indicated by the action it has taken on rent supplements, Teacher Corps, and model cities.

But I hope and pray that those reductions will not be too severe and that we may carry on a good program. We are very anxious to to the extent the Congress will give us the funds. The quality of the membership in the Congress is very good. There is no section in the Nation that is better represented than the people of New England. I am grateful for the cooperation of their Congressmen and their Senators. I believe when the session ends I won't get everything the President has asked for, and the Congress will not get everything as they would have it, but I think there will be a general area

I am aware that there are some of you who may have some questions you wish to pose to individual Governors. If so, I think to a man they would be prepared to talk to you at a mutually agreeable time and place. We thank you for coming.

Mr. President, you have honored us and you have honored the New England States. Thank you very much.

NOTE: The press briefing was held in the auditorium of the National Guard Building at Bradley Field, Conn., at 4:35 p.m. on Monday, May 15, 1967, following the Governors conference. See also Item 222.

May 16, 1967

GENERAL agreement has been reached on all the major issues in the trade negotiations. The way is now clear for the conclusion of a final agreement covering billions of dollars worth of trade among more than 50 countries.

Much hard work remains for the weeks ahead. The general understandings reached must be put into concrete form. Thousands of tariffs are involved. The final details must await the completion of this work-and final approval given by governments.

I hope that the final action will meet the standards underlying the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, namely:

-to stimulate economic growth at home; -to strengthen economic relations with the free world; and

-to reinforce our strength and vitality in the cause of freedom.

NOTE: For the President's special message to the Congress transmitting the multilateral trade agreement concluding the Kennedy Round negotiations, see Item 508. See also Item 545.

May 18, 1967

THE PRESIDENT. I don't have anything.

QUESTIONS

FORECAST FOR THE CITIES

[1.] Q. Sir, some of us did want to chat with you for a spell. I think one thing that is on the minds of the public is the repeated threats or forecast of violence and other manifestations of upset in the cities this summer over primarily racial problems and housing and things like that.

What is your forecast and what can you do about it?

THE PRESIDENT. I have had pleas from various officials who have had responsibility in this field.

In addition, I have asked the staff people directly responsible to me to maintain a constant, active interest in this situation. They have done so by going into San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, the District of Columbia, and five other cities. They have spent their weekends there and have prepared reports. That has been taking place for the last several weeks.

Acting upon the judgments I formed from those reports, I asked the appropriate committees in the Congress if they would respond to a request for a supplemental appropriation.

Senator Pastore has assured me that he will work on it. He talked to other Senators about it and requested $75 million immediate funds to provide employment, to supervise recreation, light playgrounds, provide new jobs, swimming pools, hydrants, et cetera, in cooperation with the mayors and school board officials.

Senator Pastore told me yesterday the Sen

ate had been cooperative and he had been able to put it in the Senate subcommittee. He Isaid it would be before the Senate. He said he hoped we would be able to hold it.

We are now working on the House Members, hoping they will approve that request. If so, we will immediately get it to areas that need it.1

VIETNAM PACIFICATION PROGRAM

[2.] Q. Mr. President, can you tell us what your reasoning was in the decision you made to place the pacification program in Vietnam under the command of General Westmoreland?

THE PRESIDENT. The spokesman and the top man the country has in Vietnam is Ambassador Bunker. We have had advice from the people out there, from people in Congress, and from some of my own staff, for many months. The question was raised as to how we could make everyone's effort more efficient, get more for our effort, how we could get everything possible out of the Vietnamese and how we could improve our pacification program.

We talked at length to the civilian officials and to Ambassador Lodge, then asked Ambassador Bunker for his judgments.

He made a survey and a study. He gave his recommendations. I would say the most compelling argument he made was that we had a problem of a single chain of command, a direct line. He felt we could get more done in our pacification effort if he delegated to General Westmoreland the responsibility of

The Second Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1967, providing funds for summer youth programs, was approved by the President on May 29, 1967 (Public Law 90-21; 81 Stat. 30).

indicated by the action it has taken on rent supplements, Teacher Corps, and model cities.

But I hope and pray that those reductions will not be too severe and that we may carry on a good program. We are very anxious to to the extent the Congress will give us the funds. The quality of the membership in the Congress is very good. There is no section in the Nation that is better represented than the people of New England. I am grateful for the cooperation of their Congressmen and their Senators. I believe when the session ends I won't get everything the President has asked for, and the Congress will not get everything as they would have it, but I think there will be a general area

of agreement that will give us a good program for the coming year.

GOVERNOR HOFF. That concludes the press conference.

I am aware that there are some of you who may have some questions you wish to pose to individual Governors. If so, I think to a man they would be prepared to talk to you at a mutually agreeable time and place. We thank you for coming.

Mr. President, you have honored us and you have honored the New England States. Thank you very much.

NOTE: The press briefing was held in the auditorium of the National Guard Building at Bradley Field, Conn., at 4:35 p.m. on Monday, May 15, 1967, following the Governors conference. See also Item 222.

May 16, 1967

GENERAL agreement has been reached on all the major issues in the trade negotiations. The way is now clear for the conclusion of a final agreement covering billions of dollars worth of trade among more than 50 countries.

