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1969 Outbound From APB Part 4: APB Chron – WH – July '69 [4 of 10]
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1969 Outbound From APB Part 4: APB Chron – WH – July '69 [4 of 10]
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White House Staff Member and Office Files (Nixon Administration)
Alexander P. Butterfield's Files
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July 15, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
JOHN EHRLICHMAN
The President has just read of Governor Ogilvie's pleas to the
Federal Government to cancel its ultimatum to the Chicago School
Board to bring about racial integration of school faculties. The
Governor has been quoted in the past as saying "arbitrary deadlines
and hasty decrees which must be modified later by the dictates of
common sense in order to arrive at effective solutions do a dis-
service to all concerned."
The President wants to know why we dan't let up a little in a case
such as this one.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 15, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
A. P. TONER
Thank you for the note telling me of your leave plans. Your
absence during late July should present no problems ... so
long as Mr. O'Neil is on the job. Bring him by any time.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
HENRY KISSINGER
For obvious reasons, I have sent the original of the attached
memorandum to Peter Flanigan.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Chron
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR
H R HALDEMAN
JOHN EHRLICHMAN
On July 8th, Harry Dent forwarded a memorandum for the President
which contained the following statements
- A recent Gallop Poll indicated that 54% of the people
(those questioned) approved of the way Mrs. Nixon is
handling her role as First Lady.
- Approval of Mrs. Nixon outweighs disapproval by a ratio
of 9 to 1, whereas the approval to disapproval ratio of
Jackie Kennedy Onassis is only 6 to 1.
The President believes that these facts are assets which we should
use to a greater extent.
ALEXANDER P BUTTERFIELD
CC Herb Klein
Jim Keogh
Ron Ziegler
Harry Dent
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
JOHN EHRLICHMAN
I am returning the memorandum which you prepared for the
President on July 8th. His comments appear at the bottom of the
page.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
H. R. HALDEMAN
You asked if the attached Flanigan memorandum was a
"Memorandum for the President's File. = The answer is that it
is not. The "Memorandum for the President's File" on the meeting
referred to (the President and Lee DuBridge) is being prepared
now. According to Peter, the attached memorandum was only to
apprise you and Dwight of those portions of the meeting dialogue
which he thought pertinent to your offices.
The memorandum described in sub-paragraph D has been sent to
the Staff Secretary for whatever disposition he believes appropriate.
(He will probably coordinate with Byyce Harlow and send it to you
as an FYI item for the President.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
C
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
THE STAFF SECRETARY
I am attaching a memorandum for the President prepared by Lee
DuBridge. It describes Senator Jackson's Bill on Environmental
Quality. During a recent meeting in the President's office, Dr.
DuBridge told the President about this bill and the President agreed
with DuBridge that it deserved Administration support regardless of
BoB's reservations.
I thought you might want to coordinate this matter with Bryce
Harlow
then forward the memorandum on to the President as
an FYI item.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Chran
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM TO
HERB KLEIN
JAMES KEOGH
The President thought the selection of thank-you letters which Jim
Keogh forwarded to him on July 1st were excellent. He now wants
to know what new letters of this general type we are initiating.
and who is responsible for coming up with new areas of interest.
Please report back to the President on this matter
ALEXANDER Stex P. BUTTERFIELD
CC John Brown
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
C
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
HARRY DENT
This is just a short note to tell you that the President enjoyed
the content of James Moye's July 2nd letter addressed to you.
He remarked that he was very pleased with the good work you
were doing with the Southern contingent.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
C
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
PETER FLANIGAN
The President had an opportunity over this past weekend to review
completely your July 8th report concerning your visit to the
Vatican as a personal envoy - and your July 3rd audience with the
Pope. I am returning that trip report herewith. along with
Henry Kissinger's cover memorandum on which the President wrote
a highly complementary comment to you
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
BRYCE HARLOW
The President appreciated your forwarding on July 8th the brief
on significant Congressional developments during the previous day.
He would like for you to continue this kind of daily report.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
DR. MOYNIHAN
I am returning a memorandum which you prepared for the
President on July 8th. As you will note, he believes "the
working poor" is an excellent theme.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
HARRY DENT
The President had an opportunity over the weekend to review your
July 8th memorandum to him concerning Southern reaction to the
"guidelines statement. 11 I am returning that memorandum herewith
and, as you will note, the President thought you did an excellent job.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
C.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
H. R. HALDEMAN
JOHN EHRLICHMAN
The President believes that we should circulate to all key staff -
and to a few "Congressional types" - some position letters similar
to the one which is attached hereto.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
CC: Harry Dent
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
HENRY KISSINGER
In the July 11th issue of the Washington Post, Bernard Nossitter
reported that Senate aides feel the information concerning the
MIRV topic being proposed for the agenda of a secret NSC
meeting - and other such incidents - "may be coming from inside
the White House."
