Of four, took place in chicago. Television and radio stations of the United States and their affiliated stations are proud to provide facilities or discussion of issues in the current Political Campaign by the two major candidates for the presidency. The canadas me no introduction. The republican candidate, vice and and the democratic candidate, senator john f. Kennedy. According to rules set by the candidates themselves, each man shall make an Opening Statement of approximately eight minute duration and clothing statement of partially three minutes. Questions will answer picked by a panel of correspondence. The first discussion of the series of four joint experiences. For the first Opening Statement by senator john f. Kennedy. The question of whether this nation could exist have slave or half free, and the election of 1960 with the world around us, the question is whether the world will exist half slave or half sleeve free, but it will move in the direction of freedom and the direction we are taking her mother will move in the direction of slavery. I think it will depend upon what we do here in the United States and the kind of society that we build, the kind of strength we maintain. We discussed tonight domestic issues. I would not want that to be an implication to be given if this is not involve directly our struggle with mr. Kirchoff. He is in new york and he maintains the communist offensive throughout the world because of the productive power of the soviet union itself. The Chinese Communist have always had a large population. They are important and dangerous now because they are mounting a major effort within their country. The kind of country we have here , the kind of society we have, the kind of strength we build be the defense of freedom. If we do well here, if we meet our obligations, if we are moving ahead, then i think freedom will be secure around the world. If we fail, then freedom fails. I think the question before the American People is, are we doing as much as we can . Are we as strong as we should be . Are we as strong as we must be if were going to maintain our . Ndependence and if we will hold up the hand of friendship to those who look to us for assistance and survival. I should make clear that i do not think we are doing enough. Im not satisfied as an american with the progress we are making. This is a great country but i think it could be a greater country. This is a powerful country but i think it could be more powerful. 50 of satisfied to have our steel mill capacity unused. Im not satisfied with the United States had last year the most rate of Economic Growth of any major industrialized society. Economic growth means strength and vitality. It means we are able to sustain our defenses, it means we are able to meet our commitments abroad. Haveot satisfied when we over 9 billion worth of food and some of it is rotting even though there is a hungry world and 4 million americans wake every month for a food packet from the government which averages five cents a day per individual. I saw cases in West Virginia where children to come part of their school lunch in order to feed their families because i dont think we are making our obligations towards these americans. Im not satisfied when the soviet union is turning out twice as many scientists and engineers as we are. Im not satisfied when many of our teachers are inadequately paid when our children go to school parttime. I think we should have a system second to none. Im not satisfied when i see men like to me hopper in charge of the Largest Union of the United States still free. Im not satisfied when we are going to develop the Natural Resources of United States to the fullest. Here the United States, which developed the Tennessee Valley, we have built the other dams, the present rate of hydropower production, that is the homework of an industrialized society. Soviet union by 1975 will be producing more power than we are. These are all the things that i think in this country can make our society strong. Not satisfied until every american enjoys his full constitutional rights. And puertoaby born ricans, some of our cities, he has about one half as much chance to get through high school as a white baby. He is one third as much chance to get through college as a white baby. Third ofhas about a the chance to be professional man and half a chance to be a house owner. Four times as much chance will be out of work in his life. I think we can do better. I dont want the towns of any americans to go to waste. I know that there are those who say that we want to turn everything over to the government. I dont settle. At all. I want the state to meet the responsibly. I think there also a national responsibly. The argument has been used against every piece of social legislation in the last 25 years. The people of United States haveidually cannot developed the Tennessee Valley. Collectively, they could have. A cotton farmer in georgia or peanut farmer or dairy farmer, he cannot protect himself against the forces of supply and demand. Working together, and effective government the program can do so. 79 americans who live overseas to five on an average Social Security check of 70 and must, they are not able to sustain themselves individually, but they can sustain themselves through the Social Security business. I do not believe in big government, but i believe ineffective governmental action in effective governmental action. It is how we will move ahead and maintain freedom. I think we can do a better job. We going to have to do a better job if we are going to meet the responsible to response abilities responsiblities. If United States fails, the whole cost of freedom fails. I think it depends on what we do here in this country. Frequent roosevelt was a Good Neighbor in latin america was because he was a Good Neighbor in the United States. Because they felt they American Society was moving again. I want us to recapture the image. I want people in latin america and africa and asia to start to look to america to see how we are doing things. Kirchoff like at the Chinese Communist. That is the obligation upon our generation. 