#161 -5
bomb, yes, I mean they won't go -= they won't let me see the test, that's
-- they want me not to go.
f.
(Jonevan)
You have actually seen the hydrogen bomb:
THE PR-SSIDENT: I have seen the bomb, I haven't seen the test.
©,
{(Denovan)
An atom bomb, too’
THE PRESIDENT: Oh yes. ChI have seen the bomb, I have seen all
the weapons, I just haven't been allowed to go to the tests.
QQ.
(Donovan) You couldn't give us any details on your visits --
THE PRSIDENT: No,
Q. Belair, New York Times. :.'r, President, with respect to a meeting at the summit, you made it quite clear in our last meeting, I think,
that no head of a self-respecting government could go into a negotiation
with other heads of government under any Kind of ultimatum such as the
Soviets have imposed on Berlin.
I wondered, does the Soviet failure to withdraw that ultimatum mean
to you that you could not go in‘: a summit negotiation on other questions such as disarmament, nuclear test suspension, or any others?
THE PRESIDENT:
Mr. Belair, I don't recall that I put my conclusion
and my statement of a couple of weeks ago on the basis just of Berlin.
I said that if a Doreign Ministers meeting made such progress as to
give to any reasonable person the belief that that progress would make
a summit meeting fruitful, then I would be glad to go; because certainly
I am not going to indulge just prejudice or preconceived notions or
anything else to such an extent that it will stand in the way of some
kind of tiny step toward easing tensions in the world.
REPRODUCED AT THE DWIGHTD.
EISENHOWER LIBRARY
So, if 1 did tie that directly to the Cerlin bit, I did it only as an example. If there is any kind of reasonable progress that justifies a summit
meeting, why of course ] would never decline the opportunity,
(. ivorgan, ABC, Mr. President, ycur political opponents have
accused you on a number of occasions of lack of leadership, But
now the shoe is on the other foot. The Democratic Advisory Council,
by implication anyway, is criticizing its own leadership in Congress,
or the lack of it. Could you give us the Eisenhower definition of leader ship in government, and could you spell out for us, sir, a little more
your concept of the role of the Presidency now? (1 aughter}