THE PLAIN DEALER

OHIO'S LARGEST NEWSPAPER
1801 SUPERIOR AVENUE
CLEVELAND, OHIO 44114

THOMAS VAIL
PUBLISHER AND EDITOR

AREA CODE 216
523-4220

February 10, 1975

Dear Henry,

Iris and I missed you and Nancy here by a few days. In any case I wanted to thank you for the excellent inputs from The State Department here and elsewhere during my trip to the Middle East.

We have particularly enjoyed staying with the Pickerings who are doing such an outstanding job here. I know this is no news to you but I hear it everywhere and I wanted to pass it along.

I have asked our editorial writing staff to lean heavily against the very unfortunate meddling by Congress in our foreign affairs, all so contrary to our traditions and good sense. Hopefully our political ship will right itself soon.

In the meantime, best of luck. The Arab has all its chips on you and the USA. Iris joins me in our best to you and Nancy.

THE PLAIN DEALER

AREA CODE 216
523-4220

November 12, 1975

Hon. Henry A. Kissinger
The Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.

Dear Henry:

What a superb job you did in Pittsburgh.

First off and on a personal note, I cannot thank you enough for your courtesy and effort in remembering to bring along the book together with a notation after all these months. Whatever your memory bank system is, personal and otherwise, it was a real touch and so noted by me.

Your off-the-record briefing at breakfast was as fine as anyone could ask for and I could not think of many things we failed to cover. Your frankness and perception made my trip most worthwhile

As you suggested I certainly plan to let you know when I am in Washington and we will keep in touch.

I had a nice talk with the President a few weeks ago and wrote a little character sketch of him which I enclose.

I do hope we can get you to Cleveland some of these days and in the meantime the very best of luck in everything you are trying to do for this country.

The Publisher's Column

The Plain Dealer

August 31, 1975

[L.C]

# Ford's White House: ease and openness

By Thomas Vail

Every presidency has its own special
style which is a reflection of the president
himself.

Of the presidents I have known and
visited with in the White House, it seems
to me the style with President Kennedy
was "energy and wit," with President
Johnson "frantic earthiness," with Presi-
dent Nixon "discipline and order." With
President Ford so far his style is "ease
and openness."

I went to the White House to see
President Ford alone on a beautiful day
last week. I found him little changed from
the man I had known when he was a
veteran legislator. He looks well, athletic,
trim, tanned, at ease. He still has a good
sense of humor.

The Ford Oval Office includes a bust
of former President Truman, a straight-
out man like President Ford. Behind the
presidential desk are a glamorous picture
of Mrs. Ford and the wheel of the ship
Mayaguez he rescued near Cambodia. The
small telephone room next to the Oval Of-
fice is full of Ford memorabilia; in partic-
ular football helmets, footballs, original
newspaper cartoons and family pictures.

So what about President Ford himself
and his views?

His primary objective right now is to
restore confidence in government and
accessibility to the presidency.

The President sees Americans as
much more interested in domestic issues
than in foreign affairs, and knows there
was not much public interest in his Hel-
sinki conference.

In domestic affairs, President Ford
feels most of the country is in a rather
conservative mood and that the vindictive-
ness of a few years back has gone from
the many crowds he is seeing across the
country.

The President believes that inflation
is by far the most important issue facing
his government. He rates inflation as a
bigger worry than unemployment, know-
ing this could change if things get worse in
our economy.

In foreign affairs President Ford feels
the Middle East is the most important
concern. On the question of whether the
United States is getting overcommitted in
the Middle East, he says that the United
States had to get more involved or the
Russians would have moved into a vacu-

um, creating problems with oil and with
Israel, to name a few.

The President hopes that in addition
to the Middle East he can do something
about mutual arms reductions with Russia.

If the biggest hope for his presidency
is the restoration of confidence in govern-
ment, President Ford rates his biggest
current disappointment the failure to pro-
duce a national energy program. Like
most presidents, Mr. Ford is blaming the
Congress for lack of action, now especially
concerning energy. The lack of leadership
in Congress amazes the President, and he
wonders why congressmen act the way
they do, although he spent 25 years in Con-
gress while other presidents said the same
thing.

President Ford is as much a listener
as a talker. Smoking his pipe and sitting in
a relaxed way, he does not give you the
opinion that he is trying to prove anything
except to be himself.

