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This file contains materials relating to Jimmy Carter and Barry Goldwater.
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Press Secretary Briefings, 6/30/76
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1671672
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Press Secretary Briefings, 6/30/76
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This file contains materials relating to Jimmy Carter and Barry Goldwater.
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Ron Nessen Files (Ford Administration)
Ron Nessen's Press Briefing Transcripts
subjects
White House (Washington, D.C.)
American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976
Arms control
Presidential campaign, 1976
Treaties
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30
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1976-06-30
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6
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1976
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30
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1976-06-30
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6
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1976
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Digitized from Box 20 of The Ron Nessen File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
This Copy For
NEWS CONFERENCE
#524
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
WITH RON NESSEN
AT 11:50 A.M. EDT
JUNE 30, 1976
WEDNESDAY
MR. NESSEN: We have a lot of schedule information
about the July 4th period. I don't have a readout on the
meeting yet, but we will have a readout on the meeting
between the President and the Prime Minister.
O
What time do you think, Ron? After lunch?
MR. NESSEN: No, I think before lunch.
Now, as you know, the President is giving a lunch
for Prime Minister Miki beginning at 1:00. We have pool
coverage of the arrival of the Minister at the North
Portico. The pool has been posted, and the pool for that
should assemble here at 12:45. That is for the arrival
pictures.
At 1:15 the President and the Prime Minister
will be photographed at the staircase in the Residence,
and that is the same pool which covered the arrival. They
will just go straight in from the portico to take that
picture.
At 2:30, approximately, there will be toasts
in the State Dining Room. The photo pool for that has
been posted. You should meet here about 2:00 to go over
for the pool pictures of the toasts. The toasts will
be piped here to the press room.
0
Same pool?
MR. NESSEN: No, the pool that has been posted.
The toasts will be piped into the press room through the
mult so you can record them.
When the extension of the withholding rates
arrives sometime today, the President will sign it, and
he plans to make a short statement at the time he signs.
His position is that he is only signing this as an expedient
so that the withholding doesn't increase in people's pay-
checks, but what he really is doing is giving Congress time
to finally come to grips with the issue of cutting income
taxes, and especially to deal with his proposal that taxes
be cut an additional $10 billion.
MORE
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- 2 -
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Q
Does he have a realistic hope that Congress
will do that?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, he certainly does. He believes
they should, and he will give you his views on that this
afternoon.
Q
Is he going to do this for cameras?
MR. NESSEN: If you want it, he will.
Q
He is running the show. If he wants to
do it, we are here.
Q
It would be helpful.
MR. NESSEN: If you want it, we can probably
arrange it.
Q
What time?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know. It partly depends
on what time the legislation gets here, but I would
say mid to late afternoon.
I think you may know the President is meeting
tomorrow with Mr. Mohammad Naim of Afghanistan. He is
in the United States as a special envoy of the head of
State, and Prime Minister of Afghanistan, President Daoud,
and that will be late tomorrow afternoon.
Now, I really have quite a lot of information
to give you on the President's plans and on coverage plans
of all the Bicentennial events, beginning tomorrow at the
Air Museum. I don't know if you want to go right to that
or try to clear up on other questions first.
0
A question, first. Does the President have
a comment on Senator Goldwater's endorsement today?
MR. NESSEN: Only, Marilyn, that he is pleased.
Q
Would he say that for cameras?
MR. NESSEN: I doubt it.
Q
Ron, when did he find out about it?
MR. NESSEN: My understanding is that last
evening, or late yesterday afternoon, there was this
meeting, which I think you know about, of Cheney, Stu
Spencer and Rog Morton, sort of a periodic routine meeting
on the campaign. During that meeting, Dick Cheney was
called out of the meeting to receive a phone call, and it
was in that phone call that he was advised that Goldwater
had sent this letter.
MORE
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- 3 -
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Q
Who made the phone call?
MR. NESSEN: I am not entirely clear who the
phone call was from. I think it was from somebody on
Goldwater's staff. Then Cheney went back in the meeting
and told the President. After the meeting, the President
phoned Goldwater shortly after 6:00 and thanked him for
the endorsement.
Q
Ron, was Mr. Ford very active in the Gold-
water campaign in 1964?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know, Les.
