We are ending the war. We will bring it to an end. We will bring the draft to an end and have a volunteer armed service. We are going to deal with the problems of the environment, we are going to clean up the air and the water. All of these things can be and will be done by Government.

We are reforming Government to make it more responsive to the people, more power to the people rather than more power i Washington, D.C.

But once all those things are done, still the emptiness, the shallowness, the superficiality that many college students find in college curriculums will still be there. Still when that is done, the problem that we have of dissent on campus, not remaining a peaceful challenge. which is perfectly appropriate and defensible, but dissent becoming sometimes violent, somethimes illegal, sometimes shouting obscenities when visiting speakers come to campus, this is a problem not for Government-we cannot solve it-it is a problem which college adminis trators and college faculties must face up to.

We share our part of the blame. I assume that responsibility. We try to do better, but they have to do better, also.

I would urge in that respect, incidentally, that a very interesting commentary on this by a young man who will probably be sitting one of your chairs in a few years ahead, Mr. Douglas Hallett, who is the editorial chairman of the Yale Daily News, had a piece in or of the papers yesterday in which he said that the problem of condrat on the campus could not be brushed aside and simply blamed on what the Government was or was not doing, that faculty administrators and faculty presidents and faculty members had also to assume some responsibility. I think it is necessary to keep balance.

76. STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE FORMATION OF THE NATIONAL READING COUNCIL, WITH WALTER W. STRALEY AS CHAIRMAN AND MRS. NIXON AS HONORARY CHAIRMAN. JULY 31, 1970

In my message to Congress on Education Reform this part March, I proposed that we take new steps to achieve the Right to Read for every young American. In that same message, I also earmarked additional funds to be devoted to this effort. Today we are taking a very impor tant next step toward the Right to Read objective. At my request Secretary Richardson and Acting Education Commissioner Bell are today naming the initial members of a National Reading Counc which will focus and coordinate the Nation's efforts in reading.

Walter W. Straley, vice president of the American Telephone ard Telegraph Company, has accepted my invitation to serve as Chairman of the Council. And I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Nixon w... serve as Honorary Chairman.

The National Reading Council is a volunteer group of distinguished citizens from many different fields, including education, business and industry, government, labor, the arts, entertainment, sports, communi cations, and science. The Council will work closely with private and public organizations as well as professional educators and others to strengthen existing reading programs and to foster innovation in this

field. In order to link the Council's work most directly to Federal activities in this field, the National Reading Council will report through the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to the President.

I hope that the Council will serve as a catalyst for the Nation in producing dramatic improvement in reading ability for those requiring it and in encouraging reading by all our young people. Although illiteracy is not generally recognized as a major problem in this country, there are millions of Americans who read poorly or not at all, and many more who have never discovered the pleasures of recreational reading. They include people of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels, and are found in rural, surburban, and urban areas.

The ability to read is essential to the fulfillment of each person's potential and I expect the National Reading Council, under Mr. Straley's capable leadership, to do much to enhance that ability. With its help, the Right to Read can become a reality by the end of this decade.

77. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

The President's Message to the Congress Transmitting the First Annual Report of the Council on Environment Quality. August 10.1970

Our educational system has a key role to play in bringing about this reform. We must train professional environmental managers to deal with pollution, land planning, and all the other technical requirements of a high quality environment. It is also vital that our entire society develop a new understanding and a new awareness of man's relation to his environment-what might be called "environmental literacy." This will require the development and teaching of environmental concepts at every point in the educational process.

While education may provide ultimate answers to long-range environmental problems, however, we cannot afford to defer reforms which are needed now. We have already begun to provide the institutional framework for effective environmental improvement.

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78. VETOES OF APPROPRIATIONS BILLS

The President's Remarks Announcing His Vetoes of Appropriations Bills for the Independent Offices and Department of Housing and Urban Development and for the Office of Education. August 11,

1970.

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The other measure I am vetoing is the appropriations bill for the Office of Education. It is for $453 million over my budget request and that budget request would have produced 28 percent more in outlays than in the last fiscal year of the previous Administration.

58-451-71-31

79. VETOES OF APPROPRIATIONS BILLS

The President's Messages to the House of Representatives Vetoing Ap propriations Bills for the Independent Offices and Department of Housing and Urban Development and for the Office of Education. August 11, 1970

2. The appropriation for the Office of Education is $453 million over my budget request.

My request would have produced 28% more spending than in the last fiscal year of the previous Administration.

My budget asked $3.97 billion for the educational purposes covered by this bill-an increase of $972 million in spending over Fiscal 1969. In addition, I have committed myself to ask the Congress for an extra $350 million to fully fund the school desegregation program as soon as the Congress provides authorizing legislation.

This is only part of what the Federal government provides for education programs generally. Total spending on Federally supported education programs will reach nearly $12 billion in 1971, the highest figure in history and substantially more than was provided for 1969. Thus the question is not one of cutting the present level of school funds. It is not even one of whether to increase school funds. It simply is a question of how much they are to be increased—and for what pur

poses.

Last March I stressed the urgent need for wide-ranging reforms in Federal aid to education. This bill raises the spending on old approaches that experience has proved inadequate, rather than moving boldly on the new approaches that we need-and it cuts requested funds for such forward-looking programs as dropout prevention, educational opportunity grants and research.

