 There you are. Dick, how you doing? I'm good. President, how are you? Oh, I'm doing pretty good. That's good. I've been working a little bit. I spent a day or two at home. I know that you must have had a nice visit. I had a day or two. You had some good publicity out of there. That was your statement. That was very good. I put out one today on New York. I don't know. I had to say something. I said it in Mississippi in Georgia, and I just said that we worked with the local authorities. We had to put a stop to this violence. Yeah, that's right. You had a little trouble out there, didn't you? No. I was unfortunate. I thought I saw yesterday where you had a couple killed there. No, no. Not in Chicago. We haven't had an incident in very few last year, either other than, you know, magnified by the press. Our people are in pretty good shape up to date. I always keep hoping. But we have a pretty good program zone, and we've gotten into the community, and we're right in touch with anything before it gets going with any momentum on it. And this way, up to date, we've been very, very fortunate. Dick, and connection with my nomination. Yeah. Do you have anybody who would you like to use? Somebody we had your member of Dawson before. Oh yeah. And I don't know whether you or whether him or your boy up here. Partner? No. No, no. You're a coming young star in the Congress, Ross Kinkowski. I don't know what kind of speaker he is. We want to try to get an image of young people if we can and know what you think about it. Don't have to decide it now. I'm going to try to get this little Italian boy from Rhode Island, Johnny Pastore, maybe, to keynote it. He's a fiery speaker and a good one. Very good. I got a poll today. I thought I'd read to you if you got it. It was taken right at the convention. It shows we dropped 10 points, and he picked up 10 overall. It shows that most in the south, the east is 74, 26. South is Johnson, 45. Goldwater, 55. The middle west, your area is the same as the whole nation, 64, 36. The west is 69, 31. Oh, wonderful. The total for the nation is 64, 36. A month before the convention, we were 74, 26. He says that when they get a man, they're rally behind. A lot of them, they'll be just all the Republicans. They're going to vote Republican. They'll come behind them pretty well that they won't do when they're split up between Rockefeller and a bunch of others. He says that we can expect a little bit to settle it down now. He thinks after our convention, if we get by pretty good, that we might go up a little bit. But he thinks that's a pretty substantial drop, and he thinks the battleground will be the midwest. He says you can't do much about changing civil rights in the south. That the east is not going to change much, because they're afraid of this fellow. He says the west is in pretty good shape, 69, 31, and he may make some enrhoads, but the midwest is going to be the battleground, 64, 36. Well, we'll be ready to battle the Monellanoi. We started already with a massive registration yesterday at every home starting September 1, every home in Cook County on this registration. Oh, God, that's wonderful. We figured this would be entered every one. We do not have registered. We lose two votes. I talked to McNamara at some length about your problem. He says he doesn't think that he can materially change it between now and the election, although he'll try to help. If we get our poverty, we can go ahead and take care of a big bunch of young ones, and we're going to pass it, we hope, this week. But he says that he will take their companies out there, and he will see very quietly without anybody in on it, when you see if he came to shift something out there that might be considered other places, and he'll give me a report on it, and I thought maybe I might just when he's out there on something else without attracting attention, and without him saying that we had a big plot conniving to hurt somebody that might have him give you a rang in Hugo Bayer's Hotel because I think that we ought to do something about it and not get it balanced. I talked to the science advisory committee, and I told them you were a little bit concerned, and you didn't know why the electronics industry was moving to Boston and to California, probably the educational part. They say hell no, that you've got fine educational resources. We've got better institutions in the middle left, and they're all land-branded. They say that's trouble. They say you train them and then you lose them because you've got no company there to keep them. That's right, Mr. President. I talked to them about it yesterday. Good. And McNamara will be in touch with you. Fine. Now, I've got this problem. I've got another column this morning. Yeah. New York youth, I think it's something, I don't know whether you get it out there or not, but if you can get a copy of the New York news, you ought to get your boy, get Colonel to go get your copy of it. It's on page four. I don't remember the author of it, but Paul Healy is the author. Paul Healy on page four. Now, it says that it comes from the same source that the other comes by, and that the northern people want a certain individual, the bosses, and it's going to be trouble at the convention and so on and so forth. I have about concluded that the wise thing for me to do would be to call this fellow over and say, now, I've looked at Goldwater and I see what's happened in Wallace and I see our problem in the south and the Midwest and I just don't believe that this number two thing that I'm going to be able to recommend you and urge you and I think you ought to know it. I think I kind of owe it to you being in the cabinet so that you don't think go ahead with your plans here assuming that it's all right because I don't think it ought to go that far. The two