Q
Is it possible to find out? Is there someone
you would recommend we could check to see how active he
was in campaigning for Senator Goldwater in 1964?
MR. NESSEN: I will look into it.
Q
How valuable does he think this endorsement
will be?
MR. NESSEN: I haven't had that much time to
talk to him this morning about it.
0
The endorsement seemed to indicate that
Senator Goldwater doesn't really see a dime's worth of
difference between Mr. Ford and Mr. Reagan as far as
their political philosophies are concerned. He didn't use
that phrasing, but he said they both had conservative
philosophies toward Government.
Does the President agree with that, that there is
that much similarity between the two men?
MR. NESSEN: I think he has spoken on that
very point before, Phil.
Q
Where was that?
MR. NESSEN: I will have to look it up.
Q
You don't recall what that was?
MR. NESSEN: I really don't. I know he has
spoken on it before. We can find out what he said.
O
Does the President still think the nomination
of Reagan would lead to a debacle like Goldwater's? (Laughter)
MR. NESSEN: I don't know exactly what his wording
has been on that question. I will check on it.
MORE
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- 4 -
#524-6/30
Q
When was the last time he talked to Gold-
water prior to last night?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know. I can't think of
what the occasion was.
Q
Excuse me, but to return to Jim's question,
without being facetious --
MR. NESSEN: Why don't you be facetious? (Laughter)
0
I am sure you know the President's words.
MR. NESSEN: I don't.
0
The President has said over and over again
it was a debacle, a tragedy, and disastrous, and I think
that there is really no doubt about what he has said. The
question of Jim, I think, was, does the President still
share that feeling?
MR. NESSEN: I have to find out exactly what he
said in the past.
0
Could you say he still stands by what he
has said in the past?
MR. NESSEN: I would like to see what he has
said in the past.
Q
Come on, you mean there is some question
whether he stands by his statements?
MR. NESSEN: There isn't in my mind. I would
like to know what you are referring to rather than some
blanket statements.
0
Do vou know, when that word came to Cheney
about Goldwater's endorsement, was that news to Morton
and Spencer, too?
MR. NESSEN: It was, as far as I know.
0
Since the President had previously predicted
he would win the nomination on the first ballot, it is
fair to assume, is it not, he does not regard the Goldwater
endorsement as crucial or one that would put him over?
MR. NESSEN: He is very pleased with the endorse-
ment, Ted.
MORE
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- 5 -
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?
Why won't you say more than that?
MR. NESSEN: Frankly, I haven't had all that
much time this morning to really look any deeper into it,
Walt.
0
You said he knew about it last night?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, he did.
0
Did you talk to him about it last night?
MR. NESSEN: No, I did not talk to him about it
last night.
Q
Where does the jobs bill stand?
MR. NESSEN: The jobs bill, I think, is here. It
just arrived last night, and the last day for the President
to take action on it is the 7th of July, and I can't tell
you now what his decision will be.
Q
Secretary Brezhnev, at the Communist Party
summit meeting in East Berlin, said the Ford Administration
is stalling on the arms limitation agreement and that the
United States is in fact dragging out these talks because
of the American election this year. It is on the front
page of the Post, if you haven't seen it.
MR. NESSEN: I have seen it.
0
Would you like to respond to it?
MR. NESSEN: It is just not true.
0
If I remember the scheduling correctly, the
arms limitation was supposed to be signed in Washington in
June of this year, and this is the last day of June, so
something has obviously gone haywire.
MR. NESSEN: What time is that signing schedule
for, John? (Laughter)
Nothing has gone haywire. We are negotiating, we
are working on that agreement and working on an agreement.
I mean, the only agreement we would accept would be one in
the best interests of the United States, and that would offer
the best hope of peace throughout the world.
There is no way to negotiate a treaty like that if
you set an arbitrary deadline or try to follow an arbitrary
timetable.
MORE
#524
- 6 -
524-6/30
0
Could you be more specific on what the
hang-ups are now on the treaty?
MR. NESSEN: I can't be because it is a treaty in
negotiation. The negotiators went back in Geneva on
June 1, as you may know, and they have been back on it for
about a month, and here in Washington also there is work
being done.
