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This file contains materials relating to Roman Hruska, Edward Levi, Richard Nixon, and Ron Ziegler.
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Press Secretary Briefings, 1/13/75
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Press Secretary Briefings, 1/13/75
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This file contains materials relating to Roman Hruska, Edward Levi, Richard Nixon, and Ron Ziegler.
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Ron Nessen Files (Ford Administration)
Ron Nessen's Press Briefing Transcripts
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Israel
White House (Washington, D.C.)
Department of Justice. (7/1/1870 - )
Presidential appointments
Presidential transitions
State of the union messages
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1975
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1975
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Digitized from Box 5 of The Ron Nessen File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
This Copy For
NEWS CONFERENCE
#123
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
WITH JACK HUSHEN
AT 12:10 P.M. EST
JANUARY 13, 1975
MONDAY
MR. HUSHEN: Good morning.
The President arrived in the Oval Office at 7:45
a.m. He subsequently met with Jack Marsh, Dick Cheney, Bob
Hartmann, Henry Kissinger, Brent Scowcroft, Ron Nessen,
Max Friedersdorf, myself, Bill Simon, Alan Greenspan and
Roy Ash.
Q Separately?
MR. HUSHEN: Both separately and together. Some
of the people were together and some were separate.
Q Did he see Kissinger separately?
MR. HUSHEN: Yes, he did.
Q
Can you tell us which were separately, Jack?
MR. HUSHEN: I think he met with Jack Marsh
separately. I believe he met with Dick Cheney separately,
Bob Hartmann seperately and Henry Kissinger separately.
At approximately 10:15 a.m., there was a group
meeting of Marsh, Friedersdorf, Hartmann, Cheney, Nessen
and myself.
Q On what?
MR. HUSHEN: General matters.
Q
Did that meeting decide whether we have a
speech tonight or not?
MR. HUSHEN: I will get to that in a minute.
MORE
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The President has been working this morning and
will be working much of the afternoon on his State of the
Union Message, which, as you know, he will deliver at 1:00
p.m. on Wednesday.
At 11:00 a.m., he met briefly with Senator Hruska,
the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee,
to discuss matters coming before that Committee in the new
Congress.
Q
Did they discuss the nominee for Attorney
General?
MR. HUSHEN: That was brought up in their meeting.
Q
Was a name brought up?
MR. HUSHEN: There was a discussion about the new
Attorney General nominee. We have nothing further to say on
that at this time.
Q
Did he inform Senator Hruska he was going
ahead with the nomination of Mr. Levi?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't know whether he did or not,
Jim. He certainly has indicated his preference in the past.
Q
On that subject, do the President's remarks
about Mr. Levi in the Time interview indicate that the
President has definitely decided to nominate him?
MR. HUSHEN: No, I think the President has
indicated --
Q
He talks about having an identifiable
Democrat in the Cabinet, and there is a direct reference
to Mr. Levi. Isn't that an indication the President intends
to nominate him?
MR. HUSHEN: I think the President has indicated
his support for Mr. Levi, but until we announce it from
here, there is no formal nomination.
Q
Did he indicate his support for Mr. Levi
in Vail?
MR. HUSHEN: I believe he indicated his support
for Mr. Levi in Vail.
MORE
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Q
Did they discuss -- that is, the President
and Senator Hruska -- any difficulties connected with the
nomination. In other words, did Senator Hruska tell the
President of any difficulties connected with it, and did
the President say, let's talk about them and try to work
something out? Is that what the purpose was?
MR. HUSHEN: The President confers on many matters
in trying to work out any problems that may arise. But as
to what was discussed in this meeting, I can't go into the
details. I was not present at it. I just know there was
a meeting, and it was for the purpose of discussing the
Attorney General nomination.
Q
Did Mr. Hruska ask for the meeting or did
the President?
MR. HUSHEN: I believe we asked for it.
Q
Jack, did you say it was for the purpose
of discussing the Attorney General nomination?
MR. HUSHEN: Yes, we asked for the meeting.
Let me go on. I believe the President is meeting
now with Secretaries Kissinger and Butz, Chairman Greenspan,
Director Ash and Brent Scowcroft to discuss international
food programs.
