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7340024
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Pool Report, Air Force One, Traverse City, Michigan, Friday, July 11, 1975
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1
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7340024
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document
title
Pool Report, Air Force One, Traverse City, Michigan, Friday, July 11, 1975
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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7340024
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11
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1975-07-11
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7
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1975
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eded1f43ac1d9eaa
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Digitized from Box 13 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
POCL REPORT - AIR FORCE ONE
TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN
FRIDAY, July 11, 1975
Wheels up at 11:50 a.m. Washington time.
Shortly after take-off, Ron Nessen came back and read us the following
statement; which he said was in anticipation of questions about the
Butterfield allegations:
"We have no information to substantiate the allegation that a member
of the previous Administration was a secret CLA agent or indeed any
kind of CLA agent, nor have we heard of such information. The questions
apply to previous Administrations. Those questions could best be
addressed to those who were involved in the Administrations.
"To the best of our knowledge, and we have no reason to believe otherwise,
there is no employee working at the White House who has, or who has had,
a CIA connection of which we are unaware. We have no reason to believe
that anyone currently working at the White House, either as an employee
of the White House or on detail from another agency, is surreptitiously
reporting information on White House activities to any other government
agency.
"I failed to make clear, in responding to questions in this area yesterday,
and maybe I should have made clear, that I was speaking specifically of
the present White House. I can only speak for this Administration. I
don't want you to think that this qualification I am mentioning today means
we have discovered that any CIA agent infiltrated the White House in the
past. We have no reason to believe there ever has been such an agent,
but I want to make clear that I speak only for this Administration and
this President.' (End of statement).
Asked to explain the discrepancies between this statement and his flat
denials yesterday, Nessen said: "Nothing I said yesterday was untrue.
I just want to get back to the position I've always taken -- that I speak
only for this Administration."
Nessen said in reply to another question that his statement today had the
knowledge and approval of the President.
Then, in response to further questions, he said he would have issued
today's statement even if the allegations about Butterfield had not been
made. He said again that he was making the statement because he wanted
to get back to his standard position of speaking only for this White House.
When we pressed Nessen on the discrepancies -- or apparent discrepancies
if you prefer between this statement and his remarks yesterday, he
repeated what he had said yesterday -- that he had checked and had been
assured that there was no reason to believe that any White House personnel
had reported clandestinely to the CIA in previous Administrations.
"Wha t I said yesterday was true, " Nessen said, but he again said he
wanted to get back to the position of speaking only for this White House.
Asked whether there were any plans to investigate the present White
House staff to determine whether there were any covert CLA agents,
Nessen said: "I'll check (to see whether any such inquiry is planned). ::
(MORE)
- 2 -
Cn more routine matters, Nessen said the President brought a large
amount of mail with him on the flight to Traverse City and planned to spend
most of the flight signing letters.
With the President on Air Force One were Mrs. Ford, Senator Robert F.
Criffin of Michigan, and the following members of the Michigan delegation
in Congress, all Republicans: Representatives Elford Cederberg, Guy
Vander Jagt, Philip Ruppe and Marvin Esch.
Also: James and Paul Griffin, sons of the Senator; Donald Rumsfeld,
Philip Buchen, L. William Seidman, Milton Friedman, Gwen Anderson
and Ron Nessen.
Nessen drew attention to the fact that the schedule shows Mrs. Ford making
a tour of Mackinac Island on Sunday. Nessen said this is only tentative - --
Mrs. Ford has not yet decided whether she will do it.
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Deakin/Leubsdorf/Fippert