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80. THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS FOLLOWING HIS MEETING WITH CHAIRMEN AND VICE CHAIRMEN OF SEVEN STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EDUCATION, AUGUST 14, 1970

Let me be very direct and very candid with regard to where we stand on the problem of school desegregation.

The highest court of the land has spoken. The unitary school system must replace the dual school system throughout the United States. The law having been determined, it is the responsibility of those in the Federal Government and particularly the responsibility of the President of the United States to uphold the law. And I shall meet that responsibility.

However, in upholding the law, a law which requires a very significant social change, one that has enormous ramifications as it affects the communities, the schools, the homes of so many people in the Southern States involved, there are different approaches.

One approach is simply to sit back and wait for school to open and for trouble to start. And then if trouble begins, to order in the Federal enforcers to see that the law is complied with.

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rejected that approach from the beginning. Normally that is ugh. When the Congress passes a law or when the Supreme Court ides or interprets a law in a certain way, it is only the responsibility the President, the Attorney General, and others to enforce the law. But in this instance, in the event that the law is not complied with, the event that there are difficulies, as has been predicted in many arters, those who will suffer will not simply be this generation, it 11 be primarily the next generation, the students, the children in the ool districts involved.

They will pay the price for the failure, a failure of leadership, and is here that I point out that leadership, strong leadership, is not nited simply to enforcing the law when the law is broken. We believe, I of us, in law and order and justice. We believe in enforcing the law. But I also believe that leadership in an instance like this requires me preventive action. We are trying to take some preventive action id we are getting magnificent cooperation from dedicated people in e seven States involved.

These are civic leaders serving without pay and many of them rving even though some of their friends and neighbors suggest that ey, too, should sit on the sidelines and not borrow trouble by trying > give advice or to develop public opinion so that this orderly trantion can be made.

And to me, one of the most encouraging experiences that I have had ince taking office was to hear each one of these leaders from the Southrn States speak honestly about the problems, not glossing over the act that there were very grave problems, telling us what was needed o be done from the Federal standpoint, telling us also what they were loing at the local level. It was encouraging to see this kind of leadrship come.

Time will tell how successful we have been, but I do know this: As a result of these advisory committees being set up, we are going to ind that in many districts the transition will be orderly and peaceful, whereas otherwise it could have been the other way. And the credit will go to these outstanding Southern leaders, more credit to them actually than to the Federal officials who were there to help them.

Another point that I would like to urge on all of those who are listening here today, and many of you I know are from the Southern States, is this: Being again quite candid and quite blunt, this problem of race relations and particularly with regard to segregation in our schools is not a sectional problem. It is a national problem. It should be handled in a national way.

I have no patience with those from the North that point the finger at the South and then overlook the fact that in many Northern cities and Northern States the problem may also be a very, very difficult one. And that is why, as I approach this problem, I emphasize this is one country, this is one people, and we are going to carry out the law in that way, not in a punitive way, treating the South as basically a second class part of the Nation, but treating this part of the country with the respect that it deserves, asking its leaders to cooperate with us and we with them.

And then finally this point: One theme that every one of the participants in this meeting, the Chairman and Vice Chairman, white and

black, participating, can constantly come back to was quality education-quality education for all students, white students and black students.

And one theme that they all came back to was the necessity for the survival of and the improvement of public school education.

And it is this that we have worked for in this administration, and it is this that these committees will be working for as they meet and as they advise us in these very critical months ahead. What we want is quality education for this whole Nation, and particularly during this first year of transition to a unitary from a dual system.

I would say finally that it would be extremely helpful in this period if we could have the cooperation of the members of the press and the members of the media. You will find instances, I am sure, where there could be difficulties and problems. And it is your responsibility to report the news, whether it is bad or good.

But I know of no time in our Nation's history when the country needs to hear of those many, many successes where men and women of good will worked out the problem, rather than hearing only of those few instances that might be failures.

I do believe that this meeting has been most worthwhile from my standpoint. It demonstrated again that leaving Washington and coming to the country, hearing directly from the people in the country. is good for a President and good for the members of his Cabinet.

81. INTER-AMERICAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

Statement by the President. August 19, 1970

The Institute will be limited in size and scope of operations to help keep it on a path of creative innovation. It will be separate from existing government agencies and it will not have personnel permanently assigned abroad. It is my hope that the Institute will develop a fresh approach to support new and experimental efforts by private organizations to contribute to social and institutional development, particularly in the areas of education and agriculture. The Board of Directors will, of course, establish detailed operating guidelines for the Institute.

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82. SCHOOL DESEGREGATION

Statement by the President. September 2, 1970

As schools have opened in many parts of the South in recent days, the Nation has seen hundreds of communities achieve the transition from a dual to a unitary system smoothly, peacefully, and successfully. Enormous and primary credit for this success goes to the people of the States and communities mostly directly affected. But I also want especially to commend the Nation's press and its radio and television media for the manner in which they have reported these events.

Three weeks ago, in New Orleans, I stressed the critical importance to the process of peaceful desegregation of the way in which it was reported: the importance, at this very difficult and very delicate time,