But, conventions, campaigns, elections are no
factor in the negotiation of this treaty.
Q
Did the delegates go back with any formul-
ationsor proposals?
Q
Question?
MR. NESSEN: Marilyn wanted to know if the
delegates went back on June 1 with -- well, I don't think
you can conduct those kinds of negotiations if you talk
publicly about the position.
0
I am not asking what the position is, I am
asking if they have one.
MR. NESSEN: Whether they have a new position?
Q
A new formulation of any sort.
MR. NESSEN: I would rather not talk in that much
detail about the negotiations.
MORE
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- 7 -
#524-6/30
Q
Is the President optimistic the treaty will
be signed this year or completed this year or that the
negotiations will be completed this year?
MR. NESSEN: He is hopeful that as soon as the
two sides agree on a treaty that is in the best interest
of the United States and in the best interests of world
peace that we will accept the treaty.
0
That is kind of a vague answer.
MR. NESSEN: You can't read the future, Walt.
I mean, we are in serious negotiations on the treaty but
I can't tell you when it will be concluded.
Q
Ron, three members of the UN's PLO observer
group -- Mr. Saleh, Rahman and Al-Hout -- have all
violated the State Department rule and are engaging in
political activity beyond the 25-mile radius of New York.
Mr. Funseth says the only action taken by the State
Department is to notify the PLO office in New York. The
question is, why, if the President is serious about not
recognizing the PLO, doesn't he order the State Department
to cancel the visas of these people who keep on violating
the regulations.
MR. NESSEN: I am not familiar with the three
cases you cite, Les. I know the PLO is accorded certain
access to New York City because the United Nations has given
the PLO observer status and generally that they are limited
to staying within 25 miles of Columbus Circle in New York
City.
Now, there has been an occasion in the past --
and they can get waivers to that rule if they don't use their
travel for political purposes --
Q
I know all of that.
MR. NESSEN: -- and there has been in the past
an occasion when at least one PLO representative did violate
that agreement and he was asked to return to the 25-mile
radius. I am just not familiar with these three cases.
Q
There have been four that have done it and
just to ask them to return to the 25-mile radius, when they
are going back to go home, or where they live anyway, does
not suggest the President is serious in not recognizing
the PLO. Why doesn't the President take sterner measures
to require that these people obey the law, the regulation?
MR. NESSEN: I can't make the judgment on whether
they have indeed violated it by participating in --
Q
The State Department admitted they violated
it yesterday. It has been four times.
MORE
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- 8 -
#524-6/30
MR. NESSEN: They are the ones in charge of
enforcing those regulations and I am sure they are.
Q
Will the President urge them to be more
definitive in enforcing the regulations or not?
MR. NESSEN: As I said, I am not familiar with
the three cases but I am confident the State Department
is handling them the way it should.
Q
At midnight tonight the FEA is scheduled
to go out of business. Is the President prepared to sign
an Executive Order to keep the thing alive?
MR. NESSEN: I understand Congress just passed
the 30-day extension, which will keep it alive for 30 days.
He will sign the legislation keeping it alive for 30 days.
What he really wants is for them to agree in the Conference
Committee between the 15-month or the 18-month extension,
the two versions they are trying to reach a compromise on,
and send that up so that the FEA can go on and fulfill its
duties of overseeingthe various legislation on this.
Q
Would you anticipate any type of ceremony
connected with this signing?
MR. NESSEN: For the brief extension of the FEA?
Q
Yes.
MR. NESSEN: No.
Q
No statement?
MR. NESSEN: No, I don't think SO.
Q
Is the President meeting tomorrow with
delegates to the Republican Convention from Delaware?
MR. NESSEN: If he is, I have not seen it on the
schedule. I will check, but I am not aware of it.
Q
What is the President's position on the so-
called Watergate reform bill?
MR. NESSEN: He has asked his Counsel's Office
to look into it, into the various provisions, and give him
a report on it so he can take a position. So far, he has
not.
Q
Is he backing the Justice Department's
objections to the bill?
MR. NESSEN: I saw Attorney General Levi's --
the position attributed to him -- and, as I say, the
President at this point has not received a report on the
major provisions of the bill and so he hasn't taken a
position.
