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Ford Press Releases - Fifth District, 1969
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The original documents are located in Box D7, folder "Ford Press Releases - Fifth District,
1969" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R.
Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D7 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT--
February 5, 1969
Note to Editors: Copies of letters written by Congressman Ford to President Nixon
and to the Greater Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce are attached
to this release for any use you may wish to make of them.
Congressman Gerald R. Ford today announced that Grand Rapids, Michigan is
one of 50 cities proposed for inclusion in the JOBS program (Job Opportunities in
the Business Sector).
In making the announcement, Ford said: "The JOBS program to date has been
highly successful in training the hard-core unemployed and the underemployed for
jobs requiring skills and paying good wages. I will do all I can to see that such
a program is launched in Grand Rapids. From what I have been able to determine,
the prospects are good."
Ford said he has written to President Nixon, urging that the present JOBS
program be expanded to include Grand Rapids. He has also discussed the matter with
Byron T. Gardner, acting head of the National Alliance of Businessmen (NAB),
Manpower Training Administration officials in the U.S. Labor Department, and
officials in the Federal Budget Bureau.
The JOBS program now is operating in 50 key cities, with the support of the
NAB. It enlists the services of private industry and labor in providing training
and employment for the disadvantaged. It is funded at $210 million in fiscal 1969.
These funds are used to reimburse industry for the special costs -- the extra
expenses -- involved in training the hard-core unemployed.
In his fiscal 1970 budget, former President Johnson proposed that the JOBS
program be expanded to include a second group of 50 cities. He urged that the
funding for the program be doubled.
By the end of 1968 -- after being in operation for just six months -- the
JOBS program had reached its first-year goal of training 100,000 of the dis-
advantaged and providing them with good jobs. This was accomplished in the Nation's
50 largest cities, nearly six months ahead of schedule.
The fiscal 1970 budget calls for training and placing in good jobs an
additional 140,000 of the disadvantaged. Ford wants Grand Rapids included in
this "second round" of the JOBS program.
"Grand Rapids is on the list now and I intend to see that it stays there,"
Ford declared.
Ford made the comment in a letter to Robert D. Swartz, president of the
Greater Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. Ford made this letter and his letter
to the President public to underscore his deep interest in the JOBS program.
Swartz wrote Ford on behalf of the Chamber, urging his support for
inclusion of Grand Rapids in the JOBS program.
# # #
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
GERALD R. FORD
MICHIGAN OFFICE:
425 CHERRY STREET SE.
FIFTH DISTRICT, MICHIGAN
GRAND RAPIDS
ZIP 49502
Congress of the United States
Office of the Minority Leader
house of Representatives
Clashington, D.C. 20515
February 4, 1969
The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to let you know of my deep interest in the JOBS program
directed by the National Alliance of Businessmen.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, the chief city in my congressional district, is
among the "second round" communities proposed for inclusion in the JOBS
program.
I personally am very desirous that the JOBS program be initiated in Grand
Rapids, and the Greater Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce has urged that
this be done. I am enclosing a copy of a letter to me from the Chamber
regarding manpower training efforts in Grand Rapids.
In the past Grand Rapids has been scarred by rioting. And it certainly has
its share of hard-core unemployed and underemployed people. I feel certain
that Grand Rapids would benefit from the JOBS program.
It appears to me that the JOBS program has been one of the more successful
manpower training efforts. Since it involves on-the-job training by industry,
I believe the program should not only be continued but expanded in line with
1970 budget recommendations.
I am told by Barney Gardner of NAB that because of the spadework required
there would be practically no funds needed to begin now with expansion of
the JOBS program to the second group of 50 cities.
I would be pleased if you would indicate to me the prospects for inclusion
of Grand Rapids in the JOBS program.
Best regards,
Gerald R. Ford, M.C.
GRF:pKR
Encl.
GERALD R. FORD
MICHIGAN OFFICE:
FIFTH DISTRICT, MICHIGAN
425 CHERRY STREET SE.
GRAND RAPIDS
ZIP 49502
Congress of the United States
Office of the Minority Leader
house of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
February 4, 1969
Mr. Robert D. Swartz, President
Greater Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce
300 Federal Square Building
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49502
Dear Mr. Swartz:
I was pleased to receive your letter urging inclusion of Grand Rapids in
the JOBS program, particularly since I myself am highly enthusiastic about
the idea.
Since receiving your letter I have talked with Barney Gardner, acting head
of the National Alliance of Businessmen, and also with officials in the
Labor Department and the Budget Bureau.
Indications are there will be no problem, although the new Administration
has not yet reviewed that portion of the proposed 1970 budget dealing with
the JOBS program.
The budget as prepared proposes an appropriation of $420 million for the JOBS
program, a doubling of its present scope to include an additional 50 cities.
Grand Rapids is on the list of these "second round" cities, and I intend to
see that it stays there.
It is doubtful that anything but the necessary spadework can be done before
July 1, so the fact that present funds do not provide for immediate expansion
of the JOBS program probably is of no great consequence. The new budget does
provide the funds for the expansion which would include Grand Rapids.
Of course, the 1970 budget will be undergoing the usual congressional
scrutiny, but my feeling is that the Grand Rapids outlook is good.
I am sending you a copy of my letter to the President. Please let me know if
there is anything further I can do for you.
Best regards,
Gerald R. Ford, M.C.
GRF:pKR
Encl.
FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT
Mailed Feb. 28, 1969
Congressman Gerald R. Ford today said he is urging the Congress to assign
a higher priority to the fight against water pollution and to þegin by banning the
dumping of polluted harbor dredgings back into Lake Michigan and other waters.
Ford spoke out against the Army Corps of Engineers' practice of dumping the
polluted material back into the Great Lakes in a statement filed with the House
Public Works Committee. The congressman urged the committee to approve a bill he
has introduced to halt the dumping practice.
In his statement, Ford declared:
"Unless the costs and other factors involved in land area disposal of
polluted dredging materials represent insurmountable obstacles, there can be no
excuse for continued dumping of such materialback into the navigable lakes and
streams of America.
"We speak of re-ordering our priorities. Is there any priority greater than
that of cleaning up our drinking water?
"The people of Michigan have accorded the control of water pollution its
proper priority. The people of my state last November approved a $335 million
state bond issue for water pollution control, to be combined with federal and
local funds in a massive assault on the pollution problem.
"I believe the Congress should act with no less urgency on the task of
cleaning up our lakes and streams. And it should approach that overall task with
clean hands by dealing head-on with the problem of dredging spèil being dumped
into our navigable waters."
Ford noted that the Corps of Engineers and the Federal Water Polution
Control Administration have issued a report pointing to some reduction in the
dumping of polluted dredging spoil back into the Great Lakes and promising still
more progress.
This is hardly satisfactory, Ford declared, since the Army Corps of Engineers
still was dumping nearly 70 per cent of its polluted dredgings back into the Great
Lakes in 1968.
As for the Corps' and the FWPCA's argument that the only ultimate solution is
for cities and industries to stop polluting the lakes in the first place, Ford said
he heartily agreed. But, he asserted, "two wrongs don't make a right." A-6 It
is
is ridiculous for the Corps of Engineers to go on dumping polluted material back into
the Great Lakes just because the cities and industries haven't stopped polluting them,
Ford said.
#######
Office Capy
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT--
March 19, 1969
Congressman Gerald R. Ford today announced plans to make 40 half-hour tele-
vision and film reports on the operation of the Federal Government's three branches
available for showing at high schools in Kent and Ionia Counties in the near future.
