Remarks at the Presentation of the National Civil Service League's Career Service Awards.

Mr. Macy. ladies and gentlemen:

I am sorry that you had to wait for this to come about. While it's been a long time this morning, I am sure that you have spent a good many hours reaching this point in life and you will understand.

There is one thing that I want you to know, and I want all of those in high authority in Government to know, and I want the country and the world to know, and that is if this administration has any bias in its promotion policies it is a bias in favor of the career service.

So those of you that have been selected as the 10 outstanding public servants, while you are welcomed here this morning, I think you are in very distinguished company when you are one of the winners of the National civil Service League's Career Service Award.

The high quality of ability and performance in the Government service was never needed more--and I can speak with the cool authority of even the last few days.

Responsibilities that have been placed upon the Government in these times affect the lives of all of our citizens, and affect the future of the entire free world. There is too much at stake for us to consider for a moment that a position of responsibility is to be parceled out either as a plum of patronage or as a reward for partisanship.

That is true of the members of my Cabinet. I have named only three Cabinet members that are new. All three of those men are somewhat career men in the public service. They have spent some time in public service. They were not selected because of their party, if they have a party. They were selected because of their dedication, because of their ability, because of their character, and because I think that they are the best equipped men that I can find.

That is going to be true of every person I select. The only thing I find wrong with the judgments of the people who selected the winners of the National Civil Service League's Career Service Award is that they apparently confined their judgment to stags. I just can't believe that the odds are 10 to nothing in favor of the men when it comes to making awards based on merit.

Now is this just men in civil service, or does it include both men and women? Where are the women ? That is the point I want to make. I think we have a bias, and I think we have a prejudice, and I think that we are inclined sometimes to think because we weigh more, and because we are taller, and because our shoe sizes are bigger that that is representative of our intelligence, too, and our dedication, too.

I have not found that true in my service in the Federal Government of 35 years. And I am going to insist that Mr. Macy, and I would like to suggest to the Civil Service League, too, that we bear that in mind in making our selections.

I want these honors that we give in Government service, as far as the Government is concerned, to be based not on regions, not on religions, not on race, and not on sex. We must emphasize excellence.

On behalf of the Government and the American people, I want to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the skill and for the devotion that each of you 10 men have given your Government.

I want to ask Chairman Macy to introduce individually each of these winners. And I want to say to you that of the 200 major appointments that the President has made, not one single one--and most of the people I did not even know personally as friends before I named them--but not one single one has been named because of his religion, or his region, or his party--because I don't know of any instance where we even ask them what party they belong to--or as a reward, as a patronage plum, or partisanship.

We have tried to distribute them geographically. We have given some thought to that. We have tried to distribute them so that both sexes could participate, because we think that the balance has been in favor of the men. We have gone out and searched for peculiarly equipped women. We have tried to distribute them with career service in mind because I just believe that a person that has worked years, and years, and years for their Government is entitled to a promotion when a place is opened up.

I think more than half of my appointments have come from the career people. perhaps three-fourths of them have come from people who have spent a long time in Government service.

So, when you go back and talk to your associates you tell them that their name is coming up--quit watching that clock, quit worrying about what time they leave in the afternoon, quit being afraid to be imaginative and adventuresome and to give ideas.

The people that I reward, notwithstanding what some think, are the folks that come up with new programs and new ideas in something different, and even something that I don't agree with, because frequently they convince me that I am wrong.

So, you tell the career people that is what we want. Mr. Macy is looking over their shoulder and if he doesn't find them, you suggest them.

We need more, and better, and experienced, and qualified people for the Federal Government in the days ahead, and we are going to the career service to get them.

Thank you very much.