MORE
#524
- 9 -
#524-6/30
Q
Some sources indicated that his top legal
aides here in the White House are opposed to this legislation.
Does he know of their opposition?
MR. NESSEN: Where it stands at this point is that
he is waiting for a report from the Counsel's Office on
their analysis of the bill.
Q
Are there any plans for Jimmy Carter to be
briefed on the economic summit meeting?
MR. NESSEN: The way it was left when Carter called
last week was that his people and the White House people
would get back in touch this week and discuss the matter
further, but it was agreed he would not receive briefings,
the traditional briefings on foreign policy matters until
after he was the nominee of his party.
Q
Is there any resentment here about the
presumptiousness of Mr. Carter about where he is going to
be next January?
MR. NESSEN: I wouldn't say there is any -- what
was the word you used?
Q
Resentment of the presumptiousness?
MR. NESSEN: No, because this has happened in the past,
Walt, on a few occasions. You have Kiplinger's magazine
of November, 1948, entitled, "What Dewey Will Do, A 32-Page
Feature Complete in This Issue."
Q
What is the magazine?
MR. NESSEN: It is Kiplinger's. (Laughter)
Q
What is the date?
MR. NESSEN: November, 1948.
Q
How does it happen you have this out here?
(Laughter)
MR. NESSEN: You know we have a good sense of
humor here at the White House. The first page tells "how
Dewey was able to win the nomination and then the election."
Then, "what he is like, what makes him tick, how he operates,
and" --
Q
He is an up-State New York peanut farmer.
(Laughter)
Q
What was the date?
MORE
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- 10 -
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MR. NESSEN: November, 1948 -- "how Dewey gets
the men he wants. What Dewey will do, a preview of the
action on many fronts, who will be in his Cabinet, who
will be his White House aides, his economic advisers,
what he will do in foreign policy and a new department."
Q
Are you going to have this reproduced and
distributed by any slight chance?
MR. NESSEN: No.
There is a side bar at the end of it called
"Sagging White House Floor may compel the Deweys to move. "
(Laughter) "John Foster Dulles and what role he will play
in the Dewey Administration, Dewey's foreign policy."
So, anyhow, to answer your question --
Q
Where did you get that magazine?
MR. NESSEN: It belongs to a friend. It is some-
thing he thought I would find amusing.
Q
It was not in the White House archives?
MR. NESSEN: No, it is a friend's copy that he
brought from home because he thought I would be amused by it.
Q
Would you answer the question now?
MR. NESSEN: What was it?
Q
The question is, was there any resentment
here, and apparently from your answer, if there is no
resentment, is the President as amused with Mr. Carter as
you appear to be?
MR. NESSEN: I wouldn't say amused; I would say
the President remains confident that he will be elected
President in November.
Q
Had Governor Carter not called, would the
President be prepared to have volunteered such briefings
in due course?
MR. NESSEN: You know, I don't know how you answer
that question. The call was made. As far as I know, all
along the President has planned to offer the traditional
foreign policy briefings to the Democratic Presidential
candidate, whoever he turned out to be.
Q
He was prepared?
MR. NESSEN: He was prepared. It is a tradition,
I believe.
MORE
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- 11 -
#524-6/30
Q
Has there been a judgment on Carter's request
that he be given briefings by the CIA rather than the State
Department?
MR, NESSEN: I am not clear he was that specific
in his phone call and I don't know what the format of the
briefings will be.
Do you want to go on and talk about the Fourth
of July plans?
Q
Did Carter talk to Ford?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, he talked to the President.
Q
What day was this?
MR. NESSEN: We announced it at the time. It
was one day last week.
Q
He didn't say anything about the possibility
he might take a trip to San Juan, did he?
MR. NESSEN: He didn't mention that.
Q Let me clear up one thing. In regards to
Carter's apparent request for information on the summit,
your position is, until he is the nominee he doesn't get
that kind of stuff?
MR. NESSEN: That is the traditional way these
briefings have been given.
Let's see if we can do this as quickly as
possible. Who should we assign to answer any further
questions on the July 4th period? Larry? All right.
Q
Is there any reason this can't be mimeographed?
