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The original documents are located in Box 54, folder "President - Speeches (4)" of the
Philip Buchen Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald R. Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 54 of the Philip Buchen Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
October 9, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR:
PHIL BUCHEN
FROM:
ROBERT T. HARTMANN
SUBJECT:
Remarks at General Revenue Signing,
Yonkers, N.Y., October 13, 1976
I would like your priority attention and personal response on the
attached draft (even if you approve it as is) by 10:00 MONDAY MORNING.
Please return your comments to Bob Orben in the Editorial Office
in Room 115, OEOB (Ext. 6573).
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please check one box and sign below:
( ) I approve the draft without changes.
x
Suggested revisions are noted on the
draft or attached separately.
Initials:
T.W.B:
DENISON
SECOND DRAFT
OCTOBER 9, 1976
GENERAL REVENUE SHARING BILL SIGNING, YONKERS, NEW YORK
October 13, 1976
We meet today to mark the passage of legislation that
is a milestone in America's continuing effort to make government
work. In the words of Abraham Lincoln -- government should
be "for the people and by the people". The General Revenue
Sharing Program is, in fact, a people's program.
It has proven to be a triumph of the conviction that
State, county, city and local government can be far more
responsive and flexible in serving citizens than distant
bureaucracies and special interest programs. Revenue sharing
has only one special interest: the return of tax dollars to
local authorities SO they can best determine how to solve
community problems with community solutions.
Many of you here this morning were instrumental in the
original enactment of revenue sharing legislation in 1972.
No one, however, had a more significant role than two former
Governors of this State -- Vice President Nelson Rockefeller
and Malcolm Wilson. I am honored by their presence today
as I sign the extension of the General Revenue Sharing Program.
As the Republican leader of the House of Representatives,
in 1972, I, too, was proud to lead the fight for the
revenue sharing concept. In 1976, as President, I am proud
revenue sharing
to have led the successful fight for renewal of the/program.
once
In 1980, as President, I will be proud to/again lead the fight
the further to continue
for/continuation of revenue sharing.
In 1972, revenue sharing was an idea whose time had come.
From its inception, the program has been an unqualified success.
Yet, other voices -- confusing, shifting, misleading voices -
have been raised in criticism of the program.
My opponent, the gentleman from Georgia, once called
revenue sharing "a big hoax and a mistake." He said it
was merely a scheme to allow the Federal Government to relieve
itself of a financial burden -- a burden that would be placed on
the States and localities.
-3-
Today, we can't be sure where he stands. In recent
months, after his fashion, he has shifted from calling the
program a hoax to saying that revenue sharing requires
a major overhaul.
He is upset because some local communities have used
their
revenue sharing funds for projects and programs that
they deem necessary. He has said that important national
programs are being shortchanged because local governments
and citizens have spent the money as they see fit.
How little does he understand what revenue sharing is!
How shallow is his comprehension of what the American system
of government is all about!
Let's look at the record. Let's study recent political
history.
our
The genius of/American government is the Federal
system of shared responsibility. Working properly, this
allows
system lets three levels of government -- federal, State
each to
and local attack problems
best suited to its capabilities
and responsiveness.
of
This structure allows our people to approach A their problems through
the government closest to them --- rather than looking to an all-
powerful central bureaucracy for every answer.
However, for years, this system eroded. For decades,
more and more power -- and bureaucrats, flowed to Washington.
For decades, the Federal Government piled programs of narrow
categorical aid on top of one another -- costing the taxpayers
severely in both dollars and in the loss of local control.
By 1972 there were over 1,000 separate Federal grant
programs --- each equipped with its own bureaucracy and set of
restrictive rules. But with the enactment of General Revenue
Sharing, the American people called a halt to this trend and we
began on the long road back to restoring the balance between Federal,
State and local units of government.
Since America's mayors, governors and county supervisors
were given these new resources and responsibilities, they have
proved -- again and again -- the value of local control over
local concerns. By the end of this year, States and local units
of government will have received 30 billion, 200 million dollars
-5-
in general revenue sharing funds.
This money has improved the schools in many towns across
America. It has beefed up local police forces and made local
health services more responsive. Best of all, revenue sharing
funds have provided jobs -- both public and private -- in
countless communities.
One place that has not gotten additional jobs through
revenue sharing is than 100 Federal
the Ferread Washington, bureaucracy.in D.C. Fewer
employees operate the entire program. Only one of every
800 revenue sharing dollars is spent on administering the program in
Washington.