1933, frequent roosevelt said that this generation of americans has a rendezvous with destiny. Art generation of markets has the same rendezvous. The question now is, can freedom be maintained under the most severe attack in as ever known . I think it can be. In the final analysis, it depends on what we do here. I think it is time we started moving again. Now the Opening Statement by Vice President richard m nixon. The things that senator kennedy has said, many of us can agree with. That we no question cannot discuss our internal affairs thewithout recognizing that they have a tremendous bearing on her international position. That thiso question nation cannot stand still because we are in a deadly competition, a competition but only with the men in the kremlin, but the men in peking. We are ahead in this competition. When you are in a risk, the only way to stay ahead is to move ahead. I subscribed completely to the spirit that senator kennedy has expressed tonight, the spirit of the United States that we should move ahead. Where do we disagree . The implication of his remarks and the statement that he has made on many occasions during his campaign. To the effect that the United States has been standing still. We heard tonight the statement made that our growth and product wasgress the lowest in any industrial nation in the world. Last year, 1958. That happened to be a recession year. When we look at the growth of gnp this year, a year of recovery, we found it was one of the highest in the world today. More about that later. Howing to this problem of the United States should move ahead and where the United States is moving ahead, i think it is well that we take the advice of the very famous campaigner, lets look at the record. If United States standing still . Is it true that this administration has been an administration of said nation . Retreat and stagnation . Is it true that in the field of electric power and all the fields he is mentioned that we have not been moving ahead . We have a comparison we can make. We have the record of the truman the 7. 5 years and of the Eisenhower Administration. When we compare these records, and areas that senator kennedy has discussed tonight, i think we find that america has been moving ahead. Lets take school. We have built more schools in these last 7. 5 years and we both in the previous 7. 5. , we havetric power developed more hydroelectric power in the 7. 5 years been developed in any Previous Administration in history. Let us take hospitals. We find that more have been built in this demonstration in the Previous Administrations. The same is true of highways. In terms that we can all understand, we often hear gnp discussed and when we compare the growth of this administration with that of the Previous Administration, then there was a total growth of 11 over seven years and in this administration, a growth of 19 . That shows there has been more growth in this administration been credited. Lets not put it there. In terms of the average family. What has happened to you . Fivewages have gone up times as much in the Eisenhower Administration and the Truman Administration. What about the prices you pay . Up pageyou went went up five times with the truman administers and then eisenhower. This means that the average Family Income went up 15 and eisenhower years against 2 in the truman years. This is not standing still. As good as this record is, may i emphasize it is not enough. Numberord is nothing something to stand on, it is something to build on. In building on this record, i believe that we have the secret. The secret for progress. We know the way to progress. I think, first of all, our own record proves that we know the way. Senator kennedy has suggested that he knows the way. I respect the sincerity with which he makes that statement. On the other hand, let me look at the various programs that he offers, they do not seem to be new. The programs of the Truman Administration. During the course of the evening, he might indicate those areas in which his programs are not in our new. What kind of programs have been brought . Programs that will expand educational opportunities. Give to all americans their equal chance for education for all of the things which are necessary and due to the hearts of our people. Which will improve medicare and is better handled. I are notnnedy and disagreement, we both want to help the old people. We want to see they have medical care. Of higherat the means education will reach that goal. Whatever it is, whether it is the field of housing, health, medical care, schools or development of electric power, we have programs which we believe will move America Forward and build on the wonderful record that we have made over these past 7. 