[ANNOUNCER:] Hollywood Palace will not be seen tonight so that we may bring you the following special program from ABC News. Watch Hollywood Palace next week at its usual time. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Democrat of New York. vs. Senator Eugene J. McCarthy, Democrat of Minnesota. Appearing in their first official confrontation on ABC News "Issues & Answers: A Special Report". To moderate this joint appearance, ABC News anchorman Frank Reynolds. [REYNOLDS:] Good evening. Tonight, two declared aspirins for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party are in the same room, before the same television cameras and radio microphones, to engage in a discussion or, if you will, a debate on the issues, the problems, and the opportunites that confront the American people this year. This program comes at a significant, perhaps, a critical time for both Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York and Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. Next Tuesday the Democratic voters of California, in their primary election, will express their preference. Both Senator Kennedy and Senator McCarthy are on the ballot in this state, both have campaigned extensively and vigorously. They will be questioned tonight by ABC News correspondent Bob Clark and ABC News political editor Bill Lawrence. We shall alternate questions... [REYNOLDS:] Bob Clark. [REYNOLDS:] Bob Clark.
[LAWRENCE:] Mhmm. [CLARK:] Senator McCarthy, the McCarthy For President Committee your McCarthy For President Committee, has been running full-page ads in California papers in recent days saying that Senator Kennedy must bear part of the responsibility for the decision to intervene in Vietnam and the implications seem to be that even though he's been a war critic for the past three years, he should be ruled out as president because of his participation in that decision in the Kennedy administration. Is that what you mean? [MCCARTHY:] I don't think we said he should be ruled out at all, Bob. He has said he takes some responsibility for it, the question is how much responsibility. I was talking more about the process. I said this is one of the things we ought to talk about is the process by which decisions were made with with reference to this war because one of our problems has been to find out you know, who decided and who's responsible and on what kind of evidence did we have this kind of escalation. [KENNEDY:] Could I just- [KENNEDY:] Could I just-
[MCCARTHY:] And I say that ad ran only one day [MCCARTHY:] And I say that ad ran only one day and that I have not seen- and that I have not seen-
[KENNEDY:] You also said that I intervened [KENNEDY:] You also said that I intervened in the Dominican Republic and how did they get-
[MCCARTHY:] Dominican Republic, that's right. [KENNEDY:] [laughs] [MCCARTHY:] Well I think what they did, I had [KENNEDY:] I wasn't even in government at the time. [MCCARTHY:] Well you were, not very long but uh- [KENNEDY:] But I- [MCCARTHY:] I don't want to torch you on that. [KENNEDY:] But it said it and then it ran again today. [MCCARTHY:] It ran only- we- we stopped it It ran only-
[KENNEDY:] After two days. [MCCARTHY:] They were on two papers but I don't think it ran twice- it ran twice-
[KENNEDY:] Well I saw it again this morning, Well-
[KENNEDY:] Well I saw it again this morning, that I was responsible for the Dominican Republic that I was responsible for the Dominican Republic.
[MCCARTHY:] They might have shown it- I wasn't even in the government and I criticize- I wasn't even in the government and I criticize-
[MCCARTHY:] Well, what I said was that this was a process that- that was evolved in our going into Cuba, evolved in our going to the Dominican Republic and also into Vietnam, and that I want to talk about the process. In any case, I had not seen the ad. When I saw it I said stop it and they stopped it as soon as they could, which is not quite what happened to the
[KENNEDY:] I appreciate that. which is not quite what happened to the 'Voting Record of McCarthy' which was distributed across the country, which is being mailed out in this state right now. [REYNOLDS:] Just continuing, would you like to respond to that, Senator? [KENNEDY:] I-I-I don't know what- to what he is referring. [MCCARTHY:] I have it in my pocket. [MCCARTHY, REYNOLDS & CLARK CHUCKLE] [CLARK:] Senator Kennedy, you did get very upset about that ad in a speech uh- [MCCARTHY:] Well, I think he has some- some reason if I got someone upset over my... what was said to be my voting record but they were nice and this guide they took a picture of me when I was about 40 years old and I I look young and uh you know, it's a good comparison. [LAWRENCE:] [laughs]
[MCCARTHY:] I'm young and scared, [MCCARTHY:] I'm young and scared, I'm about that young. [CLARK:] But you used these words on Friday, you said "The great crusade that began for the United States is now engalled in a campaign to distort me and to stop me". Did you mean or did you feel at that time that Senator McCarthy was trying to distort you or to stop you? or to stop you?
[KENNEDY:] That was distortion of the record [KENNEDY:] That was distortion of the record which I think Senator McCarthy just agreed to which I think Senator McCarthy just agreed to
[MCCARTHY:] Yeah. was the distortion of the record. [REYNOLDS:] Can I ask uh... [LAWRENCE:]..answer to my question though gentlemen as to whether, aside from Vietnam, you really are in basic agreement with the general foreign policy objectives of this administration. Are you, Senator McCarthy? [MCCARTHY:] It depends on what their objectives are. I'm not quite sure what their objectives in Europe are for example. I don't think things were handled well there that we could've dealt in somewhat better terms with France to a point where the- at least the naval control and communication lines might not have been taken out in the additional expense of transferring all of that could've been avoided. I-I-I don't think we opted properly in the Dominican intervention, we completely ignored the Organisation of American States (OAS) and picked it up, kind of as a residual support of our action but largely ignoring the OAS and what we've committed ourselves to and that and I think that through the years, we've not really used the United Nations as we should have. This is- is not the policy question but uh using the ambassador pretty much as a as a simple agent of the administration instead of insisting that he represent us really in terms. Also the United Nations Charter. Generally, we've acted as though the UN had application to countries in the eastern hemisphere, not to the western hemisphere, and really to have nothing to do much... not much to do with problems in which the United States was involved. So these are all questions of foreign policy which on which I disagree, they're not serious I suppose at least in practical consequences as Vietnam but uh these are points of disagreement. [REYNOLDS:] Do you want...
