Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-01
Partial TRANSCRIPT
Kennedy Voices Satisfaction Over Cuba Action


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FOLLOWING Is a partial tran
script OF President Kennedy's
press conference yesterday aft
ernoon.
~ THE PRESIDENT: Good af-
ternoon. want to take pleas
'ure in welcoming the editor of
Izvestia, Mr.. Adzhubei, to this
Presidential Press Conference.
He is. as I said. editor of a
paper which carried our inter-
view last November. and also
q member of the Central Com
mittee. and therefore combines
two hazardous professions -
politics and journalism, and
. also Mrs. Adzhubci who is the
daughter Of the Chairman. We
are glad to have them here to
ooserve an ancient American
custom.
,,as Pleased at GAS Action
Secondly. I want to express
my satisfaction, and I believe
that Of all Americans, at the
action taken by the Organiza-
ton Of American States at the
Punta del Este conference. Six
resolutions, representing a six
point program, were passed by
the conference early this morn
ing. Not a single nation joined
Cuba in voting against these
resolutions. Twenty other ma
tions of this conference joined
in a vigorous declaration
against Communist penetration
of this hemisphere, and in full
support of the Alliance for
Progress and to expel Cuba
from the nter-American De-
Tense Board. 1t is the first time
the independent American
states have declared with one
vpice that the concept of Marx
ism-Leninism is incompatible
With the inter-American sys-
tenn, and they have taken ex-
plicit steps to protect the hemi-
spheres ability to achieve prog
fess with freedom.
" Stockpiling Cutback
Thirdly, have an important
announcement to make about
the national stockpiling pro-
gram. The purpose of this
program over a period Of sew
etal years has been to store for
future use those strategic ma
tsrials which might be essential
to the Nation in the event OF
On emergency.
81" After a review of this pro-
gram, upon assuming the re-
sponsibilities of office, I was
aStonished to find that the
total stockpile now amounts to
some SIT billion worth of ma
terials, an amount that exceeds
the Gees total inventory of
farm products, and of mere i'm {
portance, an amount that eX-
ceeds our emergency require
inents as presently determined i
by nearly $3.4 billion.
lin some cases. the Govern {
fnent had acquired more than '
Seven times the amount that I
could possibly be used. For ex- l
ample, the value of the alumni
mum in this stockpile exceeds
the amounts we would need for
three years in the event of war
BY $347 million.
1.-The excess supply of nickel
is SOB million. This admins
tration has taken steps to halt
any new acquisitions to the ;
stockpile with the exception of
three items, still critically short,
and on which we have spent
less than 81 million. Unfortu-
1lately, the surplus of other ma
terials is still growing, as the
result of contracts negotiated
prior to this administrators
taking office.
a'pIt was apparent to me that
this excessive storage of costly
materials was a questionable
burden on public funds, and in
addition a potential source of
excessive and unconscionable
profits.
- Last spring detailed check
Was ordered, and our inforlna-
ton to date has convinced me
that a thorough investigation
is warranted.
i, The cloak of secrecy which
has surrounded this program
may have been justified orig
inally to conceal our shortages,
but this is no longer the case,
and secrecy now is only an in
,Eitation to mismanagement.
Il"
e To Explore Program
I'll. therefore, discussed this
matter with Senator Syming- /.
.tbn, chairman Of the Senate
.Stockpiling Subcommittee. He
agrees that the program should
he completely explored, and
without delay.
d. have assured him that we
will make available to his sub
committee all the material wee
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