The President's comment to you: "Here we go again."
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL
MEMORANDUM FOR:
HENRY KISSINGER
According to Francis James, an Australian whose trip through
Sinkiang province was recently covered in the London Sunday Times,
the Chinese are now able to turn out A-bombs by the "hundreds
per year, 11 but they are not especially concerned with that potential
since they have now gone on to massive production of H-bombs.
It is said that they are using the centrifuge process for producing
enriched uranium
something no Western nation has yet done,
or experimented with, outside of the laboratory.
The President wants you to check with the CIA to see what they
think of this matter. (He added that we should keep in mind that,
in the past, the Agency has almost always been wrong about the
Chicoms.)
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
China
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
H. R. HALDEMAN
JOHN EHRLICHMAN
This is merely to inform you of the fact that the President commented
as to the inaccuracy of a July 11th Washington Daily News report by
Bruce Biosset that he (the President) is "deliberately walling himself
off in his office and seeing far fewer people than did his most recent
predecessors. 11
(For your information, the article went on to say that the grumbling
in Washington about the alleged inaccessibility is well-known, and
whether aides Haldeman and Ehrlichman have barred the door for
other reasons than the President's express desire to keep his contacts
limited, deserves further study.
ALEXANDER der P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
DR. KISSINGER
The President wanted you to review the attached summary of
editorial and column reactions to the announcement of his forth-
coming trip ... especially the part which he marked at the top
of page 6.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
JOHN EHRLICHMAN
As I mentioned to you in a separate memorandum written earlier
today, Bruce Biosset had an article on the President and his Staff
in the July 11th issue of the Washington Daily News. The Presi-
dent wanted you to note Biosset's comments concerning "a top
staff coordinator for domestic affairs" essentially that we had
no one in this position and that our failure to have designated some-
one a long time ago was "unmistakably the President's misfortune."
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
DR. BURNS
I am returning herewith your July 8th memorandum for the President.
along with a copy of the July 14th "U.S. News and World Report"
which bears your picture on the front cover. As you will note, the
President was particularly pleased with your interview.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
July 14, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
DR. BURNS
The President had an opportunity over the weekend to read through
your July 8th memorandum concerning the revenue sharing meeting
held that same day. His comment to you appears in the upper right-
hand corner.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Chron
July 12, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
THE PRESIDENT
From:
Alexander P. Butterfield
Subject:
Negatively Biased Productions by NET's
"Public Broadcast Laboratory"
On Sunday, May 4, NET's "Public Broadcast Laboratory" creamed
the so-called "military-industrial complex" for about an hour
then launched into a 35-minute barrage against the ABM. The
segment concluded with MacNamara speaking on the "Race for Reason"
as opposed to arms, while film footage displayed gravestones,
German soldiers, topless go-go dancers and crippled Vietnamese.
After reading of this presentation in your morning news summary
you asked Kerb Klein for a report as to what was (and is) being
done to shape up publically-supported programs of this kind.
The report is attached.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Chem
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 11, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR: MR. HALDEMAN
MR. HARLOW
The President read in his daily news summary that John
Chancellor was reporting Senator Aiken's "sudden dramatic
shift" as very important ... and as "shaking up the White
House. 11 Understandably, he (the President) wonders why
one of our staff doesn't come out and tell the press that
Aiken has always been considered by us to be in the "No"
column. If this hasn't been done to date, it should be.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
CC: Mr. Klein
Mr. Keogh
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
July 11, 1969
ME MORANDUM FOR: DR. KISSINGER
Today the President's news summary reported Chalmers Roberts
saying that India is considering recognizing the Provisional
Revolutionary Government in South Vietnam. The President's
comment to you was that State "should talk to them right away."
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 11, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR: MR. CHAPIN
Subject: Action Report on Staff-Recommended Presidential Phone Calls
The following staff-recommended phone calls were reviewed by the President on
July 11th
.
STAFF MEMBER
REC CALL TO
DATE.
ACTION TAKEN
(1) Dwight Chapin
Mrs. Herbert Hoover Jul 11
Call made.