The 40-program series has just been completed under the direction of the
Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., whose officials worked hand in hand with a group of
congressional wives, congresswomen and wives of Supreme Court members and Cabinet
members. The women's group was known as the Operation Government Committee.
Congressman Ford's wife, Betty, served as co-chairman of the Operation
Government Committee, working in tandem with the wife of Rep. Charles A. Vanik,
D-Ohio. The television and film series is entitled "The Government Story."
Ford said the television and film versions of "The Government Story" will
provide students and other Americans with "a great opportunity" to learn more about
the workings of the three branches of the Federal Government.
A first showing of one of the half-hour programs took place Tuesday evening
at a congressional office building in Washington. Those attending included
Congressman and Mrs. Ford, members of the House and Senate, the Supreme Court, and
the President's Cabinet.
The completed films on the Federal Government were presented to Ford and
House Speaker John W. McCormack, D-Mass., who in turn presented them to the Library
of Congress.
Twenty-two of the half-hour programs are devoted to the workings of Congress,
and the others to the Executive Branch and the Supreme Court. The interview device
is used extensively to tell the story.
Commenting on this, Ford said, "The bipartisanship and good will which the
members of this House and the other body have shown in cooperating in this series
promise to make it among the most candid and useful educational programs on how the
Federal legislative process really works. Mrs. Ford and I certainly have enjoyed
helping with this important project. And I feel sure the people of my congressional
district will benefit greatly from this series."
The 22 programs on the Congress will be shown in more than 15 major TV
markets within the next month, without commercial sponsorship. At a later time,
educational and 16-millimeter film versions will be circulated for classroom use.
In remarks to the House of Representatives, Rep. Catherine May, R-Wash.,
said: "Betty Vanik and Betty Ford deserve special mention, for they are the
women who kept this project vital and pushed and prodded when doors needed opening
and things had to be expedited." "
###
LIBRARY
Office Copy
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT--
March 19, 1969
Congressman Gerald R. Ford today announced plans to make 40 half-hour tele-
vision and film reports on the operation of the Federal Government's three branches
available for showing at high schools in Kent and Ionia Counties in the near future.
The 40-program series has just been completed under the direction of the
Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., whose officials worked hand in hand with a group of
congressional wives, congresswomen and wives of Supreme Court members and Cabinet
members. The women's group was known as the Operation Government Committee.
Congressman Ford's wife, Betty, served as co-chairman of the Operation
Government Committee, working in tandem with the wife of Rep. Charles A. Vanik,
D-Ohio. The television and film series is entitled "The Government Story."
Ford said the television and film versions of "The Government Story" will
provide students and other Americans with "a great opportunity" to learn more about
the workings of the three branches of the Federal Government.
A first showing of one of the half-hour programs took place Tuesday evening
at a congressional office building in Washington. Those attending included
Congressman and Mrs. Ford, members of the House and Senate, the Supreme Court, and
the President's Cabinet.
The completed films on the Federal Government were presented to Ford and
House Speaker John W. McCormack, D-Mass., who in turn presented them to the Library
of Congress.
Twenty-two of the half-hour programs are devoted to the workings of Congress,
and the others to the Executive Branch and the Supreme Court. The interview device
is used extensively to tell the story.
Commenting on this, Ford said, "The bipartisanship and good will which the
members of this House and the other body have shown in cooperating in this series
promise to make it among the most candid and useful educational programs on how the
Federal legislative process really works. Mrs. Ford and I certainly have enjoyed
helping with this important project. And I feel sure the people of my congressional
district will benefit greatly from this series."
The 22 programs on the Congress will be shown in more than 15 major TV
markets within the next month, without commercial sponsorship. At a later time,
educational and 16-millimeter film versions will be circulated for classroom use.
In remarks to the House of Representatives, Rep. Catherine May, R-Wash.,
said: "Betty Vanik and Betty Ford deserve special mention, for they are the
women who kept this project vital and pushed and prodded when doors needed opening
and things had to be expedited."
# # #
run so capils (20 far GRF take almy
NEWS
CONGRESSMAN
0
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR - RELEASE ON DELIVERY--
Fridzy July 4
1969
the 35 th annual Hollyhock Lane fourth of July
Remarks by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at annual Flag Day services of Grand Rapids Elks
Lodge and Country Club in conjunction with VFW Post No. 830, at 6 p.m. Saturday,
July 4, 1969, at Grand Rapida, Mich.
June 14, 1969, at Elks Lodge No. 48 celebration, 9a.m. Friday,
NOT DELIVERED
--FOR RELASE ON DELIVERY
Friday, July 4, 1969
Remarks by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at the 35th annual Hellyhock Lane Fourth of July
celebration, 9 a.m. Friday, July 4, 1969, at Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. A Happy Fourth of July to you. I
don't know if you've thought about it just this way, but this is a birthday party.
In fact, we are celebrating two birthdays here today. Everybody here is 35 years
old
because we're all part of the wonderful tradition of the Hollyhock Lane
parade, which started 35 years ago; and weverybody here is 193 years old, yes, 193,
because we are all part of the wonderful nation known as the United States of
America, born exactly 193 years ago.
First of all today let us salute the Calvin-Giddings Patriotic Association
for conceiving the idea of this fine Fourth of July parade, now the oldest July
4th parade in Kent County. And let us pay tribute to George Vruggink, the last
surviving member of the group which originated the parade in 1934.
I first marched in and spoke at a Hollyhock Lane parade 21 years ago, so
George Vruggink goes back a lot farther than I do. I'm glad there is somebody
here older than I am.
Seriously, Let's think a minute of what George Vruggink and his friends
were saying to Grand Rapids, to Kent County, to the rest of this country and to
the world when they came up with the Hollyhock Lane parade idea in 1934.
I think what they were saying is that although the United States in 1954
was gripped by a terrible depression with millions of people going to bed hungry
every night, this was still the best country in the world to live in. How much
harder it was to say that then than it is now, when most of us are enjoying an
abundance of material things.
For you teenagers it's just history, if you think about it at all
But
in 1934 our entire nation was crippled, economically.
Boys from the cities were working in the woods, working in the C.C.C. Camps
for a few dollars a month just to put food into their mouths and send a little
money home to help out their folks and the rest of the family.
Seems unbelievable now, doesn't it? Now in this great country of ours
many skilled jobs are going begging. The federal government is spending millions
of dollars a year to train the unemployed and the underemployed to fill those jobs.
2
Businessmen here is Grand Rapids and elsewhere in the country, are joining hands
with the government to give these people training on the job
pay them while they
learn, make them useful citizens deserving of their own respect and the respect
of others.
We look about us today and we see at least one and maybe two or more cars
parked about our good homes. We see healthy, well-fed children in most of our
areas. We enjoy the comforts of the greatest standard of living ever experienced
by men and women and children anywhere in the world.
And we should be moved to say
thank God for the United States of America.
But there is far more to be thankful for than mere material comforts. The
greatest gift we have is that we were born free. What a glorious gift freedom is!
This was the gift bestowed upon us when a handful of courageous men gathered
together 193 years ago and declared that the colonies established in this country
were free and independent and were cutting their ties with England, their mother
country. This was the gift we received when the framers of the Declaration of
Independence declared that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their creator with certain unalienable rights
"
Our individual freedoms were spelled out later in our federal Constitution,
in the Bill of Rights. We know what those freedoms are. Some Americans take
them too lightly because they didn't have to earn them. A few Americans today
don't want to defend those freedoms
Thank God they are few in number.
