President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island Remarks at a Meeting With the Commission.

THE PRESIDENT. I would like to say, first of all, that my selection of this group to serve on the Commission to investigate the events at the Three Mile Island nuclear Power plant has been one of the most important responsibilities of my Presidency. This Commission will be scrutinized very carefully not only throughout our own Nation but, indeed, throughout the world.

The Vice President has just returned from a visit to six countries, most of them in Scandinavia, and there was a deep and intense interest in the ultimate report that will be forthcoming from this Commission.

We've had similar inquiries, as you well know, from major countries—Germany, France, Great Britain, and others around the world—who want to know the facts about the Three Mile Island incident-what occurred there; what were the causes of the accident; what mistakes were made; the roles that were played by the power company managing the plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the local, State, and Federal Government agencies, and others who were directly charged with certain responsibilities; how those responsibilities were handled; how well they were interrelated in sharing roles of responsibility; how well prepared all of those entities were for an accident of this kind?

Obviously, the most important aspect is how can a future accident of this sort be prevented; what authority needs to be assigned specifically, for instance, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it doesn't presently have; how are its procedures deficient; what can be done in the future to have a better and immediate coordination of effort among the different government and private agencies responsible for the protection of the health and safety of the American people?

One item of particular interest is what were the facts as they occurred and how closely did those facts relate to the information given to the public, because public impressions are very important, and it's extremely important that they be based on accurate reporting. Was the information given to the news media accurate as best could be determined? If there were errors, what were the cause of those errors? How well did 'the public understand what was going on?

These questions are in the Executive order that I signed establishing this Commission. Your report will be made to me, to the Secretary of Energy, and to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and, obviously, to the public at large.

I am here to help you. This is a diverse group. Each one of you brings to the Commission a special insight, a special background, special area of knowledge or interest. And I think as you get to know one another, you will mutually assess the superb quality of the Commission in its entirety. I have complete confidence in Chairman Kemeny. He knows that I am available to help him personally. Every agency of the Government is eager and willing to help this Commission do a good job. So, my confidence in you is complete.

I would say that overriding all of your responsibilities, the most important is that when your report is made, that it be of such quality and of such accuracy, and this Commission have such a high degree of integrity that the American people will trust what you say. If there's any doubt about the quality of your work, then the entire report will be of very little value to me or to the public. I really believe that it's important that all of you guard very carefully )'our own personal, perhaps, even, offhand remarks, because if you inadvertently made an error in a public statement and it was attributed to a member of this Commission and later it was found to be erroneous, then the integrity of the whole Commission would be questionable.

And so, I think it's very important that you let the deliberations be made public, but until the final determinations are made and you know what you're saying, that you restrain yourself in any sort of ad lib, individual remarks that might be interpreted by the press as your speaking for the Commission.

I might say in closing that when you make your recommendations to me and to the public, I intend to carry them out within the bounds of my authority and responsibility as President. And I intend to share your recommendations and your findings with the leaders of other nations around the world. Your deliberations will have to be expedited. You have adequate resources, financial and staff, on which you can depend. And I need to have your recommendations within 6 months. I know this is a very tight schedule, but I think to delay the report in order to have it a little more comprehensive or a little more complete would be a mistake. The public is eager to hear from you and, of course, so am I.

If, in the interim period, there is a particular fact evolved or a particular recommendation that you discern which ought to be implemented more expeditiously, I hereby ask the Chairman to come to me directly and say, "Mr. President, although we are not ready for our final report, this is something that we believe should be done immediately in order to ensure enhanced safety for the nuclear powerplants now in existence or those presently being constructed." You need not wait for the full 6 months before you make a specific recommendation to me if you think it is propitious to do it earlier.

So, to summarize, I've got confidence in you and so does the public. And your report will be extremely important throughout the world, and I know that you will do a superb job. Your acceptance of this assignment indicates to me that you're willing to devote the time and effort required to carry out the responsibilities that you have assumed.

I'm grateful to you, and you've got a partner here in the Oval Office who will be available to help you if any unforeseen obstacle should arise. I'll help you overcome that obstacle, and I'll help you make your working status and environment within which you perform your duties as pleasant and as productive as possible. Mr. Chairman, I thank you very much.

DR. KEMENY. Mr. President, may I tell you something, that I'm very proud of the fact that although you appointed this Commission 2 weeks ago today, all 11 commissioners are present here. And we have a nuclear staff of three senior appointees whom I will be introducing to the press.

The one thing I wasn't able to tell you 2 weeks ago, with the permission of my board of trustees. I'm available for half time for the entire lifetime of this Commission. And I made it clear to my board of trustees that this will be my highest priority during this period.

THE PRESIDENT. Very fine.

DR. KEMENY. We will do everything we can to carry out the charge, Mr. President, as you instructed us.

THE PRESIDENT. Thank you. Thank you all very much.