MR. NESSEN: It will take a while for us to get
it all together and it involves a lot of helicopters and so
forth.
Do you want to hear it?
0
Yes.
MR. NESSEN: Why don't I tell you about tomorrow
and then we will worry about how to get the rest of it later,
except I will tell you that on July 4 all the travel will
be by helicopter.
Q
Even back from New York?
MORE
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MR. NESSEN: No, coming back from New York will
be in a press plane and the press helicopters will take off
on that Sunday from National Airport and you can leave your
cars at National Airport, and the press plane will come
back to National. There will be three helicopters.
Q
What time?
MR. NESSEN: The President will get back about
4:30 and the press plane will be about a half-hour to an
hour behind it.
O
I mean take-off?
MR. NESSEN: The first two helicopters will take
off at 7:15 and the third helicopter, which is in effect the
pool chopper which will fly along with the President's
helicopter, takes off at 7:40.
Whoever plans to cover the President at church on
Sunday, it will be at St. John's at 7 o'clock, a private
communion in the chapel just for the President and Mrs. Ford,
and the only coverage would be outside waiting for them to go.
If you expect to cover that, you will not be able to get to
National to get on the 7:15 helicopter, or the 7:40 helicopter,
either, for that matter.
We have about 75 seats on the three choppers --
70 or 75 seats. The charge for the day will be $300 to $350.
Some people want to make only one-way trips, but we will
have to charge you round-trip anyway because that is the only
way we can get the choppers paid for.
I will just tell you about tomorrow. The first
event of the President's Bicentennial participation will be
at the Air and Space Museum, which is being dedicated tomorrow.
The President will go there by motorcade. There will be a
travel pool and he will arrive at the Air and Space Museum
at 10:20.
Q
A.M.?
MR. NESSEN: A.M. He will go on a tour first.
There will be a number of pre-positions for reporters and
cameras and we have had some of the cameramen go over there
and give advice on what the best positions will be. The
dedication begins at 11:00. We expect to have the President's
speech text out for you late this afternoon, embargoed for
6:00 a.m.
Q
What about reporters not in the pool?
MR. NESSEN: You can go over there and get in one
of the pre-positions.
Oh, there is an expanded pool. We will have a sign-up
list where you can sign up for all these events, so you can
go even if you are not in the pool.
We are going to post the list late this afternoon.
MORE
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Q
This is the first of those four speeches?
MR. NESSEN: It turns out to be six speeches, but
this is the first. That is right.
From there, the President will drive to the
Capitol, arriving there at 11:50, to open the so-called
Centennial safe in Statuary Hall, and he will speak very
briefly there, about three minutes. There will be no text
for that.
There is a camera platform five feet high and
a 45-foot throw. He will be there altogether about 40
minutes and will return here, followed by the travel pool.
The Archives is Friday evening, but we will get
to that later.
I was not planning to brief tomorrow because of
the time of the Air Museum and the Centennial safe opening.
0
What is in the safe?
MR. NESSEN: Mementoes of 1876, some photos and
a list of people who worked at the Capitol at that time,
I believe, and some other things that are sealed and they
don't know exactly what is in there. They are wrapped in
paper.
0
Will Independence Square be his major speech
on July 4?
MR. NESSEN: I wouldn't single out any as major
speeches. The six taken together are his views of the
Bicentennial.
Q
Have there been any additions to Saturday's
schedule other than the material you put out?
MR. NESSEN: Saturday, or the Fourth?
Q
I mean Sunday.
MR. NESSEN: Sunday will be church, then chopper
to Valley Forge, where he will speak.
Q
Can you tell me what time he gets in there?
MR. NESSEN: The President arrives at 8:45 at
Valley Forge. He will sign a bill there making Valley
Forge State Parka national historic site. He will go to
Philadelphia by helicopter -- we might as well go through
this. Let's go back to Friday.
MORE
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- 14 -
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Friday, the President goes to the Archives by
motorcade, arriving there about 9 p.m. That is Friday.
He will be met by the Chief Justice, the Speaker and the
Vice President, and they will sign a register which will go
into a time capsule. Then they go into the Shrine area,
which is in the lobby, and each will speak briefly on the
historic documents which are there -- the Declaration of
Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Pights.