Something we should all remember today is that the freedom to swing our
arms ends where the other fellow's nose begins.
Let us be thankful for our freedoms
for our independence
for one of
the most splendid actions in all history taken 193 years ago when 56 men pledged
their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor in support of the struggling
new nation known as the United States of America.
Today there are those who say we are a sick nation. They are wrong. We
are a growing country, a changing country, a dynamic country. We are making
tremendous progress toward the goals set forth by our forefathers.
More social wrongs have been righted in the last decade and a half than
were corrected in the more than 90 years between the end of the Civil War and the
milestone year of 1954, a milestone in the history of racial justice.
3
Todayany young man or woman who really wants to go to college can do SO.
Financial help is avaibble from a wide variety of sources.
The federal Government now is investing three times as much in health
programs as it did five years ago. A generation! or two ago many of you young
people here today would have died from such diseases as scarlet fever or diphtheria.
Today we are at war in Vietnam. But just five years after the first Holly-
hock Lane Parade the world exploded into global conflict, and just seven years after
that first Hollyhock Lane Parade the United States was drawn into World War II.
Today there's a good bet we can avoid a third World War. And for the first time
in four years there is good reason to believe we can end the Vietnam war on an
honorable basis.
It has become fashionable for some speakers to criticize our young peoplé
today. But only a small fraction of our young people have lost their way. We
should remember that for the most part, we have a committed and a compassionate
younger generation who want to improve this country, young people who want to
build and make this country better, not tear it down. They want to build on the
old revolution, not start a new one.
They are thankful that they live in a free America and partake of the
bounty of this great land of ours.
They know that the defense of freedom is not a sometime thing and that it
takes work to preserve it. So today let us take off our hats to the past but let
us take off our coats to the future. Let us be inspired by the magnificent
achievements of yesterday, but let us also translate our inspiration into
aspirations and accomplishments so that our democracy will flourish.
We must hold high the banner of freedom and uphold the dignity of man.
Do not listen to the false voices that call patriotism old-fashioned or
worse. Be proud to be an American. Be proud to be called a patriot because that
means you love your country above all else.
Let us today seek the real meaning of this Independence Day in our hearts.
Let us rekindle our love of country, courage with conviction, devotion to duty and
passion for justice. Let us celebrate the Fourth of July each and every day of
the year
7/17/69
FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT
Squired by Rep. Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids, a Caledonia GI who escaped
from the Viet Cong last April was lionized Thursday on Capitol Hill.
The youth, Spec. 5 Thomas H. Van Putten, was introduced by Ford to House
Speaker John W. McCormack of Massachusetts and House Majority Leader Carl Albert
of Oklahoma and then taken into the U.S. House of Representatives chamber to
sit in the Speaker's chair for a few minutes before the House went into session.
Ford presented Van Putten to McCormack as "one of the finest young Americans
we'll ever meet." When Ford told McCormack of Van Putten's escape after 13 months
in the hands of the Viet Cong, McCormack shook hands warmly with the Caledonia
soldier and said: "This is not only a privilege but an honor."
Ford said Van Putten agreed with him that "it is important for the United
States to be successful in Vietnam."
Van Putten later remarked that he would "rather go back to Vietnam than
see the United States just pull out and give it to the enemy."
After his visit to the Speaker's office in company with House Minority
Leader Ford, Van Putten had lunch in the House of Representatives dining room
as a guest of Rep. Garry Brown of Schoolcraft. Van Putten's parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Harry M. Van Putten of Duncan Lake, live in Brown's congressional district.
Tom Van Putten has made a big decision since escaping from the Viet Cong,
wandering around half-starved in the jungle for 18 days before being picked up by
a U.S. helicopter, being welcomed royally by the hometown folks in Caledonia after
his return home, coming down with pneumonia and spending weeks in the hospital.
"I've decided to make the Army my career," he said. "After getting out of
the hospital I talked with several people about it and changed my mind about
getting a discharge at the end of my three-year hitch in September. I just
like the Army, I guess. So I'm going to 're-up' when I report to Fort Sheridan,
Ill., for duty in mid-August. I'll be with an engineering company at Ft. Sheridan."
Van Putten's decision to reenlist has nothing to do with the fact that
Lt. Col. Raymond T. Nutter, Army congressional liaison officer, is arranging for
him to meet Army Chief of Staff Gen. William C. Westmoreland, former U.S. commander
in Vietnam. Van Putten made up his mind before Col. Nutter suggested the meeting
with Westmoreland.
Although Van Putten currently is on leave, he is spending his own time
talking with officers at the Pentagon about "tactics of evasion and escape" as they
apply to Vietnam. He began this chore last Monday and says the information he is
supplying will be used in briefing GI's assigned to duty in Vietnam.
###
Office Copy
NEWS
CONGRESSMAN
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
NOTE TO EDITOR: A copy of this radio talk by Rep. Ford, sent out for use by Kent
and Ionia radio stations the weekend of July 26-27, is also being sent to you
for whatever use you might choose to make of it.
For many years after the end of World War II, it was commonplace for people
to ask each other, "Where were you on V-E Day?" There will be little or no need
to ask Americans where they were on July 20, 1969. Nearly all of them were --- of
course -- glued to the tube, watching two of their countrymen make an almost
unbelievable landing on the moon. Then, on into the early hours of July 21, 1969,
Americans gazed in awe as their television sets brought them pictures of Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the powdery surface of another planet a
quarter of a million miles away.
I could not help feeling as my wife Betty and I and the children watched
this greatest of all television spectaculars that the moon mission seemed almost
easy. Then I remembered the price we had paid -- not only an estimated $24 billion
in federal expenditures but also the lives of three gallant astronauts who didn't
make it to the moon, our own Roger Chaffee of Grand Rapids and his buddies Gus
Grissom and Ed White.
It is a jarring thought to think back to the flash fire of Jan. 27, 1967,
that took the lives of Roger Chaffee, Ed White and Gus Grissom, but I think we
should remember we should remember and honor them, just as much as we honor the
moon mission men of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.
Chaffee, Grissom and White also made an heroic contribution to the success of
Apollo 11. They also helped make it possible for Eagle to land on the moon and
for Columbia to return to planet earth with information that may unlock the secrets
of the universe.
Now, as we sit back and ponder the incredible journey of Apollo 11, we are
filled with mixed emotions and our thoughts are somewhat jumbled. We feel a
tremendous pride. But we also are troubled by nagging questions. If we can put
a man on the moon, why can't we solve the problems of the cities? If we can put
a man on the moon, why can't we find ways for men to live in peace on earth?
There are, of course, no easy answers to these questions. We must try, and
we must try much harder than we have. This I know. It is easier to put a man on
the moon than it is to resolve the crisis of the cities. The crisis of the cities
(more)
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
-2-
is an even greater challenge than space exploration. Not as exciting. But success
in this effort would be just as rewarding, if not more SO.
So we are going to have to constantly review our priorities in terms of
demands on the federal dollar and what we know we must do as a Nation and a people.
Then, we must do it.
As for the search for peace, President Nixon has embarked upon another
effort in that direction with his trip to Asia and to Romania. Some Americans may
wonder why the President should visit Romania. It's clear to me that the President
is seeking to promote friendship with those who want friendship with us -- and that
this is the path to world peace. Enmity, hatred, hostility these have never
brought peace, whether those involved were nations or individual men. At the same
time, America and the world should know that President Nixon is a realist in dealing
with the Communists. He does not intend to give away something for nothing.