This is a fine record and the new General Revenue Sharing
Program which I will sign today will make that record even better.
The new program will:
-- extend revenue sharing until September 30, 1980,
- provide 25.5 billion dollars to the states and
localities, and
-- give local citizens a greater voice in deciding how
revenue sharing funds should be spent in their own communities.
It is particularly appropriate that this legislation
is being signed into law here in Yonkers. This city, its
citizens and its able Mayor, John Martinelli, are committed
to solving their own problems in their own way. Revenue sharing
is one Federal program that offers Yonkers and thousands of
other American communities a helping hand rather than a
prying eye.
The new General Revenue Sharing Program will make a
good system even better. It is with a sense of accomplishment
and pride that I sign this bill today.
#
#
#
#
is
FORD
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
October 9, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR:
PHIL BUCHEN
FROM:
ROBERT T. HARTMANN
SUBJECT:
Remarks at Rockland County Courthouse,
N.Y., October 13, 1976
I would like your priority attention and personal response on the
attached draft (even if you approve it as is) by 10:00 MONDAY MORNING.
Please return your comments to Bob Orben in the Editorial Office
in Room 115, OEOB (Ext. 6573).
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please check one box and sign below:
( ) I approve the draft without changes.
(X) Suggested revisions are noted on the
draft or attached separately.
Initials: P.W.B.
FORD
(BOORSTIN)
OCTOBER 9, 1976
THIRD DRAFT
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS AT ROCKLAND COUNTY COURTHOUSE, NEW
YORK, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1976
Let me thank you for your warm welcome, and for coming
out here this afternoon. I couldn't think of a better way to spend
a brisk fall afternoon than being here in beautiful Rockland County.
I only wish I could talk with every one of you individually.
Since I can't, let me tell you what I would say to each one
of you if I could sit down with you over a sandwich
or
cup of coffee.
Let me give you some straight talk.
Mr. Smith -- I would say to you -- or Mrs. Jones --
you've been hearing an awful lot of words and numbers in the
last few weeks. You've heard statistics and percentages
and conflicting claims.
I don't believe those are the most important things
in this campaign. Let me tell what I believe is most
important you are. The American people are what matters
in this campaign.
You have some clear choices to make in the next three
weeks. Let's look at some of the alternatives--
My opponent leaves a lot of issues up in the air --
but he is clearly in favor of more government spending.
He endorses 100 billion dollars worth of new programs --
and that ain't peanuts.
I believe in cutting the growth in government
spending -- to dampen the threat of inflation -- to let you
keep more of your own money.
So your choice is clear and simple -- do you want
your taxes raised to pay for that 100 billion dollars
worth of new programs my opponent endorses? I don't believe
you do.
You have worked hard for your money -- you should
have more freedom to spend it the way you want. Unlike
my opponent, I believe you have as many good uses for
that money as the Federal government does in Washington.
-3-
That is why I asked the Congress to give you a major
permanent tax cut -- bigger than the one they decided to
give you. That is why I proposed increasing your personal
exemption by one third --- from $750 to $1,000 for each and
every taxpayer
member of your family.
Let's take another clear-cut choice. Even while
he would add billions of dollars of new programs,
my opponent has said many times that he favors cutting billions
of dollars from our defense budget. Apparently he thinks
we can take our chances with our adversaries.
I don't agree with that -- I don't think you do
either. We have to pay the price for a strong defense --
because that is the price of peace. If we don't pay it in
just
dollars now -- we/might pay it in blood later on. It takes
more than a smile to protect your freedom.
Let me add this -- as I have said before --- we are
all well aware that the people of some Eastern European
good
countries do not share all the freedoms we enjoy.
-4-
I recognize that sad fact -- but I do not accept it as
a permanent situation.
My Administration has always supported -- and
will continue to support by every peaceful means -- the
aspirations for freedom and independence of the peoples
of Poland and other Eastern European countries.
On that issue -- as on many others -- you know
where I stand. You don't have to guess what position I'll
take in the next four years. You don't have to be afraid that
promise
do
I'll say one thing in the campaign -- and another thing
in office.
That brings us to another choice --do you give
someone your trust just because they ask you for it -- or because
they have earned it?
I have been your President for two years - and if you
think back to the condition this country was in back then,
you'll agree we are better off now.