Please notify those concerned as to action taken.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
cheon
July 11, 1969
ME MORANDUM FOR:
MR. HALDEMAN
Bob:
As I thought, Aiken has never been considered by us as an ABM
supporter. You may want to keep a copy of the attached Senatorial
rundown in your desk. As you will notice it is dated July 7th and
represents the most complete such paper yet prepared.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
RICHARD NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
DOCUMENT CONTROL SHEET
ITEM REMOVED FROM THIS FOLDER
A RESTRICTED DOCUMENT OR CASE FILE HAS BEEN REMOVED
FROM THIS FILE FOLDER. FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEM
REMOVED AND THE REASON FOR ITS REMOVAL, CONSULT
DOCUMENT ENTRY NUMBER
2
ON THE DOCUMENT
WITHDRAWAL RECORD IN THE FRONT OF THIS FILE FOLDER.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
July 10, 1969
ME MORANDUM FOR:
MR. KEN COLE
Although by now you may have seen the White House press release
on overseas reductions I am attaching a copy to this memorandum.
The other attachment -- one which you probably have not seen --
is a compilation of the AP and UPI reports.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
Attachments
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
July 10, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
Mr. James W. Clark
Bureau of the Budget
Although by now you may have seen the White House press
release on overseas reductions I am attaching a copy to this
memorandum. The other attachment -- one which you probably
have not seen -- is a compilation of the AP and UPI reports.
Alexander P. Butterfield
Deputy Assistant to the President
Attachments
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
July 10, 1969
ME MORANDUM FOR:
Dr. Paul W. McCracken
Chairman
Council of Economic Advisers
Paul:
Thanks for "making do" this morning with the
limited time allocation.
Alexander P. Butterfield
Deputy Assistant to the President
(and Acting Secretary to the Cabinet)
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
July 10, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR:
Mr. Philander P. Claxton, Jr.
Special Assistant to the Secretary
of State for Population Matters
This is just a short note to thank you for your
cooperation prior to and during this morning's
Cabinet meeting. You held to your allotted
time in commendable fashion and, as the
President mentioned to all those present,
your briefing was excellent.
Alexander P. Butterfield
Deputy Assistant to the President
(and Acting Secretary to the Cabinet)
cc: Honorable William P. Rogers
Secretary of State
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chin
July 10, 1969
ME MORANDUM FOR:
Brigadier General George A. Lincoln
Director, Office of Emergency Preparedness
Many thanks for holding your briefing to the Cabinet
this morning to the allotted time. Be assured that
I will follow up on the matter of which we spoke
after adjournment. Dwight Chapin will keep you
advised.
Alexander P. Butterfield
Deputy Assistant to the President
(and Acting Secretary to the Cabinet)
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
July 10, 1969
ME MORANDUM FOR: MR. BUCHANAN
The President wants you to generate a number of "letters to the
editor" (of the Washington Evening Star) "praising" the July 9th
editorial "Plaque Pique".
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
cc: Mr. Keogh
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chin
July 10, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR: THE STAFF SECRETARY
The President read in his daily news summary that Mrs. Wayne N.
Aspinall died this past Tuesday (at the age of 71). He would
like a short note of condolence written without delay ... something
which is not "too gushy" for, as he explained, he didn't know her
very well. However, he would prefer the use of Mr. Aspinall's
first name in the greeting.
It may be that Rose Mary Woods has the necessary information,
and "feel" for the appropriate tone. So I would suggest your checking
with her first. But please do not delay completion of the letter
unnecessarily.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
cc: Miss Rose Mary Woods
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Chron
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 10, 1969
ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL
MEMORANDUM FOR: MR. EHRLICHMAN
MR. KLEIN
Just recently Eric Severeid commented publicly on the tough times
the President is having as he operates on "very thin political ice".
Severeid noted that it is best that such problems occur as far from
the next election as possible ... and that the President may be in
better shape by the time the '70 contests roll around. Continuing
with his discourse, Severeid mentioned the close surtax vote and
the upcoming "ABM cliffhanger" -- "situations, 11 he said, "which
the White House did not foresee when the ABM decision was
originally made."
The President directs that Herb make (or arrange for) a tough
call to Severeid emphasizing what the President has pointed out
several times -- that the pre-March 14th UPI poll on the ABM
issue was 20 for and 46 against and that some members of
his (Severeid's) staff said then that the Administration's cause
was hopeless.
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
cc: Mr. Ziegler
Note: John -- The President would like for you to follow
up on this directive and give him a report.
ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
chron
THE PRESIDENT'S COPY
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
AGENDA
CABINET MEETING
Thursday, July 10, 1969
10:00 to 11:30 A. M.
10:00-10:45
I.