Much hard work remains for the weeks ahead. The general understandings reached must be put into concrete form. Thousands of tariffs are involved. The final details must await the completion of this work-and final approval given by governments.

I hope that the final action will meet the standards underlying the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, namely:

-to stimulate economic growth at home; -to strengthen economic relations with the free world; and

-to reinforce our strength and vitality in the cause of freedom.

NOTE: For the President's special message to the Congress transmitting the multilateral trade agreement concluding the Kennedy Round negotiations, see Item 508. See also Item 545.

May 18, 1967

THE PRESIDENT. I don't have anything.

QUESTIONS

FORECAST FOR THE CITIES

[1.] Q. Sir, some of us did want to chat with you for a spell. I think one thing that is on the minds of the public is the repeated threats or forecast of violence and other manifestations of upset in the cities this summer over primarily racial problems and housing and things like that.

What is your forecast and what can you do about it?

THE PRESIDENT. I have had pleas from various officials who have had responsibility in this field.

In addition, I have asked the staff people directly responsible to me to maintain a constant, active interest in this situation. They have done so by going into San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, the District of Columbia, and five other cities. They have spent their weekends there and have prepared reports. That has been taking place for the last several weeks.

Acting upon the judgments I formed from those reports, I asked the appropriate committees in the Congress if they would respond to a request for a supplemental appropriation.

Senator Pastore has assured me that he will work on it. He talked to other Senators about it and requested $75 million immediate funds to provide employment, to supervise recreation, light playgrounds, provide new jobs, swimming pools, hydrants, et cetera, in cooperation with the mayors and school board officials.

Senator Pastore told me yesterday the Sen

ate had been cooperative and he had been able to put it in the Senate subcommittee. He said it would be before the Senate. He said he hoped we would be able to hold it.

We are now working on the House Members, hoping they will approve that request. If so, we will immediately get it to areas that need it.1

VIETNAM PACIFICATION PROGRAM

[2.] Q. Mr. President, can you tell us what your reasoning was in the decision you made to place the pacification program in Vietnam under the command of General Westmoreland?

The President. The spokesman and the top man the country has in Vietnam is Ambassador Bunker. We have had advice from the people out there, from people in Congress, and from some of my own staff, for many months. The question was raised as to how we could make everyone's effort more efficient, get more for our effort, how we could get everything possible out of the Vietnamese and how we could improve our pacification program.

We talked at length to the civilian officials and to Ambassador Lodge, then asked Ambassador Bunker for his judgments.

He made a survey and a study. He gave his recommendations. I would say the most compelling argument he made was that we had a problem of a single chain of command, a direct line. He felt we could get more done in our pacification effort if he delegated to General Westmoreland the responsibility of

The Second Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1967, providing funds for summer youth programs, was approved by the President on May 29, 1967 (Public Law 90-21; 81 Stat. 30).

directing and working with the South Vietnamese in the pacification effort than the civilians could get.

He thought this would be the most efficient, the most effective.

General Westmoreland was not anxious to take it on. He was somewhat reserved about it. But he felt that it was the judgment of our top man—the judgment of Ambassador Bunker, concurred in by Secretary Rusk, Secretary McNamara, Mr. Komer, Mr. Lodge, and Ambassador Locke.

We thought we would give it a try. We believe that in that way we will get more efficient work in pacification from the South Vietnamese, themselves.

THE BUDGET

[3.] Q. Mr. President, there have been a number of stories about what is happening to our budget, but none really from you.

This seems to be related to what you told us about the decision you face on the possibility of more troops. Could you tell us where that whole situation stands? What are your estimates on budget?

THE PRESIDENT. We don't have any. We will just say without being critical of anyone-I want to tread very lightly now because I don't want to touch any sensitive toes-that the stories I have read are without any basis in fact.

Q. Out of Hot Springs?

THE PRESIDENT. Out of Hot Springs and over the whole period. I do not mean there will not be an increase or a decrease. It could very well be $5 billion extra in defense. But it is not anything like that now. No one sees anything like that at this time.

The Government people have never used

that figure, that I can find. I have explored it rather thoroughly, I assure you. So, I think that if you can just wait a bit, we will have to see how these expenditures go and how our revenues go.

We have a more accurate estimate on the revenues and we know that some of them are down, some of them are up.

We are finalizing them now for the last year, based on the April 15 returns. But our estimates are less than 1 percent off. They are pretty close on the nose.

The expenditures, as of now, as nearly as we can tell are not going to be far off. Any month can change anything.

But the action of the Congress in one day can change it. But as of now, I see nothing that would indicate any deviation as large as 5 or 10 percent. I say: as of now, as of today-May 18, 4:15 p.m.

VIETNAM OBJECTIVES

[4.] Q. Mr. President, in the past there has been a great stress on limited objectives in Vietnam.

Now, many people seem to have the opinion that you have changed it.

THE PRESIDENT. I would agree with the first statement.

Q. Has there been any change?

THE PRESIDENT. I don't know about the people in the second group. The answer is

no.

CONGRESSIONAL STATEMENT ON VIETNAM

[5.] Q. Mr. President, 16 Senators and now a number of Members of the House have signed this letter to Ho Chi Minh saying that although they may object to some