What was inflation
-5-
rate on aug. 9, 1974
as compared to now
Inflation now is half of what it was when I took office,
More Americans have been working this year than ever before
in our history.
Two years ago America was at war abroad ----- today
America is at peace." Not one American is fighting anywhere
in the world - not one American risks losing a loved one on
the field of battle -- and I intend to keep it that way.
Americans then were shocked and saddened by abuses
of Presidential power - today America's faith in the White
House has been restored.
This Nation is a better place to live in now than it
was two years ago. I want it to be an even better place four
years from now than it is today.
America won't be a better place if the tired old formula
operates. You know that old formula -- tax and tax, spend
and spend, spin the red tape out for miles and cover it with
words and smiles.
FORD
LIDE
TYPE
That old formula equals one thing -- more power in
-6-
Washington, less freedom for you in your own homes and
neighborhoods. That's the wrong formula for America as we
enter our third century.
We can do better than that -- we will do better than
that, with your help on November 2nd. You can choose a
government that offers security, stability and strength.
You can choose a government that offers more freedom -- not
more interference. You can help make America prouder and
stronger than ever before. I ask for your help -- I ask for
your vote - I won't let you down.
Thank you very much.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
October 13, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR:
PHIL BUCHEN
FROM:
ROBERT T. HARTMANN
SUBJECT:
President's Remarks at Iowa State
University, October 15; 1976
I would like your priority attention and personal response on the
attached draft (even if you approve it as is) byll:00 a.m. (Thurs.) Oct. 14, 1976
Please return your comments to Bob Orben in the Editorial Office
in Room 115, OEOB (Ext. 6573).
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please check one box and sign below:
(X) I approve the draft without changes but
( ) Suggested revisions are noted on the
draft or attached separately.
Initials: TWB
I think it ought to be shortened.
FORD
Composite Draft #1
October 13, 1976
PRESIDENT'S REMARKS AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, OCTOBER 15, 1976
It's great to be at Iowa State University, and in the
heart of America's farm belt.
This fine university has a long tradition of excellence
in agricultural education and training.
Because of the work and the research conducted here, and
because of the hard work of the Iowa farmer, you have transformed
this state's fertile soil into the breadbasket of the Nation
and the world.
If the State of Iowa were an independent country, it
would rank second only to the United States in the production
of corn.
I couldn't have picked a better week -- or day -- to come
to Iowa. Just three days ago, on Tuesday, the Department of
Agriculture released its October forecast predicting second
largest wheat crop and the largest corn crop -- 5.9 billion
bushels -- in American history.
÷
FORD
-2-
What's more this new record will be achieved in spite of
serious drought conditions. I'm delighted to be in the heart
of America today to see some of that corn being harvested.
This record crop is a graphic illustration of an over-
riding, non-political fact that transcends all of the noise --
and the rhetoric - of this election year: America is blessed
with farm lands and farm know-how unequaled any place on earth.
The corn belt -- and the other great growing areas of
our bountiful country -- are renewable, non-depleting assets --
worth far more than all of the oil fields of the Middle East
combined.
It is no wonder that a single American farmer can feed
56 people.
No other nation on earth even comes close to that record.
The Soviet Union has 35 percent of its people engaged in agri-
culture, and they consistently fall short of their needs.
American agriculture has maintained a constant six-percent
increase in productivity year after year. That is something
-3-
no other segment of American society, or any other society, has
been able to do, and I congratulate you for it.
Why have you been so successful? The answer is simple.
Because you have been permitted to use your own ingenuity, your
own inventiveness, your own initiative, your own freedom to
produce the finest and most abundant food and fiber in the world.
If you are to continue meeting the needs of this country
and our trading partners throughout the world, you must con-
tinue to have this kind of freedom -- freedom from the meddling
hand and the long arm of government.
This Administration has pursued a "hands-off" agricultural
policy. With your help, we will keep right on pursuing that
policy for the next four years.
What are the results of this policy so far? Average farm
income over the last three years has been higher than ever before
in history. For the average farmer in Iowa, net income has
risen from $
in 1965 to $
in 1975.
-4-
You no longer have heavy farm surpluses hanging over the
market, depressing your prices, costing the taxpayers a million
dollars a day in storage fees.
Instead of storing grain in government bins, we are sell-
ing it in record volume. Farm exports totaled 21 billion, 600
million dollars in the last fiscal year, and it will be over
22 billion this year.