THE POPULATION PROBLEM
a) Mr. Philander P. Claxton, Jr., Special Assistant to the
Secretary of State for Population Matters will present the
world-wide perspective by summarizing these three points:
-- The dimensions of, reasons for, and effects of the
(25 min)
rapid world population increase;
-- U. S. interest in and actions toward reducing the
rate of population growth; and'
-- Ways in which we might be able to improve our own
programs.
b) Secretary Robert H. Finch will present the domestic
view. He will touch on these three points:
-- Present and prospective growth patterns (i.e. With
the expectation that by the year 2000 the overwhelm-
(15 min)
ing proportion of babies will be "wanted", or
"planned", the government might as well begin
planning also.);
-- The impact of demand for public services; and
-- Problems of family planning.
(5 min)
c) Discussion
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
10:45-11:05
II.
CONTINUITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
a) General George A. Lincoln will cover these six points:
-- Basic OEP responsibilities;
--
Emergency plans in effect today re
-
Leadership succession
-
Alert and warning procedures
-
Transportation
-
Relocation facilities
(15 min)
-
Communications
-- Emergency Presidential actions in connection with
various contingencies;
-- Special communications facilities available;
-- Current review of planning assumptions and
concepts; and
-- Continuity's dependence upon Department and
Agency support.
(5 min)
b) Discussion
11:05-11:20
III.
THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
a) Dr. Paul W. McCracken will review very briefly these
three points:
-- What we've done to date;
(10 min)
-- Where we find ourselves at the moment; and
-- What problems confront us.
(5 min)
b) Discussion
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
(11:20--)
IV.
BRIEF REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
Before leaving the Cabinet Room you will want to
mention the proposed Executive Order on Labor-
Management Relations in the Construction Industry,
and
-- Your discussions of the subject with George
Shultz; and (especially)
- - That you support it.
Note: If you then call on Secretary Shultz, he
will give a 2-3 minute informative talk on the
proposal.
You may want to mention additionally:
-- Women in Government. (You spoke to Peter
Flanigan about this and said that you'd like to
mention it at "the next Cabinet Meeting. " This
might be the appropriate time to ask all Cabinet
members to move toward increasing the numbers
of competent women in key staff positions.)
-- The next Cabinet Meeting. (Monday, August 18, is
the scheduled date for the next Cabinet Meeting
to be held in California. I made a preliminary check
of each Cabinet member's proposed August schedule
and found that without any shifting of plans all would
be free on that date except Secretary Kennedy,
Director Mayo and Dr. Burns.)
*
*
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
CABINET MEMBERS'
COPY
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
AGENDA
CABINET MEETING
Thursday, July 10, 1969
10:00 to 11:30 A. M.
1.
THE POPULATION PROBLEM
a) Worldwide Emphasis
Special Assistant to the Secretary of
State for Population Matters,
Philander P. Claxton, Jr.
b) Domestic Emphasis
Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare,
Robert H. Finch
2.
CONTINUITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
Director, Office of Emergency Preparedness,
General George A. Lincoln
3.
THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers,
Dr. Paul W. McCracken
4.
BRIEF REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
*
*
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
alex Butterfield
chron
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 9, 1969
MEMORANDUM FOR
Honorable William P. Rogers
Honorable David M. Kennedy
Honorable Melvin R. Laird
Honorable John N. Mitchell
Honorable Winton M. Blount
Honorable Walter J. Hickel
Honorable Clifford M. Hardin
Honorable Maurice H. Stans
Honorable George P. Shultz
Honorable George W. Romney
Honorable John A. Volpe
As you know, the Population Crisis will be one of the
items on the agenda for the Cabinet meeting. I thought
you would be interested in seeing a draft of a proposed
Presidential message on this subject which will be issued
in the near future.
Alexander P. Butterfield
Deputy Assistant to the President
Attachment
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
DRAFT
July 1, 1969
Revised, July 2, 1969
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
In 1830 there were one billion people on the planet earth. By 1930
and
Today
there were two billion/by 1960 there were three billion. And-new
the
world population
totalis three and one-half billion.
dramatically illustrate
These stark statistics
the
rapidly
increasing rate of population growth. It took many thousands of years
- to produce the first billion people; the next billion took a century; the
third came after thirty years; the fourth will be produced in just fifteen.
If this rate of population growth continues, it is likely that the
earth will contain over seven billion human beings by the end of this
century. Over the next thirty years, in other words, the world's popu-
lation could double. And at the end of that time, according to many
predictions; each new addition of one billion persons would not come over
the millenia nor over a century nor even over a decade. If present trends
were to continue until the year 2000, we would then be adding an additional
one billion people to our world's population during every eight-year period.