"e also expect to have a text of that in
advance.
0
That is speech number two?
MR. NESSEN: That is speech number two.
They will have an expanded Dool in the Shrine
area for the coverage of that.
On Saturday, the only Bicentennial event is in
the evening. The President will go by motorcade to the
Kennedy Center, getting there about 7:20 and first going
to a reception in the Atrium. He will be accompanied by
a travel nool and there will be travel DOOL coverage of the
reception.
0
What is this vou are talking about?
MR. NESSEN: The JFK Center on Saturday night, 7:20
arrival. At 8:00 the President goes into the Concert Hall
and goes to the stage, where he opens a show called "Honor
America." He will have a statement for that. That is the
third speech. We will have an advance text and probably
make it for 6:00 p.m. release to belp out Sunday Daners.
The President will then go to his box and five
of the boxes have been set aside for the press, including
cameras.
The program that night is the Mormon Tabernacle
Choir, Bob Hope, Art Linkletter and Billv Graham.
0
Is the President aware that Bob Hone had an
Honor American pro-Nixon rally on July 4 several vears prior
to this at the Washington Monument grounds about three
years ago?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know anything about it.
Sunday, just to go through what we have covered
briefly already, church at St, John's, a private communion
for the President and Mrs. Ford in the chapel at 7 a.m.
Whatever coverage you want outside, although those going
over there won't make the press choppers.
MORE
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We have three press choppers -- CH-53s. They
will carry about 70 or 75 reporters. They will load at
the Butler Aviation Terminal at National Airport. Since
you make the last leg back from Newark on the airplane,
it will land you there so you can leave your cars there.
Two choppers will leave at 7:15. The show-up
time for them is 6:45. The third chopper will leave at 7:40.
The show-up time is 7:15.
0
Will breakfast be served?
MR. NESSEN: Not on the choppers.
0
What was show-up time for the first chopper?
MR. NESSEN: 6:45 for the first chopper. The
choppers will fly you to Vallev Forge. The President will
arrive at 8:45. He will walk from the helicopter pad to
the site of the speech. It is in an outdoor amphitheatre
at the Valley Forge State Park. He will speak there. We
will have a text in advance, the embargo to be decided
later. That is the fourth of the Bicentennial speeches.
0
One of the things happening there is that Vallev
Forge State Park is becoming Valley Forge National Historical
Site?
MP. NESSEN: Yes.
0
It is being given to the Federal Government?
MR. NESSEN: No, it is concurrent. You can be
a State Park and a National Historical Site simultaneously.
There will be filing facilities there.
O
When will you have that text? Saturdav?
MP. NESSEN: Yes, you have to have it Saturday.
Then the President goes by helicopter to Philadelphia,
and so do you. The President will arrive at 10:00 and
land in a parking lot about three minutes from Independence
Hall, and he will go by motorcade to Independence Hall.
There will be filing facilities outside the Hall.
The program begins at 10:00, I understand. The
President will speak 45 minutes into the program. That
is also a text, and we will have an advance text on that
with the embargo to he decided later.
Then, the President goes to the Bellvue Stratford
Hotel in Philadelphia, by motorcade. It is a three- or
four-minute motorcade. We will have more elaborate press
facilities there, as well as food.
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The President goes to a reception as the guest
of Mayor Rizzo in the City of Philadelphia for other
people who have taken part in the celebrations there.
n
Are you at all upset about the idea that
Frank Sinatra, who has been identified widely as connected
with the Mafia, will sign the Star Spangled Banner at
Independence Hall?
MR. NESSEN: I don't see that on mv schedule.
0
Will Billy Graham be there?
(Laughter)
MR. NESSEM: It is possible.
0
What was the name of the hotel?
MR. NESSEM: Bellevue Stratford.
0
Is Mrs. Ford accompanying him?
0
I have seen that reported, that Frank
Sinatra will sing the national anthem.
MR. NESSEN: According to my schedule, you have
the welcome by Charleton Heston, the national anthem by
the United States Armed Forces Band and Chorus -- perhaps
he has joined the Armv (Laughter) -- then you have the
invocation by Cardinal Krohl, the pageant of the flags,
Pledge of Allegiance by a former Vietnamese prisoner of
war, former Lieutenant John Vernecci, of the Marines.
