Recording begins with conversation already in progress. DDE is speaking of the political
situation in - the country and difficulties he is having with Congress.
DDE brings up the subject ofa Special Assistant or a Cabinet rank official for
disarmament . He says that he is "going to make him the American expert on
disarmament ." This person would "correlate the views ofDefense and State and
everybody else on the Hill and me and somebody else, how do we speak with one voice
on this thing and make it logical and appealing and sensible and make some progress?"
He states that he is going to take his time to get the one person he believes . can do the job,
Harold Stasser ., but "Congress is raising so much hell about him because I think it's
because they don't like Harold." DDE discusses the importance ofhaving someone
representing ; him with all the agencies involved in disarmament . He says "I don't attend
the OCB and I need someone that is representing my views there, bring it back to me and
keeping me in touch all the time. . . you're organized so poorly in the top office here that
you have to take specialists and I have never yet found a . . . a good man or a better man."
After a brief d.scussion on public service, DDE mentions the need to bring in younger
people so they might gain experience. He, talks ofBob Anderson, Herbert Hoover, 7r.,
Chris Herter, Charles Halleck and his brother Milton. He says that they have energy and
new ideas that could benefit the country. He talks about "the demands made on my time
by people tlsat come in . . .it's terrific and it's a wear and tear." He talks about during the
war when he had difficulty sleeping "and now, this has happened to me a couple of times
to me here ;m& it's been very annoying. Of course, one ofthe reasons is I have this
bursitis. It gets to hurting so about 3 :00 in the morning, the pain. And I would get up
and take aspirin, take a pill, and so on"
The conversation continues, however, much ofit is - unintelligible . DDE thanks Hoffman
for coming in. The tape ends with the sounds of chairs moving and papers shuffling .