 Telephone conversation between Bill Moyers and Dean Eugene Rostow on November 24, 1963. Time unknown. Talk to you. Thank you, boy. If I can help in any way I will. I'm calling with a suggestion. I've just talked to Nick Katzenbank. Yes. And the poor fellow. He has so much of a burden on him. Yes. Talked to him about three times today. And he just sounded so groggy. And I thought I'd pass this thought along to you. And of course I realized how tough it must be now for the President. In this situation with this bastard killed, my suggestion is that a presidential commission be appointed a very distinguished citizen from a very near future. Bipartism in above politics. No Supreme Court justices. But people like Tom Dewey and, you know, Bill Story from Texas. Right. So on. Right. A commission of seven or nine people. Maybe Nixon, I don't know. Right. To look into the whole affair of the murder of the President. Because world opinion and American opinion is just now so shaken by the behavior of the Dallas police that they're not believing anything. I can understand that. Now I've got a party here. I've been pursuing the policy, you know, that people need to come together at this time. You know what you could do that would be very helpful. And this is a good suggestion. And I'll pass it on just a minute to the President. Hello. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. A little help. Well, I was just thinking coming in a few minutes ago after hearing the news of Oswald shooting that this is symptomatic of what has been happening in this country in the last few years. And the breakdown of respect for law and order, you know, that the signs impeach the Supreme Court, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. If I could have a memorandum to give to the President along these lines of one of his great tasks is to help, you know, continue the institutions that seem to be at least, if not in doubt right now, at least weakened by some kind of sickness that has taken hold of some parts of our population. I'd like him to have that to consider in some private talks he's having with newsmen and with perhaps for his joint session next Wednesday night. He needs to make some point, you know, that America is known as a land of public order, a land of civility, a land of which the public safety is guaranteed. And there's a very serious question right now in the mind of the world about these institutions that undergird us so tremendously. His Gettysburg speech last spring was just terrific. Yes. I'll be glad to send any memorandum right away. All right, now your suggestion is that he appoint a special commission of distinguished Americans primarily in the field of law, I presume, to look into the whole question of the assassination. That's right. All right. I'll report on it. All right, I'll get that to him also. I wish you would keep me informed about how Nick is doing. We don't want to put any greater strain on him than is necessary. Well, he's a great man. He's an utmost faith in him. Yes. He's fighting back. All right. Terrific. Thanks for calling. I'll follow through. All right. Goodbye.