While there are a variety of opinions as to precisely how fast popula-
tion will grow in the coming decades, most informed observers have a
similar response to all such projections. They agree that population
growth is among the most important issues we face. They agree that it
can be met only if there is a great deal of advance planning. And they
agree that the time for such planning is growing very short. It is for all
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
-2-
these
reasons at I address myself to the population problem in this
message, first to its international dimensions and then to its domestic
implications.
In the Developing Nations
It is in the developing nations of the world that population is growing
most rapidly today. In these areas we often find rates of natural
increase higher than any which have been experienced in all of human
history. With their birth rates remaining high and with death rates
dropping sharply, many countries of Latin America, Asia, and Africa
now grow ten times as fast as they did a century ago. At present rates,
many will double and some may even triple their present populations
before the year 2000. This fact is in large measure a consequence of
rising health standards which and economic progress throughout the world,
Those improvements to technological
advances, allow more people to live longer and more of their children
to survive to maturity.
As a result, many already impoverished nations are struggling under
a handicap of intense population increase which the industrialized nations
never had to bear. Even though most of these countries have made rapid
progress in total economic growth--faster in percentage terms than many
of the more industrialized nations - their far greater rates of population
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
-3-
growth have made development in per capita terms very slow. Their
standards of living are not rising quickly, and the gap between life in
the rich nations and life in the poor nations is not closing.
There are some respects, in fact, in which economic development
threatens to fall behind population growth, so that the quality of life
actually worsens. For example, despite considerable improvements in
agricultural technology and some dramatic increases in grain production,
it is becoming increasingly difficult to feed these added people at adequate
levels of nutrition. Protein malnutrition is widespread. It is estimated
that every day some 10, 000 people--most of them children--are dying
from diseases of which malnutrition has been at least a partial cause.
Moreover, the physical and mental potential of millions of youngsters is
not realized because of a lack of proper food. The promise for increased
production and better distribution of food is great, but not great enough
to counter these bleak realities.
The burden of population growth is also felt in the field of social
progress. In many countries, despite increases in schools and teachers,
there are more and more children for whom there is no schooling. Despite
construction of new homes, more and more families are without adequate
shelter. Already unemployment and underemployment are increasing and
the situation could be aggravated as more young people grow up and seek
to enter the work force.
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Musèum
-4-
Nor has development yet reached the stage where it brings with it
diminished family size., Many parents in developing countries are still
victimized by forces such as poverty and ignorance which make it
difficult for them to exercise control over the size of their families. In
sum, population growth is a world problem which no country can ignore,
whether it is moved by the narrowest perception of national self-interest
or the widest vision of a common humanity.
International Cooperation
It is our belief that the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and
other international bodies should take the leadership in responding to
world population growth. The United States will cooperate fully with
their programs. I would note in this connection that I am most impressed
by the scope and thrust of the recent report of the Panel of the United
Nations Association, chaired by John D. Rockefeller III. The report
stresses the need for expanded action and greater coordination, concerns
which should be high on the agenda of the United Nations.
In addition to working with international organizations, the United
States can help by supporting efforts which are initiated by other govern-
ments. Already we are doing a great deal in this field. For example,
we provide assistance to countries which seek our help in reducing high
Reproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library-and Museum
-5-
birthrates--provided always that the services we help to make available
can be freely accepted or rejected by the individuals who receive them.
Through our aid programs, we have worked to improve agricultural
production and bolster economic growth in developing nations.
As I pointed out in my recent message on Foreign Aid, we are making
important efforts to improve these programs. In fact, I have asked the
Secretary of State and the Administrator of the Agency for International
Development to give population and family planning high priority for
attention, personnel, research, and funding among our several aid programs
Similarly, I am asking the Secretaries of Commerce and Health, Education,
and Welfare and the Directors of the Peace Corps and the United States
Information Agency to give close attention to population matters as they
plan their overseas operations. I also call on the Department of
Agriculture and the Agency for International Development to investigate
ways of adapting and extending our agricultural experience and capabilities
to improve food production and distribution in developing countries. In all
of these international efforts, our government efforts should give further
recognition to the important resources of private organizations and
university research centers.
Prompt action in all these areas is essential. For high rates of
population growth, as the report of the Panel of the United Nations
Association puts it, "impair individual rights, jeopardize national goals,
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and threaten international stability. "
In the United States
For some time population growth has been seen as a problem for
developing countries. Only recently has it also come to be seen that
and pressing problems are also
problems just.as. grievous posed for advanced
industrial countries when their populations increase at the rate and
the
amounts that the United States, for example, must now anticipate.
Food supplies may be ample in such nations, but social supplies --
the capacity to educate youth, to provide privacy and living space, to
maintain the processes of open, democratic government -- may be and
almost containly will ba, grievously strained.
