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6 90 Smathers real quick. All right. On today's report from Washington, Senator Smathers discusses domestic and foreign problems of interest to the people of Florida and the nation. Now, here is the first question. Well, senators matters. Um, this, of course, is rather a sad broadcast to make.

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But as I recall, it was only several weeks ago when you and President Kennedy were in Florida. You have always been very close to him as a United States senator, and in his younger days, I wonder if you might open this report with a word or two.

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Well, of course, it was a great tragedy for the nation and for the free world. And then, for those of us who were particularly close to him, I had been close to him for many, many years, having associated with him as a congressman. We and I traveled in Europe together.

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I was in his wedding. I nominated him for vice president in Chicago in 1956 and we had campaigned together in 1960 then went, of course, work closely together. Even though, of course, I did not always support all of his programs. But with all the people around him who never did understand that.

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And you used to have some great bitterness towards me. I must say that at no time that I ever detect anything toward me from the president other than just a strong friendship. And I must add that he was a very sweet and tender man and I greatly admired him.

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And of course, it's been a great loss to me and those of us who were close to him. Well, now the of course, the country goes on. There's only a democracy of this type can. We're going to have and do have a new president, another man who you know very well who you worked very closely with your former majority leader, but yet as different as day as night.

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I believe when you try to compare him with former President, what about your feelings as to President Johnson? Well, first, I think this had Yeah, as long as we're we we had to endure this great tragedy in this great loss. I think it's well that, having had this occur, which was so unfortunate that we do have, however, a man who can walk into the presidency who is probably as well informed about the government and about the operations of this government.

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Has any man who's ever certainly come from the vice presidency to the presidency and as well informed as most any other person who's ever occupied the seat Now? It was my privilege, of course, to work with President Johnson, Uh, for many, many years when he was the majority leader, and at one time he wanted me to be the whip, and I got out of the way and I nominated Mansfield for the job and so on.

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But I think that the country is going to be in excellent hands, as you suggest in your question. There entirely different men. Um, President Kennedy was the most charming fellow with a great capacity to exude his charm, and he had a great absorb it absorptive mind who could pick up facts and retain them and recite him.

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And I think his administration was one that was totally wrapped around him as an individual and the Alliance for Progress as well as it was working, and it wasn't working too well. But as well as it was working was because of President Kennedy himself, and wherever he went, he had triumphal success is because of his own personality and his own dynamism, his own figure, his own charm.

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Now Lyndon Johnson is not that he's not charming, but it's an entirely different way. He's a great organizer. He's a man who is a worries a lot about detail. He's a tireless worker. He has no other advocation zor, no other outside interest but government. He loves to work.

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And when the years that I was working with him very closely, he would pick me up in the morning and would work all day and take me home at night at 10 o'clock and I'd hardly be able to say hello to my wife and take a shower and the phone would ring and would be Johnson on the phone, asking him about what we're gonna do.

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The next day he will have a well organized government. He will. He is a man who knows how to unify people and to get them together. And he's a man who can, I think, inspire the best and all the other government officials and I think will make us a great president.

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Thank you, Senator Smathers I trust you'll be with us next week at the same time? One again. We report from the nation's capital. Yeah. Mm. But as matters, I think that was a good thumbnail sketch of President Johnson. But I'd like to refer to your previous remarks.

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You said there were some things that Senator President Kennedy was for some of his policies, which you were not. Would this also apply to President Johnson if he follows out the Kennedy Kennedy policies? Of course, there are less things that that I would propose that President Johnson would be four, I think.

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Then there were with respect to President Kennedy and the only area where I think that President Johnson I might find ourselves in disagreement. I might. I should say I would disagree with him as one. Sanity, uh, would be in the area of civil rights. President Johnson has, as we all know, he's taken the position same position that President Kennedy had with respect to the civil rights issue.

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And as I have said many times and I would like to repeat, I never have thought this is a political, particularly a political issue. It's good for one side of the other because it's been my observation over the years, and I'm satisfied it will be very true in 1964 that the Republican nominee, whomever he maybe, will get in almost an identical position on the issue of civil rights, as does the Democrats.

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So as far as the people of South are concerned, this particular issue, we always remain a minority were the only ones who take a certain position. I do think that there are more people throughout the nation who were looking with some sympathy with respect to our particular position that we have held over the years.

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But I don't think it's a great political issue. But I do not approve as an individual senator with the position which the new president has taken. Not a question of space is of paramount interest not only to the people of Florida, but, of course, to the people of Texas as well.

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Do you feel that he may be a little stronger on an all out space effort than was President Kennedy? I want I think we must remember this. I know it wouldn't want to make a comparison there. I'd like to put it this way that under the Eisenhower administration, when the space program first got started, we were a little late.

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You remember we had the German, the Russians had a Sputnik up, and then we finally got into it. The man that actually got the space program underway was Lyndon Johnson and Lyndon Johnson. Even though are the Democratic Party controlled the Congress and the Republicans control the White House?

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He was the one who organized the first space committee, and he was chairman of it in addition to being the majority leader. And it was he was the one who, through his influence and exertions and effort and persuasiveness, was able to get the Congress to vote uh, considerable sums of money to put the United States into space.

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No, I'm satisfied, of course, of his position with respect to space is just as strong as it was in those days. And I don't think that it makes any difference whether it's in Texas or in Florida or in Nevada or in Arizona or wherever it might be.

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I think Johnson realizes, and he has said over and over again that it doesn't make sense for this nation to be first on Earth and second in space because if you are second in space for very long, you might well be second on Earth. And I know that he's going to continue with great energy.

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And of course this. He has an abundance and his influence will be enormous. I'm certain that we're going to see, rather than less emphasis given to the space program. I think we'll see more emphasis now. He has indicated, As I said, he's going to continue along the Kennedy policies, which I presume will include Medicare under Social Security and immediate tax reduction bill and, of course, immediate action on civil rights.

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Uh, is that going to be possible with the way this Congress is now set up and the way the members feel I have right discuss this with some of the people who are now giving him advice and this matter? I don't personally believe that it's possible to do all this, but this man is a very energetic man, and he's going to try to get as much of this program through as it's possible.

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And I'm certain that after he that this broadcast will of course be heard after he has made his State of the Union message, and we'll know they'll know a lot more than than we know actually at this moment. But it's my judgment that, frankly, the most we're going to be able to get with respect to the tax bill would be to have it finished here of public hearings closed, have the executive session concluded, whether with the committee itself has written the bill up and then well, by that time we're going to be right up against the Christmas holidays, and then we'll have to go over and begin to consider it on the floor early January 64.

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1 final question. Senator, What about his health? Of course, he did have a heart attack. He did have a serious heart attack. But I think that as the doctor has said about him, he was fully recovered and is fully recovered. And of course, we all pray that this will his good health will continue.

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Thank you very much. Senator George Smathers. I return you now to your station and answer