[UNKNOWN:] No no no [UNKNOWN:] No no no
[KENNEDY:] Well I was a member of the [KENNEDY:] Well I was a member of the National Security Council for three and half years and was involved in some of those matters during that period of time in connection with Latin America and in connection with Africa, with the Test Ban Treaty and I suppose the most critical crisis that's ever been faced by mankind, the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962. I don't think that we can ignore the rest of the world I don't think we can act as if it doesn't exist and separate ourselves from the rest of the world but we have to be obviously interested and concerned about what occurs elsewhere but what I think and we have to make it clear, in which we did I think during the early 1960s, was that we can't be the nation's policeman. We cannot settle every struggle or every problem that exist everywhere all over the globe uh and the internal struggle that goes on between one power group vs. another power group within whether its Latin America or whether its in Asia. On the other hand, we can't ignore what happens. For instance uh, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the- missiles coming into Cuba. What if the same kind of arrangement was made in another Latin American country? That threatens our national security. We not only have uh therefore uh some national responsibility and possibly a moral responsibility in some ways but we also have arrangement that with meeting our national security needs is vital and terribly important for the next generation of Americans because we now have the weapons that can destroy all of mankind. [CLARK:] Senator Kennedy, if we can move on here... [REYNOLDS:] I'd like to give each of you a couple of minutes to speak to the country and say why you should be the next president of the United States. Senator Kennedy. [KENNEDY:] I have the, as I've mentioned, the experience in the executive branch of the government, uh the National Security Council, as Attorney General of the United States, I was involved in the three great questions that affect our country. The problems of peace, the problem of races getting along together, and the problems of uh the development of uh the problems of riots and violence in this country. I think that, based on that experience and the work I've done in the Senate of the United States as well as in the executive branches of the government that uh... experience I've had, the Test Ban Treaty, the Cuban Missile Crisis, that perhaps there is something that I can contribute in the cause of peace of trying to end the conflict that now exists in Vietnam and as Thomas Jefferson said, standing for the last, best hope of mankind which we are in this country. Uh We've dealt with the problems of riots while I was Attorney General of the United States and we also dealt with the problems of equal justice. I think it's very easy to talk in generality but I've sponsored specific pieces of legislation. In the last analysis however, it's up to the people of California it's up to the people of the United States to make their judgement and determination about any of us. I'm going to dedicate myself, no matter what happens, to the betterment and improvement of the country and the people and the choice, really, is up to you and I'm glad we had it that- just that way. [REYNOLDS:] Senator McCarthy. [MCCARTHY:] I've served in the Congress for 20 years. 10 years in the House and 10 years in the Senate and in that time, I think I've served on nearly every one of the critical committees. I've served on agriculture - I think I know something of the problems of rural America. I've served in the Committee on Interior and I think therefore I know something about the problems of the resources of this country. I've served on the Banking and Currency Committee and also my background is economics and therefore I think really fully qualified to deal with the very complicated economic problems both domestic ones and also the international trade problems and the balance of payments. I've served on both the Ways and Means Committee of the House and the Finance Committee of the Senate, which I think gives me a full familiarity with the tax problems of this country and on foreign relations for some five years. In addition to that, since 1949 we've been involved in the problem of Civil Rights not only that but the problem of the migratory workers. I was the first, back in '52 to begin to raise the question about that. In ways(?) I may not get the same kind of immediate response from them, I think that when they begin to look at my record they will say: "Here is someone who's been concerned about us for a long, long time. He may not have received any publicity but he saw what our needs were and he began to anticipate that something had to be done about those needs." and I believe on that basis the problem on reconciliation with the races will be no particular problem. Secondly, I think that in this year I sensed what this country needed, mainly that it needed in one the challenge to the President of the United States on the policies of Vietnam and priorities for America. And I think there's something to be said for a president or a presidential candidate who can somehow anticipate what the country wants, especially when what they want is on the side of good and justice and to provide, not real leadership in the sense of saying you've got to follow me, but at least to be prepared to move out ahead somewhat so that the people of the country can follow. And thirdly I think that I sense what the young people of this country needed and for as? young students dropping out and are saying the establishment is no good, we've had a genuine reconciliation of old and young in this country and the significance of that is I think that through the whole country now, there's a new confidence in the future of America. It's a projection of this country in trust, which has always been the character of this country and it's in that mood and that spirit that that I would act as President of the United States. [REYNOLDS:] Thank you very much, Senator. McCarthy and Senator Kennedy, I think we can leave it to Weathers(?) to determine how much heat has come from this program but I trust there may have been some light, and for that we're all grateful. [MCCARTHY:] Thank you very much.
[KENNEDY:] Thank you. [REYNOLDS:] Thanks too to Bob Clarke, Bill Lawrence, this is Frank Reynolds in San Francisco, Good night.
