President John F. Kennedy's First Televised News Conference of January 25, 1961

afternoon you see them I have several noun sment stew make first I have a statement about the Geneva negotiations for an atomic test ban these negotiations that you know are scheduled to begin early in February they are of great importance and we will need more time to prepare a clear American position so we are consulting with other governments and they're asking to have it put off until late March as you know mr. John McCloy is my principal adviser in this field and he has organized a distinguished panel of experts headed by dr. James Fisk of the Bell Laboratories mr. Salinger will have a list of the names at the end of the conference who are going to study previous positions that we've taken in this field and also recommend to mr. McCloy for my guidance what opposition we'll be in late March when we hope the tests will resume secondly the United States government has decided to increase substantially its contribution towards relieving the famine in the Congo this will be done by increasing the supply of cornmeal and dry milk by adding contributions of rice and by air lifting a thousand tons of food supplies seeds and hospital supplies from a number of African nations to the Congo it is the intention of the United States government to meet fully the emergency requirements of the Congo for rice corn dry milk and other foodstuffs in our surplus stocks assurances have been received from the United Nations that with the help of this program the flow of supplies will be adequate to relieve the distress the united states government will cooperate fully to help united nations prevent famine in the congo third I'm happy to be able to announce that captain Freeman B Olmstead and Captain John are McCone members of the crew of the United States Air Force our b-47 aircraft we've been detained by Soviet authorities since July 1st 90 60 have been released by the Soviet government and are now on route to the United States the United States government is gratified by this decision of the Soviet Union and considers that this action of the Soviet government removes a serious obstacle to improvement of soviet-american relations our deepest sympathy and understanding goes to the families of the man of the RB 47 who gave their lives in the service of their country at the same time I am sure that all Americans join me in rejoicing with the Olmstead and Macomb families the families as well as the men comported themselves in these trying times in a way which is truly in the best traditions of the military services of the United States restrained in these conditions is obviously not easy but they can be assured that they have contributed in large measure to the final achievement of the objective which we all saw the release of the men yes our b-47 case was regarded by the Russians as an overflight although we took different positions the light of this announcement what will be your general policy on overflights and on such things as the YouTube case the YouTube flights do you conceive of circumstances which might warrant resumption of such things as the YouTube flight the Soviet government is fully aware of the United States government views with respect to the distinction between the question of the United States Air Force RB 47 and the incident which occurred over Soviet territory on May 1st 1960 involving an American u-2 type aircraft flights of American aircraft penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union have been suspended since May 1960 I have ordered that they not resume might come to the United Nations General Assembly for the resumption of the disarmament stage debate sometime in March if this were to happen would you welcome a business by him to watch I've not heard officially of any proposal by mr. Khrushchev to come to the United States I merely seen newspaper reports and I feel that would be more appropriate to wait until we had some indication with mr. Khrushchev was planning to come to the United Nation yes can you tell us something about what your role was if you had won the release of these Flyers this come about as consequence of some action yourself well this matter has been under discussion by the American ambassador and the mr. Khrushchev on one occasion and representatives of the Soviet foreign ministry since this weekend the Flyers were released as of 2:00 a.m. yesterday morning but in the plane taking off there was a tire that was blown and therefore the plane did not take off our last information is that it took off at five o'clock our time this afternoon it will fly to Amsterdam and then we expect the Flyers to be brought to the United States at tomorrow afternoon yes sir mr. Lawrence president one of your task force's recommended that you resist any early move toward general disarmament negotiations until a firm and fixed US policy that these worked out what is your reaction to that report and how much time do you think it might take to get a firm fixed us position well mr. McCloy has a responsibility over the area of disarmament as well as nuclear testing he has as I've said to set up this committee Advisory Committee on nuclear testing we expect to also get the American position clear general disarmament there is not the same deadline that we've been facing on the nuclear testing where we were supposed to resume in early February but I can state that this war is a matter which was discussed early this week by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State and mr. McCloy and we are preparing a clarification of American positions on dis Parliament I think mr. Morgan had stood up mr. Morgan and then not conversation conversation was anywhere near as friendly as that of the messages I would say the tone was friendly and as a result of the conversations as I've said the decision was made to release the Flyers but the conversations were conducted in an atmosphere of civility could you give us any indication at all as to what other subjects were taken up in addition to the release of the RV 47 Flyers no I think that the stand in my previous