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three senators. Some others Okay, well, I thought the president's trip to Florida was very beneficial, very favorable. He made six speeches during the day and the world madly over the state with airplanes and helicopters, and I would venture to say, saw something in the neighborhood of about a million people.

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I was particularly impressed with his speech to the Florida State Chamber of Commerce, where he candidly admitted that he thought most of the businessmen, uh, were against him. But he wanted to answer their questions, and he submitted to a question and answer program. And there I thought, with great clarity and great persuasiveness, told him about his program.

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The reception in Tampa with the people genuinely was most enthusiastic. The reception of Miami was as to be expected, most enthusiastic. And then I thought his speech that evening to the Inter American press was well received, although I in that particular regard, I didn't totally agree with it, but I thought it was well received.

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Mm, 6477 I get very nervous about my situation. 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, Senator Smithers, this past week you accompanied President Kennedy in a very fast trip around Florida.

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I wonder what the people's reaction was at the time that you were there and since I thought it was most favorable, most beneficial to everyone, particularly in Tampa, where we made the first stop. I've been to many Gasparilla parades, which is the largest single event in so far as population is concerned.

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That occurs in that area every year. And I'm frankly say that the crowds that came out to see the president, particularly downtown Tampa, was large and certainly as enthusiastic is the crowds that you see at the Gasparilla Parade and the largest crowds I've ever seen. Then his appearance before the Florida State Chamber of Commerce was very worthwhile, and he rather frankly admitted that he felt while he was, they were not hostile to him.

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Nonetheless, they did not agree. He felt with some of his program, and he pointed out, I thought very well that the federal to how he was attempting to hold down the cost of the federal government and with the exception of the Defense Department and space and interest on the debt that, actually the cost of government federal government had been reduced since he's been in office.

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And then he pointed out, as a comparison how the federal debt had grown only about 6% in the last three years, whereas state debt had grown something in the neighborhood of 130% a local and municipal that had grown or well over 200% and that in the last 10 years of personal debt, corporate debt has grown over 300%.

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And then he got a good laugh when he finally said to people, I don't know who's being more responsible. You people are for me. But then we went to Miami. And how do I thought of warm reception there upon arrival at the airport and proceeded on over to the Americana Hotel, where he made his speech to the Inter American Press Association, which is primarily Latin American editors.

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Now Senator. On that very speech the following day, the press seemed to feature that over and above most of the other speeches that he made, some people were a little critical of it, and I think most Floridians believe that you and I do myself that you're an authority on our Latin American problems.

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I'd like your personal opinion on what he said there. Well, I'd like to put it this way. That of course, most of fellows there were Latin American people and and publishers, and I had the feeling that was a good It was a solid speech. He once again reaffirmed the fact that we're going to not let another Cuba occur.

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I personally felt that he could have stated the case somewhat more strongly than he did. But as he pointed out to them, and and, as he pointed out, actually, in Tampa, the situation in Cuba is directly related to the safety of Berlin and the safety and the welfare of the many millions of people who live in Europe as well as the people who live in some of our major cities.

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And it's just not a problem of whether or not we're going to free Cuba. But generally speaking, I thought that his speech was good, but I did think that in certain areas he could have expressed some of his views more strongly. Otherwise, I thought overall However, it was very worthwhile program, very worthwhile tour that he made well.

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Do you go along with his apparent optimism? As far as the Alliance for Progress is concerned, well, I think that the Alliance for Progress is in some trouble. And I think that all you got to do is look at the situation in Latin America and you can see and that we must become firmer in our dealings with these countries down there.

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If they're going to look to us for help, then I think that we have a right. Just like any banker in effect has a right to say, If you're going to become my creditor, I want you to change certain business practices which you're doing so that I have some assurance of seeing some improvement and finally getting my money return.

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And I think this is the we're going to have to adopt a more firm attitude with respect to the Latin American countries. Well, isn't that pointed up by the taking over of our oil interests down there without due compensation? I think this has been very bad in Argentina, and we see now they're talking about it in Peru and I think that the word should go out to those countries very definitely that if they're going to cancel the contract without private business people, that they're not going to get our help.