Mayor Rizzo has his greetings, Governor Shapp
has his remarks, the Declaration of Independence will be
read, excerpts of it, by Marion Anderson, a prayer of
thanksgiving --
C
Did the White House have anything to do
with scratching Frank Sinatra? (Laughter)
MR. NESSEN: I have never seen Frank Sinatra
on any schedule I have ever seen.
C
It doesn't say who sings the anthem.
MR. NESSEN: It does, the United States Army
Band and Chorus.
At Bellevue Stratford, the President gets there
at 11:30. As I said, there is filing facilities and food
for the press, and the President goes to this reception
as the guest of the City of Philadelphia and the Mavor.
At 12:30, the President will leave and go by
helicopter to New York, landing on the USS FORRESTAL
at 1:45, and so do you.
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0
All three choppers?
MR. NESSEN: All three press choppers are
together at that point, but they will separate soon.
At 2:00 p.m. the President rings the ship's
bell, which sets off two minutes of bell ringing all
over the country as a celebration of the country's
200th birthday. Also on board will be the Vice
President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of
Defense, and other dignitaries, altogether 3,000 guests.
The President will speak briefly there, but there will
probably be no text of that.
C
That is not speech six?
MR. NESSEN: No, it isn't. Then the President
will depart by helicopter, and so do you.
0
What time?
MR. NESSEN: About 2:30. Two of the press
helicopters go to Newark Airport, where they will file.
The other helicopter will follow the President's, and
plans are not yet completely final for this aspect, but
it is possible the President will fly over or around the
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. That is possible,
but not set yet, and also he will do an aerial review of
the tall ships.
Then the press chopper and the President's
chopper will land on the USS NASHVILLE, a Navy command
and communications ship, where he will get a briefing on
the tall ships and review the tall ships for a while
from the deck of the NASHVILLE.
0
Has the WAINWRIGHT thing been scrapped?
MR. NESSEN: The answer is yes, I think.
0
Will there be any filing facilities aboard
the FORRESTAL?
MR. NESSEN: There will not be.
0
What time does he land on the NASHVILLE?
MR. NESSEN: He lands on the NASHVILLE somewhere
between 2:30 and 3:00, or say 3:00, in that area.
0
All three press helicopters?
MR. NESSEN: No, two have gone to Newark to
file, and one to the NASHVILLE.
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0
Will that be an expanded DOOL?
MR. NESSEN: It will be one chopper full,
say 28 press, something like that.
Then the President, after leaving the NASHVILLE
by helicopter, flies to Newark Airport in his helicopter,
gets on Air Force One and flies to Washington, where
it will land at National Airport. He arrives at National
at 4:30. It is about a 45-minute flight, so he would
be leaving Newark about 3:45.
n
How much time do we have in Newark to
file before we leave?
MR. NESSEN: As much time as you want. At that
point you get on a press plane and fly back to National
from Newark Airport.
0
Will we get a pool report of the NASHVILLE
proceedings?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, the people who come off
the third chopper will give you a pool report at the
airport.
0
He sees the ships from the NASHVILLE then
rather than from the FORRESTAL?
MR. NESSEN: From his helicopter and from the
NASHVILLE, that is correct.
0
Not from the FORRESTAL?
MR. NESSEN: No, that is not the purpose of the
visit to the FORRESTAL.
C
Where is the NASHVILLE?
MR. NESSEN: Somewhere in the river there.
(Laughter)
I haven't seen it. This part of the program
is still being put together.
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Q
The original plan was the President was
going to go to the WAINWRIGHT, which was way up by the
George Washington Bridge.
MR. NESSEN: I know, but this is still being
worked out. This is the current plan.
For those of you who don't know a bark from a
brigantine, I have a little visual chart here and we will
have a test later. We will cover up the name and see if you
can tell --
Q
We don't get to see that unless we are in
the pool, right?
MR. NESSEN: That is right.
Q
Is that from the Kiplinger book?
MR. NESSEN: No, this is from "The Tall Ships
I have Known."
Q
Why is he landing at National?
MR. NESSEN: Because there is an open house at
Andrews and, you know, the runway is filled up with people.