statement we are the Congress of course enacted legislation which place very clear responsibility on the executive branch to protect the right of voting I am extremely I supported that legislation I am extremely interested in making sure that every American is given the right to cast his vote without prejudice to his rights as a citizen and therefore I can state that this administration will pursue the problem of providing that protection with all vigor possible for you to do by executive order what mr. Benson always showing us was impossible for him to do without more legislation I refer to the order expanding the distribution of food that unemployed and giving him more variety in the day well I would not attempt to a comment on mr. Benson I don't think there's any question of our rights to issue the executive order under the authority given to us by the Constitution and by a legislative action I think we are within our rights it is a judgment as to what is the best use to make of the funds that are available the funds are quite limited the diet which is being provided for the people who unemployed is still inadequate nevertheless we have used the funds that are available to the maximum and I don't think there's any question that we were within our rights yeah how when you learn to be acquired I learned as a result of the conversations which ambassador Thompson had with the Soviet officials and therefore it has we were informed as to the date that they would be released the time yesterday instantaneous broadcast of presidential press conferences such as this one the contention being that an inadvertent statement laundered personal as in the old age could possibly cause some grave consequences do you feel there is any risk or could you give us some thought on that well it was my understanding that the statements made by the by President Eisenhower were on the record they may have been a clarification that could have been issued afterwards but it still would have demonstrated was still would have been on the record as a clarification so that I don't think that the interests of our country are it seems to me there is well protected under this system as they were under the system followed by President Eisenhower and this system has the advantage of providing more direct communication yes miss me real diplomatic relations with Cuba and are you considering well if the there take the lost part first we are not considering such a step at the present time I may say that the United States is interested and I think that this administration is extremely interested in movements in Latin America or in Central America or the Caribbean which provide a better life to the people and if American interests are may be damaged by those movements or revolutions or whatever term you want to use we feel that this should be a matter that should be negotiated what we are of course concerned about is when these movements are seized by external forces and directed not to the improving the welfare of the people involved but towards a imposing and ideology which is alien to this hemisphere that is a matter of concern particularly when that intervention takes the form of the military support which threatens the security and the peace of the Western Hemisphere now I'm hopeful that governments will be established throughout all of Latin America and governments which are established will and and I think nearly all of them do share the same view that we have to provide in this hemisphere a better life for the people involved that we are interested in that that we are concerned about it that American policy will be directed towards that end but we are also a concern that in the name of that peaceful revolution when it's seized by aliens for their purposes it's very difficult for the United States to carry on happy relations with those countries so in answer to your question we have no plan at present to resume diplomatic relations with the Soviet with the Cuba because of the factors which are involved in that Island after that the president should be in the thick of the political battle and I wanted sir if you could tell us what part you're playing in the effort to expand the Rules Committee and whether you feel your domestic program whether the success of your domestic program in part depends on expanding the rules well the Constitution states that each house shall be the judge of its own rules and therefore mr. the Speaker of the House mr. Wrayburn has been extremely anxious that the house be permitted to settle this matter in its own way but I it's no secret that I would strongly believe that the members of the house should have an opportunity to vote themselves on the programs which we will present that I think is the reason the people selected them to go to the House of Representatives and to the Senate and selected me as president so that we could present programs and consider programs and vote on programs which are put forward there for the benefit of the country now I feel that it would be I'm hopeful that whatever judgment is made by the members of the house that it will permit the members to vote on these bills this is a very difficult time in the life of our country many controversial measures will be presented which will be in controversy and will be debated but at the end the majority of the members of the House the majority members of the Senate I hope will have a chance to exercise their will and that a small group of men will not attempt to prevent the members from finally letting their judgments that be known for example we have a housing bill which is going to come before the Congress this year we have an eight education bill we have a legislation which will affect the income of farmers shouldn't the members of the House themselves and not merely the members of the Rules Committee have a chance to vote on those measures but the responsibility rests with the members of the house and I would not attempt in any way to infringe upon that responsibility I merely give my view as an interested citizen yes any plans being made to implement the recommendations in the more his report