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Press Conference of the Vice President
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7344675
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Press Conference of the Vice President
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
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1976-06-24
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1976
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Digitized from Box 28 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 1976
Office of the Vice President
(Huappauge, New York)
PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
AT THE
COLONIE HILL RESTAURANT
HUAPPAUGE, NEW YORK
AT 7:52 P.M. EDT
QUESTION: Can you tell us, Mr. Vice President,
what you observed on your trip up here, sir, and what your
purpose is in making the survey and what the President may
have said to you regarding your trip?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: First, in the order you asked
me, we flew in low, coming into New York Harbor, and then
flew about 60 miles along the beach. I didn't see a person,
saw two trucks, with Jack Wydler, Norm Lent and Jim Cannon,
standing right behind you, who is head of the Domestic
Council, the President's Executive Assistant.
The President, who I saw and talked with this
afternoon and who asked Jim to come up on this trip so he
can take the boat trip tomorrow morning, said he was ready
to support the Federal share of whatever action is necessary
to deal with the situation. He authorized me to quote him on
that.
QUESTION: That's Jim Connors?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's the President of the
United States, named Gerald R. Ford.
QUESTION: We had that earlier.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's right.
QUESTION: What are you going to recommend,
Governor?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, it's not a question of
what I recommend. It's what is needed, and that is going to
depend on what the experts say is the cause of the problem
and the nature of the problem and how it can be solved.
QUESTION: The fact that no one is on the beach
in 90 degree heat, doesn't that give you an idea?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's right. That's the
tragedy of the situation. And, of course, the extraordinary
situation is the source of this and the cause of this is not
really understood as yet. They are going out tomorrow
morning, Jim Cannon and his environmental assistant, plus
some EPA people.
MR. CANNON: Yes, sir, and representatives of
other government agencies that may be involved.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hopefully, the State has
sent someone to participate.
MORE
Page 2
QUESTION: How long do you think before we will have
an answer?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You mean an answer as to what
the cause is?
QUESTION: What the immediate solution might be.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You've got to find out the
cause. There are two facets, I suppose. One is whatever
action is necessary in the clean-up. But fundamentally,
the question is where is this stuff coming from and why is
it appearing now, which is not too clearly understood. But
it is a very, very serious situation.
The President is very concerned about it, and that
is why he wanted us to fly over this afternoon and Jim Cannon
to come up here to take this trip tomorrow and try and get
at the heart of the problem so it can be dealt with.
QUESTION: Leaving out the cause of the problem,
just with the pollution problem alone, do you think that
Federal aid is appropriate for cleaning that pollution up
and getting the beaches back to their normal position?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That statement, I assume, is
predicated on the assumption that the source of the pollution
is abated. But I'm not sure that is true yet. And if the
source of the pollution is not abated, then a single clean-
up is going to result in maybe a temporary relief. But if
the water is polluted, it's not going to solve the problem.
That's what worries me.
I saw the Jones Beach, for instance, as we flew
over. You could see the mark of where they had had drags
on the beach, where it looks like they cleaned it up. And
I don't know whether it is true they are going to open
Jones Beach tomorrow.
QUESTION: Yes, and most of the Nassau beaches,
too.
QUESTION: Not Jones. They're not opening Jones.
QUESTION: Some of it will be open tomorrow. Two
sections of beach are closed tomorrow, the west end.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: This is why we have got to
get more information.
QUESTION: Other business, sir; I understand you
are here to court some of those uncommitted delegates.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't think there are any
uncommitted delegates in Nassau. No, I am up here to be
with my old friend Joe Margiotta. It's sort of like a
reunion, as far as I am concerned, and just to be with him
and a lot of old friends who are here from the Nassau
Assembly and the Congress and in local positions as well
as good loyal Party supporters.
QUESTION: Sir, you have said in the past that
you believe that President Ford will be the victor in August.
