US Presidency
1964

THE PRESIDENT. Ladies and gentlemen, I have come before you today for a regular, scheduled, televised, notified well in advance press conference. I did not drive myself over here. But I did have to cancel an informal meeting with some tourists at the gate. I am happy to see here today so many visiting members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, so many of my old friends. You are welcome to your city. I have some information on the state of our national economy. In the first quarter of 1964 our gross national product rose to a rate of $ 608? billion. This is up $ 8? billion from the fourth quarter of 1963. The first quarter gross national product is nearly $ 37 billion above the year earlier figure. It is the largest year to-year gain, I am told by the Chairman of the Economic Council this afternoon, in more than 2 years. Personal income in March ran at a rate of $ 480? billion, an increase of $ 1?