The President's News Conference

THE PRESIDENT. Good morning.

I think that the only statement I have this morning is my apologies for being 5 minutes late. Time slipped by on me. We will go right to questions.

Q. Merriman Smith, United Press: Mr. President, does this Government know the whereabouts of the Russian Far Eastern Mission member, Mr. Rastovorov?

THE PRESIDENT. I have had no detailed reports on it.

Q. Charles Lucey, Scripps-Howard: Mr. President, will you prefer some kind of congressional check on treaty-making power or would you prefer to see no bill at all passed?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, Mr. Lucey, I have tried to make my position clear on this several times. There is undoubtedly an honest fear throughout the United States that the treaty-making power can be used to contravene or to supersede our Constitution. In order to reassure America's population on this score, I am ready to do anything, even if it requires some kind of language in the Constitution.

When it comes to anything, however--and this is where I stick and will not compromise one word--when it comes to the point of using any amendment to change or alter the traditional and constitutional balances of power among the three departments of Government, a feature of our Constitution that is the very genius of our whole system of government, I won't compromise one single word. That is exactly where I stand.

Q. Robert Donovan, New York Herald Tribune: Sir, on the same subject, this Bricker amendment, it is very complicated, and it has now gotten into a very complicated tangle on the Hill. Do you think, sir, it is wise to try to thrash this out without having a new look at it in committee, in view of the technicalities that have now piled up?

THE PRESIDENT. Of course, I am not going to comment on the processes used in the Senate, but I must say it is a complicated matter.

As you people know, it absorbs the time of great numbers of people, studies and arguments. It is very, very intricate, and I go back again and again that that Constitution has served us very well for 165 years. Maybe individuals at times have abused it or maybe here and there we haven't been too accurate in our interpretations--because we have had reversals in interpretations. But, by and large, those people did a job that I don't want to trifle with too much, and unnecessarily. So I do believe that these things must be soberly studied. They must not become in the slightest degree partisan. They must be examined in what is the long-term good of the United States, what is going to be the effect of this two decades from now, and what is it going to be next year. Let's not be in a hurry about such an important thing.

Q. Laurence Burd, Chicago Tribune: Mr. President, there is a report in the news this morning that we have sent 125 air technicians to Indochina to service our bombers over there, and that France has requested 400 more. Do you know, sir, whether we have military personnel in Indochina, and what our plans are on that?

THE PRESIDENT. In many countries of the world we have not only military attaches and their staffs, we have large military missions.

In Indochina, as in numbers of other countries, we have military missions. We do not put people there as fighting units. They are training and technical missions of all kinds, they vary in size, and that is all there is to say on the subject.

Q. Mr. Burd: Do you know if planes are being serviced over there?

THE PRESIDENT. I couldn't say whether they are or not, but we do have a military mission. One of their jobs is instructing in air as well as the rest of the things.

Q. David Sentner, Hearst Newspapers: Mr. President, do you consider the Indonesian [Indochinese] situation critical at the present time?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, it's been critical for so long that it's difficult to just point out a period when it is more than normally critical.

I think this is a fact: all of us have known, in every situation like you have there, that the heart and soul of the population finally becomes the biggest factor of success or failure. By that I mean if the Vietnamese want to be free, if they believe that through this kind of a war they will be free, then you will have probable success.

Q. Anthony Leviero, New York Times: Mr. President--

THE PRESIDENT [continuing]. If it goes the other way, you will probably not have the success. So it is critical in the sense that we have had some evidence that there is a lack of enthusiasm we would like to have there.

I am sorry, I just had a lapse: Indonesia--

Q. David Sentner, Hearst Newspapers: I meant Indochinese.

THE PRESIDENT. You did? Then I answered it! [Laughter]

I am glad we were both wrong. Some day I must tell you the story of the confusion with a cross-eyed man. [Laughter]

Q. Anthony Leviero, New York Times: I am sorry for the interruption, and that is what I meant to call attention to.

THE PRESIDENT. Thank you.

Q. Charles von Fremd, CBS Television: I wonder, sir, if there is anything you can add at this time to the reported Air Force plan to build a world-wide chain of atom bomb storage bases that was discussed up on the Hill?