We will export more than three billion bushels of wheat
and feed grains in this marketing year, an all-time record. That
includes one and a half billion bushels of corn, 1.2 billion
bushels of wheat, 250 million bushels of grain sorghum, about
50 million bushels of barley and oats.
We have worked out a long-term agreement with the Soviet
Union which requires them to purchase at least six million metric
tons of grain every year for five years. In dollars and cents,
that is at least a billion dollars worth of grain every year.
This agreement gives us a stable, long-term foreign market.
It assures a more consistent flow of payments from abroad
-5-
It insures the American farmer that the Soviet Union will
be a steady customer rather than making erratic, secretive pur-
chases and causing prices to fluctuate here at home.
It makes it easier to hire labor, to purchase new farm
machinery, and to generally stimulate agriculture and agribusiness
because you know what to expect.
The private marketing system has been preserved. We are
moving in the right direction, toward greater prosperity for the
American farmer -- and we'll keep moving in that direction for
the next four years.
These good sales and glowing prospects are the fruits of
free trade. They are also the benefits of peace, and of aggressive,
successful negotiations. They are the just reward of the Iowa
farmer's hard work.
We have been successful partners.
FORD
I have no intention of exploiting the American farmer by
GERAL
LIBRARY
using farm exports as a pawn in America's foreign policy.
-6-
There is a fundamental difference between me and Mr. Carter
on that question. In an interview he gave just two months ago,
on August 8, 1976, Mr. Carter was asked, "In the case of the
Soviet Union doing things like intervening in Angola, would you
favor using our economic leverage to get the Russians to cease
and desist?"
Mr. Carter replied, "Yes, I would."
He told the Associated Press that a new Arab oil embargo
would amount to "an economic declaration of war," and that he
would "instantly and without further debate," suspend U.S. exports
of weapons, spare parts, oil drilling rigs, oil pipes, and food.
Those are two things he said about his plans for your
products in the future. But just as interesting is what he didn't
say.
When he made his acceptance speech at the Democratic Con-
vention in New York City, he didn't mention agriculture a single
time. Not once in forty minutes.
-7-
In Kansas City a few weeks ago, here's what I said:
"We will carry out a farm policy that assures a fair market
price for the farmer, encourages full production, leads to record
exports, and eases the hunger within the human family."
(MORE)
-8-
That is a pledge I was proud to make in my acceptance
speech, a pledge I will proudly keep for the next four years.
I know that despite the good overall record I mentioned
earlier, some farmers are having a hard time of it right now.
Cattle prices are down way too low. Wheat prices are
down too low. The weather has not been a very good friend to a
lot of farmers in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.
I have already done something about the cattle situation.
Last week in Dallas, I signed a Presidential Proclamation to limit
beef imports, and thereby help American cattlemen. I have re-
peatedly said that I would not -- under any circumstances -- permit
the United States to become a dumping ground for foreign beef.
The new meat quotas will alleviate this serious problem for our
cattlemen.
I have already done something about government loan
rates for grains. On Wednesday I ordered an increase in the
government loan rates for wheat from $1.50 to $2.25 a bushel, and
-9-
for corn from $1.25 to $1.50 a bushel. These adjustments will
permit a more orderly marketing of this year's bumper crops of
wheat, corn and other feed grains.
I have already done something about the family farm.
To further encourage the revitalization of rural America
I fought hard for -- and was proud to sign into law just last
week -- an increase in the Federal estate tax exemption from
60,000 dollars to the equivalent of 175,000 dollars. The new law
also permits estate tax payments attributable to farms to be
stretched out over an extended period. These tax reforms will
go a long way to help saye the family farm.
?
Is
To ensure the future prosperity of America's beef and
mutton producers -- a segment of the farm community besieged
by low prices, I have ordered that meat import quotas be imposed.
I'm also trying to do something about the weather -
other than talk about it. I have just signed legislation
authorizing the establishment -- for the first time in American
history -- of a national weather policy to develop new methods
-9a-
of combatting the crippling drought conditions that have
cut farm production. Under this new program the
Commerce Department will conduct research into weather
conditions and develop means of modifying the effects of
- more -
-10-
severe weather changes to protect the farmer. For once, we
are going to do something about the weather!
In Kansas City, last August, I said that we would never
use the bounty of America's farmers as a pawn in international
diplomacy.
Today, I repeat that statement.
