The President's News Conference

THE PRESIDENT. I have no announcements to make this morning, so I suppose it will be a question-and-answer program.

[1.] Q. Mr. President, are there any plans for the international trial of Nazi industrialists at the termination of the present trial ?

THE PRESIDENT. They are working on the plans.

Q. Will that be for an international trial--

THE PRESIDENT. I can't answer that now. I have no comment to make on that. We will make that decision when this trial is finished.

[2.] Q. Mr. President, at your budget seminar recently, you said you spoke to someone who had been making public statements that taxes could be reduced 20 percent in 1947; and Congressman Knutson having made so many statements was supposed to be the man you referred to--has asked you to clear up that question. Can you tell us who you did talk to?

THE PRESIDENT. I will say this to you, that that is one time I made an error. I was completely surprised when I saw Mr. Knutson's letter in the press. It was published before it reached me, therefore it was not necessary to answer it; but that was a mistake entirely--and the President makes them as well as anybody else.

I would like Mr. Knutson to tell me, however, how he could make that 20 percent cut.

Q. Did you speak with Knutson, sir?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes. I had been discussing the matter with three or four people previous to that, and it was just an error on my part, that was.

[3.] Q. Mr. President, on this Mead committee report on Canol, is it not true that no member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, past or present, divulged what went on in the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, unless the President directs such disclosure? Specifically, about Admiral King?

THE PRESIDENT. That has been customary, of course, but the Canol project is a dead horse--was completely investigated and the report was made on it when I was chairman of that committee. Those investigations and reports were made for the purpose of preventing the digging up of dead horses. It doesn't do any good to dig them up any more. It has been decided to dispose of it.

Q. In other words, Admiral King--no point in Admiral King testifying ?

THE PRESIDENT, None at all.

[4.] Q. There are reports again that Price Administrator Porter has asked to be relieved of his job.

THE PRESIDENT. He hasn't--

Q. Has he asked you that?

THE PRESIDENT. he hasn't asked me that. I don't think he will.

[5.] Q. Mr. President, would you like to implement the open covenant policy and tell us what you told the British on this Palestine problem--sometime ago now?

THE PRESIDENT. That has all been published, Felix.¹

¹Felix Belair, Jr., of the New York Times.

Q. You made a reply, I believe, to Mr. Attlee that we never--never--

THE PRESIDENT. The substance of it was all made public. All I was trying to do was get a hundred thousand Jews into Palestine. Still trying to do that.

Q. Mr. President, on that subject, it has never been officially stated that our Government turned down the Grady-Morrison report, that I know of. Did we reject it, or didn't we ?

THE PRESIDENT. It is still under consideration.

[6.] Q. Mr. President, will there be a special session on the price control--

THE PRESIDENT. I had not thought of calling any special session.

Q. Mr. President, there has been some suggestion that a special session be called to enact the Wagner-Taft-Ellender housing bill. Has that come to you, that suggestion ?

THE PRESIDENT. No. No, that's the first time I have had that suggestion. I think these Congressmen are entitled to a campaign from now until election time, without interruption. [Laughter] That's what I propose to let them do.

[7.] Q. Mr. President, would you go along with the $300 million loan to the Arab states, as proposed in the Grady-Morrison plan?

THE PRESIDENT. That was under discussion, and I would rather not make a comment on it until we decide on the whole program--

[8.] Q. Mr. President, you have under consideration the calling of another labor-management conference ?

THE PRESIDENT. I have not.

[9.] Q. Mr. President, how does the Mead-Lehman ticket in New York suit you?

THE PRESIDENT. It suits me all right, and I think it will be elected. That question about Mead now has answered itself. Remember that adroit question that was asked me at my news conference? [Laughter]

Q. Mr. President, what will you--what do you plan to do to help aid Senator Mead in his campaign?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I am going to say all the nice things I can about him. I think he is a good administrator.

Q. Can you tell us where you will speak during the campaign ?

THE PRESIDENT. No. I haven't made any definite plans as yet.

Q. Will you go to New York, sir?

THE PRESIDENT. I don't want to answer that now.

[10.] Q. Mr. President, do you agree with Secretary Schwellenbach that the labor delegates on the ILO general conference should be alternated between the CIO and the A.F. of L. ?

THE PRESIDENT. I didn't understand that?

Q. That Secretary Schwellenbach had said that he thinks the labor delegates to the ILO should be alternated between the CIO and the A.F. of L. ? I wondered if you agreed with that?

THE PRESIDENT. That matter has been discussed, and it is still in the hands of the Secretary of Labor. Hasn't been put up to me as yet.

[11.] Q. Mr. President, does what you have said about Palestine this morning mean consultations are still under way between the United States Government and the British Government ?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes. They are still going on in London.

Q. Are we sending observers to the conference with the Arab and Jewish groups?

THE PRESIDENT. NO, We are not. We are not interested in that.

[12.] Q. Mr. President, are you planning to do anything personally in this maritime strike?

THE PRESIDENT. When it comes up to me.

Q. Can't hear you!

THE PRESIDENT. Probably will. That is still under consideration by the Labor Department.

That's on the maritime strike. He wanted to know if I was going to take any action on it. It hasn't been put up to me yet. It is still in the hands of the Secretary of Labor.

[13.] Q. Mr. President, probably I didn't understand you clearly, but is there any prospect of an extra session of Congress after the election ?

THE PRESIDENT. I have no comment to make on that. I am not even considering an extra session of Congress--if that's a definite answer enough. [Laughter]

There is no emergency facing us now that necessitates an extra session of Congress.

[14.] Q. Mr. President, what do you think of the stock market?

THE PRESIDENT. I am not well enough informed on that to make a comment at this time. I am not--I have had no experience in the stock market on my own behalf. But of course I am interested. I am very much interested. But I would rather not comment on it at this time, until I have more information.

Reporter: Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT. That's all right.