Earlier I spoke of the great competition for the federal dollar posed by
our various national needs and interests. I might mention here and now the great
need to protect the dollar so that it will continue to buy something.
There are those in Congress who have opposed the President's plan to
continue the surtax at 10 per cent until Jan. 1, then drop it to 5 per cent and
finally phase it out next June 30. Some have argued that the President's cuts of
$4 billion in the federal budget were not enough. Last week the President
announced additional cuts of $3.5 billion in federal spending, just to offset
rises in certain federal outlays over which the Nixon Administration has no
control interest on the national debt, medicare, social security, civil service
retirement benefits, public assistance and veterans benefits. The President is
holding down federal outlays to the very best of his ability. And I am supporting
the surtax extension and phaseout as the best weapon at hand to fight inflation.
###
8/7/69
FOR USE ON RECEIPT
Mines began exploding all over the place, like giant firecrackers, and rifle
fire ripped the air.
Of 30 Americans sent out from the 198th Infantry Brigade toward the village
10 miles south of Chu Lai, 19 fell as shrapnel tore their bodies. One man, hit
by rifle fire as well, died.
Sp/4 Paul Ceton of Grand Rapids, Mich., clutched at his right eye and moaned.
By the time the helicopters dropped down on their mercy mission, he was in a state
of partial shock.
A whirlybird whisked Paul off to a field hospital in Chu Lai. From there he
was taken to the U.S.S. Sanctuary, lying at anchor off the South Vietnam coast.
An eye specialist on the ship said there was nothing to do but remove Paul's eye,
and he did. The shrapnel had done too much damage.
The year was 1968. Paul Ceton had served in Vietnam for three months when
he lost his eye.
From the ship he was taken to Danang, which was hit by Viet Cong rockets
that same night.
From Danang Paul was flown as a stretcher case to the Phillipines, Japan,
Alaska and to Scott Air Force Base. From Scott he was taken to the Great Lakes
Naval Hospital, where he recuperated over a two-month period.
The Army sent Paul home about June 1. Home was 219 Oakley Place N.E., Grand
Rapids, where he joined his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Ceton.
Paul wondered. All of his buddies who were wounded when the platoon ran
into the minefield in Vietnam had received Purple Hearts while still there. He
had not. But he did nothing.
On July 17, 1968, Paul Ceton was discharged from the Army. Still no Purple
Heart.
Meantime his artificial eye worked well. The eye muscles had been attached
to it. Anyone not knowing that Paul Ceton had lost an eye in Vietnam would never
have guessed it. Paul went to work in August 1968 as a stockman and warehouseman
at Horne Building Specialties, Inc., 2768 East Paris S.E., Grand Rapids.
In January 1969 Paul's twin brother, Daniel, was inducted into the Army after
graduating from Western Michigan University.
It bothered Dan that Paul had never received a Purple Heart for the wound
he suffered in Vietnam, and so Dan wrote to Congressman Gerald R. Ford.
(more)
-2-
Ford immediately contacted the Army and urged that their records be searched.
Near the end of May the Adjutant General's Office assured Ford that Paul
Ceton was entitled to a Purple Heart and that the decoration would be presented to
him in a ceremony at Fort Sheridan, Ill. Ford wrote back asking to be notified
when the ceremony had been scheduled.
Weeks passed and Ford's office heard nothing. Finally Ford learned in a
letter from Paul Ceton himself that he had received his Purple Heart by mail.
Asked why he had not gone to Ft. Sheridan for the Purple Heart presentation,
Paul said simply: "We have about 20 men working here at Horne Building
Specialties, and when one guy is gone it makes a difference. I just didn't want
to take that much time off from work."
Paul talks casually now about the loss of his eye. He apparently has taken
it well.
In a simple yet most eloquent statement, Paul told Ford's office: "I was
thankful, because there are a lot of other guys who made greater sacrifices.
America has given me 23 years of freedom. That's the least I could do in return."
Paul says his left eye, which had been the weaker, now is stronger because
he has to rely on it entirely. Initially he had depth perception problems but he
adjusted. He even plays basketball -- and plays it well.
His mother and his girl friend are very pleased that Paul finally received
his Purple Heart. So is his twin brother, Dan, now serving with the Army in
Heidelberg, Germany.
Paul wrote a two-page letter to Ford, saying in part: "It is truly wonderful
that a man in your position would take the time to see that I got my Purple Heart.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you have done for me." He later
added in a conversation with Ford's office: "It's really tremendous that someone
high up in Washington would do this for me."
Ford commented: "It's fellows like Paul Ceton who make me very proud to be
an American.
What does the future hold for Paul Ceton? He had attended Grand Rapids
Junior College for one year when the Army called him on Oct. 11, 1966. He hopes
ultimately to return to school and get a college degree, like brother Dan.
###
8/15/69
FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT
All levels of government, industry, schools and other interested organizations
must launch a concerted effort to end economic stagnation and poverty in rural
America, Rep. Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids said today.
Ford said there is a tremendous imbalance with regard to how fully rural and
urban America share in the economic product of the Nation. He cited lower income
levels and lessened economic opportunities in rural America and the disproportionate
number of rural citizens living in poverty.
One of the best ways to end this imbalance, Ford said, is to attract industry
to rural locations.
Rural areas have much to offer industry as the location for new plants, Ford
declared, but they need the help of all governmental units to bring in new industry
and the jobs it would generate.
Not only would new industry provide needed jobs for the rural poor; it would
also, Ford said, establish an adequate economic base for future development of rural
areas.
The Federal Government should provide economic development assistance to
these areas, Ford said, so that they can exploit their natural advantages--a willing
work force, uncrowded living and working conditions, and abundant natural resources.
Ford said rural areas need assistance to provide better transportation
services, better schools and better public utilities. With such assistance, Ford
said, rural areas could compete with their urban neighbors for industry.
Ford said the establishment and expansion of area technical schools is highly
important in this connection. Such schools, he said, produce a skilled work force
available to industry in rural America.
Ford said another key weapon against rural stagnation is improvement of farm
income.
He pointed out that the rural economy lost $11 billion between 1963 and 1968
due to failure of farm income to keep pace with non-agricultural income.
A substantial boost in farm income, he said, would be a tremendous help in
combatting rural poverty. He noted that this would generate increased business
activity and thus create many new jobs and new business opportunities. Finally, he
said, this would in turn produce additional tax revenues for rural towns, which then
could provide their people with better transportation, schools and other services.
Ford said: "I hope and trust that these matters are receiving full con-
sideration by United States Agriculture Department planners as they develop a farm
program to be presented to the Congress shortly."
# # #
FOR USE ON RECEIPT
Office Copy
Congressman Gerald R. Ford today announced that he will mail out a
questionnaire to all 141, residences in the Fifth Congressional District to
sample the thinking in Kent and Ionia Counties on the issues of the day.
"I am sending out this questionnaire," Ford said, "to get the advice of the
people in the district on important questions facing the Congress." "This survey
will provide me with a valuable guide in voting on legislation. While I must bear
the responsibility for votes I cast, it will be most helpful to me to know what
my constituents think."
Ford noted that nine of the 10 questions in the poll will require yes or no
answers, with no space for an undecided reply.