President Kennedy was aggressive, a
personality pressing a viewpoint. Presi-
dent Johnson was physically possessive,
talkative, overwhelming. President Nixon
as president was quiet, shy, legal, with
little ease of manner.

President Ford is none of these things.
He contributes to the conversation but
does not dominate it. He moderate judg-
ments seem to come from talking to a
broad spectrum of people. President
Kennedy was sharp and sophisticated,
Johnson earthy and emotional. Nixon men-
tal and disciplined. Ford is decent,
straightforward, open.

President Ford has so far changed
less in office than any of the previous
three presidents. Unhappily for psychia-
trists, newspaper reporters and other ob-
servers of the human condition, President
Ford has no underlying motives, hanzups,
or inner conflicts. He is a solid middle
American, not likely to run off in one ex-
treme or another.

President Ford is cautiously
optimistic about the trend of events, but
does not give you a sales talk about the
accomplishments of his administration.

His own Cabinet, which is taking
shape, meets regularly and makes inputs
to the President, so there is no inner coun-
sel or special person who is influencing
the presidency in a special way. Cabinet
officers report they can run their depart-
ments and have access to the President
when they need it.

When I mentioned the swimming pool,
the President enthusiastically gave me a
tour of the almost finished small pool
bathhouses while talking with workmen
finishing the construction. The pool is
nothing unusual, but adequate and close to
the Oval Office so the President can use it
as often as he likes.

So this is the White House of Presi-
dent Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the
United States. He is calm, workmanlike,
open, middle of the road, slightly right of
center, convinced that government cannot
do everything. He is not interested in ex-
tremes, not trying to create images. In all
he is solid, normal and balanced.

As we walked out of the Oval Office
together, the President said several times
how much he liked what he was doing.
There seems no reason to doubt that he
means it and hopes to stay on for at least
five more years. That's one thing Mr. Ford
has in common with Presidents Nixon,
Johnson, Kennedy and the 34 presidents
before him whom I did not interview.

Associated Press

President Ford was host last week to Thomas Vail, publisher and editor of The Plain Dealer.

SECRET STATE W2H

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1152 EDIT

NNNN

JACK VALENTI

THE STATE DEPARTMENT

THAT I SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT YOU ARE GUIDING
THE MIND. MARY MARGARET AND I ARE PROUD OF YOU. MAY I SAY

YOUR COUNTRY IS IN YOUR DEBT FOR AN ACHIEVEMENT THAT BOGGLES

BT

WASHINGTON

DEPT OF STATE

THE MONITORING HENRY KISSINGER SECRETARY OF STATE
TX 895461 SECRET STATE W2H

DC5C48052 WASHINGTON DC 28 06-04 1043A EDIT
1C2 IPMAWAMN W2H

WU 18C2 I-01129JC122 06/04/14

SECRET STATE W2H

OAAA

MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION
OF AMERICA, INC.

1600 EYE STREET, NORTHWEST
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20006

JACK VALENTI
PRESIDENT

July 8, 1974

As you may know, Peter Douglas, son of Anne and Kirk Douglas, is an accomplished and thoroughly professional photographer. He has been commissioned by Viking Press to do a book about famous Americans and how they spend their leisure time. The book would be in photographs with brief copy.

Peter has already photographed a number of celebrities, many of whom are friends of yours, both in the film business and the political world. The book is, of course, totally non-political.

Peter is anxious to include you, and I would hope you assent to this and hopefully find a moment or two for Peter to put you on film (still print, not motion picture film). He would come to Washington, of course, and photograph you at your convenience and within your schedule.

I hope very much you would agree to this.

The Honorable Henry Kissinger
Secretary of State
Department of State
Washington, D. C.

MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION

OF AMERICA, INC.

JACK VALENTI
PRESIDENT

May 9, 1975

Mary Margaret and I, with much delight, invite you and Nancy to join us in honoring Kirk Douglas on Monday, June 2.

We are going to show POSSE in its first screening, a film in which Kirk Douglas is both star and director, and he will be on hand with us to greet you. It will be a small gathering of friends and hopefully admirers of Kirk Douglas.

The film, which also stars Bruce Dern, is a Western with political overtones, which gives it a somewhat contemporary air.

Cocktails at 6:30 p.m., followed by a buffet, and then the movie. It's informal, and our underground garage will be open for parking.

