Gerald Ford

“ The most disappointing thing in Europe is the lack of leadership. Pompidou lost his grip a long time ago. Brandt was getting more and more moody.
Now Giscard and Schmidt have taken it up. The British are sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. We should be in the thick of it.
President: The Congress is putting pressure on all Presidents on withdrawal of forces. ”

“ They are lecturing Fulbright and Humphrey on the Soviet Union.
Heath: I am interested in your thoughts on the economy.
President: It was a gamble getting all the experts together under Klieg lights, but it turned out the difficulties were minimal. They wanted Burns to be more flexible on the monetary side, but that we had to keep the fiscal situation where it is -- keeping the budget under $300 billion. It will be difficult to do so. There was a feeling we needed adequate contingency plans to meet the crises with public service employment. ”

“ We have on the other side of the coin to get the Europeans to make their proper contribution. We have not much pressure on defense but we are giving five percent, and look at the FRG. It is a problem of comparison. We make the biggest contribution as a percentage of GNP.
President: I appreciated your position on Diego Garcia. I was asked a question on that three weeks ago at a press conference. The Soviet Union denied they have the three bases in the area. ”