At 2:00 p.m., the President will meet with Senator
Russell Long, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, to
discuss the energy and economic proposals and the State of
the Union Message and other legislative matters. As you
know, he met with Senator Long's counterpart, Congressman
Ullman, last Fridav.
The White House has requested time from the
television networks for President Ford to deliver his speech
to the American people at 9:00 p.m. tonight, Eastern
Standard Time. The purpose of the speech is to outline the
highlights of the President's economic and energy programs
and to tell the American people what is required of all of
us to make these programs work. The speech will last
approximately 20 minutes, and the President will deliver it
from the library in the Residence.
Q
Will there be an advance text?
MR. HUSHEN: We expect to have a text available
about 5:00 p.m.
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Q
Why did he decide to jump the gun on his
own State of the Union?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't think it is a matter of
jumping the gun, Helen. I think, as he said himself,
these are very serious matters facing the American
people, and I think he wants to tell them directly what
he is going to ask of them.
In view of that, I think you have to view the
State of the Union Message as a much longer and
detailed document discussing matters that would not be of as much
general interest to the American public.
Q
He takes the steam out of it, doesn't he,
by giving a speech tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: We don't think so.
Q
Is it to counteract the Democrats?
MR. HUSHEN: No, ma'am.
Q
Does this mean the State of the Union
speech is going to be a more general, laundry list type of
thing since the energy-economic is going to be taken out
of the State of the Union?
MR. HUSHEN: The State of the Union Message will
go into more specific details, some items which would not
be covered in the speech tonight. It will be much longer.
Q
Jack, what is the format going to be? Is
he going to be behind his desk, maybe standing by the
bookshelves there, or how?
MR. HUSHEN: I am not sure if it is all ironed
out, Bob. Most of you have seen the library. Of course,
it is filled on all four walls with books. There is a
desk in there.
Q
Jack, can you give us any reason for this?
HOW did this come about, when the State of the Union was
already billed for Wednesday?
MR. HUSHEN: The President has been working on
this, on the State of the Union, and finally this morning
the decision was made that he wanted to talk to the American
people.
Q
When was the speech begun to be written,
the speech he is going to give tonight?
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MR. HUSHEN: I am not sure, Norm. There have
been several drafts and several different ideas, recommen-
dations, and there had been no decisions made until they
finally decided to go with the State of the Union on
Wednesday.
Q
Would you say they have been working on it
for a week or more, approximately?
MR. HUSHEN: I think the State of the Union has
been worked on longer than that.
Q
I don't mean the State of the Union --
tonight's speech.
MR. HUSHEN: I am not sure when they started
working on it.
Q
Jack, just how detailed is the President
going to be tonight? Is he going to tell the American
people we will have an X billion dollar tax cut and things
like that, or is he going to talk in big generalities?
MR. HUSHEN: Tune in.
Q I plan to, but obviously the speech is
well along. Is he going to talk in specificsas far
as his tax cut plans?
MR. HUSHEN: I am just not going to go any
further than that right now.
Q
Was this a formal request or can you
compare this to the Kansas City speech, which was a direct
appeal to the American people? Is that the major thrust
of the speech tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: I won't contrast it to the Kansas
City speech or compare it with it.
Q
Have you gotten the television time?
Did you hear about that?
MR. HUSHEN: The request was made. As I said,
all this occurred this morning, and I don't know whether
we have heard back or not.
Q
My question, Jack, is whether this was a
normal request or whether this could be compared to the
Kansas City speech, that an offer was made, the networks
decided against it and then you requested it?
MR. HUSHEN: No, it is nothing like what
occurred regarding the Kansas City speech. The scenario
was not at all like that.
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Q
I think in the Kansas City case, first of
all, it was simply made available.
MR. HUSHEN: That is true.
Q
In effect, now you are doing immediately
what you did finally there. You are making a Presidential
request.
MR. HUSHEN: That is true.
Q
Can you say whether tonight's speech will
include the major elements of the President's State of
the Union speech?
MR. HUSHEN: It will.
Steve, to make sure we are both on the same
track, we did finally make the request for time in the
Kansas City speech, but, regarding the speech tonight,
it was not announced and then finally requested.
Q
I understand that, but it was a formal
request?
