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I'll be thinking I just had dinner. Scene one, take 1 to 46 matters everything. 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 Senator matters. I understand that you are no longer attending the White House breakfast with the leadership.

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What's the reason for that? Well, frankly, I thought that it would be best for me not to go to those meetings at the White House while the civil rights bill was under debate and discussion, because obviously the president and the leadership were very strong for the civil rights bill.

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I'm very strongly opposed to this so called Bill, but the so called civil rights bill. So I felt like that I would keep them from having his free and full of discussion of their strategy with my being there, even though I would of course not reveal anything that went on.

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But nonetheless, I just felt everybody be more comfortable, and the Southerners would not think I was revealing anything to the leadership if I just didn't go any longer. At least while the civil rights bill is being debated. Apparently, that's going to go on for some time, and you're going to be without breakfast for a while.

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I'll get breakfast. My wife still able to feed me. Well, Senators matters. The civil rights bill really hasn't gotten down to cases yet. We're not having the 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. sessions. What part are you playing at this present stage of the game? Well, I'm making a speech, as all of us are.

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I don't know exactly how the proponents of civil rights expect facts to bring it to a vote, but I think that what they plan to do is to follow the rule of Jefferson's manual, which is the rule which governs the Senate, that no senator can speak but two times on any one subject and previously it used to be that we would offer an amendment, and that would be a new subject so we could speak all we wanted.

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But I understand that the parliamentarian has already ruled that that is the Senate rule. But they're going to appeal from the ruling of the chair to the whole Senate, and then all they need is 51 votes which they've got to say that that is not a parliamentary wise, correct, and that only senators that senators can only make two speeches.

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So if that's the case, they're only 19 of us. No matter. We can talk 20 hours at one time in 20 hours again or 10 hours, but in if. If they hold us to just the two speeches, in point of fact, they can bring it to a vote.

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And I think do great damage to the country because this bill goes entirely further and even President Kennedy or even President Johnson that originally wanted. Now, what about the possibility of asking for closer? We don't seem to hear too much talk about that. Well, there are a lot of senators who don't vote for closure, and we they may come to that point later on.

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I think what they plan to do first is to wear us down on the on the limit of just two speeches. If that does not succeed, if we seem to be able to hold out for a month or two, why then I'm sure they'll get around to closure.

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They've got to get two thirds on closer now you've divided your forces into teams. Which team are you on? I'm on Senator Hill of Alabama's team, along with Senator McLelland and Senator Robertson of Virginia and Senator Tower of Texas. And we speak every third day that, in other words, you do have two days in which to rest.

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Now, may you? As a speaking senator, let's say, suggest the absence of a quorum at nine o'clock at night, for example, when there are only a few senators. Yeah, we'll do well, that's what, Of course we will do. If we get into those kind of sessions, what we'll do is make there you go motion that there is a our suggestion that the absence of a quorum and require them all to come in.

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Of course, the the other side expects to have 51 senators here around the clock all the time so that they can answer those quorum calls and go on with the business. I'm wondering whether it might be possible on one of these weekly reports as we get into the discussion on the civil rights matter that our Southern leader, Richard Russell, Senator Russell, might be your guest.

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I think so. I think it would frankly be a good idea to have a say, Hubert Humphrey and and have Senator Russell so that both sides can be presented and I expect do that very shortly. That's a very fair proposal, Senator, Thank you very much. Senator George Smathers, Senate As smart as we don't read too much about Panama, that is, in the past eight or 10 days.

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How serious is that situation now? Situation has improved materially. It now appears that the government of Panama will and the United States will re establish their diplomatic relations. Uh, the president has said that he will not permit us to enter any negotiations where there is a presumption that there will be something accomplished even before you sit down to the negotiations.

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But he says that if there are no preconditions, that he would permit our people and suggest our people that we listen to whatever their grievances are and if it's possible to work out some satisfactory solution to those grievances, why we should do so without in any way compromising our own right.

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And I think that we're just before seeing a satisfactory settlement arrived at between Panama and the United States. None of this matters. You have off and on on these reports indicated that you're dissatisfied with the cooperation has given to this country by some of our Latin American neighbors.

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Has there been anything done about that situation? No, but I'm proud that the president is very shortly calling. All the representatives are ambassadors and other representatives back to Washington from the various Latin American countries in an effort to have, I guess, map out a strategy in the program which has, as its ultimate goal having these countries and the US officially, that is the Organization of American States, which is the representative of ourselves and the Latin countries, to take some substantial and concrete steps in seeing that Cuba no longer exports its revolution or its so called Communist revolution.

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And I think this is a good suggestion on the part of the president. I think it will be most fruitful. Well, now, Senator, to the contrary about imports to Cuba, you have also mentioned that we're allowing all sorts of imports to go in there from Spain, Great Britain and so forth.

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We can't expect any help from that quarter, can we? Well, I think we can. I've I've made the suggestion we ought to. All these countries owe us money, and I've made this suggestion and I'm gonna make it. Every time I see a country that looks like it's going to trade with Cuba, I think we ought to submit to that country a bill for that amount of money which they owe us, not the total amount, but the amount which they expect to make by the transaction they carry on with Cuba so that if you're gonna make $4 million if Great Britain is selling and buses what, we're going to submit a bill for $4 million.

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In other words, negate each time they talk about a transaction with Cuba, we just negated by submitting a bill for that amount of money. And I think it points up the fact that they are running contrary to our particular foreign policy. It points up the fact that we have in the past given them great assistance.

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It points up the further fact that in some instances we have been willing to weigh wave of legitimate claims and indebtedness, and I think it's a good idea. Of course, the solution to The Cuban problem is, I think, as you've said in the past, some sort of government or other that can be recognized.

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Have you done anything further along that well, we've yes. We've made further recommendations that the government in exile Cuban government in exile be set up and that we recognize it along with these other countries and that, having done that, we can then give to the Cuban government in exile under the Rio Treaty, the Caracas agreement.

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Under the various other agreements which we have entered into over the course of the last 14 years with all these Latin countries in each one of which we all say we're opposed to communism, we will act jointly and cooperatively to oppose it. I think that we can then have this Cuban government in exile call upon various governments for help and were required to give it to them and then let the Cubans then run a blockhead against oil and send Cubans fighting Cubans.

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And it does not put us into a direct confrontation with the Soviet Union. It does not walk up to that great precipice of total all out war, and it's certainly a defensible position When we say to all people, it's certainly we must help free Cubans who want to free their country.

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Ah, all we're doing is helping them battle other Cubans who apparently are willing to serve under a communist dictatorship. You would provide them with the tools and the implements. We provide them with such tools and implements as they might require and they might need in order to get rid of communism in there.

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Cunt. Thank you very much. Senator George Smathers. I return you until next week to your station announcer.