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And I think this is the kind of firm line we must begin to take with our Latin American neighbors. Thank you, Senators matters. I trust you'll be with us next week at the same time when again we report from the nation's capital. Senators matters on the Russian question.

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They locked up one of our distinguished professors, Mr Bard Horn. I believe his name was for a period of some 16 days, and inasmuch as the president took such a very quick interest in the matter, he was released. Do you think that this is going to continue, or is it going to help this exchange program that we have had in the past and trying again to continue?

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It cannot help. I saw a cartoon recently, which I thought was rather indicative. It showed the Kremlin that showed a picture of the world and underneath it a thermostat, and it had cooler and warmer and showed the Khrushchev turning it cooler. He was the affairs of between this nation, that nation are cooling off rather than getting warmer.

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Now I don't mean to say I don't buy that. I mean, they're getting worse rather than better. I don't really believe that it's anything more than the typical Communist tactic to try to keep these kinds of crises continually going along so that they can finally make some bargain with you.

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I think it's a method of bargaining because as a matter of fact they permit the larger convoys to go through. And I think this week they were. They permitted a large and a small French convoy to go through. So it's just there's just a matter of technique on their part.

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But I do think that we made It warns us that we're not at all in a position where we can in any fashion, let our guard down with the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union is still dedicated to the Communist goals. If I think of world domination, world control one way or another, and I think that this points it up, there will be times of less pressure in times of great pressure and from time to time they engage in these tactics, which I think precede.

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They're asking us for some bargain, and I think probably are getting ready to ask for some solution the problem of Berlin and this is the way they're approaching it. Almost within a day after his arrival in this country, Mr McNamara made a statement relative to our defense posture.

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Now, I know you have followed the activities at Canaveral, and you're very cognizant of our space progress. Do you think he is correct in the assumptions and the statements he made? Well, I'm not exactly certain. And I know what he made. You said he made these statements.

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You mean with respect to our military that we're better off than that? I think there's no question about that. While we were at Cape Canaveral here the other day, we saw the Polaris Missile come up out of the water, one of the most inspiring sights I've ever seen.

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We've got 41 of these nuclear powered submarines with these. I don't guess I'm revealing anything in confidence, but they can shoot four of them at one time. These Polaris missiles, they can travel many 1000 not several thousands of miles. They can move anywhere in the world, and we're actually we have a greater striking power today than we've ever had before in all of our history.

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And we have more people actually in the military at the moment, and we had three years ago. So with respect to our defense program on our national security program, I do think we're in better shape than we have been in quite some time. Getting back to our domestic problem, Senator, the House committees are now holding hearings on the Medicare bill based on Social Security.

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Have you changed your thinking along that line at all? No, I have a deist. I have still supported the caramels bill because I believe that it is the bill which will actually give to the elderly people who need assistance. I think it will give to them quicker and more assistance than will any other program yet devised.

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Now, I I do think we're going to have to have a bill, and the big argument is, frankly, as to how do we finance it, whether we take the money directly out of the federal treasury and the state treasury, or do we finance it through the Social Security program.

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I'm hopeful that we can pass a bill before the expiration of 1964. I think that we will. I think the elderly people of this of our state and the nation, for that matter, expect some kind of health bill and because the cost of health care has gone to such great heights, that if there are very few people who can get adequate to help these days without some kind of help from local agencies or state or federal agencies.

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Consequently, we need a bill. But just what is going to be? I'm not certain yet. One final question. Senator Secretary Treasury Dylan indicated that he felt he didn't know when the federal budget would be balanced, if ever, unless the tax cut was immediately forthcoming. You go go along.

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I believe that the best way to balance the budget is to increase our revenues into the Treasury and stimulate our economy, and I thereby agree with the Secretary of the Treasury that we have to begin to get more revenue coming in and the way to do it, as demonstrated in the past, is to cut taxes, stimulate the economy, given the private sector of our economy, the chance to do the job.

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I think they can do it. Thank you, Senator Smathers. Join us next week for another report by your United States Senator George Smathers from the nation's capital.