on a human refugee problem secondly do you plan to appoint somebody to continue the voice work we are considering the recommendations of mr. Boies and the whole problem of the Cuban refugees but I don't have any statement to make on it at this time yeah mr. president what is the official government position in regard to the Portuguese seized ship can the Navy board it if and when it makes contact well I believe that the location of the ship has been determined and the pressure we could give the location of it there is a and the present time the instructions are for the Navy to continue to its accompaniment of the ship Santa Maria has been located by Navy p2v aircraft and the position is approximately 600 miles north of the mouth of the Amazon River it is headed on a course of 117 speed a launch a speed there 15 knots in the exact position at 10 minutes after 4:00 was 10 - 35 North 45-42 west it we trailed by aircraft and - picked up by the Destroyers of our African task force now there are Americans involved and their lives are involved but there is a we do not have not given any instructions to the Navy to carry out any aborting operations though of course we are concerned about the lives of the Americans involved and also because we are concerned because the ship belongs to the a country with which the United States has splendid relations in consequence of mr. Bush jobs the current indication last weekend willing to release the American Flyer so you sent any communication to him through ambassador Thompson or otherwise well have I sent a message since the release of the Flyers since his communication to us to ambassador but we've had several exchanges with the Soviet authorities I do not believe that one has taken place since the release of the prisoners but that's partially because there has been this delay about their leaving Moscow there is meeting here now a nationwide group of labor agriculture and Industry wants to abolish or restrict their reciprocal trade agreements act they say that it robs us of gold robs American workers of job what is your position on such a proposal well I think that their meeting here is well within the their rights and citizens of the United States and I think that we should listen to their views this is a matter of great concern I do think we should be conscious of the fact of course that the balance of trade has been substantially in our favor in the last year but we are continually concerned about those imports which adversely affect an entire industry or adversely affect the employment of a substantial number of our citizens the present laws peril point an escape clause of course all take those matters into consideration but I'm glad to have them here I'm glad to have them express their views I think the Congress should consider their views carefully and I hope that in that consideration they will consider the whole problem of trade and I do think we should realize that the balance of trade has been in our favor and the gold flow would have been substantially worse if we had not had this favorable balance of trade go over here the administration has ordered a cutback in the number of American military and civilian dependents stationed abroad in the so-called hard currency nation the day before your inaugural the alkaline vent secretary advice to your incoming defense secretary in a matter of urgent relief should be sought as soon as possible because the outgoing penciler secretary turn the adverse effect of the order on the morale of the military family you had a chance or make up your mind an emphasis mr. McNamara and mr. Dhillon have discussed the effect of this order on military morale on military strength the rate of reenlistment it's really a question of determining what alternative steps can be secured which would be less harmful but which would protect the flow of gold I do expect to make some reference to this matter of gold outflow in the State of the Union address I will send within a two-week period after the State of the Union address a message to the Congress dealing with the gold outflow and our recommendations for meeting it and we will at that time come to some judgment as to whether a more satisfactory method of protecting our gold could be secure than providing for the return of the families of American serving abroad in the military I will say that our study is so far is convinced us that the dollar must be protected that the dollar can be protected in its present value the exchange controls are not essential but it is a most serious problem and it will be the subject of a message to the Congress the state of this part gave you one of your handsomest majorities in the 1960 election but now the democrats of ER Corrado federally divided over leadership as the leader of the Democratic Party nationally are you going to take some steps to try and heal the in New York well the people in New York the Democratic organizations in New York who are interested in success of the Democratic Party they have to make their judgments as to what kind of a party they want to build there I have asked mr. Bailey to the new chairman of the Democratic Party to lend a helping hand and attempting to alleviate some of the distress yes sir you have any plans for federal aid for the unemployed I will we are going to send a message to the Congress right after the State of the Union address on what steps we think the government could probably profitably take to provide the protection for the unemployed and also to stimulate the economy on the immediate question I will discuss that in the State of the Union address on Monday released the are 47 fliers if you estimate for us the chances of you meeting yes there is no rudy relationship nor has there been in discussions between the two matters and therefore I have no there's been no change in my previous statement that there are no plans at the present time for meeting with mr. Khrushchev will you tolerate the continued abuse of executive privilege to suppress information which is needed by Congress for instance now that you are president will you direct the USIA to give the Senate