In the United States our rate of population growth is not as great
as that of developing nations. In this country, in fact, the growth rate
has generally declined since the eighteenth century. The present growth
Mbreover,
rate of about one percent per year is still recently significant, however. Recently,
the long-term decline in the fertility rate appears to have reversed itself.
Several factors contribute to the yearly increase, including the large
number of couples of child bearing age, the typical size of American
families, and our increased longevity. We are rapidly reaching the point
in this country where a family reunion, which has typically brought
together children, parents, and grandparents, will instead gather family
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members from four generations. This is a development for which we
are grateful and of which we can be proud. But we must also recognize
that it will mean a far larger population if the number of children born
to each set of parents remains the same.
In 1917 the total number of Americans passed 100 million, after
three full centuries of steady growth. In 1967--just half a century
later--the 200 million mark was passed. If the present rate of growth
continues, the third hundred million persons will be added in roughly a
thirty-year period. This means that by the year 2000, or shortly
thereafter, there will be more than 300 million Americans.
This growth will probably not resultin
Butit will produce serious challenges for
our society nonetheless. I believe that many of our present social
problems may be related to the fact that we have had only fifty years
in which to accommodate the second hundred million Americans. In
fact, since 1945 alone some 90 million babies have been born in this
country. We have thus had to accomplish in a very few decades an
adjustment to population growth which was once spread over centuries.
And it now appears that we will have to provide for a third hundred
a
million Americans in just thirty year period.
The overwhelming majority of the next hundred million Americans
will be born to families which planned their birth and are prepared to
love them and care for them as they grow up. The critical issue is
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whether social institutions will also plan for their arrival and be able
to accommodate them in a humane and intelligent way. We can be sure
that society will not be ready for this growth unless it begins its plan-
ning immediately. And adequate planning, in turn, requires that we
ask ourselves a number of important questions.
Where, for example, will the next hundred million Americans live?
If the patterns of the last few decades hold for the rest of the century,
then at least three quarters of the next hundred million persons will
locate in highly urbanized areas. Are our cities prepared for such an
influx? The chaotic history of urban growth suggests that they are not
and that many of their existing problems will be severely aggravated by
a dramatic increase in numbers. Are there ways, then, of readying
our cities? Alternatively, can the trend toward greater concentra-
tion of population be reversed? Is it a desirable thing, for example,
that half of all the counties in the United States actually lost population
in the 1950's, despite the growing number of inhabitants in the country
the growing
as a whole? Are there ways in which we can better distribute population!
grown2
Some have suggested that systems of satellite cities or completely
new towns can accomplish this goal. The National Commission on
Urban Growth has recently produced a stimulating report on this
matter, one which recommends the creation of 100 new communities,
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averaging 100, 000 people each, and ten new communities, averaging
at least one million persons. But the total number of people who
would be accommodated if even this bold plan were implemented is
only twenty million--a mere one-fifth of the expected thirty-year
increase. If we were to accommodate the full 100 million persons in
new communities, we would have to build a new city of 250, 000 persons
each month from now until the end of the century. That means construct-
ing a city the size of Tulsa, Dayton, or Jersey City every thirty days
for over thirty years. Clearly, the problem is enormous, and we must
examine the alternative solutions very carefully.
Other questions also confront us. How, for example, will we house
the next hundred million Americans? Already economical and
attractive housing is in very short supply. New architectural forms,
construction techniques, and financing mechanisms must be aggressively
pioneered if we are to provide the needed dwellings.
What of our natural resources and the quality of our environment?
Pure air and water are fundamental to life itself. Parks, recreational
facilities, and an attractive countryside are essential to our emotional
well-being. Plant and animal and mineral resources are also vital. A
growing population will increase the demand for such resources. But
in many cases their supply will not be increased and may even be
endangered. The ecological system upon which we now depend may
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seriously deteriorate if our efforts to conserve and enhance the
environment do not match the growth of the population.
How will we educate and employ such a large number of people?
Will our transportation systems move them about as quickly and
economically as necessary? How will we provide adequate health care
when our population reache 300 million? Will our political structures
have to be reordered, too, when our society grows to such proportions?
Many of our institutions are already under tremendous strain as they
try to respond to the demands of 1969. Will they be swamped by a
growing flood of people in the next thirty years? How easily can they
be replaced or altered?
Finally we must ask: how can we better assist American fami-
lies so that they will have no more children than they wish to have?
In my first message to Congress on domestic affairs, I called for a
national commitment to provide a healthful and stimulating environ-
ment for all children during their first five years of life. One of the
many ways in which we can promote that goal is to help more parents
in effectively planning their families.
theyowish
torlume.
