The President's News Conference

THE PRESIDENT. [1.] The first announcement I have to make is the appointment of Richmond B. Keech as Associate Justice of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He will succeed Justice Jesse C. Adkins, who is retiring October 15th. Mr. Keech is now Administrative Assistant to the President, and was Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia.

[2.] I am appointing General George C. Marshall, Senator Burnet Maybank of South Carolina, General Alexander A. Vandegrift, and Congressman Joseph Clark Baldwin of New York, to the Battle Monuments Commission.

Q. What was that last one, Mr. President? What was that last name, Mr. President-Baldwin?

Q. Is that a paying job, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT. How's that?

Q. Is that a paying job?

THE PRESIDENT. No. Expenses are paid when they are on their regular duties for that purpose. Congress authorized an additional four members to it.

[3.] In connection with the inauguration on November 3d of the President of the Republic of Chile, I have directed the Secretary of the Navy to send a small squadron of naval vessels to be present at a Chilean port at that time; and I have designated my Chief of Staff, Fleet Admiral Leahy, to be my Personal Representative at the inauguration ceremonies.

That's all the announcements I have to make.

[4.] Q. Nothing on meat, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT. Nothing on meat.

[5.] Q. Mr. President, what rank does Admiral Leahy have, in addition to being Chief of Staff?

THE PRESIDENT. He is a Fleet Admiral, a five-star admiral.

Q. Does he have the rank of Ambassador?

THE PRESIDENT. He is my Special Representative. He is not a special Ambassador.

[6.] Q. Mr. President, is there any action imminent in the meat situation ?

THE PRESIDENT. There is not.

Q. Do you think that the dissatisfaction about the meat situation, Mr. President, is likely to be reflected in the elections"congressional elections this fall?

THE PRESIDENT. I have no comment to make on that.

[7.] Q. Any campaign plans, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT. None.

[8.] Q. Mr. President, can you tell us anything about the Wage Stabilization Board in connection--

THE PRESIDENT. Mr. Wirtz will make a statement on that later in the day. He is the Chairman of the Board.

Q. Have you accepted the resignation of the industry members--

THE PRESIDENT. No, I haven't.

Q. Did you reject them?

THE PRESIDENT. I haven't yet. I have rejected them once. I may do it again. 1

1 In a statement released later in the day, as reported in the New York Times of October 11, Mr. Wirtz noted with regret the resignations of the two industry members of the Wage Stabilization Board.

[9.] Q. Mr. President, will there be another meeting today of your advisers on the meat situation?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes, there will be. Yes, there will be.

Q. Same group, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT. Same group.

Q. Meet today?

THE PRESIDENT. Meet today.

Q. Are they still considering the implications of Argentine beef?

THE PRESIDENT. I have no comment to make on what they are considering. They will make a report to me when they are ready.

Q. When do you expect to get that report, Mr. President ?

THE PRESIDENT. I will announce it when I get it.

Q. Mr. President, will they meet in the White House, sir?

THE PRESIDENT. They will meet in the White House.

Q. Will you meet with them ?

THE PRESIDENT. I might. I haven't made up my mind yet. If it is necessary, I will.

[10.] Q. Mr. President, may I ask you once again whether you are planning to go to New York to make a political address ?

THE PRESIDENT. I do not.

Q. You do not plan to go ?

THE PRESIDENT, I do not.

Q. That is final, is it, sir ?

THE PRESIDENT. I didn't say that. I said I didn't plan to go now.

[11.] Q. Mr. President, does Great Britain have any of our atomic bombs, or any atomic bombs

THE PRESIDENT. They have not.

Q. They have not? There are none stockpiled over there, or whatever it is?

THE PRESIDENT. There are none. Categorically none.

[12.] Q. Mr. President, may I ask a question from the rear of the room ?

THE PRESIDENT. Sure.

Q. Do you still favor personally retention of price controls on meat?

THE PRESIDENT. I have no comment to make on that.

[13.] Q. Mr. President, do you have any comment on Senator Taft's remarks concerning the Nuremberg trials?

THE PRESIDENT. Well now, I think that's a matter that he and Dewey can settle, don't you? [Laughter]

[14.] Q. Mr. President, does the Allen mission to Germany--does the Allen mission to Germany represent any change in our--in the basic policy of Germany, as made out in 1945--

THE PRESIDENT. Mr. Allen went on business for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, with which I am not familiar. It has nothing to do with any policy that affects Germany except where the Reconstruction Finance Corporation is interested.