Can you be with us? I think it will be an enjoyable evening, and I know Kirk would be pleased to see you.

RSVP: Nancy Scott at 293-1966.

The Honorable Henry Kissinger
and Mrs. Kissinger
2527 Waterside Drive
Washington, D. C.

# MPAA's Valenti: the Kissinger of copyright

He brings together NAB and NCTA at meeting this week to explore possibility of compromise, although time is growing short

The shuttle diplomacy of Motion Picture Association of America President Jack Valenti paid off last week when he succeeded in getting the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Cable Television Association to agree to sit down at the same conference table to talk about copyright.

The meeting will be this morning (May 10) at MPAA's Washington office. The principals will be Mr. Valenti, NCTA President Robert Schmidt, NAB President Vincent Wasilewski, NAB executive vice presidents John Summers and Donald Zeifang, and network representatives.

NAB says it needs instructions from its executive committee—which meets on Wednesday—before it can bargain. But it figures the Monday meeting will be spent trying to determine if there is in fact anything to bargain. The broadcast association says it will not deal unless the other side is willing to negotiate all of NAB's six points. The other side, however, has already said it is not willing (see page 28).

The heat is on the three industries to do something fast about cable copyright. Representative Robert Kastenmeier (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee that is currently marking up the copyright bill, said last week that the subcommittee will devote two days this week (Wednesday and Thursday are tentatively set) to discussion of the cable TV section of the bill. Mr. Kastenmeier is anxious to resolve the cable tangle, but he also wants the broadcasters, motion picture owners and cable operators to make it easier for him by reaching agreement among themselves.

NAB says it is not out to “torpedo” the copyright bill, and some nonindustry observers say it could not even if it wanted to. Representative Kastenmeier two weeks ago gave assurances that, no matter what, “there will be a Section 111.”

It would appear, however, that NAB has the advantage for the moment. NAB points out that if the cable and motion picture interests had enough votes on the Kastenmeier subcommittee for passage of their joint proposal, there would have been no need for Mr. Valenti to try to draw NAB to the bargaining table. On the other hand, neither does NAB have enough votes for its proposal.

Gross's branch besieged
with questions and complaints
from down the campaign trail;
here's a sampler of some
of the many old, new and unique
stumpers posed from the stumps

For the FCC's fairness and political broad-
casting branch and its five lawyers, this is
the busy season. Primary elections are
being held, candidates and their managers
are demanding their rights under the law,
and broadcasters are doing their best to
steer a straight course on the candidates'
rights and the broadcasters' obligations.
And it is the fairness and political broad-
casting branch that get the questions.

Generally, the branch can handle them.
It's only the novel questions or those on
which the staff is unable to satisfy a can-
didate or station that get up to the com-
mission. For the most part, the questions,
which usually come in over the telephone,
deal with issues on which there is prece-
dent to follow. So unless there is time and
the parties request a formal ruling, the
matter is handled on the spot.

Milton Gross, chief of the branch and a lawyer who has been dealing with political broadcasting matters at the commission for eight years, is point man in the operation, but he gets backup and supervision from the chief of the Complaints and Compliance Division, William B. Ray, and the division's assistant chief, Arthur Ginsburg.

Last week, between calls, Mr. Gross
provided a sampler of the questions the
commission receives. They run a broad
gamut, and although they seldom involve
policy-setting issues, they are important to
those who ask.

For instance, in noting that the new
federal election law requires broadcasters
to afford "reasonable access" to candi-
dates, the commission said it would con-

**Answer men.** These three FCC staff members serve on the commission's front line in handling questions and complaints about broadcasting and fairness (l-r): William B. Ray, chief of the compliance division; Arthur Ginsburg, assistant chief of the political broadcasting andfa

NBC NEWS

A DIVISION OF NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC.

4001 NEBRASKA AVENUE, N.W., WASHINGTON, D. C. 20016, EMERSON 2-4000

April 25, 1975

The Honorable
Henry A. Kissinger
The Secretary of State
Washington, D. C. 20520

Dear Mr. Secretary:

After a long period of agonizing, I've decided not to
accept the job as State Department spokesman.

My decision was shaped by a number of professional and
personal considerations.

As I indicated in our first conversation about the job,
the State Department has become the most exciting beat
in town because of your presence here, and I'm reluctant
to leave it for that reason.

