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Say it one. Take 1. 87. 33. Smathers. Here in your nation's capital is Senator George Smathers reporting to the people of Florida. This takes the form of an informal discussion. Let's join the discussion right here in your nation's capital. Is Senator George Smathers reporting to the people of Florida?

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This takes the form of an informal discussion. Let's join the discussion, what senators matters, and I'm a little bit confused as to your stand on civil rights. I read the press this past week and got two conflicting stories. I wish you would clarify that. Well, actually, there's seven sections of the bill.

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There are five of them that I could support because they have to do with voluntary approaches to this matter of desegregation. There are two sections, one having to do with the education and what have you do with the public accommodations, privately owned public accommodations that I am not for.

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So if the bill comes up, if those provisions come up separately, why there are some I could support. If they come up in a package, why, then I would oppose the whole package. In other words, you filibuster the whole package I would be. Yes, I am prepared to filibuster against the whole package because the two provisions the privately owned public accommodations, I think that goes so far to interfere with the man's personal property rights.

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It requires him to, in some events, hire people that he may not want to hire and do something with his own business and his own money that I don't think he should be required to do. That is such a far reaching provisions that I could not be for that, certainly in the absence of any law, and I would be opposed to it in any event.

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So I would filibuster the whole bill if we had to vote on it in a package. Sir, what are your Pacific views concerning the voting sections of civil rights legislation? I have always believed that we should encourage every citizen to vote, irrespective of his race, color or creed.

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And in every election in which I have been involved, I have asked the colored citizens as well as the white citizens devote to support me. Sometimes they have, sometimes they have it, But I've never felt as though making it easier for all of our citizens devote is anything other than improving democracy.

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So on that particular issue of assuming that every person who has had 1/6 grade education is literate, thereby qualified to vote would, in my judgment, be just as conducive to getting certain white citizens devote as colored citizens. And I would be for that provision. Well, now the educational angle of it is quite broad.

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Would you support that that phase? And it's entirely I don't believe that we need additional law in this educational section. I think there's already enough law in the book. I originally did not agree with the Supreme Court's decision in the Brown case, which knock down the doctrine of separate but equal.

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But that is the law today. I don't believe that we need any additional law. I think, to advocate it and to debate it will have a divisive and a a bad effect rather than a unifying effect for the nation. So I would not be for that particular section now.

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Which do you think is the more important Senator the proposed tax reduction bill, which might aid people in Florida and our small businessmen or this civil rights bill? I cannot help but strongly believe that the problem of the Negro citizen basically is an economic problem and an educational problem, and that if a Negro citizen is permitted to get a job and can get a job and work and provide his family those things which he thinks they need and give them the type of education which they think that he that he thinks they need, I think many of his grievances and claims in equities will disappear.

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It's interesting to me that there's out of 10 citizens we have in the United States today. Only one of them is Negro. On the other hand, of the unemployed people that we have today, of the 10 unemployed, eight of them are colored. And I think this gives us an indication that this that the tax reduction bill which would stimulate the economy and provide more jobs for all of our people, and particularly for the Negro citizen, is much more helpful in the long run and much more beneficial to him in the long run than the so called, uh, sort of visionary rights, which he talks about this so called civil rights bill.

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So in my judgment, I'm of the firm opinion that a tax cut is much more beneficial to the Negro citizens than would be the so called civil rights bill. There's an indication that the civil rights bill goes on in filibuster. There'll be no tax bill, and I think that would be tragic.

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I think that it's much to the advantage of the Negro citizens that we have a tax cut. I think you will find that will be much more beneficial to him as well as through the entire economy of our nation, rather than this so called civil rights legislation.

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Might. You just might play. Some of your constituents don't like what you've said. Well, Senator Smathers, one final question on the civil rights matter. It all boils down to whether or not we're going to have a filibuster and I would be we be successful in the filibuster.

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I would again say that if it comes up in a package, I think that the filibuster would probably be successful because there are enough adverse sections of it that there would be. I don't believe they could get two thirds needed. On the other hand, I think again it depends upon what the Republicans are going to do if the Republican leadership decides to desert the Southerners, which they have done on several occasions recently.

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Why then, of course, there are only 11 Southern states and that we must remember their 22 senators, and there just isn't enough votes two to resist having them put. Close your on it. I know that some of my constituents, and particularly those apparently around Duval County right in a lot and say, as far as we are mad at you because you said maybe the filibuster wouldn't succeed.

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But the fact of the matter is that I doubt if the filibuster would succeed unless the Republicans are a goodly number of the Republicans joined with the Southerners in a filibuster. Because if we don't if we don't have their support, then there's frankly not no way that it's going to succeed.

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It's no more wrong to say that than it is to say that Lee High School is not going to be at the University of Florida now. Some people might think they should. Some people would like to see him, too, but they're not going to do it, and we've got to be realistic about this, and it's my judgment that that's the Republican leadership will cooperate, at least to some respects with the Southerners in this battle.

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If the filibuster cannot succeed. Senator I read during this last week that the American government froze the assets of the Cuban government in this country. How effective do you think this measure will be? Well, first, I think it's an additional. It's a cumulative action of the part of the government against our government against the Communist government of Fidel Castro.

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And I totally applaud and approve of this action. I wish. Actually, it had been taken long ago. It will be hurtful to Castro because what happens now is that he gets his embassies and Brazil and in Chile and in Mexico in these places that still have em Cuban embassies there.

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They draw checks against this money, which is deposited here in the United States and thereby get American dollars to use to further propagandize at Central and South America and used to help shore up Mr Castro. So this freezing of all Cuban funds here in the United States will make it more difficult for Castro to get American dollars and thereby make it more difficult for his particular regime to survive.

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I totally approve it. Still, speaking of the communist influence in our Latin American countries, what's your feeling on the present situation in British Guiana? Well, I feel like I hope most everybody else feels that it's a very tragic situation that nobody that I know of who knew anything about the background of Cheddi Jagan or his wife who comes from the United States.

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We know nobody approved to them when they first went in. They indicated that they were, at least if not outright communist, that they followed the communist lying. Since they have been in, they have made a complete mess of running that particular government. They have been very friendly to the government of Fidel Castro.

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It appeared as though they were trying to set up a military dictatorship of the left and with them in charge of it. And I'm in some respects very hopeful and I think we have reason to be hopeful that the British, who had given them assurances they were going to give British Guiana its independence within the next year or two years, I think now in the light of recent developments in the chaos which has been created by Jagan, that they will not give them that independence, and I hope that they do not.

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I don't think they deserve it. Senator. One of your thoughts on the recent election in Argentina. Well, frankly, I hope that Dr I, you will be able to be elected. He's already gotten the largest number of votes. They have a very complicated election system down there.

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If a person does not get 51% then of course, it's thrown into their what it amounts to their House of Representatives. And of course, the military then has the final say so. But this man has gotten greater popular support than anybody else who has run in recent elections in Argentina.

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He's a considered considered a moderate, and I would hope that his government would be recognized and they can get back to a constitutional government in Argentina. Gentlemen, I see our time is up. Thank you very much for asking the questions. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for listening in.

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I hope you're listening again at the same time next week.