[15.] Q. Mr. President, was the decision of the War Department to send B-29's on the round-the-world mission cleared with the White House before

THE PRESIDENT. There has been no decision made as yet.

Q. There has been no decision made ?

THE PRESIDENT. No.

[16.] Q. In saying, sir, that you have no comment on price ceilings on meat, do you refuse to affirm your position the last time we talked ?

THE PRESIDENT. No, I do not. I have made my position perfectly clear on that, but I have no comment to make at the present time on this question.

[17.] Q. Mr. President, the society department of my paper wants to know whether you are planning to attend the wedding of Mr. Wallace's--

THE PRESIDENT. Mrs. Truman is going to attend.

Q. But you are not?

THE PRESIDENT. I won't. I have never attended those affairs.

[18.] Q. Mr. President, your statement that no action is imminent on meat, would that indicate that you are expecting any announcement as a result of the current meeting of your advisers on that subject ?

THE PRESIDENT. I have no comment to make on that, for I haven't discussed the matter with them as yet.

[19.] Q. Mr. President, do you expect to attend the General Assembly of the United Nations when it meets in New York ?

THE PRESIDENT. It is under consideration.

Q. When do you think you will make a decision?

THE PRESIDENT. I will make the announcement right here when it is ready.

[20.] Q. Mr. President, does the prospective resumption of state dinners mean that tails are coming back in Washington? [Laughter]

THE PRESIDENT. Well, they are going to be quite a problem, they are getting rather scarce. Black ties or tails, whichever they have, because they are scarce. The President will wear tails. [More laughter]

[21.] Q. Mr. President, are you going to attend the meeting on juvenile delinquency--on the preventing of it--that is being held the week of October 21st?

THE PRESIDENT. Not that I know of. That's the first I have heard of it.

[22.] Q. Mr. President, did you see or clear Edgar Hoover's speech before the American Legion?

THE PRESIDENT. No, I did not.

[23.] Q. Mr. President, when do you expect to act upon the Wage Stabilization Board industry members' resignations?

THE PRESIDENT. Oh, I'll deliberate about it. I have had their resignations once before. There was no hurry about accepting them and they stayed on.

[24.] Q. Mr. President, from published reports, there seems to be a difference of opinion between you and Mr. Snyder as to--

THE PRESIDENT. That was a direct misquotation of Mr. Snyder. There is no difference between Mr. Snyder and me.

[25.] Q. Mr. President, have you answered Mr. Attlee's note on Palestine?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes, I have.

Q. Could that be made public?

THE PRESIDENT. No, it will not be made public.

[26.] Q. Mr. President, to come back to that apparent difference of opinion that you said was a misquotation. Could you give us a little bit of background as to whether in your last press conference you meant to cut the deficit as low as possible or if you meant that the budget would be in balance, rather than balanced by the end of the year?

THE PRESIDENT. I have made the statement that the budget would be in balance by the end of the year.

Q. In balance?

THE PRESIDENT, Yes sir.

Q. But you did not mean that that would catch up with the a billion, one?

THE PRESIDENT. I didn't say that, either. I am doing my best to catch up with the 2 billion, one, and I think we are going to do it. I would like to make that perfectly plain.

Q. How is that 2 billion, one going to be cut off, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I can't tell you that right now. I have issued orders on it, and it will be announced at a later date.

Q. Mr. President, who misquoted, you or Mr. Snyder?

THE PRESIDENT. Mr. Snyder.

Q. Mr. Snyder was misquoted ?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes.

Q. You still insist the budget will be in balance?

THE PRESIDENT. I am going to do everything I possibly can to balance the budget. Morally certain it will be in balance.

[27.] Q. Did you sign the Executive order transferring the Alien Property Custodian's office to the Justice Department?

THE PRESIDENT. I don't know whether I have signed it yet or not. It has been in contemplation. It will be signed within a few days. I can't remember exactly whether it has been signed or not.

Mr. Clifford: No, it has not.

THE PRESIDENT. They tell me that it hasn't been signed. It has been up for consideration.

[28.] Q. Mr. President, are you very near picking your man for the London Ambassador's job?

THE PRESIDENT. No.

Q. Not very near?

[29.] Q. Anything on the Atomic Energy Commission?

THE PRESIDENT. No. I will make that announcement when I have made the decision. [Laughter]

Reporter: Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT. You're welcome.