I realize that the 1975 embargo on grain sales was un-
popular among America's farmers. But, it had two positive effects:
First, it prevented the passage of extreme measures then
pending in Congress which would have halted all private grain
sales and put agricultural exports in the hands of a government
board.
Second, the embargo resulted in a five-year agreement under
which the Russians pledged to buy a minimum of six million tons
of wheat and corn per year, even in years when they have good
production.
This agreement effectively removes the possibility of
future government interference with farm exports -- except in
-11-
the case of a dire national emergency, such as a war.
I pledge to you today, however, that while I am President
there will be no interference with exports of farm products without
the closest consultation with the men and women who produce the
commodities --- America's farmers.
To ensure that farmers have a voice in any decision
important to their well-being, I am directing the Acting Secretary
of Agriculture to begin today to name a Farmer Export Advisory
Group that will advise me when decisions are being considered
regarding exports of farm products.
I, for one, believe that America's farmers should be
listened to. As long as I remain in the Nation's highest office,
agriculture will have an understanding friend at the White House.
Of course, Mr. Carter, says he's the farmer's friend too.
But, how good a friend is he?
Mr. Carter wants to go back to the old discredited system
of government meddling in the farmers' affairs. He wants to
build up a stockpile of farm surpluses once again. He has
-12-
proposed a stockpile of 25 million metric tons of grain, with
half of it to be held in government bins.
He may, after his fashion, back away from this proposal.
His underlying philosophy ---- of government interference -- won't
change.
Mr. Carter does have a strange way of changing his
accent as he moves about the country.
In California, he tries to sound like Caesar Chavez.
In Chicago, he sounds like Mayor Daly.
In New York, he sounds like Ralph Nader.
In Washington, he sounds like George Meany.
Then, Mr. Carter comes to the farm belt and tries to
talk like a farmer. Yet, he doesn't sound like a farmer
who really understands farmers.
-13-
The American farmer is the miracle man of the 20th century,
but we need new miracles to carry us into the 21st century.
It has taken mankind 10,000 years to reach a worldwide
population of four billion. But just 35 years from now, there
will probably be four billion more people living on this earth.
We initiated a world food conference in Rome last year,
which concluded that the United States, Canada and Australia
combined -- the three biggest food exporting countries in the
world -- could not hope to meet the food demands of the world
if the population doubled in that short a time.
And yet we must.
I believe we can, because I believe the American farmer
can do anything he sets out to do if the government will give him
room and get off his back.
Agriculture is much too important to be left to politicians.
Agriculture is big business -- it ain't peanuts.
The Ford Administration -- and the American farmer share
the same ideals, the same confident approach to the future, the
-14-
same belief in the land and in American agriculture.
You and I -- together --- stand for hard, productive work
and for being able to enjoy the fruits of that work. You and I --
together -- stand for honesty, straight talk and for basic morality.
You and I -- together -- stand for lean, responsive, fiscally-sound
government.
We believe in a minimum of bureaucratic control over farm-
ing. We believe in agricultural policies geared to the free
market philosophy. We believe that the farmer himself should
decide how to invest his land, capital and labor to make a profit.
We don't believe that profit should be taxed away from him or his
family.
The choice is clear. I say that government is already too
large, too powerful, too costly and too deeply involved in the
lives of every American. Mr. Carter cannot begin to carry out
his promises without bigger bureaucracies and higher taxes.
I want a new generation of freedom in America -- not the
freedom to avoid responsibilities and turn our problems over
-15-
to the government -- but the freedom to do what we want to do
and what we ought to do.
This is the kind of America that I want. This is why I
have come here today to ask for your support -- and for your
votes on November 2nd.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
October 13, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR:
PHIL BUCHEN
FROM:
ROBERT T. HARTMANN.
SUBJECT:
Iowa Farm Forum, Ames, Iowa
October 15, 1976
I would like your priority attention and personal response on the
attached draft (even if you approve it as is) by 11:00 a.m., Thurs., Oct. 14
Please return your comments to Bob Orben in the Editorial Office
in Room 115, OEOB (Ext. 6573).
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please check one box and sign below:
(X) I approve the draft without changes.
() Suggested revisions are noted on the
draft or attached separately.
Initials: T.W.B.
FORD
(Denison)
October 13, 1976
SECOND DRAFT
IOWA FARM FORUM, AMES, IOWA, OCTOBER 15, 1976
It is a great pleasure to be back in the midst of
America's farm belt today. I am experiencing -- first hand --
a new sense of confidence and pride among those of you who earn
your living from agriculture.