"I have done this because my votes in the House of Representatives must be
'yea' or 'nay,' Ford said. "At no time can I vote 'maybe,' so I am posing these
questions to my constituents on much the same basis that I will have to vote on
them in the House."
One question --- that on Vietnam offers Fifth District constituents a
multiple choice.
"I am offering a multiple choice question on Vietnam because it is a policy
question which will not come up in the House as a yes or no vote on legislation,"
Ford explained. "In addition, it is a most complicated question, and I felt that
a multiple choice was mandatory.'
Ford said he had weighed the formulation of every question most carefully to
make sure it was phrased fairly.
"I am not looking for any particular answer to any of the questions, Ford
said. "The questions were chosen to reflect the most important issues facing the
Congress, and the wording of them is intended to let the respondent make up his
mind for himself."
Ford added that the questions in the district poll could not parallel
exactly the voting decisions he must make in the House, because the votes in the
House will be on legislative language. But the basic issues, he said, will be the
same.
Ford noted that his questionnaire card has been designed so that a respondent
need only place a six-cent stamp on it in the designated space and mail it back.
It will not be necessary to place it in an envelope or to do any addressing.
It will take about a week for all of the questionnaires to be delivered
throughout Kent and Ionia Counties, Ford said. As soon as sufficient returns have
been received by his office, they will be compiled and the results announced, he
said.
###
FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT
Office Copy
Congressman Gerald R. Ford today reported the results of balloting on his
congre ssional questionnaire by students at Lowell Senior High School, St. Patrick's
High in Portland, and Kelloggsville government classes in Wyoming.
"At the request of priincipals and government teachers, I sent thousands of
copies of my questionnaire to high schools in Kent and Ionia Counties," Ford said.
"I found the initial results as reported to me most interesting, and I will be
comparing the school balloting with the public responses to my questionnaire as the
overall results are tabulated."
Ford said the responses at Lowell and Kelloggsville pretty much paralleled
each other, particularly on Vietnam. But the voting on Vietnam at St. Patrick's
took a somewhat different tack.
At Lowell, tuidents voted 56 per cent in favor of President Nixon's policy of
phasing out U.S. combat troops in Vietnam and 13 per cent for his policy of pursuing
the peace talks at Paris for a combined total of 69 per cent. Only 10 per cent
voted for immédiate withdrawal of U.S. forces and only 16 per cent for resuming bombing
of North Vietnam.
At Kelloggsville, the balloting was 51 per cent for the phaseout and 12 per cent
for pursuing the peace talks. for a combined total of 63 per cent. Of the rest, 20
per cent favored immediate withdrawal and 17 per cent resumption of the bombing.
At Portland's St. Patrick's, 44 per cent favored the phaseout while 8 per cent
were for pursuing the peace talks, giving a combined total of just 52 per cent for the
Nixon policies. Of the remainder, 31 per cent favored immediate withdrawal and 17 per
cent wanted to resume bombing the North.
In balloting on the other nine questions in Ford's questionnaire, students involved
at all three schools heavily favored President Nixon's Family Assistance and Workfare
Program, his plan to give cities and states a percentage slice of Federal income tax
revenue to use as they see fit, a cutoff of Federal aid from students disrupting college
classes and administration, direct popular election of the President, and a constitutional
amendment giving 18-year-olds the right to vote.
udents at all three schools favored deployment of the Safeguard enti-ballistic
missile system-62 per cent in favor at Lowell; 60 per cent at Ste Patrick's; and 55
per cent at Kelloggsville.
The S tudents opposed increased space spending to put a aman on Mars, drafting young
men by random selection (lottery), and creation of a government-owned self-supporting
postal corporation. Ford said he believes students might not have understood the
question involving the government postal corporation.
Office Copy
FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT
10/17/69
Congressman Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids today said he has sent the
estimated 20,000 responses to his congressional questionnaire to a computing firm
for tabulation and is waiting to see if there is a generation gap in Kent and Ionia
Counties.
While marking time on the general results, Ford meantime announced question-
naire returns from four high schools -- Catholic Central in Grand Rapids, Rockford
Public Schools, and Godwin Heights and Godfrey-Lee in Wyoming. Ford last week
announced results from Lowell High School, St. Patrick's High in Portland, and
Kelloggsville in Wyoming.
"I am anxious to get back the tabulations on votes cast by the general
public because this will indicate whether there is a generation gap between the
young people and the older generation on the issues posed by my questionnaire,"
Ford said. "The school voting thus far has pretty much formed a pattern."
At Catholic Central, 945 students were involved in the questionnaire
balloting, although all did not vote on each and every question.
The voting took place before the Oct. 15 Vietnam Moratorium, but it seems
significant that on the Vietnam question only 17 per cent of Catholic Central's
students favored immediate withdrawal of American forces. Another 13 per cent
favored resuming and expanding the bombing of North Vietnam. Of the remaining
70 per cent, 52 per cent were for President Nixon's policy of gradually phasing
out U.S. troops and turning more combat duties over to the South Vietnamese, and
18 per cent favored Nixon's policy of carrying on limited military action while
pursuing the Paris peace talks.
The Vietnam pattern was the same at Rockford and the two Wyoming schools.
At Rockford, 53 per cent favored phaseout and 7 per cent pursuit of the Paris
peace talks for a combined total of 60 per cent supporting present Nixon policies.
Of the rest, 33 per cent favored immediate withdrawal and 7 per cent were for
resuming the bombing. Students voting at Rockford numbered 206.
At Godwin Heights, where 214 students voted, 49 per cent favored phaseout,
8 per cent pursuit of the peace talks, 22 per cent immediate withdrawal, and
21 per cent bombing of North Vietnam.
Godfrey-Lee's 39 participants voted 49 per cent for phased withdrawals,
15 per cent for pursuing the peace talks, 21 per cent for immediate withdrawal,
and 15 per cent for resumed bombing of the North.
(more)
-2-
Students at Catholic Central, Godwin Heights and Godfrey-Lee Schools
favored Nixon's Safeguard anti-ballistic missile system by substantial margins
but Rockford students opposed it 56 to 44 per cent.
Students at all four schools favored Nixon's new Family Assistance Program
in place of the present welfare system, percentage sharing of Federal income tax
revenue with cities and states, a cutoff of federal aid from students disrupting
college classes and administration, election of the President by direct popular
vote, and amending the U.S. Constitution to give 18-year-olds the vote.
All four schools opposed creation of a government-owned, self-supporting
postal corporation, selection of draftees by lottery and an increase in Federal
space spending to put a man on Mars.
Including those schools previously reporting results to Ford, Rockford is
the first school to oppose the Safeguard ABM system. Results from the other
schools were similar to the current batch on Vietnam and all other questions.
# # #
FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT
Congressman Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids today said he has sent the
estimated 20,000 responses to his congressional questionnaire to a computing firm
for tabulation and is waiting to see if there is a generation gap in Kent and Ionia
Counties.
While marking time on the general results, Ford meantime announced question-
naire returns from four high schools -- Catholic Central in Grand Rapids, Rockford
Public Schools, and Godwin Heights and Godfrey-Lee in Wyoming. Ford last week
announced results from Lowell High School, St. Patrick's High in Portland, and
Kelloggsville in Wyoming.
"I am anxious to get back the tabulations on votes cast by the general
public because this will indicate whether there is a generation gap between the
young people and the older generation on the issues posed by my questionnaire,"
Ford said. "The school voting thus far has pretty much formed a pattern."