Foreign Relations Committee those first page polls which you urge the previous administration to make available during the campaign well let me say that I would have no objection at all to poles or the Leech the results of the polls being made available and I'll be lighted to check in and see what we can do about the making it available to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee House Foreign Relations Committee if they would like them well that's a statement really not completely a question in well that's why I stated that I thought that it would be well to release these polls and that's why I said I'd be glad to release these polls now if other matters come up we'll have to make a judgment whether it is an abuse or whether it is within the constitutional protections given to the executive and I would hope that we can within the limits of national security make available information to the press and to the people and I do think that it would be helpful to release the polls which were discussed last fall secretary Salinger said today indicated today there might be a need for tightening of information on national security doesn't the policy of deterrence require that the enemy have knowledge of our screen and the ability of our intentions the ability to carry them out and risk a possible miscalculation by tightening up inflation well I think that the enemy is informed of our strength I think mr. Salinger in his statement today at lunch indicated his judgment based on his experience so far that there had been very ample information given so that the enemy can make a determination as to our strength I am anxious that we have a maximum flow of information but they're quite obviously are some matters which involve the security of the United States and it's a matter on which the press and the executive should attempt to reach a responsible decision I could not to make a prediction about what those matters would be but I think that all of us here aware that there are some matters which it would not be well to discuss at particular times so that we'll just have to wait and try to work together and see if we can provide as much information as we can within the limits of national security I do not believe that the stamped national security should be put on mistakes of the administration which do not involve the national security and this administration would welcome any time that any member of the press feels that we are artificially invoking that cover but I must say that I do not hold the view that all matters and all information which is available to the executives should be made available at all times which and I don't think any member of the press so it's a question of trying to work out a solution to a sensitive matter the past two days the Secretary of State Dean Rusk is issued statements one with your name on it to the effect that this country wants to return to quiet and private applause could you give us some idea of the meaning behind this mr. president are you trying to suggest it whose job to write to resort to this with the time being without offending them or making him go off cordial Taffy's on the present time would you do the last part of that if what are you trying to suggest mr. Khrushchev by the tone of these by what you're saying in these statements you don't want a summit meeting now you'd like to go through private channels and trying to do this without offending and we're getting him off the course of Pappy's are now well I would just say without accepting the question completely as a premise I would say that Secretary of State is anxious to explore with interested countries what chance we have of lessening world tension which is in some areas of the world is quite high tonight and therefore there are occasions when the traditional exchanges between diplomats in the countries involved are in the national interest and that I think is what mr. Rusk is directing his attention to and I'm hopeful that from those more traditional exchanges we can perhaps find a greater common ground suggestion that we send sir possible to China well I'd say are two things first the Red China the Chinese Communists are exporting food at the present time some of it to Africa some of it has gone I think to Cuba and therefore that is a factor in their needs for food from abroad secondly we've had no indication from the Chinese Communist that they would welcome any offer of food I'm not anxious to offer food if it's regarded merely as a propaganda effort by the United States if there is a desire for food and a need for food the United States would be glad to consider that need regardless of the source if people's lives are involved as a desire for food the United States will consider it carefully I do say that in this case however there are these examples of food being exported during this present time or recent history and secondly there has been a rather belligerent attitude expressed towards us in recent days by the Chinese Communists and there is no indication direct or indirect private or public that they would respond favorably to any action by the United States report on fainteth and criticizes parts and opinion there also has been criticism every sort was made without any contact was not official without any attempt that liaison during the transition period and there is concern that no one has so far been named to head the agency clicking comments on well I don't the attached forces was free to make the kind of report that in their best judgment the events call for the task force was made up of men of broad experience in this field I think it was really a blue-ribbon panel they presented their views there I don't think anyone's suggesting that their views are necessary in every case the right views I am hopeful we have appointed an Acting Director and I'm hopeful before the week is out we will have a director of yes director Park mantled heads take a new look at the Eisenhower budget I wonder in with indication that you may have some partial renovations but can you now say well you hope or expect to live within the 80 billion nine hundred