Q
Is he going to fly over the crowds in Washington
in Air Force One?
MR. NESSEN: No, the purpose is, because Andrews
has open house that day and there will be a lot of people
on the runway.
Q
Will he watch the fireworks from the balcony
that night?
MR. NESSEN: The last event of the day is to watch
the fireworks from the balcony. We have not worked out
the press plans for that yet.
Q
What time does he get back to Washington?
MR. NESSEN: 4:30.
Q
On the fireworks, I guess in the past,
previous Administrations, the: press and their families
have been brought in to watch the fireworks from the grounds.
Will we be able to do that this year?
MR. NESSEN: We haven't worked out who that will
be. The President has invited members of the staff to
bring their families. It is really a question of space.
They will have to find out how many are coming and how many
there is still room for.
Q
Can we watch from the Dewey balcony?
MR. NESSEN: That is right.
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On Monday, the President will depart the White
House at 9:40 by helicopter on his way to Monticello in
Charlottesville, Virginia. The press will go by plane,
however, leaving at 8:15 from Andrews. We expect to get
some pool seats in the choppers that go with the President,
but not a full pool.
0
What time at Andrews?
MR. NESSEN: The press plane leaves at 8:15
on Monday.
Q
What time do they arrive in Charlottesville?
MR. NESSEN: A short flight, 45 minutes at the
most, so you will get there about 9 o'clock.
Q
When he gets back to National Airport, will
he come back to the White House by helicopter or car?
MR. NESSEN: Probably helicopter.
Q
Check-in at 7:45 at Andrews?
MR. NESSEN: Check-in on Monday? Yes, 7:45.
We will have a text of the Monticello speech in
advance. That is the sixth Bicentennial speech. We will
determine later what the embargo time will be.
The President speaks at Monticello at 11:30 in
the morning. As you know, this is a naturalization ceremony.
The exact number of people being naturalized is between 200
and 400. We don't have the exact number.
After the speech and the naturalization ceremony,
the President will walk around and talk to the new citizens.
Q
Is Potter Stewart in on that?
MR. NESSEN: I am not sure who is going to swear
them in.
Justice Powell is from Virginia, and it is
Justice Powell.
The President will come back to the White House
by helicopter, arriving here at 1:20 in the afternoon.
There are six other major naturalization ceremonies taking
place around the country that day. The biggest ones that
I know of so far are in Miami, where there will be 6,000
new citizens sworn-in, and in Chicago, where there will be
1,776 new citizens sworn-in.
Q
The other guys had to do it another day,
the extras?
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MR. NESSEN: There will be these ceremonies in
four other cities, the names of which I don't know yet.
The President will send messages to the other ceremonies.
Q
Valley Forge, will he speak at Valley Forge?
MR. NESSEN: Yes, he will speak at Valley Forge.
Q
How soon will he speak after his arrival?
MR. NESSEN: Almost immediately.
Q
What does he do the rest of Monday? Does
that complete his Bicentennial activities?
MR. NESSEN: Monday, after the return from
Monticello, that concludes this particular portion --
the July 1 through 5 portion -- but, as you know, the Queen
is coming and there are certain events related to that.
Q
I am talking about Sunday.
MR. NESSEN: After he comes back and watches the
fireworks from the balcony, that concludes that.
Q
I am sorry, I meant Monday.
MR. NESSEN: After he gets back from Charlottesville,
there are no other Bicentennial events that day.
We don't know exactly when that spacecraft is going
to land on Mars. That was intended as a Bicentennial event,
but there have been some problems there with the landing zone.
Q
What time does he return on Monday, please?
MR. NESSEN: 1:20 in the afternoon.
Q
Are there any plans to address the Governors
in Hershey, Pennsylvania? They meet on Monday and Tuesday.
MR. NESSEN: I don't have anything on it right now.
Q
Ron, is he suspending telephone calls to delegates
over the holiday period?
MR. NESSEN: If there have been any telephone calls
so far -- well, I don't know what his plans are for telephone
calls.
Q
Is he inviting any delegates to watch the
fireworks?
MR. NESSEN: I don't know.
THE PRESS: Thank you, Ron.
END (AT 12:33 P.M. EDT)
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