At Catholic Central, 945 students were involved in the questionnaire
balloting, although all did not vote on each and every question.
The voting took place before the Oct. 15 Vietnam Moratorium, but it seems
significant that on the Vietnam question only 17 per cent of Catholic Central's
students favored immediate withdrawal of American forces. Another 13 per cent
favored resuming and expanding the bombing of North Vietnam. Of the remaining
70 per cent, 52 per cent were for President Nixon's policy of gradually phasing
out U.S. troops and turning more combat duties over to the South Vietnamese, and
18 per cent favored Nixon's policy of carrying on limited military action while
pursuing the Paris peace talks.
The Vietnam pattern was the same at Rockford and the two Wyoming schools.
At Rockford, 53 per cent favored phaseout and 7 per cent pursuit of the Paris
peace talks for a combined total of 60 per cent supporting present Nixon policies.
Of the rest, 33 per cent favored immediate withdrawal and 7 per cent were for
resuming the bombing. Students voting at Rockford numbered 206.
At Godwin Heights, where 214 students voted, 49 per cent favored phaseout,
8 per cent pursuit of the peace talks, 22 per cent immediate withdrawal, and
21 per cent bombing of North Vietnam.
Godfrey-Lee's 39 participants voted 49 per cent for phased withdrawals,
15 per cent for pursuing the peace talks, 21 per cent for immediate withdrawal,
and 15 per cent for resumed bombing of the North.
(more)
-2-
Students at Catholic Central, Godwin Heights and Godfrey-Lee Schools
favored Nixon's Safeguard anti-ballistic missile system by substantial margins
but Rockford students opposed it 56 to 44 per cent.
Students at all four schools favored Nixon's new Family Assistance Program
in place of the present welfare system, percentage sharing of Federal income tax
revenue with cities and states, a cutoff of federal aid from students disrupting
college classes and administration, election of the President by direct popular
vote, and amending the U.S. Constitution to give 18-year-olds the vote.
All four schools opposed creation of a government-owned, self-supporting
postal corporation, selection of draftees by lottery and an increase in Federal
space spending to put a man on Mars.
Including those schools previously reporting results to Ford, Rockford is
the first school to oppose the Safeguard ABM system. Results from the other
schools were similar to the current batch on Vietnam and all other questions.
# # #
Distribution: 5th District
10/17/69
Q Office Copy
FOR USE ON RECEIPT
The Nixon Administration has come up with a novel plan aimed at saving the
Great Lakes from slow death, Congressman Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids said today.
Ford said the program involves picking a lake, making a laboratory out of
it and testing a variety of ways to control certain kinds of pollution now
threatening to kill Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.
The program has been developed by the National Council on Marine Resources
and Engineering Development.
The testing planned by the Council for the laboratory lake will take about
two years. The Council will decide during the next several months what lake to
use for the tests and what testing techniques to employ.
"Whatever techniques are finally developed for controlling certain kinds of
pollution in Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes will be no substitute for
the regulatory type of pollution control," Ford warned. "Both kinds of pollution
control will have to go forward at the same time. In fact, we must step up all
our efforts."
Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes are threatened with slow strangulation
because nutrients in municipal sewage cause algae to grow fast and this growth takes
oxygen from the water that the fish need. Ultimately, the weeds die and form a
marsh.
How do you deal with this "slow death" for the Great Lakes?
The best answer is to turn off the pollution.
If you can't do that sufficiently, what is the alternative? This is what
the Marine Council is determined to find out with its laboratory lake.
Some of the methods to be tried to keep the "slow death" weeds and algae
from flourishing include pumping air into the water as is done in home aquariums;
coating the bottom with a thin film of plastic or with asphalt to prevent weeds
from taking root; getting the lake water to "turn over" by heating the bottom
layers of water and thus generating currents that rise to the top and cause the
air near the surface to move to the bottom. Still another method is filtering the
lake inflows to remove chemicals before they hit the lake. Another is "harvesting"
the lake weeds as is presently done with seaweed.
The lake laboratory program is estimated to cost $35 to $50 million,
according to the Marine Council. First funding would be in President Nixon's fiscal
1971 budget. But preparations will begin immediately with presently available
funds, Ford said.
# # #
FOR USE ON RECEIPT
The Nixon Administration has come up with a novel plan aimed at saving the
Great Lakes from slow death, Congressman Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids said today.
Ford said the program involves picking a lake, making a laboratory out of
it and testing a variety of ways to control certain kinds of pollution now
threatening to kill Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.
The program has been developed by the National Council on Marine Resources
and Engineering Development.
The testing planned by the Council for the laboratory lake will take about
two years. The Council will decide during the next several months what lake to
use for the tests and what testing techniques to employ.
"Whatever techniques are finally developed for controlling certain kinds of
pollution in Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes will be no substitute for
the regulatory type of pollution control," Ford warned. "Both kinds of pollution
control will have to go forward at the same time. In fact, we must step up all
our efforts."
Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes are threatened with slow strangulation
because nutrients in municipal sewage cause algae to grow fast and this growth takes
oxygen from the water that the fish need. Ultimately, the weeds die and form a
marsh.
How do you deal with this "slow death" for the Great Lakes?
The best answer is to turn off the pollution.
If you can't do that sufficiently, what is the alternative? This is what
the Marine Council is determined to find out with its laboratory lake.
Some of the methods to be tried to keep the "slow death" weeds and algae
from flourishing include pumping air into the water as is done in home aquariums;
coating the bottom with a thin film of plastic or with asphalt to prevent weeds
from taking root; getting the lake water to "turn over" by heating the bottom
layers of water and thus generating currents that rise to the top and cause the
air near the surface to move to the bottom. Still another method is filtering the
lake inflows to remove chemicals before they hit the lake. Another is "harvesting"
the lake weeds as is presently done with seaweed.
The lake laboratory program is estimated to cost $35 to $50 million,
according to the Marine Council. First funding would be in President Nixon's fiscal
1971 budget. But preparations will begin immediately with presently available
funds, Ford said.
# # #
a Office Copy
NEWS
CONGRESSMAN
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE AT 12 NOON WEDNESDAY--
October 29, 1969
A solid majority of Kent and Ionia County citizens responding to his
questionnaire favor President Nixon's Vietnam policies, Congressman Gerald R. Ford
of Grand Rapids reports.
Ford today released the complete results of his poll, which drew answers
from 24,360 people in the Fifth Congressional District. The questionnaires were
tabulated by a Washington, D.C. computer firm (the Aztech Corp.) at no expense to
the government.
Ford found that 50.2 per cent of those sending back questionnaires endorsed
the Nixon policy of gradually phasing out American troops in Vietnam and replacing
them with South Vietnamese. Another 4.3 per cent favored limited military action
while pursuing the peace talks in Paris. This produced a combined total of 54.5
per cent in favor of policies now being carried out by the Nixon Administration.
Roughly one out of five (21.4 per cent) favored immediate withdrawal from
Vietnam. Only 13 per cent wanted to resume and expand the bombing of North Vietnam.
Others gave multiple answers or none.
"I feel that the Fifth District voting on Vietnam probably reflects
sentiment nationwide," Ford said. "Although the actual balloting took place
before the Vietnam Moratorium, it indicates to me that a majority of the American
people support the policies President Nixon is pursuing in an effort to end the
Vietnam War on honorable terms."
The narrowest division of opinion on the questionnaire issues came on
Nixon's projected anti-ballistic missile system, already approved by the Congress.