million spender with your predecessor I would that study of the budget is now going on and I couldn't give you an answer yet we haven't finished our study your inaugural address was unusual and not you tell them only with emeritus position in the world why mr. president did you limit yourself to this global thing well because the issue of war and peace is involved and the survival of perhaps the planet possibly our system and therefore this is a matter of primary concern to the people of the United States and the people of the world secondly I represent a new administration I think the views of this administration are quite well known to the American people and will become better known in the next month I think that we are new however as far on the world scene and therefore I felt that there would be some use in informing countries around the world of our general view on the questions which face the world and divide the world president you have spoken of the situation where there are crises in the world now one of these places is Laos do you have any hope that a political settlement can be there well as you know the British government has presented to the Soviet Union and to the best of my information an answer has not been received by the British of a proposal to re-establish the International Control Commission that we ought to know or shortly whether there's any hope that that commission can be re-established as to the general view on allows this matter is of great concern to us the United States is anxious that there be established in Laos a peaceful country a country an independent country not dominated by either side but the concern with the life of the people within the country we are anxious that that situation come forward and the United States is using its influence to see if that independent country peaceful country uncommitted country can be established under the present very difficult circumstances as president discussing with the Soviet Union the release to the RV 47 Flyers did we also take up with mr. Khrushchev of the fade of Francis Gary Powers a youtube father and the 11 Flyers that were missing from the c-130 that test we shot down inside the Armenia in 1958 the matter of the 11 Flyers was discussed and mr. Khrushchev and the Russians rather have stated that that their previous public statements on these Flyers represent their view on the matter that the newspaper magazine story which came from in written by an Eastern German did not represent the facts so that that would on the matter of mr. powers we have not discussed him because at this time because it he is in a different category and the Flyers that were released one was an overflight and the other was a flight of a different nature yes the Russians asked any quid pro quo or did we make any concessions to them in exchange for the release of these virus they did not how do you account for this remarkable turnabout in their relationship we did not we the statement which I have made is the statement which the United States government put forward on this matter which I read to you earlier in the god--to overflights I would not attempt to make a judgement as to why the Soviet Union chose to release them at this time I did say in my statement to mr. our Smith that this had removed a serious obstacle in the way of peaceful relations between the Soviet Union in the United States and I would judge that they desired to remove that serious obstacle they accepted a reassurance of no more overflights as an exchange it is a fact that I have audited that the flights not be resumed which is a continuation of the order given by President Eisenhower May of this year stimulated renew a proposals for electoral reform do you have any objection to changing president are you favor any of the proposals well I'm I do have some thoughts on it one that first place having been through the experience in 56 it was of a attempt to substantially change the electoral college it's my judgment that no such change can secure the necessary support and the house the Senate and in the states of the union the area where I do think they we perhaps could get some improvement would be in providing that the electors would be bound by the results of the state elections I think that that is a it would be a useful step forward the electives after all the people vote they assume that the votes are going to be cast in a way which reflects the judgment of a majority of the people of the state and therefore I think it would be useful to have that automatic and not set up this independent group who could vote for the candidate who carried this or not depending on their own personal views that would be the first secondly I'm hopeful that the Congress would consider the suggestions made I think first by President Theodore Roosevelt and later by Senator Richard Neuberger of having the national government participate in the financing of national campaigns because a present system is not satisfactory perhaps it would be useful to go into that in more detail later and because I do think it's the most important subject but I would say for the present that this matter the electors would be an area where I think we could usefully move mr. Roberts on a related subject without the same orbit have you given any consideration to the problem with President Eisenhower resolved with his vice presidents that is the problem of the succession case of injury illness or incapacitation you thought of some agreement with two vice presidents places yes well I haven't been gay I haven't developed that at this present time though I do think that President Eisenhower's decision was a good one and I think would be a good precedent nothing's been done on it as yet but I think it would be a good matter in which we could proceed thank you nope I you thank

Channel: JFK Library

Views: 480,965

Keywords: jfk, john f. kennedy, presidential press conference, jfk library, john f kennedy presidential library and museum, televised press conference, news conference

Id: lFde6u-OPj8

Length: 37min 17sec (2237 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 25 2016