-in
on Saturday morning.
Q
Ron, why might the President drop into
the Bellevue-Stratford?
MR. NESSEN: These are people from the PFC, they
are Ford supporters and fans, and it is possible -- and
by no means definite and, in fact, just possible -- that
he might go over there on Thursday night.
Q
Has the President asked Schweiker to meet
him in Philadelphia at the Bellevue-Stratford? As one
of the official Republicans greeting the President, Senator
Schweiker, is he on that list?
MR. NESSEN: He is not on this list to be met
at the airport.
Q
Is Dr. Lukash going to the Belevue-Stratford?
Q
Who is on that list, Ron?
MR. NESSEN: Obviously not.
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MR. NESSEN: I have to give you the check-in
times for Saturday or else we won't get organized here.
Q
What PFC's are involved?
MR. NESSEN: The Pennsylvania, New Jersey and
Deleware PFC's are sponsoring this event.
After the signing ceremony, let me say this, which
is beginning shortly, Don Rumsfeld will come here to brief
on the defense appropriations bill.
For Saturday, a 4:30 check-in and 5:30 press
plane departure. At 6:50, the President and Mrs. Ford
depart the South Lawn. At 7:00 a.m., Central Daylight
Time, the press plane arrives at the New Orleans International
Airport, which is at Kenner, Louisiana.
At 7:10, Eastern Time, the President and Mrs.
Ford leave Andrews.
I don't have an arrival time for the President
in New Orleans, but at 10 a.m. -- the boat, the NATCHEZ,
leaves from -- we are going to post this, aren't we?
MR. CARLSON: No.
MR. NESSEN: The boat leaves at 10:30 from a ferry
boat landing on the Mississippi.
At 5:30, the boat arrives at the Toulouse Street
Wharf, Jackson Square, New Orleans, and that is where
the President will have the rally.
For Sunday, the President goes to church in the
morning. At 11:30, the motorcade will depart New Orleans
and will stop at the following places: Bay St. Louis,
Mississippi; Gulfport, Mississippi; and will arrive at
Biloxi at approximately 3:15 p.m.
There will be a lot of filing facilities and
a 1-hour stop there, so that is one filing place.
Q
That is not the one we are more concerned
with.
Q
What about filing on Saturday off that
boat.
MR. NESSEN: There will be two stops, one about
an hour and a half after departure, which will be 11:30.
a half-hour stop, lasting until noon.
Q
Where?
MR. NESSEN: I don't have the name.
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Q
We need that.
MR. CARLSON: I can give it to you, Helen.
Q
When are you going to give it to us?
Q
Yes, that is the idea.
Q
We may never meet again.
Q
Why can't this stuff be written and
passed out?
MR. CARLSON: It will be, Phil.
MR. NESSEN: Today is Wednesday and the trip
is Saturday.
Q
If you have it, why can't you put it on a
sheet and distribute it?
MR. NESSEN: It will be. I am just trying
to give people some advance notice so they could plan
Saturday morning.
Q
The thing is we usually get in stuff on Fri-
day night and it is too late for planning.
Q
What is the second filing point on Saturday?
MR. NESSEN: On what? On Sunday?
Q
On Saturday.
MR. NESSEN: One filing time will be at 11:30
and the other filing time is 1:30 and then the third
filing time will be when we get to New Orleans, which is
5:30.
Q
How long will the 1:30 time be?
MR. NESSEN: Each of the two filing times
along the way will be 30 minutes and, of course, in New
Orleans, that is the end of the line, so --
Q
Ron, can we go back to the Whyte episode?
I would like to ask you --
MR. NESSEN: The signing is about to begin.
Q
Can you adjourn and come back after the
signing?
MR. NESSEN: I didn't plan to, Sarah.
Q
There are a lot of questions we didn't ask
today because we didn't have a chance.
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MR. NESSEN: I said that I don't have anything
to add on it --
Q
There are a lot of questions that you have
not had today that you ought to have.
MR. NESSEN: I can get by without them, Sarah.
Q
You told us that Billy Graham asked to see
the President. I understand that it was the other way
around, the President called Billy Graham. Will you check
on that to make sure?
MR. NESSEN: I will, but I was told this morning
that Billy Graham asked for a chance to see the President.
Q
Can we have a second briefing today, please?
MR. NESSEN: You have Don Rumsfeld coming in.
Q
Can we have a second briefing?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know if I can do it today.
Q
On the Whyte episode, did you find out
whether the President knew that U.S. Steel was paying for
those trips?
MR. NESSEN: The President didn't ask who was
paying the bill.
Q
He didn't ask?
MR. NESSEN: He did not.
Q
In either case?
MR. NESSEN: He did not.
Q
Have you determined whether the President
feels that either of them or the second one was a violation
of the House code of ethics.
MR. NESSEN: I said yesterday that if he had
thought there was anything wrong, he would not have done it.
Q
That is not an answer to the question.
Does he think it was not a violation?
MR. NESSEN: I think it is an answer, Dick.
What I said yesterday was that the President does not
feel that it was wrong or else he would not have done it.
Q
Can you answer the question, yes or no?
Does the President think it was a violation?
MR. NESSEN: No, he does not.
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Q
No, he does not?
MR. NESSEN: No, he does not. That is what I
said yesterday and that is what I say today. The President
is an avid golfer and over the years the President has
played at various golf courses and sometimes he has been
the guest of various people he knows and sometimes they
have been his guests at his golf course, and he never
considered a golf game to be a gift of substantial value.
Q
Ron, does he think it was a gift of substan-
tial value for him to take $1,000 extra in his fee to go
down there on 22nd Street to speak to the Seaman's Union
when he was in Congress?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know.
Q
Going down there at noon and making a speech
that they handed him to read and he took an extra $1,000
over the usual stipend for Members of Congress?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know that one, but I am
sure --
Q
Will you find out the answer for us?
MR. NESSEN: I think if you check with the House
Judiciary Committee, Sarah, I am sure that must have been
one --
Q
I want Jerry Ford to tell me if he did that.
MR. NESSEN: I think the House Judiciary --
Q
I want you to ask Jerry Ford for me if
he did that.
MR. NESSEN: I think that is probably --
Q
That was referred to, that was referred
to in the story yesterday that it was only half referred to.
Now, I think we are entitled to --
MR. CARLSON: Anybody that wants to go into the
signing ceremony has to move out.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END
(AT 12:40 P.M. EDT)
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