Remarks at the Swearing In of Members of the Executive Office of the President and the White House Staff.

Ladies and gentlemen:

We are today swearing in five very important members of the Executive Office of the President and of the White House Staff.

We shall begin with that very important group, the Council of Economic Advisers.

If Dr. Paul McCracken, Dr. Houthakker, and Dr. Stein will step up here. Before swearing these three gentlemen in, of course, as all of you know, they have been working prior to this swearing in and I have been reminded over and over again that as economists they are known as part of the "Dismal Science."

I can say it may be a dismal science, but from the reports I have been receiving, it is not a dull science by any manner of means.

I hope during this administration it might be a happy science, that their predictions may turn out that way.

[Judge Warren Earl Burger of the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, administered the oath of office.]

Now, Dr. Arthur Bums, if you will step up.

Dr. Burns is being sworn in as Counsellor to the President and we will have his wife, Mrs. Burns, to stand here with him.

[Judge Burger administered the oath of office.]

Now, the fifth man to be sworn in today is the only one who has a different title. As you will note, the first four have very properly been described as doctors, meaning of course they are scholars, and our fifth is a general.

So we have four doctors and a general. I should point out that General Lincoln, however, could have been introduced as a doctor,¹ I believe, and he has written a book. So he is in the proper company at the present time.

¹ General Lincoln received an honorary degree of doctor of laws from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968.

Mrs. Lincoln, would you step in here between us?

[Judge Burger administered the oath of office.]

That concludes our ceremony this morning. We appreciate you all being here. We are particularly glad to see the members of the families that are here.

Thank you very much.