 I thought I was going to hear from you and I was going to call you yesterday and then I thought I'd call you Monday. I think that maybe your idea that you had last week was a good one. And the only thing on the approach of it, I had a chance to talk a little bit but not too much Wednesday night. And of course I kept saying what we all know that after all this is a selection made by the president. And when the time comes you make a selection and then I, you know, suggest some conversation. And I think as you mentioned last week the only thing is that I was wondering about the timing when you would do it. This is, I think, the vital importance of how you time it, whether you think it should be done the first of the week or whether you think it should be done the middle or the last, or whether you think there should be some preliminary conversation. And were you going to say very definitely that he was not in your scheme of thinking or were you going to tell him who it was, some of the things that turned me. I think that it's concerned you and that's what I was trying to do some thinking about over the weekend. How are you going to approach this on the basis of this scheme of things of the people you're thinking that you wanted him to know that he was being considered or not considered or what? I thought that I'd have to say that had been considered but I wouldn't recommend. Here's what I thought I would say. I watched this development at San Francisco and very carefully since then. And I see now that Mr. Wallace is out of the rays. There's a good deal of conversation about various people and some of the friends are getting active on the vice presidential question. And I think it's pretty basic that the president should have the person that he personally feels. The greatest rapport with and that he feels can be of the most value and that he feels he would like to have on the ticket. Now in the light of what has happened at San Francisco and their nomination and who they've selected their running mate and the fact that the Middle West is going to be a higher battleground and deal the fact to you in my cabinet and there's a good deal of activity on your behalf in some of these states. I thought I owed it to you to be frank with you and say to you that I don't think that this is the year for you to go to the number two spot and therefore I have concluded that I would not recommend that. I would be glad to have any of your views and carefully consider them on what you who you think might be and I'd like you to know that I think you have a future in the party and a bright one and I would be glad to seriously consider working with you and any particular assignment that would interest you and I think down the road that you would have a very good opportunity and very bright future and I would be inclined to help you with it as much as I could but I think that because you're in my cabinet because if I say nothing your people may misinterpret it that I think I ought to tell you now before we get divided and before you get up a lot of steam that I don't think in the light of their nominees and their platform and the thing that will confront the Democrats this year that this is your year for the number two spot. Well I think it's good but I'd also say that I've seen this with you know different people and you know also they have to just answer and do those things and be divided. I just stated what we're working for, what I've been working for is unity here and going into this Atlantic City Convention was the important and unathletic party not similar to what happened out in the West Coast but united 100 percent and this is what I'm working through in that way. I thought I owed it to you and friends and everyone else to talk to you this way so we wouldn't have any, we'd have to grade it as just one thing and this is a question of individuals more or less this is a question of the entire country in the world and what type of leadership you think that I think maybe you're right in doing it when would you do it next week? I thought so, I thought so. I was just kind of waiting I thought I might even do it today but I guess he's out of town I was just kind of waiting until I heard you all's conversation because I felt he'd raise the question with you and I wanted to kind of get you a reaction and I have talked to, I don't want to say this publicly but I have talked to myself or through my intermediaries there are 15 governors in the South and the border states without exception every one of them say that there would be no hope if we went his route that they just don't even look to them including my home state just say we can't care that we have great problems as it is and we just can't do it. Yesterday we had the Midwest governors in that included Wisconsin and Iowa and North Dakota and Minnesota and one of my assistants sat down and visited with them afterwards and there was not a single one that felt that I shouldn't have my own running mate and not a single one that advocated this his route Now Lawrence says that his people will be for whoever I want although they're starting a little rump movement up there with a disgruntled auto workers organization man who tried to throw Ruther out at the last convention and they're trying to get 100,000 signatures for the Kennedy name but Lawrence says that they pay no attention to him and he's an extremist but I think that's a bad thing to be starting and by your cabinet start doing it if one of your council starts doing that way to you that you take in on your ticket well pretty soon they can discredit you I think you're right there and what reaction did you get from him do you think that does he feel he ought to have it does he feel that he's entitled to it does he feel he wants to fight for it or what that's a lot I kept trying to pretending convention and probably long it's always been the decision of the president to select his running mate this is fundamentally why he was there well I said that way I think you should sit down and talk to him and try to know what he's thinking about I said I don't know he states himself and thinks over and listens to a lot of people would be made the same way it was made in 60 years made it for the age of long as I can go back and probably before that tradition and this is the position then there must be in the president did you leave the impression with him or make it clear that your group would be with the for the president selecting his man he knows that they keep putting out you know about all the northern leaders yeah I've seen a lot of things but actually and honestly and he understands this thoroughly and he's quite reconciled to the fact that the which is everyone knows you don't have to be told that after all it is it's a decision that the president makes itself I'm sure you've got a man not only the candidates but you've also got a man that's in the number two spot in your entire setup did he give you any indication that he knew of a friend of mine thank you he didn't say that he didn't say that he kept saying you know how everyone was depending upon some of the fellas that speak out including myself I said well after all you don't know what to think of and the thing like this it is any real understanding or experience in this deal this is a decision we all await the word of the president and after he said we hope that we will get a good man we hope and we all sigh we're asked to give whatever suggestions but I said after all this is something that the president doesn't sell and I said that's the way it should be thank you dick now two things I want to mention to you I got to these governors were inraising hell about everything going to the east and california I don't want to make that an issue of obvious reasons california is a pretty vital and big state and we don't want to we don't want to pick it anybody but I did ask McNamara to carry through on the whole area just as I did in your city and I had him come over and meet with him and ask him to set up a study group and let's try to have some presentations made to him and make them pretty conscious of the need of looking at every section of the country and using all of our resources that we'll need in case of an emergency so he's going to do that now and I think you ought to get your best planners and some of your industrial people your companies Motorola, General Electric, whoever's out there maybe get some of the biggest ones that have defense orders and have your planning group talk to them and have them kind of present some suggestions to him what they have available and what they could do and what feels they could do it and I'll have you come down here and see him at lunch or I'll have him come out there and see some of your people or I'll do any way you want to handle it very good and we appreciate it very much I do hope you'd consider putting Kerner on in a place of prominence in the National Convention especially when they gave so much kind of person we would be as though we were being ignored and if this is a difficult state Illinois then we're going to have to try to get Kerner on there and I wish to think about that and help us because it would be nice if he would play a prominent part that would help us that's good now the second thing I don't know what your plans are but I wish that you'd have your best man that has a problem with you with your young people and with your unemployed talk to Sriver well they've been down there and we're moving and all we need is the the world with all the good I'd like the day I sign the act and we'll have a fight in the house but we think we'll pass it next week there and we hope without going to a conference then I would like to sign it and the next day make a rather substantial allocation and three or four real difficult spots and I'd like one of them to be in Chicago and I think that you could attach yourself pretty well to your great interest in young people and I'd look at the number of young ones that would be eligible for this that are unemployed there and I'd have my people a welfare whoever does it to contact Sriver's people and say now we want to be the first in the United States and we want a substantial camps and substantial work projects and so forth and then we ought to try to at least get a lot of stuff going I think this would be wonderful and we'd like to work 100% well you get your man and handles the young people I just want to say that the daily family watched you yesterday we thought it was excellent well thank you you handled yourself it was just marvelous every bit of a great president and our leader we really enjoyed and appreciated well you're wonderful Mr.Rabin's gone now I hope I don't get to worry out okay I'm sure this will do a great job I'll I'll try okay