MR. HUSHEN: Yes.
Q
Which is all the further you went finally
in the Kansas City speech.
Q
Jack, while we are here, can somebody
check whether you have heard from the networks?
MR. HUSHEN: We will tell you as soon as we
have heard.
Q
Does that mean at this moment you have
not heard?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't know.
Q
Jack, when will you announce the Secretary
of Transportation?
MR. HUSHEN: I have nothing to announce on
that today. For those of you who saw Time Magazine, you
certainly saw the President intends to nominate Mr.
Coleman.
Q
Jack, with reference to Time Magazine, did
the Secretary of State review the text of the interview
before it was published?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't know the answer to that.
MORE
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Q Did the Secretary of State meet with the
President about the comments that he made before they
were published?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't know the answer to that.
Q
Did the President review the interview
before it was published?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't know the answer to that.
Q
Can we get the answers?
MR. HUSHEN: I can give it a try.
Q
What is the significance of the
President giving an interview of this kind at a time when
the situation on the Middle East is so tense that he
himself, as well as the Secretary of State, have spoken
about quiet diplomacy?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't think there is any significance to
be attributedto the granting of an interview to Time
Magazine at this time.
Q
Do you mean an interview with Time is
something other than quiet diplomacy, or is part of
quiet diplomacy?
MR. HUSHEN: I think I know what you are driving
at, but I can hardly say the entire interview was on one
subject.
Q
There are elements in it that were character-
ized both at the department and here as inimical to any-
thing but quiet diplomacy. Here we have interviews
given by the President and the Secretary of State in
four publications within about a month dealing with the
Middle East. Why?
MR. HUSHEN: We didn't program the questions,
Joe.
Q
But you programmed the interviews.
MR. HUSHEN: It is a matter of requests that
are being honored.
Q
Will you give the Jewish Telegraph Agency
an interview with the President?
MR. HUSHEN: I think we would certainly consider
it.
MORE
#123
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Q
Let it be a formal request being made
now.
MR. HUSHEN: Submit it in writing to Mr. Nessen
the way the other publications have.
Q Jack, could I follow up on a question of a
minute ago? I think if you could say the speech tonight
is going to contain the major elements of the President's
State of the Union address, does that mean, in effect,
the President will spell out his position on a tax cut,
and secondly, will there be any major aspect of the
State of the Union address that is not known tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: As I said when I made the announce-
ments, the purpose of the speech tonight is to outline
the highlights of the President's economic and energy
programs. There will be things in the State of the Union
that will not be included in the speech tonight.
As I said, the speech tonight is approximately
20 minutes long. The State of the Union will run
considerably longer, and there may be additional material
on top of that.
Q
I said, would there be anything major in
the State of the Union address that will not be in there
tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: I have not seen the State of the
Union Message, so I can't accurately respond to that.
Q Jack, there is a point I would like to
make. Will he withhold any major announcement from his
speech tonight and put it in the State of the Union
Message? I think this is the import of the question.
MR. HUSHEN: When you say withhold, it sounds
like something --
Q
I don't mean it that way. Will there be
anything in the State of the Union Message of a major
nature that will not be in the speech tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: How much more major than energy and
the economy?
Q
We don't know what he is going to talk about
in specific terms.
MR. HUSHEN: Those are the two major issues.
MORE
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Q
It will be specific. It will be chapter
and verse, in dollar signs and so forth?
MR. HUSHEN: He is going to tell the American
public what he is going to ask of all of us.
Q
Will it tell what he is going to ask of
Congress?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't want to go into all the
details of the speech tonight.
Q
Is it safe for us to assume from your
language what would be required of all the American
people to make it work? Is it safe to infer from that
language that they are going to know enough facts to
know how much is going one way, how much is coming
another way in broad outlines?
MR. HUSHEN: I think the American public will
have a good idea of what the President is going to both
be asking them and will be requesting from Congress
as a result of what he says tonight.
Q
Jack, there is a question I think you
can answer here, and that is this: The transcript
reveals that last week Ron said, "I will check the
statute number for you, Les." This is the law which
allegedly allows President Ford to send classified
briefing material to Mr. Nixon. After the briefing you
said, "We will get right on it."
