WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, DECEMBER 28, 1970

Christmas, 1970

Statement by the President. December 24,1970

Christmas is a family time. Let us make it, at Christmas

1970, a time when we have a very special sense of Americans as a national family. Let us put aside what divides

us and rediscover what unites us-concern for one another, love of liberty and justice, pride in our own diversity. Let us resolve to work together to right old wrongs

and heal old wounds, to do what needs to be done to make

this a better country and a better world for all of our

children.

Our greatest hope at Christmas 1970-and at every

Christmastime of course-is for peace in the world. This

Christmas we can be thankful that we are making progress

toward peace.

Peace is a fragile thing, and there are dangers that

threaten it in many parts of the world. But I firmly believe that, in this Christmas season, we can look forward

with greater confidence than at any time since World

War II to the prospect that our children can have, at last,

what we all devoutly hope for: a generation of peace.

Bill for the Relief of Miloye M. Sokitch

The President's Memorandum of Disapproval.

December 24,1970

I have withheld my approval from H.R. 3571, "Relief

of Miloye M. Sokitch."

This bill would permit the Foreign Claims Settlement

Commission to consider the claim of Miloye M. Sokitch

under the Italian claims program administered by the

Commission. The amount determined by the Commission

to be due to Mr. Sokitch would be paid by the Secretary

of the Treasury out of the Italian Claims Fund.

After World War II the Italian Government transferred funds to the United States for the payment of claims

of Americans for the loss or damage of their property in

Italy during the war. While the statutory authorization

for this program originally limited the eligibility of claimants to those who were American nationals at the time

their property was lost or damaged, the law was amended

in 1958 to include persons, so-called late nationals, who

had become nationals of the United States prior to August 9, 1955, and who had filed claims under the original

statute prior to September 30, 1956.

Mr. Sokitch has a claim of $215,200 for property losses

he suffered in Italy during the war. He was not eligible

to have his claim considered under the original legislation, however, because he did not become an American

citizen until 1947, and he was not eligible to have his

claim considered as a late national under the 1958 amendment because he had not filed a claim within the time

prescribed in that amendment.

In 1967, the Executive Branch recommended general legislation which would have recognized the claims

of Mr. Sokitch and approximately 50 other late nationals

similarly situated but Congress refused to enact it. At the

same time, since approximately $1 million was still left

in the Italian claims program, Congress did authorize

the settlement of the claims of Americans who lost property in areas ceded by Italy after the war, primarily the

Dodecanese Islands.

I can find no true equities to support approval of H.R.

3571. Mr. Sokitch's claim is no different from those of the

50 other late nationals whose claims for property losses

in Italy are barred by existing law. Along with these other

claimants, Mr. Sokitch was also denied relief when

the general legislation that would have recognized

their claims was rejected by Congress. Mr. Sokitch would

thus be given special and preferential treatment over a

number of other persons whose cases differ in no material

respect from his.

Further, permitting Mr. Sokitch to have his claim adjudicated and paid, if otherwise found meritorious,

would be unfair to those persons whose claims for property

losses in the areas ceded by Italy are now under consideration. I am advised that asserted claims under this ongoing program aggregate approximately $24 million as

compared with the $1 million available for their payment.

Any settlement paid Mr. Sokitch under the preferential

provisions of H.R. 3571 will obviously reduce the settlements that can be paid to the persons already eligble for

payment under the general provisions of the ceded areas

program.

For the foregoing reasons, I feel compelled to withhold

my approval from H.R. 3571.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House

December 24, 1970

Bill To Promote Training

in Family Medicine

The President's Memorandum of Disapproval. Dated

December 24,1970. Released December 26,1970

I am withholding my signature from S. 3418, a bill

designed to promote training in family medicine. The authority provided in this bill is unnecessary and represents

the wrong approach to the solution of the nation's health

problems.

In my press conference on December 10, I stated that a

health program will be one of the highest priority proposals I will submit to the Congress next year. We will