Excerpts from the Press Conference

THE PRESIDENT: I invited Prime Minister Mackenzie King of Canada, who has been here for the last few days, to come into our press conference today, explaining you would not question him, because the press conferences, as you all know, are just as much for my information from the press, as they are for the information of the press from myself, or any visitor who is here. But I did prepare a little statement.

(Reading): "During the Canadian Prime Minister's visit to Washington, Mr. King and the President discussed questions of general international interest, as well as those more specifically concerned with the relations between the two countries; relations which are as firm and friendly as ever.

"Among other things, a survey was made of questions arising out of the recent Crimea Conference and likely to arise at the forthcoming San Francisco Conference. They discussed in part the place which Canada will occupy in the new international organization.

"The President and the Prime Minister also had an opportunity of discussing questions of international economic and trading policy which both their countries will have to face as soon as hostilities end. They agreed that the solution of these questions should be sought along bold and expansive lines, with a view to the removal of discriminations and the reduction of barriers to the exchange of goods between all countries. They recognized a common interest in working toward these objectives.

"It was felt that the United States and Canada, with their long experience of friendly relations and their high degree of economic interdependence, should meet the new problems that peace will bring in the same spirit of cooperation with the other United Nations that has sustained their common war effort."

I could go on for many paragraphs about that common interest, and the way we have handled the problems between the two sister Nations side by side in the past. Of course, Mr. King and I are very, very old friends- personal friends, as you know. But since he has been Prime Minister, we have developed that friendship into a practical way of handling common problems between the Dominion and the United States.

And I think those various things that have come up between us- they have already received names, the Ogdensburg agreement, Hyde Park agreement—I think that relations between Canada and the United States in the past ten years have been an outstanding example of what you can do by common consultation and by laying one's own problems before the other fellow. It is an outstanding example of that spirit with which two countries that are neighbors and cousins, you might say, can get along, to their mutual benefit.

Q. Mr. President, did the St. Lawrence come up in your discussions?

THE PRESIDENT: No, no.

Q. Is there a disposition to forget about that, for the time being?

THE PRESIDENT: No. Oh, no.

Q. I had understood that that agreement which was presented last time was going to be allowed to go by the board for a while?

THE PRESIDENT: No. We didn't discuss it. We have the same point of view, I think, Mr. King and I, that the St. Lawrence is a very great natural and national asset to both Nations; and the time is going to come- the quicker the better when it is developed for the mutual good of the two Nations. Buffalo papers please copy. (Laughter)

Q. Mr. President, on the basis of your discussions with the delegates this morning, and with the Prime Minister, can you give us anything that might be helpful to us in connection with the questions which you expect to arise at San Francisco?

THE PRESIDENT: We didn't talk about those questions at all this morning. We were talking about the physical arrangements entirely. And I think that they are planning, in general, to follow the methods that were used at the Mexico Conference, which seem to be pretty satisfactory.

And the Conference will be open to the press and the radio- movies and stills.

Q. Mr. President, there has been some confusion as to how the freedom of action which is granted the individual American delegates is going to resolve into a common American viewpoint out at San Francisco, specifically the freedom of action about which Mr. Vandenberg has talked. Was that matter discussed here this morning?

THE PRESIDENT: No, no.

Q. Could you tell us how they are going to resolve into an American viewpoint? Will it be a unit rule, or—

THE PRESIDENT: (interposing) I—I don't honestly know. I don't think the question has come up. Stettinius hasn't said anything about it.

Q. Mr. President, have you decided when you are going to San Francisco, to open the San Francisco Conference or go at the —

THE PRESIDENT: (interposing) I asked for advice on that this morning. Either the beginning or end.

Q. (interposing) Mr. President—

THE PRESIDENT: (continuing) I expect to hear.

Q. (continuing)—do you know whether General O'Dwyer is going to run for Mayor? Did you and he discuss-

THE PRESIDENT: (interposing) No.

Q. (continuing)- his plans?

THE PRESIDENT: (continuing) No —just what I read in the paper.

Q. Was that what you read in the paper, that you were going to support him against Mayor LaGuardia?

THE PRESIDENT: No. One paper was right and one was wrong. I only read it in two papers.

Q. Which paper was right? (Laughter)

Q. Mr. President, there has been a good deal of speculation as to what the position of the various members of the Big Three was on the voting procedure question. Could you clarify for us, to any extent, whether this final decision was or was not a victory for any participating Nation, or —

THE PRESIDENT: (interposing) That, of course, is the trouble with answering the question at all. People will line up and say that is a victory for Mr. Stalin, or for Mr. Churchill, or for me. I should say it was a common agreement. Well, that means that it wasn't a victory for anybody, because they were all agreed. Honestly agreed as being what—what we all thought it was the best thing to do. In history, the question of who proposed it first is the smallest end of it. If anybody has a better idea, we would be glad to consider it.

Q. Mr. President, is it true that under the Yalta agreement on voting procedure two of the Big Powers have the power to overrule discussions on any proposal that might be brought up, not only force but anything else?

THE PRESIDENT: As I remember the thing—the easiest way of putting it- on everything that is procedural, not the actual use of force, you have to have a majority of eleven.

Q. Any seven, or do they have to have a certain number of the Big Powers?

THE PRESIDENT: No. In other words, you can look into things, into anything you want, and go through all the preliminary procedures by a majority vote. You don't have to have unanimity at all—the majority vote of the eleven. When it comes to the use of power or sanctions, that requires a unanimous vote of the five larger Nations. . . .

Q. Mr. President, would you care to commit yourself on the subject of night baseball? (Laughter)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I am one of the fathers of night baseball, as you know, and I am all in favor of baseball so long as you don't use perfectly healthy people that could be doing more useful work in the war. I consider baseball a very good thing for the population during the war.

Q. Do you think within that definition, Mr. President, it would be possible for the big leagues to operate this year?

THE PRESIDENT: Why not? It may not be quite as good a team, but I would go out to see a baseball game played by a sandlot team—and so would most people. . . .