THE PRESIDENT. I have not seen that.

Q. Mr. von Fremd: It was discussed up on the Hill yesterday in the Armed Services Committee, I believe.

THE PRESIDENT. I didn't know; it has escaped me; I haven't a word to say on it.

Q. Kenneth Scheibel, Gannett News Service: Mr. President, the Government must decide soon what price it will pay for surplus butter under the program which starts this spring. The dairy people have announced they want it kept where it is, but a lot of consumers think it is too high and it should be reduced. Do you know of any plan to reduce the price of butter?

THE PRESIDENT. I'll put it this way: I don't know that the decision has been reached as to where the price would be fixed for next year. Incidentally, I believe I have an engagement now with the dairy people coming in to see me, and I imagine they will talk about that. I do believe this: We can't keep butter priced out of the market and get it used. I just don't believe that, and something, I think, has to be done.

Q. George Herman, CBS Radio: Mr. President, do you agree with Secretary Wilson that the United States is doing 90 percent of the atomic bomb rattling in the world?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I don't think I ever make just ordinary generalizations that sound like that. I do deplore any spread of hysterical fear in this world. I think that a mature, intelligent people ought to look at the problems and the threats that face them in the world, do the best they can, and have some confidence in the result.

I do deplore, and I think that must have been what Secretary Wilson was trying to say--deploring, let us call it, just spreading of fear.

Q. Nat Finney, Buffalo News: Mr. President, some of the reports from Berlin in the early phases of the conference there suggested, it seems to me, that there was some real progress being made on the discussion of your proposal for an atomic pool. Is there any light you can throw on that for us today?

THE PRESIDENT. No, not of a particularly detailed kind, at least.

I do have, as you would know, I have my daily reports from Secretary Dulles. As I believe I noted last week, he is on the job, the man that enjoys my full confidence. He is doing the best he can to get those agreements of the kind that we believe to be logical and suited to the world situation today, fair to all.

Experience has not given any great reason for assuming tremendous successes, but by the same token, I believe we must always keep trying; that is what we are doing. So far as the atomic side of it is concerned, it would always be possible, of course, that some little advance might be made there even in the absence of advances in the wider political problems; but, as of now, I can't even suggest that that might come about.

Q. Jack Bell, Associated Press: Mr. President, I would like to get back to the Bricker amendment for just a moment. I wonder if you could tell us whether you have any objections to Senator George's substitute proposal for the Bricker amendment?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I'll tell you, at this moment I am not going to talk about the details of the thing because, as was suggested a few minutes ago, these things are complicated; they are very complicated, and they need long study.

Every time something new appears upon the scene, my advisers and I get together. I get people from outside of Government, inside, and they begin to study it. But until meanings are clear and convictions can be formed, why, I wouldn't want to talk on details.

Q. Mrs. May Craig, New England Papers: Mr. President, if I may go back to the sabre-rattling, our new look puts our dependence on air power and air power weapons, and it is said that they are deterrents of war. Now, if the enemy gets the idea that we will not use them, will they be a deterrent?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, Mrs. Craig, I will tell you: I spent some little time at war, and I don't think that big and bombastic talk is the thing that makes other people fear. I think that a calm going about of your own business, pursuing a steady course, that is the thing that makes him begin to tremble and wonder what you are going to do.

Let me point this out: we fought a number of campaigns over in Europe, and I don't recall once issuing a pre-campaign statement that "we are big and strong and mighty and tough, and we are going to beat somebody's brains out." [Laughter]

We went ahead with our job, our preparations, and when it was necessary, then the thing started.

Our prayer is now that it will never be necessary to do these things, but we are just going about our business like Americans ought to--I hope.

Q. Robert Spivack, New York Post: Mr. President, have you received any preliminary reports yet on the investigation of the high price of coffee, and if so, what they show?

THE PRESIDENT. No, I haven't, except what I expressed last week: that they believed from their preliminary investigation there was sufficient evidence to indicate the need for a much broader and deeper one.

Q. Paul Leach, Chicago Daily News: Mr. President, there has been considerable criticism in the insurance industry of your reinsurance proposal in the health plan. Is there any indication that that will be modified or changed or dropped?