We know that
involuntary childbearing often results in poor physical and emotional
health for all members of the family. It is one of the many factors
which contribute to our distressingly high infant mortality rate, the
unacceptable level of malnutrition, and the disappointing performance
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of some children in our schools. Unwanted or untimely childbearing
is one of several forces which are driving many families into poverty
or keeping them in that condition. Its threat helps to produce the
dangerous incidence of illegal placed abortion. And finally, by of course, it
needlessly adds to the burdens on all our resources of increasing
population.
None of the questions raised in the paragraphs above is new. But
all of these questions must now be asked and answered with a new sense
of urgency. The answers cannot be given by government alone, nor
can government alone turn the answers into programs and policies.
I believe, however, that the Federal Government does have a special
responsibility for defining these problems and for stimulating thoughtful
responses.
Perhaps the most dangerous element in the present situation is the
fact that SO few people are examining these questions from the viewpoint
of the whole society. Perceptive businessmen project the demand for
their products many years into the future by studying population trends.
Other private institutions develop sophisticated planning mechanisms
which allow them to account for rapidly changing conditions. In the
governmental sphere, however, there is virtually no machinery through
which we can develop a detailed understanding of demographic changes
and bring that understanding to bear on public policy. The federal
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government makes only a minimal effort in this area. The efforts
of state and local governments are also inadequate. Most importantly,
the planning which does take place at some levels is poorly understood at
others and is often based on unexamined assumptions.
In short, the questions I have posed in this message too often go
unasked, and when they are asked, they seldom are adequately answered,
COMMISSION ON POPULATION GROWTH AND THE AMERICAN
FUTURE
It is for all these reasons that I today propose the creation by
Congress of a Commission on Population Growth' and the American
Future.
The Congress should give the Commission responsibility for Anquiry
and recommendations in at least three specific areas.
First, the probable course of population growth, internal migration
and related demographic developments between now and the year 2000.
As much as possible, these projections should be made by regions,
states, and metropolitan areas. Because there is an element of
uncertainty in such projections, various alternative possibilities should
be plotted.
It is of special importance to note that, beginning in August of 1970,
population data by county will become available from the decennial
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census, which will have been taken in April of that year. By April 1971,
computer summaries of first-count data will be available by census
tract and an important range of information on income, occupations.
education, household composition, and other vital considerations will
also be in hand. Over the past 180 years, the Federal government
has merely collected census information and left it for others to examine.
Clearly the time has come for the Federal government to make better use of
its own demographic information and for state governments and other
political subdivisions to use such data to better advantage. The
Commission on Population Growth and the American Future will be an
appropriate instrument for this important initiative.
Second, the resources in the public sector of the economy that will
be required to provide for the anticipated growth in population.
The single greatest failure of foresight--at all levels of government--
over the past generation has been in areas connected with expanding
population. Government and legislatures have frequently failed to
appreciate the demands which continued population growth would impose
on the public sector. These demands are myriad: they will range from
pre-school classrooms to post-doctoral fellowships; from public works
which carry water over thousands of miles to highways which carry
people and products from region to region; from vest pocket parks in
crowded cities to forest preserves and quiet lakes in the countryside.
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Perhaps especially, such demands will assert themselves in forms
that affect the quality of life. The time is at hand for a serious inventory
of such needs.
Third, ways in which population growth may affect the activities of
Federal, state and local government.
In some respects, population growth affects everything that
American government does. Yet only occasionally do our governmental
units pay sufficient attention to population growth in their own planning.
Only occasionally do they consider the serious implications of demographic
trends for their present and future activities.
Yet some of the necessary information is at hand, and can be made
available to all levels of government. Much of the rest will be obtained
by the Commission. For it to be of greatest use, however, it should
also be interpreted, analyzed and its implications made mor e evident.
It is particularly in this connection that the work of the Commission
on Population Growth and the American Future will be as much educational
as investigative. The American public and its governing units are not
as alert as they should be to these growing challenges. A responsible
but insistent voice of reason and foresight is needed. The Commission
can provide that voice in the years immediately before us.
The membership of the Commission should include two members from
each house of the Congress, together with knowledgeable men and women
who are broadly representative of our society. The majority should be
laymen who have demonstrated a capacity to deal with important questions
of public policy, but the membership should also include specialists in
the biological, Richard Nixon Presidentias Libirary and Museum theology and law,
-15-
in the arts and in engineering. The Commission should be empowered
to create advisory paněls to consider subdivisions of its broad subject
area and to invite experts and leaders from all parts of the world to
join these panels in their deliberations.