Slightly more than half of those answering the question opposed the Safeguard ABM
system. The totals were 44.8 per cent "no;" 42.2 per cent "yes;" and 12.9 per cent,
no opinion. Many of those leaving the question unanswered commented that the
subject was too technical for them to vote on.
The Senate narrowly approved the Safeguard proposal but the House over-
whelmingly endorsed it.
Fifth District residents responding to the poll heavily favored Nixon's
proposed welfare plan (72.15 per cent), return of a percentage of Federal income
tax revenue to the cities and states (63.6), election of the President by direct
(more)
-2-
popular vote (88.5 per cent), establishment of a government-owned self-supporting
postal corporation in place of the present postal system (71.9), and a cutoff of
federal aid to disruptive college students (89.6 per cent).
A majority of Kent and Ionia citizens favored Nixon's proposed lottery or
random selection system for the draft, with 52.4 per cent for it, 36 per cent
opposed and the rest undecided.
"This tells me that the people in my district want the reforms that
President Nixon has laid before the Congress," Ford declared.
Fifth District residents emphatically rejected any stepup in space spending
to put a man on Mars (86.7 per cent against, 10.6 per cent for, and the rest
undecided).
The poll revealed a generation gap in the Fifth District on draft changes,
giving 18-year-olds the vote, and creating a government-owned postal corporation.
Adults balloting on Ford's questionnaire opposed giving 18-year-olds the
vote (63.9 to 33.4 per cent, with the rest undecided), while favoring postal and
draft reform.
Results from Kent and Ionia County high schools reporting on Ford question-
naire balloting showed them heavily in favor of 18-year-old voting and opposed to
a lottery system for the draft and a government-owned postal corporation.
Student and adult views on the other Ford questionnaire issues pretty much
paralleled each other except that the school balloting generally favored Nixon's
Safeguard ABM system. Voting at Rockford Public Schools was the only case where
the adult and student balloting ran about the same on ABM.
Ford said he was extremely pleased with the response to his questionnaire.
He sent the questionnaire to all 141,491 mailing addresses in Kent and Ionia
Counties and received replies from 24,360.
"That's a return of better than 17 per cent, as compared with the 10 per cent
that most congressmen get," Ford said. "It proves to me that Fifth District
residents are more interested in good government than the average citizen."
Ford added: "I want to thank everyone who took the time to fill in and
send back my questionnaire, with special thanks to the thousands of people who
wrote comments on their questionnaires or sent me letters. I am very much
gratified, because this gives me a good idea of what the people in my district
are thinking."
###
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
November 8, 1969
NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA: This radio script taped by Rep. Gerald R. Ford for use by
Fifth District stations the weekend of November 8-9 is being made available
to you for use as you see fit beginning Saturday, November 8.
Today I want to talk with you about a variety of topics
action by the
Congress and other important developments here in the Nation's Capital.
The most significant happening here, of course, has been President Nixon's
address to the nation on Vietnam, and the show of support for him that followed
that speech.
As you know, thousands of telegrams in support of the President's Vietnam
policy poured into the White House after Americans heard Mr. Nixon explain why he
has chosen to pursue his plan for peace in Vietnam and has rejected immediate
withdrawal and surrender.
I think this tremendous show of support for the President was primarily in
response to four sentences in his Vietnam speech. "Let us be united for peace.
Let us also be united against defeat. Because let us understand: North Vietnam
cannot defeat or humiliate the United States. Only Americans can do that."
I agree completely with this statement by President Nixon. And I feel sure
that a solid majority of all Americans agree with him too.
That is why I believe the second Vietnam Moratorium, planned for Nov. 13
through 15 will not only fail to arouse greater support for immediate U.S.
withdrawal from Vietnam but will boomerang on those who urge a U.S. surrender in
Vietnam.
One reason I believe the Vietnam Moratorium next week will boomerang is
that while some of the leaders are simply idealistic young men others are dedicated
American Communists. It is Communists like David Dellinger and other members of
the New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam who will be leading the
Moratorium demonstration in Washington on Nov. 15. I believe the American people
will feel repelled by this demonstration and will make their feelings known.
President Nixon has made clear what the choice for America is in Vietnam:
Defeat by the Communists --- what I call an American Dunkirk in Vietnam -- or his
pursuit of a peace with honor either through negotiations or through Vietnamization
of the war.
(more)
-2-
As the President has said, the consequences of an American defeat in Vietnam
would be a disaster of the greatest magnitude "a collapse of confidence in
American leadership not only in Asia but throughout the world," and, ultimately,
it would not bring peace but more war.
Now there are a number of other items to which I would like to call your
attention.
The House of Representatives, by an overwhelming vote, has passed a bill
which would allow President Nixon to establish a lottery system a true random
selection system - for picking draftees. Unfortunately, the Democratic leaders
in the Senate have indicated there will be no Senate action on this bill. I hope
the members of the Senate will enter into a gentlemen's agreement to approve the
one change in the draft law the President is asking for now and to take up
comprehensive reform of the draft law next year. This is the course of action
which is indicated now. It is vital for the Nation.
In recent actions, the House of Representatives passed a long-needed measure
to protect coal miners. It requires mine owners to adopt safety practices
recommended by President Nixon and the House Education and Labor Committee.
The House also has passed a bill providing Federal funds to help schools
educate their pupils on the dangers of drug abuse. This is a much-needed three-
year program in drug abuse education.
Finally, I want to point out that President Nixon has sent the Cognress
proposals to greatly strengthen protection for the American consumer. He is
asking for a fair deal for the consumer in the market place. He proposes a
Buyer's Bill of Rights that would set up a new Office of Consumer Affairs,
strengthen the Federal Trade Commission, and in other ways protect the consumer
against fraud and dishonesty. I hope the Congress acts soon on the President's
consumer proposals.
# # #
FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT
The Creston High School A Cappella Choir will make at least
two public appearances in Washington, D.C., next April, Congressman
Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids announced today.
Ford said arrangements have been made for the choir to sing both
on the House and the Senate steps of the U.S. Capitol Building on
April 2.
The choral group will sing for about 20 minutes on the Senate
steps, beginning at 10:30, and then is scheduled to sing on the House
steps starting at 11:30 a.m.
###
Office Copy
Remarks by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at Veterans Day ceremonies, Nov. 11, 1969, in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, sponsored by the 40 & 8.
Ladies and gentlemen:
We are gathered here in observance of Veterans Day -- Armistice Day for
most of the 51 years since November 11, 1918.
Although many Americans do not mark this day with any great fanfare,
Veterans Day is one of our great national holidays. It is the day when we quietly
and solemnly remember and salute this Nation's veterans and our war dead, whatever
war they may have fought in.
Veterans Day is a great national holiday, too, because in saluting our
veterans and our war dead we also take note of our great heritage of freedom.
It is nearly 200 years since our country proclaimed itself a Free Nation.
In that time span Americans have fought many wars. And always we fought for what
we thought to be right. Always we have sought to end wars if fight them we
must because the United States has not been the aggressor. And so it is that
today, in pursuing peace in the tragic land called Vietnam, we seek to end war on
terms that are reasonable and just and will not desecrate the memories of those
who have died in that faraway country.
This is one of the thoughts I want to leave with you as we join in saluting
the Nation's veterans on this day set aside in their honor.
We are saluting today men who fought for freedom--and men who died in
freedom's cause.
I dare to say this even though we now are living in a world when some
Americans sneer at patriotism and ridicule those who speak of defending freedom.
