The President's News Conference

THE PRESIDENT. [1.] Well, I'm going to make Fred Vinson Chief Justice of the United States; and John L.--W. Snyder Secretary of the Treasury; and John L. Sullivan Under Secretary of the Navy. [Laughter and exclamations of surprise]

Q. Start over, sir.

Q. John L. Sullivan what?

THE PRESIDENT. Under Secretary of the Navy. [More laughter and exclamations]

That's a good fighting name, isn't it?

Q. When will the nominations go up, sir?

THE PRESIDENT. Right now.

[2.] Q. Mr. President, can you tell us anything of the luncheon today with President-elect of Colombia?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes, it was a very pleasant lunch--[ laughter ].

Q. The jackpot!

Q. Mr. President--

THE PRESIDENT. Wait until I answer this question. I think I can truthfully say that a good time was had by all. [More laughter]

[3.] Q. Mr. President, who is going to succeed Mr. Snyder?

THE PRESIDENT. That office will come to its termination.

Q. That ends that office?

THE PRESIDENT. It will come to its termination. I didn't say it would end it, because it's going to take some time to do it.

Q. What about the other jobs under that, like Economic Stabilizer ?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, whatever is necessary to be carried on in that office will be carried on by the men there.

Q. They will keep on ?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes, they will keep on.

Q. Does that mean Mr. Bowles now becomes the head man--

THE PRESIDENT. Mr. Bowles will continue with his job as he now has it.

Q. How long do you expect it will take, sir, to terminate the duties of Mr. Snyder's office ?

THE PRESIDENT. I haven't the slightest idea. It will have just to work out as quickly as it can. Never can tell. I have prophesied its termination two or three times before, and we have had to continue them, so I am not making any prophecy in regard to that.

[4.] Q. Would you mind saying when you decided on Vinson?

THE PRESIDENT. About an hour and a half ago.

Q. We are getting it hot, then?

THE PRESIDENT. Right off the griddle.

[5.] Q. Mr. President, the story was published this morning that you had definitely decided to veto the Case bill?

THE PRESIDENT. That is not true, because I am analyzing the Case bill myself now, and I am having reports from the various interested departments, and when those are all before me, and I have them properly digested, I will make up my mind on the Case bill.

[6.] Q. Mr. President, do you have any plans to seize the Pittsburgh ball club? [Laughter]

THE PRESIDENT. The Pittsburgh ball club goes on strike?

Q. They are going to go out tomorrow night.

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I want to say to you that if those ball fellows go on strike, and I have to take them over, I'll have two damn good teams in St. Louis! [More laughter ]

[7.] Q. Mr. President, haven't you been getting an unusual amount of lobbying pressure on the Case bill?

THE PRESIDENT. Oh--no--about the usual amount on a piece of legislation of that kind. I am used to that kind of stuff. That doesn't have any effect on me. I used to get them thirty thousand at a time when I was in the Senate.

[8.] Q. Do you intend to return Myron Taylor from his diplomatic post

THE PRESIDENT. I have no comment on that.

[9.] Q. Mr. President, this full employment committee, have you named that?

THE PRESIDENT. I have been trying to name it, but it has been almost impossible to get anybody to work on it. As soon as I can find the people that will take it over to say they are going to do it, I will have that done. I have been working on it right along. 1

1 For appointments to the committee (Council of Economic Advisers), see Items 177 [2] and 183.

[10.] Q. Mr. President, has Ambassador Kirk made known his desire not to return to Italy?

THE PRESIDENT. No.

[11.] Q. Mr. President, is it understood that the United States and Britain are permitted to consult with the Arabs before determining any permanent long-range policy with regard to Palestine? Why can't the United States insist upon the immediate admission of the hundred thousand Jews recommended by the Anglo-American--

THE PRESIDENT. We have made such a recommendation to Great Britain, but there are certain details and obstacles which have to be overcome before any such arrangement can be made, in the case of housing, transportation, and a lot of other things. The Secretary of State and the Foreign Minister of Great Britain are in conversation now on that subject.