The question is, what is the statute number,
if any, because Congressman Moss charged this morning that
the President is "clearly violating Executive Order 11652,"
a copy of which he provided me with, with the appropriate
sections underlined. Now, what is the statute that
justifies the President sending classified information to
Mr. Nixon that you said you would get right on?
MR. HUSHEN: Executive Order 11456, which
was signed by former President Nixon on February 14, 1969.
Q This exceeds it, sir. This is signed by
Nixon on March 8, 1972, so that exceeds it. Is there
anything else?
MR. HUSHEN: What does that say?
Q This says, "Richard Nixon, the White House,
March 8, 1972, Revocation of Executive Order 10501 it and
about seven other words. In other words, it exceeds all
of them. Now, what law do you cite, Jack?
MORE
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MR. HUSHEN: As far as I am concerned,
Executive Order 11456 is still the --
Q
That is the only one, right?
MR. HUSHEN: -- that is still the Executive
Order under which briefings are provided to former
Presidents.
MORE
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Q
Is there a precedent for the President
making an address to the nation as a preview of his State
of the Union Message, or is this a first?
MR. HUSHEN: You are probably in a better position
to talk about precedents than I am.
Q
I thought maybe someone in the White House
had checked into that.
MR. HUSHEN: I can't answer that.
Q Jack, you were asked in the very beginning
why the President decided to do this, and it appears, as I
read my notes on your answer, you didn't answer why he
decided to jump the gun. You just said what he is going
to do. He is going to make a speech to the American people
to outline the highlights of his economic and energy
programs. That doesn't answer the question "Why?," that
just says what he is going to do. I would like to know why
he is doing it.
MR. HUSHEN: I hardly think it is a matter of
jumping the gun.
Q
It is two days before the announced State
of the Union.
Let me rephrase the question. Why is the
President of the United States going to give the economic
and energy highlights of the State of the Union Message
to the American people two days in advance of his scheduled
State of the Union Message?
MR. HUSHEN: Because the President thinks it is
important to do SO.
Q Jack, why was it decided not to have a prime
time State of the Union Message instead of having two
speeches?
MR. HUSHEN: I believe Congress invited him to
make the State of the Union at 1:00 on Wednesday.
Q
Is that why he requested prime time tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: I am not sure.
Q That answer implies that he could not have
made his speech on prime time Wednesday evening. Is that
what you mean, they would not let him do it on Wednesday
night?
MORE
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MR. HUSHEN: No, there was no discussion of that.
Q
Your answer, as to why it wasn't prime time,
was because they invited him for the 1:00?
MR. HUSHEN: I think the thing you have to keep
in mind, Ted, is that the State of the Union, as is now
envisaged, is going to be a much more lengthy document. It
is going to go into much more specific detail. It will
discuss legislation. It will discuss some other programs
that are not major programs, and the President wants to
discuss the major elements, which are the economy and energy.
That is why he asked for the prime time.
Q
It is not because they wouldn't let him
come there in the evening, that they insisted it be 1:00?
Q
Was 1:00 their choice, or was that agreed
upon? You give the impression Congress decided on the 1:00
time.
MR. HUSHEN: I guess it would be a mutually agreed
upon time, but I am just not sure.
Q
Did the fact that the Democrats released
their economic program this morning have any bearing at all
on the President's decision to go on television tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: Absolutely none. I am sure he is
looking forward to working with the Congress to get a
quick resolution of these things. I am sure he hopes that
it is his plan that goes forward.
MORE
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Q
Jack, is the President concerned that
the Democrat program, if it goes too far, would be
inflationary? Is he concerned about the breadth of the
Democratic program?
MR. HUSHEN: The breadth?
Q
Is he concerned that it will go too far?
MR. HUSHEN: I don't really think he has had a
chance to study it in detail.
Q
Is he going to give any specific responses
to the Democratic proposal tonight?
MR. HUSHEN: No.
Q
Jack, I am curious as to why it is going
to be from the library. Could you give us the reasoning
on that? These speeches are traditionally made from the
Oval Office, at least that is where he and his
predecessors made theirs. What is the thinking behind
having it over there?
MR. HUSHEN: As you know, we have checked out
several different locations to present the President,
and the decision was made to give this speech in the
library.
