Kennedy Revealed As Source Of Policy Review

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30028, 12 January 1963, Page 11

Kennedy Revealed As Source Of Policy Review

(N.Z. Press Association-Copyright)

RICHMOND (Virginia), January 1

President Kennedy may discontinue the background briefings through which reporters are advised of Administration views on a nonattributable basis.

The President’s press secretary, Mr pierre Salinger, said this yesterday in a letter to the managing editor of the “Richmond Times-Dispatch,” Mr John Colburn. Mr Colburn had written to Mr Salinger about such a briefing conducted by Mr Kennedy in Palm Beach. Florida on New Year’s Eve, the Associated Press reported. The White House disclosed publicly yesterday that it was President Kennedy himself who gave reporters an end-of-the year interview on domestic and foreign affairs. The news stories had been attributed to the “highest authority,” ‘‘unimpeachable sources,” or "Kennedy friends .” Mr Colburn wrote to Mr Salinger on Monday that much of what was said in Palm Beach the President had said openly in a radio and television report on Decembei 17 He said: "Thr President’s views are important news and thr public is interested —as he found out after the December 17 event. Bitt why main-

tain this ‘myth’ of the ‘highest authority’ in a group interview when much that was said had been said openly two weeks earlier?” Addressing his reply to Mr Colburn in the editor's capacity as chairman of the freedom of information committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Mr Salinger wrote: “As you know, under the Washington background rule, the fact that there is a backgrounder is never publicly admitted.

“The fact of the matter Is. however, that the Palm Beach backgrounder with the President was put down in transcript form and each of the reporters who attended the backgrounder was given a copy to refer to when writing stories. "The backgrounder did contain a great deal of information which was not available on a quotable basis from the President’s television appearance. “I am afraid, however, that the numerous breaches of this particular backgrounder—par-

ticularly by organisations which were represented—means that there will be no more of these,” Mr Salinger said.

Mr Salinger yesterday issued the following statement: ‘‘At the request of the press, I am making available certain sections of a background press conference oy the President of the United States at Palm Beach. Florida, on December 31, 1962. The sections being made available now have been the subject of direct quotations in some British and American newspapers.” Diplomatic observers said the decision to put the President's comments “on the record” was to counter the impression given in reports published in Britain and the other European capitals as well as in the United States that he intended to exert a tougher leadership of the West in the coming months.

The partial transcript ot the President’s press conference disclosed that what he did say was “That we have . . .

to be ready to accept a good deal more expressions of newspaper and governmental opposition to the United States in order to get something done than we have perhaps been willing to do in the past 1 don’t expect that the United States will be more beloved, but I would hope that we could get more done. ...”

On Britain's nuclear force, which he discussed with Mr Macmillan at their Nassau conference, President Kennedy said: “It will be independent in moments of great national peril, which is really the only time you consider using nuclear weapons anyway. It will serve as a basis for a multi-national force or multilateral force.” He also said that Britain had had “several” experiences of being alone, “certainly at the beginning of the Second World War.

“So I think the concept of their having to be alone is rather a strong one in the British.” he said. "Yet to operate in the case of Cuba, we bad the support of the alliance.

“We might have had a situation wh. e we didn't I think we would probably want to feel that, after due notice, wr had some control over these weapons. ...”

Publication of the partial transcript was also related to a request addressed by an American reporter to Mr Salinger earlier today for infomation on who gave permission for the quotation of the President's remarks in the London “Sunday Times” of January 12. Mr Salinger declined all comment in answer to the request