Farmers are once again proud of their calling -- proud
of what they have accomplished for themselves and for their
country -- proud of the fact that they are farmers.
Today, young men and women are again enthusiastic about
the opportunities available in a free market agriculture. The
average age of farmers is dropping -- more farmers are finding
it profitable to stay on the farm -- and prosperity has
returned to rural America.
Only a few years ago many farmers seemed ashamed of
their rural background. Many said: "I'm just a farmer" or
"I wish I could get out of this business of farming."
-2-
Today, farmers have a new sense of belonging. They
know there is someone in Washington who cares about their
problems and appreciates the fact that families of real people
live on farms in rural America. As I have said before --
as long as I occupy the Nation's highest office, agriculture
will have an understanding friend in the White House.
Earlier today I spoke at some length about the
agriculture policies of my Administration. This afternoon,
instead of another speech, why don't we use this opportunity
for me to answer whatever specific questions you may have.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
OCTOBER 13, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR:
PHIL BUCHEN
FROM:
ROBERT T. HARTMANN
SUBJECT:
'PRESIDENT'S REMARKS AT MARTHA GRAHAM
DINNER, OCTOBER 14, 1976
I would like your priority attention and personal response on the
attached draft (even if you approve it as is) by 11:00 AM
10/14
Please return your comments to Bob Orben in the Editorial Office
in Room 115, OEOB (Ext. 6573).
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please check one box and sign below:
X
I approve the draft without changes.
( ) Suggested revisions are noted on the
draft or attached separately.
Initials: T.W.B.
CERALD R. FORD
MIHALEC
OCTOBER 13, 1976
FIFTH DRAFT
PRESIDENT'S REMARKS AT MARTHA GRAHAM MEDAL OF FREEDOM AWARD
OCTOBER 14, 1976
In this Bicentennial year, each of us has celebrated the
spirit and vitality of America. The person we are honoring
tonight has been doing that for as long as most of us can
remember.
When Martha Graham began her career in modern dance,
she not only raised its eyebrows, she raised its sights.
A true pioneer, she continually broke new ground and challenged
old assumptions. Her innovations were so original that one
startled traditionalist was reported to have asked here,
"How long do you intend to keep this up?" Today America
is thankful that she is still keeping it up.
Martha Graham not only expanded the horizons of modern
is
dance, she also moved inward to convey the deepest types,
FORD
of emotion. In doing so, she created what one critic
labelled "an original way of communication."
-2-
Long before the phrase "body language" entered our
vocabulary, Martha Graham was using the human form to
express human feelings.
Martha Graham's name has become synonymous : with
modern dance. In addition to her work as a performer and
choreographer, she has provided inspiration and counseling
to generations of young people, including Miss Betty Bloomer
from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her pupils learned that self-
discipline is not an obstacle to creativity, but a vehicle --
that hard work does not detract from inspiration, but rather
allows it to reach its fullest potential. Most of all, they
learned to meet any situation with courage and complete
honesty.
Over the years as a great dancer, Martha Graham
has received many, many awards. Tonight, she receives an
award as a great American.
Her visits around the world have given a new meaning
to the word "ambassador." "
-3-
She has shown very clearly to all the world what is
possible when personal genius is allowed to flourish under
artistic and political freedom. In America, the arts
have blossomed and we are justly proud of the great strides
in the area of dance alone,
we have made. Last year,/there were more than four times
as many professional dance companies as there were in 1965.
But the continued survival and growth of the arts
in America requires more than just the genius of the artists.
It also requires the foresight and generosity of both public
and private sources of support.
Tonight, I am announcing my approval of full funding
for the Cultural Challenge Grant program over the next three
years. This will provide 12 million dollars in new federal
moneys for the arts next year and approximately 50 million
dollars over the next three years. Because these grants will
be made on the basis of one federal dollar for every three
raised from other sources, it can serve to generate 200 million
dollars in new support for the arts.
-4-
This help will be in addition to the renewed authorization
for the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities, which
I signed in Dallas last Saturday.
Many people here tonight were instrumental in
providing the financial support that enabled the Martha
Graham Dance Troupe to inspire America and the world.
Let me assure you that we in the federal government are
going to do our part to encourage the Martha Grahams of the
future.
Tonight, however, there is only one Martha
Graham, and all of America is very proud of her.