THE PRESIDENT. Not at this moment; it hasn't been suggested to me. In other words, the Secretary of that Department has not come up with any change in plan.

Q. Elmer Davis, ABC Television: Mr. President, is them any more information about the 2200?

THE PRESIDENT. On this 2200, when I found out some little time ago that you people had a very widespread interest in this thing, I said, "Well, let's take a good look."

Here was something that never occurred to me there was going to be this kind of intense interest. We have had several groups since then studying just exactly what we can do, how far we can break these things down, and what information can be put out. When they report to me, I will use some channel to get it to you. Just exactly what the answer is going to be, I don't know.

Q. John Herling, Editors Syndicate: Mr. President, this is a question that ties in with the economic side and the human relations side of your program. On the economic side you referred in your message to Congress that this was not the time for raising the minimum wage; it was a matter of timing. Does this mean that you don't plan to recommend a raise in minimum wages while we are holding the present level of unemployment?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I think my Economic Report speaks for itself, and if you take any one of these items out of context and begin to talk about it, you can make it mean anything. I really put in many hours of hard work with my advisers on that Report, and I would respectfully refer you to that Economic Report for what I really believe at this moment about the minimum wage scale.

Q. Mr. Herling: Sir, in listing the things that would have to be done in the summary of your Economic Report, the spread of unemployment insurance, and so on, were listed among other things, but minimum wage was not. That is why the question as to whether or not you plan to do something about it this session.

THE PRESIDENT. The Economic Report, I think, makes clear that there would be a very great question about the wisdom of such a move at this particular moment when you are going through, inescapably, a transition from a semi-war economy, or even war economy, and all its controls into a freer economy not supported by great munitions expenditures of all kinds.

It becomes a question of timing, and I am not so certain that I could describe the exact conditions that would have to be prevailing before you would make this recommendation. But I am certain that everybody studying that report and helping to prepare it does believe that it is through the proper distribution of the profits deriving from our form of industry--the widespread distribution--that the prosperity of this country comes about. They believe in getting that done just as far as it is possible.

Q. Mr. Herling: On the human relations side, the Albert Beeson nomination, which is being held up in Congress today, there seems to be a growing doubt in the Senate Labor Committee about how completely Mr. Beeson has severed his relations with his company and the pension plan connected with it. Senator Smith said late last night the White House wants fast action on the nomination one way or the other. Do you have any further or alternative plans in this connection?

THE PRESIDENT. I have no plans at all of any kind in this connection. I had my people search for an individual, I had both the Department and the Labor Departments in this particular thing. We searched and we found a man; we talked to him; we thought he was a good man. We think he is a good man. We put him before the Senate, and it is up to them.

Q. Ray Scherer, National Broadcasting Company: Mr. President, several top Republicans have suggested that there is something unethical, almost un-American, about using this word "recession" in connection with the present business conditions. What could you say about that?

THE PRESIDENT. I hadn't seen those words, at least stated in that way. I think it is a free country; you can use words as you see fit, and attach to them such meanings almost as you see fit.

I think we are going through a readjustment that we have had to after every time we have been in one of these emergencies of any kind in our country. You have to go as intelligently as you can, always remembering that the prosperity of this country lies in the prosperity of its masses, not just of the few corporations or anything else like that. That is the policy we are trying to apply.

I suppose we have receded from something, because not everything is at its peak today, so you have to use the word as you see fit. I had not heard that particular exhortation.

Q. Marvin Arrowsmith, Associated Press: Mr. President, to go back to the first question of the conference, you said you hadn't received a detailed report, a report on this case of the Soviet agent who is missing in Tokyo. Can you say whether he is in American custody?

THE PRESIDENT. No, I can't say anything, because it just happens to be one of those things that I have had no report of any kind. I assume that when there is really important information to impart, it will be brought to me. Normally it would, certainly.

Q. Harry Frantz, United Press, South American Service: Mr. President, the question may be premature, and I won't press it if you are not prepared, but I just wondered if you are yet ready to give any general indication of your thought and plans with regard to the Tenth Inter-American Conference at Caracas on March 1st? There has even been some speculation that you thought of attending the opening, for example.