Q
Has the President authorized the United
States Air Force to resume reconnaissance flights over
North Vietnam?
MR. HUSHEN: I have no comment on that from
this podium.
Q
You won't confirm whether they are taking
place or not?
MR. HUSHEN: I will not.
Q
Would you say whether the President
would concur with such action if it is taking place?
MR. HUSHEN: No.
Q
Why can't you confirm it? It seems
to me the Pentagon already has, haven't they?
MR. HUSHEN: I refer you over there.
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Q
There was a question and the question was,
did the President authorize this or did it come from the
Pentagon? That is a fair question.
MR. HUSHEN: There was a question, and I said
I would have no comment on it.
Q
Is it fair to say it wouldn't be
happening if the President didn't want it to happen?
MR. HUSHEN: I am not going to comment on that.
You know who the President of the United States is, and
you know who sets the foreign policy of this country.
Q
Jack, can you explain to us why there is
no comment from this podium on this subject?
MR. HUSHEN: Because I am just not going to
comment on it.
Q
Was it on orders from the President?
MR. HUSHEN: No. I am just not going to comment.
Q
Are you under orders from anyone not to, or
did you decide this yourself? I mean, did Mr. Nessen
say to you not to if the question was raised, or did the
President say to you not to if the question was raised,
or the Secretary of State?
MR. HUSHEN: No.
Q
Jack, where is Ron today?
MR. HUSHEN: He is working with the President
on the speech for tonight.
Q
Jack, could you tell me, since a previous
inhabitant of that podium has described Ron Nessen --
has charged him with absurdity and charged the President
with neglect regarding Mr. Nixon, I am just wondering now
that he is going out for $2500 a speech to peddle this
stuff, is the White House just going to say no comment
at all on Mr. Ziegler? Doesn't that suggest that maybe
there is some truth in what Mr. Ziegler is now contending?
Will you let the President and your boss be attacked like
this, Jack, without any Tword from you?
MR. HUSHEN: I think we straightened out the
error ---
MORE
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Q
How did you straighten it out? I didn't
see that in the news. How did you straighten it out,
Jack?
MR. HUSHEN: It is my understanding the original
story left the impression the former President was
being billed for that flight from roughly Jefferson City
to El Toro when the fact is that that flight is being paid
for by the military on orders of the President.
Q
Jack, are any of the President's economic
advisers going to be available today to explain how the
economic program works?
MR. HUSHEN: No, we are setting up time schedules
for briefings for the State of the Union.
Q
Will that be before or after on Wednesday,
the briefings?
MR. HUSHEN: It will be before.
Q
Why should one not be available this
afternoon? I mean, since he is going to explain it to the
American people, why shouldn't someone be around just to
make clear that we understood what it is that he is
explaining?
MR. HUSHEN: From reading the papers, I thought
you all did. Let's take a look at that after the briefing
and see what we can work out for you.
Q
Are there any plans for a press conference
this week?
MR. HUSHEN: None before Wednesday. Beyond that,
I don't have any answer. I think not.
Q
Jack, let me ask you a couple of house-
keeping questions about the State of the Union, not
tonight's speech, but the State of the Union Wednesday.
Do you know yet -- as I say, these are strictly house-
keeping -- approximately how long the State of the Union
Message will be and when we might expect on Wednesday
to get the text of it?
MR. HUSHEN: If we used the length of the first,
it was going to go up in book form.
No, right now I don't. There is still a lot of
work to be done on it, and for your guidance, we are
looking for something early Wednesday morning in terms of
a briefing.
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Q
Jack, can you elaborate again on the Time
Magazine interview when he talks about Israel and since
we know and you have reminded us again that it is the
President who sets foreign policy, there is an obvious
threat here about Israel, he says, "Unless some real
progress is made, the United States will not guarantee
the existence of Israel."
Can you elaborate on that or tell us how that
came into being? Has Israel already been notified of
this position, and does Israel know what real progress
means?
MR. HUSHEN: I think the President's words have
to speak for themselves.
Q
They don't in this case, Jack, and we have
had an experience wherehis words did not. So, I think that
calls for some clarification here, either how it came
about, and the usual thing. Does this meet with the
approval of his very close advisers and does Israel know
what real progress means?
