Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "7341797",
    "label": "Pool Report on President's Appearance at Liaison Office Luncheon",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7341797"
}

{
    "id": "7341797",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7341797",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Pool Report on President's Appearance at Liaison Office Luncheon",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7341797",
    "collections": [
        "White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)",
        "Press Releases"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/97/3417/7341797/content/library/document/0248/whpr19751204-007.pdf",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/97/3417/7341797/content/library/document/0248/whpr19751204-007.pdf",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/97/3417/7341797/content/library/document/0248/whpr19751204-007.pdf",
    "imageCount": 1,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7341797",
    "naId": 7341797,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 4,
            "logicalDate": "1975-12-04",
            "month": 12,
            "year": 1975
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/97/3417/7341797/content/library/document/0248/whpr19751204-007.pdf",
    "mediaId": "64532c751fe82a2a",
    "ocrText": "Digitized from Box 18 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nDecember 4, 1975\nPOOL REPORT #23\nUSLO Luncheon\nThe President and party arrived at the Liaison Office at 12:08 pm, about 15\nminutes late. Mrs. Ford and Susan arrived separately more or less on time.\nIn the foyer of the Bush residence, the 16 children of the Liaison Office's\nstaff were lined in a row to greet the President, The oldest appeared to be\nperhaps 8 years old and there was at least one child in arms.\nThe President came into the foyer and was greeted by Mrs. Bush, who said,\n\"They're going to tell you their names. 11 The President shook hands with each\nchild in turn, and with a few exceptions each introduced himself or herself and\ngot a \"nice to see you, David\" etc.\nChristine Ogden, the 3 1/2 year old daughter of First Secretary J erry Ogden,\nwas holding a print of the President's official portrait. When proded by Mrs.\nBush, she asked for an autograph. The President held the picture against his\nleft knee and signed it \"To Christine Ogden, best wishes, Jerry Ford\". One\nlittle girl had to be nudged by her father to stick out her hand for the President\nto shake, and one shy little boy put his hands over his ears when the President\napproached.\nThen the President walked into the adjoining drawing room, an airy, gaily\ndecorated rectangular room with almost electric yellow walls. Susan and Mrs.\nFord were already in the drawing room when the President entered. The three\nFords and senior staff Cheney, Kissinger, Hartmann, Scowcroft, Nessen,\nLynn et al mingled with the staffers; their wives and children, for about\nten minutes. Barbara Bush was taking pictures for posterity all the while.\nThen the President went outside into the inner courtyard to pose for photographers:\nthere was some banter about George Bush being a hot tennis player. Then the\nPresident disappeared from view, apparently for a tour of the Liaison Office\nbefore lunch.\nBack in the drawing room, Secretary Kissinger, who seemed in a very good\nmood except for a Newsweek article about him this week which he termed\n\"fiction\", was asked about the talks. He promised to give us a general\nrundown of the talks tonight, and reminded the pool, \"I told you before we left\nthere would be no spectacular announcements. 11\n\"On the other hand, unless you think we and the Chinese are running a big\nconfidence game, you can tell that both sides are satisfied with the results.\"\nHe then talked briefly about detente; the pool missed a piece of this but the\nessence of the remarks were that events would prove which assessment of\ndetente was right ours or the Chinese. Kissinger also said \"You can assume\nwe've discussed every international problem\" during the talks. As for the Mao\nmeeting, \"this was much more detailed and much warmer (than the Nixon meeting).\nIt's no reflection on Nixon; Nixon was the first American leader to see Mao.\nnow we have got ongoing relations\nHe described Mao as \"very vigorous\"\nmuch better than when they had met in October, and \"extraordinarily acute. \"\nAs for a communique, \"We didn't even try for a communique. we decided on the\nfirst day not to try because it just didn't lend itself. 11 Then he added in jest,\n\"We did in two days here what it took three days to do, \" again emphasizing that\nhe was jasting. Between bites of a very tasty springroll, Kissinger said he had\ntremendous affection for Chou Fn-lai but that he gets along with Teng.\"\nTom DeFrank"
}