things can come out of it. It can cause dissension within the party or it can stop it. What's your judgment? I think I'd think a little about that because then that would be putting all the owners on you and then you would, I think you might cause some other thing. For instance, assuming that he would resign then you'd have to think right out in the open. Then it would be that you yourself took this position. I really think that for yourself it's a pretty dangerous one although it's something that you've got to admire you for but I think that over a little while because realizing what's different if you're an old timer in the rank like yourself or myself but realizing it's not then you never know what's going to be the consequence of that. Well, now... You're ready to beat that. No. I'd rather see us not have that kind of a thing up at the convention until after you're nominated. Well, now my folks feel I've talked to some of the careful ones here. They think that this campaign's kind of going on and that if we don't nip it that they're going to say, well, you were silent and you kind of in effect allowed it to go on. And... Well, I don't, after all, we said that that's a natural thing and a fellow wants to campaign and then if he has the people but I think that I wouldn't be paying attention to these columnists because they just are trying to foment an argument in our party and they're just trying to foment trouble in Atlantic City and they're just trying to cause trouble whereas if just action you're talking about you take it, then there's no doubt about it. Then there is a cause for the other person while saying, well, I was told the delegates haven't had a chance. If the delegates have a chance of any executive committee or anything else are conferring with you then you keep yourself in the position entirely clear of the situation at all times and saying, well, that's the problem making that decision. I think it's, of course, I know what they're trying to do because they're trying to say we've got to get this thing clearly demonstrated where we stand otherwise something is likely to happen. They don't see that though unless they're paying attention. See the worst city in the United States for rumor and gossip is Washington and you know that you were there 32 years and frankly, whereas we out in the prairies we don't pay too much attention to columnists or to newspapers or anything else we just try to keep getting the facts now unless someone is disinforming me tremendously I don't see this thing developing I don't see evidence you see some of it on a little basis but I don't see any mass campaign Well I think they, my people think they're relying primarily on emotionalism they think that most of these delegates that go there will be delegates that were there in 60 and will be people that like the name and were friendly and that they'll have a demonstration and they'll say, well now this man didn't get to finish his job and he's got a lot of friends and we need this name and we just ought to go ahead and give him a vote. But then what happened I'm not only thinking about the convention I'm thinking of what happens after the convention I'm thinking of what happens in the election this is fine for the convention but in the election I hope we can work in such a way that you're not the one to give this information or to tell anyone that it would be by the vote of the convention and this would be a much better way for you individually and then looking at it beyond the Atlantic city Well don't you think though that if it's not to be him I'm going to have to say that I want somebody else? You will, that's the proper time but I don't think this is the time I think we're allowing to let them keep talking as long as you keep talking to the heads of the delegation and the different people and you have confidence in them I haven't talked to anybody but you and Lawrence Well the rest of them I've been talking to them they don't see it and Dave doesn't see it in long talk with him and I think you might create a situation that would be far more out of balance than if it took its natural course Well I think it's a merit in what you say I don't want them to leave I don't want my silence to indicate that I approve of what they're doing Well I agree with you but don't forget that you might do it with a but do it the way you're mentioning that removes all the uncertainty entirely as far as he's concerned and then what does the element result what is he liable to do? I don't know I don't think you do and that's the only thing to concern me and I wouldn't like to see that happen Well would it be better to happen a month ahead of time or better to happen the day before the nomination? I know it would be better in my opinion granting everything that's all right to do it the day before the nomination or the day after the night of the nomination because I think the mere fact that you're in the position you're in now is favorable to you although I know a lot of people are pushing you to act and want you to act and feel that if you get it behind you you're better off but I don't think when you weigh the equities of it it's a good situation I think that you have control of the entire situation at all times You don't think that anybody of consequence is likely to go away from it must by waiting? No, not at all not at all and I don't see any of it no we've seen every evidence that if we've seen any state convention beating and taking action this would be a different thing but we don't see that or if you've seen any movement of people calling and doing different things and that would indicate some activity but I don't see any of that up to date I don't know if you have No, I hear of it but not of anything whether it's a fellow like you or Lawrence or somebody that's pure