MORE
Page 3
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
QUESTION: Now it's coming down to the fact it is
going to be a very close race. Do you still hold to that
stern, hard belief you gave us about two or three months
ago?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes, sir. I think he is
going to get the nomination. I think he is going to be
elected.
QUESTION: Will you be recommending Maurice
Nadjari for a Federal judgeship?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I am not aware of the fact
that Mr. Nadjari isn't presently occupied.
QUESTION: Obviously, he won't be occupied at the
end of this month.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't know.
QUESTION: If he weren't occupied, would you
recommend him?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: He is an outstanding man,
and if I were asked for recommendations, I can't imagine
anyone with more courageous dedication to the best interests
of the people, who opposes corruption in any form.
QUESTION: Does that mean you would be recommending
him for a Federal judgeship?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't know that he is going
to be available.
QUESTION: Mr. Vice President, going back to a few
years ago, when you were governor and you were out here,
you promised Long Island the finest railroad in the world.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And you've got it.
QUESTION: One of the gentlemen who was with you
in those days, Harold Pryor, wants to tell you he's here
tonight.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good for Harold, and I want
to see him. He is my friend.
QUESTION: He will be delighted to hear that.
We'll carry the message to him.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Will you do that?
QUESTION: Mr. Vice President, there is still
speculation that you might be a running mate of President
Ford's in the campaign.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: There is only one person
that is qualified to do the speculating, and that is the
President. He makes the nomination. The rest of them are
just guessers.
MORE
Page 4
QUESTION: If he makes the offer, what might your
answer be?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I have already written him,
withdrawing my name from his list.
QUESTION: How close is this really going to come
down to between Mr. Ford and Mr. Reagan?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It's close, but that makes
it more exciting, you see. It gets lots of interest.
QUESTION: What might the turning point be?
What might the pivotal point --
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I have to think the
turning point was when New York State went 119 delegates
for President Ford.
QUESTION: The Vice President had something to
do with that.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I spoke, but SO did
Jake Javits, Frank Horton, Dick Rosenbaum. And we have
got lots of very able, independent delegates who came to
the conclusion that President Ford represented the best
interests of their country. And I think his record in
the last two years is just fantastic.
Nobody Would have thought two years ago that
faith and trust in the Executive Branch of government would
be restored in this short period after what we went through
and that we would have inflation cut in half, 3,200,000
more jobs today than there were a year ago and a growth
rate of 8.7 percent for the first quarter of this year.
QUESTION: What is your reaction to the latest
Gallup poll that Carter could beat either Ford or Reagan?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: My reaction is simple.
That is what the polls showed when I started running against
Harriman. It showed I was 36 percent and he was 64 percent.
The next year I was down to 24 percent. I never let that
bother me. I was inetrested in what happened in the ballot
box or in the booth, and each time I just got across the
line.
QUESTION: Do you think Governor Carey is making
a mistake in letting Nadjari leave office?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I wouldn't want to
get into a local political situation. I appointed Mr.
Nadjari, and I think that the man has shown extraordinary
courage, independence and a deep concern for protection of
people's interests. I don't know what more you can ask.
QUESTION: Do you think if you were governor,
Nadjari would be still in there fighting?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't want to put anyone
on the spot, but I would have to assume what you say is
true.
MORE
Page 5
QUESTION: If you weren't Vice President after
1976, would you like to come back and be Governor of New
York again?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No. To tell you the truth,
I would like to come back to New York, period, --
QUESTION: And do what?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: -- which is what I expect to
do. Well, I am always interested in people and problems.
And all you have to do is read the papers or listen to the
radio or look at television and find out what is going on.
And you get ideas what the problems are, and then you get
ideas as to how you can solve them.
QUESTION: You would want to solve problems as a
private citizen?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: There are lots of ways you
can serve your country. The public has got to understand
the problems if they are going to support effective action
by the Congress or the legislature. Therefore, I think
this is a very important time to concentrate on public
understanding of the critical issues facing this great
Nation of ours.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure.
END
AT 8:02 P.M. EDT