I do not condemn those who consider themselves too enlightened to feel a deep
devotion to the principles of Americanism or the righteousness of our cause. I
feel sorry for them.
I feel sorry for them because to me America means the same things it meant
to President Theodore Roosevelt - Courage, Honor, Justice, Truth, Sincerity and
Hardihood. These are the virtues that made America. And as Teddy Roosevelt
said, among the things that will destroy America is peace at any price.
Citizens of this country have every right to dissent from a course that
their Government has taken. But I would hope they would be constructive in their
dissent. It is not constructive to urge peace through capitulation.
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Is patriotism an unfashionable word today? I use it without apology. I
am proud that I feel a stirring deep within me whenever I see my country's Flag.
And I feel sure that the veterans we honor here today experience that same tug of
emotion whenever they look at the Stars and Stripes.
If we truly love America, we must show that we care about freedom.
We who were born Americans sometimes forget the true meaning of freedom
and what a great privilege it is to be an American.
I recently talked with a man who emigrated to this country in 1947 with
just $120 in his pocket. By dint of great personal ability and hard work, this
man has made a fortune. Today he goes about our country selling America - because
he knows what precious gifts freedom and opportunity are, the gifts that America
bestows on each and every one of us. He knows that if we who were born in America
had ever experienced life in a land where totalitarianism had extinguished the
1amp of freedom we would drop down on our knees and kiss the ground we now stand
upon.
All of us, along with our veterans, should proudly announce our Americanism
to all the world -- for when we do so we speak of the greatest system of government
ever created, the freest, the one most completely based on the sovereign will of
the people themselves.
I believe in Americanism and I believe in patriotism.
I believe in the kind of patriotism that sustains our fighting men in
Vietnam - the kind of patriotism which recognizes both our strengths and our
weaknesses, what we are as a Nation and a people, and what we are capable of
becoming.
This is the kind of patriotism we celebrate when we pay tribute to our
veterans and our war dead on this solemn national holiday.
Let us be proud of these men -- the living and the dead -- and of what the
American spirit has accomplished.
And let us be worthy of the glories of our heritage - and the promise of
our future.
# # #
FOR USE THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 1969, AND THEREAFTER
In-prison job training of the kind being carried out at the Michigan
Reformatory in Ionia is one of the keys to a reduction of crime in America,
Congressman Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids declared today.
Ford made his comment when the Labor Department announced that three
projects involving 36 trainees at the Ionia Reformatory are included in a program
to give in-prison occupational trainees job bonding assistance after they get out.
Ford said: "The Nixon Administration program providing vocational training
and job placement for prison inmates and ex-offenders promises to be a real
breakthrough toward the control of crime and deliquency."
Ford noted that about 60 per cent of the persons released from prisons find
themselves back in jail within four years.
"The released prisoner is what I would call a specially disadvantaged
person," Ford said. "He needs special help under the Federal Government's
manpower training and assistance program, and President Nixon has noted this."
Ford cited the fact that Nixon has directed Attorney General John N. Mitchell
to coordinate a 13-point program of prison reform with special emphasis on
rehabilitation, particularly of the young offender.
"The reformatory at Ionia fits right into this picture," Ford said.
Ford said the U.S. Labor Department now is funding training programs for
more than 4,000 inmates in prisons in 24 states at a cost of over $5 million.
These men are taught to become auto and diesel mechanics, carpenters, electricians,
bricklayers, welders, machine operators, computer programmers, electronics
mechanics and keypunch operators.
"Manpower development is not the whole answer to the problem of crime,"
Ford said, "but it holds much promise for a strong attack on it."
Ford said the crime statistics give prisoner rehabilitation programs
special urgency.
He noted that 4.5 million crimes were committed in the United States in
1968, a 17 per cent rise over 1967. From 1960 to 1968, he said, the volume of
serious crime rose 122 per cent while the population increased only 11 per cent.
Juvenile crime increased 300 per cent faster than the increase in juvenile
population, he reported.
The money spent on rehabilitation seems large, he said, until you consider
that crime cost this country at least $31 billion last year, a rise of $4 billion
over 1967.
###
GERALD R.FORD LIBRARY
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
November 20, 1969
NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA: This radio script taped by Rep. Gerald R. Ford for use by
Fifth District stations the weekend of November 22-23 is being made available
to you for use as you see fit beginning Saturday, November 22.
First I would call your attention to the fact that President Nixon has
signed into law a $610 million bill to provide food stamps for poor Americans.
By signing this bill, the President broke a deadlock in Congress. Now the way
is open for the Congress to appropriate funds for the food stamp program for the
rest of this fiscal year through next June 30.
In another important development, Congress has sent the President a bill
which sets up a commission to find out exactly how the Defense Department and
the rest of the Federal Government spend $50 billion a year buying goods, services
and facilities. I believe this is a most healthy action by the Congress. It's
time we checked up on all of our government procurement practices, and that is
what the 12-man commission to be named under this new legislation is going to do.
The House has approved and sent to the Senate a bill which would add another
4.5 million non-farm workers to the unemployment compensation program. The bill
raises to about 62.5 million the number of workers who are covered by the joint
Federal-state program of unemployment "comp." This is a big step forward, under
legislation recommended by the President.
On Nov. 15 we witnessed a peaceful mass march here in Washington. There
also was some violent behavior by a relatively small segment of the Anti-Vietnam
War demonstrators gathered in Washington during the three-day Moratorium.
I certainly believe in the right of responsible dissent. That is one of
the great strengths of America -- the fact that individuals in our country are
permitted freedom of expression, guaranteed under the Constitution.
While the mass march itself was peaceful, there was some violence during
the three days of protests here, and there were some ugly manifestations of
radicalism. The Washington Board of Trade reported upwards of 75 plate glass store
windows broken in downtown Washington and the Georgetown section of the city.
Coupled with that we had an attempt by the radicals to charge the South Vietnamese
embassy, and some nastiness near the Justice Department building.
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LIBRARY
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It is naive to ignore the ugly occurrences simply because the mass march
itself was peaceful.
It is also naive to believe that because an estimated 250,000 or more
people gathered in Washington to demonstrate against the war the President of the
United States should alter a carefully considered policy based on his desire for
a just peace in Vietnam.
Some will choose to ignore the Communist role in the Washington demonstra-
tions, but none of us can afford to ignore the tragic consequences that would
ensue from a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. It is precisely because
the consequences would be disastrous for the future of world peace that I am
supporting the President's policies on Vietnam.
At this point, Congress has completed action on a one-sentence bill
of tremendous importance to our Nation's young men. That one-sentence bill will
allow the President to institute a system under which men will be subject to the
draft only during the year they are 19 years old or their college deferment has
expired. Selection will be by the lottery method -- so-called random selection.
In a recent poll I conducted, people in Kent and Ionia Counties voted
heavily in favor of the lottery or random selection method of choosing draftees.
This is a means of reducing to only one year's time the period when a
young man is vulnerable to the draft. It also limits that one-year period of
vulnerability to the period before the young man has to make his important career
and marriage decisions. I favor going to an all-volunteer Army. But until it is
possible to do so, it is vital that the lottery system of draft selection be
instituted.
President Nixon has cancelled the November and December draft calls, and
he is making progress in bringing our combat troops home from Vietnam. I expect
there will be even more encouraging developments if the President gets the support
of the American people in his efforts to extricate us from the war.
# # #