Graham,
And now, Martha / would you please join me.
It gives me great pleasure to present you with one of our
nation's highest honors, the Medal of Freedom. Let me read
from the citation:
-5-
"Dancer, teacher and choreographer, Martha Graham
has captivated the world with her magic and has left a
legacy of imagination with all who have witnessed her talent.
Her energy, creativity and daring have opened new doors of
expression in dance. Her followers and friends adore her,
and her country, the United States of America, is proud
to proclaim her a brilliant star in the artistic galaxy."
Ladies and gentlemen, Martha Graham.
#
#
Let me conclude by proposing a toast to our honored
personified
guest who has /
the spirit of our country with her
imagination, her enormous talent, and her quiet determination __a
great artist and a courageous American -- Martha Graham.
#
#
#
#
President
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
5 pacches
October 20, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR:
PHIL BUCHEN
FROM:
ROBERT T. HARTMANN
SUBJECT:
Swearing-In Ceremony, Federal Council
on the Aging - October 21, 1976
I would like your priority attention and personal response on the
attached draft (even if you approve it as is) by 4:00 p.m., October 20, 1976
Please return your comments to Bob Orben in the Editorial Office
in Room 115, OEOB (Ext. 6573).
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please check one box and sign below:
( ) I approve the draft without changes.
Suggested revisions are noted on the
draft or attached separately. - P.4
Initials: for Bucher T.W.B.
(Denison)
Oct. 19, 1976
THIRD DRAFT
SWEARING IN CEREMONY, FEDERAL COUNCIL ON THE AGING 10/21/76.
It is a great honor for me to have this opportunity
of asking
to swear into office six members of the Federal
Council on the Aging. In the two years since its formation --
the Council has made substantial contributions to the well-being
of America's aging -- particularly in the areas of tax policy
and coordinating benefit programs for older persons.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to call one
of the Council's most significant achievements -- the
Bicentennial Charter for Older Americans -- to the attention
of all Americans. The Charter is a "Bill of Rights" for
America's elderly -- a testament to our Nation's heartfelt
concern for its senior citizens.
It has been said that history judges a society on how well
it cares for its older people. In America -- in recent years, the
Federal Council on the Aging has led the way to a record of
solid progress in helping the vast majority of our elderly lead
independent, satisfying and healthy lives.
-2-
Since the 1971 White House Conference on Aging first
focused national attention on the problems and concerns of
older Americans.
- Social Security benefits have risen by 50 percent.
- A new national network of State and area agencies on
aging has been established.
- Special housing programs for the elderly have been
set up.
This is a good start; but, our efforts in behalf of
older Americans have only begun.
Our first priority must be to protect the retirement income
of older Americans.
Inflation --which hits those on fixed incomes hardest -
is the foremost threat to the stability and value of retire-
ment income.
We have cut inflation in half. But, if our elderly are to
fully enjoy their later years -- it must be cut further.
-2A-
We must strengthen the financial underpinnings of the
Social Security System. Congress adjourned without acting
upon my proposals to ensure the fiscal integrity of the system.
I will urge the new Congress to make this its first order of
business.
-3-
I have also asked the Social Security Administration to
carefully review the current retirement earnings test. Today,
older persons lose benefits when they earn more than 2,760
dollars a year. The test must be liberalized so that older
people -- who need the income -- remain in the work force
without losing their hard earned retirement benefits.
To further this objective -- the Veterans Administration is
preparing a report on overall pension reform proposals that will
deal with the reduced benefits that are paid to retired persons
who are eligible for both V.A. and Social Security payments.
America's veterans have earned -- with their courage and their
sacrifice -- an adequate retirement income. They must not be
shortchanged.
Finally, our older citizens have earned the right to live
securely and to walk the streets without fear. That is why I
was particularly gratified by a provision in the Omnibus
Crime Control Act which I recently signed.
This new provision requires that State crime control
plans deal specifically and firmly with the criminal attacks
-4- - -
which are made against our senior citizens.
All Americans can count on the Federal Council on the
Aging to continue to see that these and other issues which
particularly concern our older citizens are met head on.
missing post of SENTINCE SENTENCE
forward to the leadership Miss Adkins, Mr. Martin, Monsignor
Fahey (Fay-Hee), Mr. Winston, Mrs. Deveraux (Dehver-Row),
and Mr. Holland --- will provide in the years to come.