The Commission should be provided with an adequate staff and budget,
under the supervision of an executive director of exceptional experience
and understanding.
will have
In order that the Commission has time to utilize the initial data
which results from the 1970 census, I ask that it be established for a
period of two years. An interim report to the President and Congress
should be required at the end of the first year.
Other Government Activities
I would take this opportunity to mention a number of additional
government activities dealing with population growth which need not
await the report of the Commission.
First, increased research is essential. It is clear, for example,
that we understand neither the technology of family planning nor the
sociology of population growth as well as we should. Utilizing its
Center for Population Research, the Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare should take the lead in developing, with other federal
agencies, a plan to expand such research and better relate it to the effort
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of private organizations, university research centers, international
organizations, and other countries.
Second, we need more trained people to work in population and
family planning programs, both in this country and abroad. I am therefore
asking the Secretaries of State, Labor, Health, Education, and Welfare,
and Interior along with the Administrator of the Agency for International
Development and the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity to
participate in a comprehensive survey of our efforts to attract people
to such programs and to train them properly. The same group--in
consultation with appropriate state, local, and private officials--should
develop recommendations for improvements in this area. I am asking
the Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs to coordinate this
project.
Third, the effects of population growth on our natural environment
and on the world's food supply call for careful attention and immediate
action. I am therefore asking the Environmental Quality Council to give
careful attention to these matters in its deliberations. I am also asking
the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to give
the highest priority to research into new techniques and to other pro-
posals that can help safeguard the environment and increase the world's
food supply of food.
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7/8/69
INSERT FOR POPULATION AND FAMILY PLANNING-MESSACE
2
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following,
Fourth, it is clear that the family planning services supported by
the Federal Government should be better integrated and expanded. Both
the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Office of Eco-
nomic Opportunity are now involved in this important work, yet their
combined efforts are not adequate to provide information and services to
all who want them. In particular, there are some 5 million low-income
and medically indigent women of child-bearing age in this country who do
not now have adequate access to family planning assistance, even though
their wishes concerning family size are usually the same as those of par-
ents of higher income groups. The life circumstances and family planning
needs of these women vary considerably. An effective family planning as-
sistance program must therefore be flexible in design.
To achieve a more effective program, the Office of Economic Op-
portunity should strengthen its innovative and demonstration projects in
the delivery of family planning services to the needy. A start is being
made in the 1970 budget toward expanding this program. Further, the
existing network of OEO supported community groups should be used to
provide assistance and information to those who need these services.
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The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare also must
expand and improve its family planning services. In the area of finan-
ces, our commitment is already increasing. The Federal Government
has requested authority from the Congress to spend approximately $125
million for population and family planning at home and abroad in Fiscal
Year 1970, an amount which represents a marked increase over compar-
able expenditures in previous years. But we must do better. I believe
that we should establish as a national goal the provision of adequate
family planning services within the next five years to all among the 5
million women who want them but cannot afford them. This is something
we have the capacity to do. All of our people should have convenient
access to services which can help them plan their families.
But merely providing more funds will not be enough. Under cur-
rent Federal legislation, a comprehensive State or local family planning
program must assemble a patchwork program with funds from at least
nine different sources. Such an effort is time consuming, confusing,
and inefficient. Moreover, funds for family planning are not listed as a
separate category in the legislative authorization and requests for such
support must often compete, therefore, with requests for other deserving
health programs.
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I am asking the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and the
Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity to determine what legislative,
organizational and financial authority their agencies need in order to more
effectively pursue our five year goal. I expect those agencies to submit the
needed legislation in the near future. At the same time, I hope that the
increased activity of the Federal government in this area will be matched by
a sizable increase in effort at other levels. It would be unrealistic for the
Federal Government alone to shoulder the entire burden, but this Administration
does accept a clear responsibility to provide essential leadership.
#
#
#
For the Future
One of the most serioùs challenges to human destiny in the last third of this
century will be the growth of the population. Whether man's response to that
challenge will be a cause for pride or for despair in the year 2000 will depend very
much on what we do today. If we now begin our work in an appropriate manner, and
if we continue to devote a considerable amount of attention and energy to this
problem, then mankind will be able to surmount this challenge as it has surmounted
SO many during the long march of civilization.
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When future generations evaluate the record of our time, one of
the most important factors in their judgment will be the way in which
we responded to growing population. Let us act in such a way that
those who come after us--even as they lift their eyes beyond earth's
bounds -- can do SO with pride in the planet on which they live, with
gratitude to those who lived on it in the past, and with continuing
confidence in its future.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
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