MR. HUSHEN: I am not going to go beyond what
he has said.
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Q
Jack, why couldn't we get somebody out here
that can answer some of these questions? You have said "No"
on everything. That is a legitimate question he is asking,
and you have just given us no answer on anything.
Q
Jack, will you finish answering my question?
MR. HUSHEN: As I said, I think the President's
words -- they are clear enough to me, and I am sorry they
are not clear enough to you.
Q
Can you tell us what real progress means,
then, if they are clear to you? Obviously they are unclear,
at least to me and, perhaps, one other of my colleagues --
I don't know.
MR. HUSHEN: I am just not going to go beyond
what he said.
Q
Jack, can you tell us why the President
chose to raise the issue or the question of a security
guarantee by the United States for Israel, when this has
not been, to my knowledge, a formal or official part of
our policy in the Middle East, why he chose to say there
has been talk about it and, then, to raise it to the level
of a policy offer or a policy possibility, when the United
States -- if my memory is correct -- has never been willing
to say that this was part of its policy?
Why did the President chose to bring it up at
this time?
MR. HUSHEN: As a matter of fact, he didn't bring
it up, it was in answer to a question.
Q
What was the question?
MR. HUSHEN: "Would you guarantee the security of
Israel?"
That was the question.
Q
No, that is not the question, Jack.
Q
The existence of Israel --
MR. HUSHEN: It says, "There has been a sug-
gestion that the United States might formally guarantee
Israel, is that a possibility?" That is the question, and
I think he reaffirmed the United States' commitments to
Israel and spoke about our interests coinciding.
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Q
Let's read the next question. He said, "But
in the final analysis, we have to judge what is in our
national interest above any and all other considerations."
MR. HUSHEN: That is right, and that seems to be
very clear.
Q
Is that a change in U. S. policy, or is that
the same?
MR. HUSHEN: No, I don't think that is a change
in U. S. policy. I think in the final analysis that is what
we have to do.
Q
Jack, does that say as long as Israel
occupies large chunks of Arab territory that U. S. interest
and Israeli policy are not necessarily the same thing?
MR. HUSHEN: I am not going to respond to that.
Q
Is there going to be a decision on world food
today?
MR. HUSHEN: No, but it is getting close.
Q
What is getting close?
MR. HUSHEN: A decision.
Q
Of how much food?
MR. HUSHEN: Yes.
Q
Jack, also, a housekeeping question. Now
that the President has decided to outline the highlights
of his economic and energy proposals tonight, does that
mean the State of the Union Wednesday will be expanded to
include something besides energy and economics, say,
for example, foreign policy?
In Vail we were told, as I remember, that that
would probably be delivered in a later message to Congress --
foreign policy would be included in a later message to
Congress. The State of the Union would be limited almost
exclusively to energy and the economy.
MR. HUSHEN: I don't know whether foreign policy
will be included or not. I know there will be some other
measures that will be included.
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Q
Jack, can you tell us something about any
possible visit at the end of the month or next month by
President Sadat of Egypt? There have been reports that
he is coming to Washington.
MR. HUSHEN: I have no information on that at all.
Q
Jack, I would like to go back to the Ziegler
interview. In that interview, Ziegler levels some pretty
serious charges against the present occupants of the White
House. What is the White House reaction to that, to the
charges that you are keeping all the former President's
souvenirs, you are not sending out the mail and you are
generally just taking a callous attitude towards the
former President?
MR. HUSHEN: I think, on the contrary, we have done
everything we can to facilitate the movement of this stuff,
material, mail. However, as a result of court orders and
Congressionally enacted legislation, many items cannot be
turned loose, and we are trying to work that out.
The last thing we want to do is hold up these
things from going to the former President.
Q
In that connection, did someone talk to
Ziegler? Did Nessen, the advisers or did someone on the
staff call Ziegler?
MR. HUSHEN: No.
Q
Will the President meet with Foreign Minister
Alon of Israel this week?
MR. HUSHEN: I have nothing to announce on that;
nothing has been set. If such a meeting were to be
scheduled, we will announce it, but we have nothing to
announce right now.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END
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