THE PRESIDENT. It has been discussed often between my principal advisers in those departments and myself, but there has been no feeling so far that we saw a practicable way for me to get down there at the moment.

Q. Fletcher Knebel, Cowles Publications: Mr. President, after about a year of these press conferences, what do you think of them? Do you like them or not? [Laughter]

THE PRESIDENT. You are getting a little personal around here, aren't you? Well, I'll tell you: I think I told you people the first time we ever had a press conference that over a very considerable period of time in which I have been thrown into more or less intimate contact with the press--and that goes back to '41--I feel that there has been between us existing a very fine relationship, in war and in peace.

I have no particular objection even to the so-called needling questions. I think I recognize most of them. [Laughter] And I have got some very good friends. I will tell you frankly that one of the difficulties of the particular job I am on is that lots of good friends I have got among the newspaper people I can't pursue as freely as I could at one time, because it isn't understood you are just meeting a friend; you are meeting a newspaperman, and that becomes something else again.

I don't mean to say that I like to give away the time that sometimes these conferences call for, particularly if they come at a very ,busy period. But all in all, I think I like them; that would be my answer.

Q. George Herman, CBS Radio: Mr. President, last week at our conference you expressed interest in a plan for honorable discharges for people in Government employ. Could you tell us if you have inaugurated any study on that subject?

THE PRESIDENT. I asked about it, and I meant to ask about it this morning, to see whether we had gotten any place at all, but I just overlooked it.

Q. Mr. Herman: You have asked somebody to look into it?

THE PRESIDENT. Oh, yes; I have asked.

Q. Robert Clark, International News Service: Former President Socarras of Cuba was arrested a few weeks ago and accused of trying to smuggle arms out of the United States. We have a Latin-American client who would like to know if his arrest means the United States would not under any circumstances permit the security of another American Republic to be threatened by illegal activities of political exiles?

Q. (Several voices): We don't understand the question.

THE PRESIDENT. Well, the question is, in general, this: that there was apparently some action taken to prevent suspected export of illegal arms, and the question was, then, did this act mean that the United States would always act in the same pattern in the case of any South American country.

Obviously, here is a question that has so many implications you wouldn't even attempt an off-the-cuff, shooting-from-the-hip answer.

Actually there was no detailed report made to me on the primary incident and, therefore, I could not certainly reason from there to a policy until I knew all of the facts. I couldn't possibly answer the question at the moment.

Q. Edward Milne, Providence Journal-Bulletin: Mr. President, I have my usual poor notes on this, on your answer to the question about the 2200. I have you promising to channel something to us, but I don't understand whether you are going to channel the breakdown to us or whether you are simply going to let us know the decision of your associates.

THE PRESIDENT. Well, it could be both--[laughter]--but finally I will tell you what we are going to do about it. Now, you just have to give me a little time.

This is an extremely complicated thing. Remember, I insist on one thing: let us not run this Government so as we can throw extraordinary guilt by association or any other way on people that are innocent. At the same time, I am determined that I will not keep people around and give them the privilege of governmental employment if they are security risks. Now, that is all I am trying to do.

It takes time to break it down, and you will get an answer when I can give it and as fully as I can give it, and I don't know how fully that will be.

Q. Robert Spivack, New York Post: Mr. President, this is a personal question, too, but last week when you were telling us about the coffee situation you said that you were intensely interested, I believe, in it yourself. Can you tell us how you take your coffee, and why? [Laughter]

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I'll tell you, you asked one that is a bit too personal for me. I happen to be a rather stubborn individual when I think I am being taken in any way or for any reason. I act in my own life in accordance with my convictions; but one reason I am so intensely interested, I have been one of the great coffee drinkers of the United States all my life--most soldiers are, as you know--so I am very interested in getting this coffee back to a price where I think it is reasonable.

Q. Charles von Fremd, CBS Television: Mr. President, I find myself in a quandary regarding Mr. Knebel's question, and I say this with no intention, sir, of being insulting. I wonder, however, if for the sake of the record it might be included that among your friends and the people you would like to get to know better among the newspapermen, if included among them could also be radio and television? [Laughter]

THE PRESIDENT. A strange thing about it, some of my best friends have been those people.

Merriman Smith, United Press: Thank you, Mr. President.