[12.] Q. Mr. President, are you planning to take over the J. I. Case and Allis-Chalmers companies?

THE PRESIDENT. If it is necessary, in order to get farm machinery, we will take them over. I hope we won't have to take them over. I like always to see those things settled without the Government interfering.

[13.] Q. Mr. President, any comment on the maritime situation?

THE PRESIDENT. No. That is being worked out by the Department of Labor.

Q. Mr. President, you still plan to use the Navy and Coast Guard, and so forth?

THE PRESIDENT. I have made my statement on that. It still stands.

[14.] Q. Mr. President, we asked this question last week, but in view of the present status of legislation, the question arises whether you still favor the draft features of the antistrike bill?

THE PRESIDENT. I favor the bill as it passed the House, just as I told you last week.

[15.] Q. Has Ambassador Kirk assured you, Mr. President, that he is going to resume his duties in Rome?

THE PRESIDENT. I haven't talked to Ambassador Kirk at all. I haven't had any conversation at all. This is news to me. Where did you get it, from the State Department ? I have never heard of it.

[16.] Q. Mr. President, getting back to Palestine, does what you said before mean that Great Britain has agreed that a hundred thousand Jews should be admitted?

THE PRESIDENT, No, it doesn't. I am making no statement on what Great Britain wants to do. I have made a statement on what I would like to do, and I have made the request on that. And we are now in the midst of negotiations, trying to get something done on it.

Q. Can you say how long you made that request, sir--how long ago?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, it was announced at the time. It has been 5 or 6 months ago.

[17.] Q. Mr. President, have you any comment on the action of the Senate Banking Committee on OPA?

THE PRESIDENT. I don't know what that action was.

Q. Well, emasculating the bill?

THE PRESIDENT. I will take care of that when it comes before me. I can't make any comment before the bill comes up here, because I don't know what's in it.

[18.] Q. Have you named an assistant naval aide to Captain Clifford yet? We had two letters of inquiry on that.

THE PRESIDENT. No. There are a lot of assistant aides over there. We had dozens of them that worked today on the luncheon.

Q. But you don't have a chief assistant--

THE PRESIDENT. Naval aide is all I have. I have one naval aide. And he has an the assistance that is necessary, and when we have a social affair they work on it.

[19.] Q. I wonder if I could ask if Mr. Sullivan eventually will be Navy Secretary, under this--

THE PRESIDENT. I can't answer that question.

Q. You don't know how long Forrestal is going to stay ?

THE PRESIDENT. I think he said he would stay as long as I wanted him. And I want him to stay. That is as strong as I can make it.

[20.] Q. Could you give us an idea when you expect to formulate your views on the merger? You said the other day--

THE PRESIDENT. I am working on that now, and at the proper time I will write a directive to the Army and the Navy, and you shall have a copy of it.

[21.] Q. Mr. President, in permitting the OWMR to lapse, in this new arrangement, does that mean that virtually all of our reconversion troubles are now over with?

THE PRESIDENT. Will you state that again, Bob,¹ I didn't get it.

1 Robert G. Nixon of International News Service.

Q. You told us that you would let the OWMR lapse in its regular way--.

THE PRESIDENT. That's right.

Q.--and I wondered if that means that all our reconversion difficulties are virtually ended now?

THE PRESIDENT. Not all of them, but most of them are.

[22.] Q. Mr. President, you said you would write a directive to the Army and Navy. Does that mean you are going to do this without legislation?

THE PRESIDENT. Oh no--oh no. I can't do it without legislation.

Q. That's what I thought. Well, what will the directive cover?

THE PRESIDENT. The directive will cover the instructions to the Army and Navy on what the President's policy is, and that they are expected to get behind it.

Reporter: Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT. You're welcome.