Remarks to Reporters About the New Press Quarters

GARNETT D. HORNER [Washington Star]. Mr. President, if you are leaving now, I think we should thank you for your interest in seeing that we get these new press facilities, and we do thank you.

THE PRESIDENT. You are in the deep end of the pool right now.

I do want you to know that I conceived this idea much to the distress of Ehrlichman, who will now do the briefing. He is the only swimmer on the White House Staff, and he says he has gained 10 pounds since we closed the pool, so therefore, he is one of the casualties.

But I found that in the first 8 months that I was here, I used the pool only four times, and I just didn't think that was enough use

But you remember there were some beautiful murals which were presented to the White House by Mr. Joseph Kennedy. Those have been preserved, and all the pool equipment is preserved and in storage if a future President wants to put the Press outside again.

And where you are now covers, if you've been in this place before, the pool area, right in here, and beyond there were two massage rooms. There was a massage room for men and one for women, and a women's dressing room and a men's dressing room.

I don't know where the AP [Associate Press] is.

RONALD L. ZIEGLER. It is in the men's room.

THE PRESIDENT. They are in the men's room, I see.

Interestingly enough, the networks are all in the ladies' room, and the snack bar is the flower shop.

Incidentally, you should know--I understand you refer to where the radio broadcasters were before as the doghouse. Well, the doghouse is back here, too. Some of you are still in the doghouse, right back in the back where the snack bar is. Isn't that right?

MR. ZIEGLER. Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT. But by giving up the doghouse, and the flower shop, and the massage rooms and the pool, we have these beautiful quarters. But we also dug a little hole in the ground for some of you on the second floor.