In addition, I'm afraid the atmosphere in Washington has
become so polluted that it may no longer be possible to
cross the line--from journalism to government service--
and then really go back again.

And on a sad personal note, Lee and I are separating---
a painful process which requires a great deal of emotional
readjustment.

It goes without saying that this has been the most difficult
decision of my life, not only because of my admiration and
respect for you as Secretary of State, but also because I
recognize the challenges facing this country, and I sincerely
regret passing up the opportunity of taking part in what could
be a highly creative and exciting period in the conduct of
American diplomacy.

TO : Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State

DATE: April 25, 1975

FROM: Richard Valeriani

RE : Public Information

I have taken the liberty of making some gratuitous recommendations
about public information policy at the State Department.

1. You should think about establishing a regular, once-a-week "seminar" at 11:00 AM in the briefing room, with Assistant Secretaries, Country Directors, Desk Officers and even I and R officials discussing their area of concern or specific topical subjects which do not attract daily attention. The subject matter should be embargoed for at least 24 hours so that no one will feel compelled to file immediately, if at all (and to avoid any suspicion that the DOS is trying to sell a line on something). These briefings should not involve immediate problem areas, but should be designed primarily to provide background information for correspondents (kind of a graduate course in foreign affairs) and to contribute to the general dissemination of information about foreign affairs.

They should be held on a regular basis, apart from briefings on problem areas.

2. Briefings by high-level officials on problem areas should be held as often as possible, soon after the problem arises.

3. The Secretary should not limit himself to full-dress news conferences but should try other forums as well. These could include: Occasional one-subject briefings in the briefing room (on-the-record but with the option of going on background); meetings with the regular DOS correspondents in his office at least once every two weeks, either on the record or on background. (Strictly social sessions are impossible, since neither the Secretary nor the correspondents would eschew substance past the first sip).

4. Lower-level DOS officers should be made more available for newspaper or television interviews, especially local and network "talk" shows which are live and permit a full articulation of views without being edited. If a debate on foreign policy is desirable, more public information is invaluable--even "dissident" information.

-2-

5. The spokesman should be so plugged into the Secretary's thinking, as well as his actions, that newsmen can call him and feel confident they're getting a good feel for what's really happening. This would enable the Secretary himself to spend less time on the telephone with correspondents. A totally-informed spokesman who is in constant touch with newsmen and columnists will probably be able to head off a number of incorrect stories.

6. Once the Vietnam War is really behind us, foreign affairs should be de-politicized again, and all foreign policy matters should be handled by the DOS spokesman, not the White House Press Secretary unless a foreign visitor or Presidential travel are directly involved.

7. Before making a major speech, the Secretary should brief on it (briefly), just as he does before a major Presidential speech, so that the nuances are not lost in the search for a lead.

cc : Ambassadors McCloskey and Anderson

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts

Amherst 01002

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

December 26, 1973

Dr. Henry Kissinger
Secretary of State
Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Henry:

You have been kind enough to show interest toward my current research project on the balance of power relations in the Indian Ocean area. I feel I should inform you of developments.

With a grant by the Earhart Foundation, I travelled past summer to London, Paris, Bonn and Lisbon to interview members of the "foreign policy elite" and collect other material.

I have now obtained a travel grant from the Naval War College (Newport, R.I.) to carry out the plan to go into the target area and spend six months in the countries around the periphery of the Indian Ocean.

I am certain that recommendations for these grants had been solicited from you and I wish to thank you most sincerely for your support.

We (Rose is accompanying me) are due to leave on January 3, first for Australia. We shall be in Canberra (Jan.14-22), in Jakarta (Jan.30-Febr.4), in Singapore (Febr,4-10), in Kuala Lumpur (Febr. 10-14), Colombo (Febr.14-19), Delhi (Febr.20-March 7), Karachi-Islamabad (March 7-29), Teheran (March 29-April 7), Addis Ababa (Apr. 11-19), Mauritius (Apr.21-30), Tananarive (Apr.30 - May 4), Johannesburg-Pretoria (May 4-19). I am in contact with members of US embassies along the route and also with local authorities or personalities.

Should you wish to contact me, please address yourself to the US missions in the place referred to or to addresses where I shall pick up my mail. List, with relevant dates, enclosed.

Thanking you once more for all the help you have given, and with best wishes for the NEW Year, in which I am joined by Rose,

FAV/vs