5 years. When they look at these programs, might i suggest that in evaluating them come we often have a tendency to say, the test of a program is how much you are spending. I will concede that in all the areas to which i have referred, senator kennedy would have the federal government spent more than i will. The cost of the democratic platform runs 13 billion a year more than we are present spending to maximum of 18 million billion dollars a year for a refund content from will cost a minimum of 4 billion a year more in maximum of 5 billion. Does this mean his program is better than our stucco not at all. It is not a question of how much the federal government spends, it is not a question of which government is the most, it is a question of which administration does the right thing. In our case, i do believe that 80 programs will stimulate million free americans. I believe the program that senator kennedy has will have a tendency to stifle those creative energies. His program would lead to the stagnation of the powers that we had a need in this country. The final point, senator kennedy has suggested that we lack compassion for the poor, old and others unfortunate. Let us understand that his motive and mine are sincere. Poor, what it means to be i know what it means to see people unemployed. I know senator kennedy feels as deeply about these problems as i do. Our disagreement is not about the goals are americans, only about the means to reach those goals. Thank you. A complete the Opening Statements. Now the candidates will answer questions or comment upon one anothers answers to question. The correspondents. Nbc news. Charles warren, which will news. Stewart, cbs. Abc news. The first question for senator kennedy. The Vice President and his campaign has said that you are naive and at times immature. He has raised the question of leadership, why do you think people should look for you rather than the Vice President . We came to the car is together in a converted six. We both served in the later committee. For 14 years we have served. Our experience in government is comparable. I think the question, the programs we advocate. What is the party record that we leave . I come out of the Democratic Party which has produced woodrow and frequent dont know roosevelt and produced roosevelt. Mr. Mexico that of the republican party. Nominated by it. Throughout most of these last 25 years, there Republican Leadership has opposed federal ,id for education, medical Care Development of the Tennessee Valley and Natural Resources he is an effective leader of his party. I hope he would grant me the same. The question before us, which part of the and which party do we want to leave the United States . Mr. Common nexen . No comment. Your cap and the value of your eight year experience. Whether that experience was as an observer or just spent or participant or initiator. What proposals have you made that have been adopted by the administration . Is would be difficult to cover them in 2. 5 minutes. I would suggest that these proposals could be mentioned come after each of my foreign trips, i have made recommendations that have been adopted. After my first trip abroad, i strongly recommended that we increase our Exchange Program as ofy relate to Exchange Leaders in the labor field and information field. After my trip to south america, i made recommendations that a agency be setng up with the south american nations would like much better. Treat all the countries of the world the same. I have made other recommendations after each of the other trips. After my trip abroad to hungry, i made some recommendations with regard to the hunkering refugee situation which was adopted. Within the administration, as chairman of the president s committee on high stability and Economic Growth, ive had the opportunity to make which have been adopted within the administration and which i think have been affected. Effective. Kennedy suggested that that committee had not been effective i would suggest that while we do not take the credit for it, i would not presume to come since the committee has been born, the priceline has been held within the nazis. United states. Somewhat satisfactory unsatisfactory, he talked about the treatment administration, mr. Chairman keep the office in 1944 at the end of the war. The difficulties facing us during the time of transition, price controls were lifted in 1946. It is difficult to use the overall figure of those hard years and compared them to the last eight years. I prefer to take the overall percentage record of the last 20 years of the democrats and eight years of republicans to show overall growth. , im notrd to price aware that the committee based recommendations with regard to controlling prices. The exchange of students and labor unions, im chairman of the subcommittee and i think its one of the most unfortunate faces of our policy is the very minute number of exchanges we have had. We did come forward with a program of students for the congo of over 300 which is more than the federal government had for all of africa the previous year. I dont think that we have moved with sufficient vigor. Senator kennedy. During your brief speech a few minutes ago, he mentioned farm surpluses, i would like to ask this, president ial candidates make promises to farmers, lots of people dont understand why the government pays farmers to not produce certain crops or pay pharmasset they overproduced. Why cant the farmer operate like the businessman . Overproduced cars, uncle sam does not by surplus, why does if the government moved out of the program and through it with your support, you would have economic chaos. Support him he would have economic chaos. Economiculd have chaos. Many of them bring their cro