Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub

STATEMENT OF ROBERT SARGENT SHRIVER, NOMINEE TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY; ACCOMPANIED BY STEPHEN J. POLLAK, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Mr. SHRIVER. Thank you very much, Senator Yarborough. Senator MCNAMARA. Mr. Shriver, it has been suggested that you proceed with a statement if you have one, or do you just want to answer questions?

Mr. SHRIVER. I have no statement to present. I will be happy to answer questions.

Senator JAVITS. Mr. Shriver, do you consider the job of being head of the Peace Corps a part-time job?

Mr. SHRIVER. I do not think that my record, in performing that job would lead anybody to that conclusion, Senator.

Senator JAVITS. Well, you say in performing that job. Are you the head of the poverty program now?

Mr. SHRIVER. No; I am not the head of the poverty program, and I shall not be the head of the poverty program until I am confirmed by the Senate.

Senator JAVITS. Then I do not quite get the point. You say in performing that job. What job are you talking about?

Mr. SHRIVER. You asked me if I considered the job of directing the Peace Corps a part-time job. My reply was that my record on that job would not leave anybody with the impression that it is a part-time job.

Senator JAVITS. I misspoke myself. Do you consider being the head of the poverty program a part-time job?

Mr. SHRIVER. I see. No; I do not consider the head of the poverty program as being a part-time job.

Senator JAVITS. In that case, how do you square it with keeping the Peace Corps job and being head of the poverty program, or are you going to give one up?

Mr. SHRIVER. It is not my privilege or my intention to either give up one or retain both. That is a matter within the discretion and the judgment of the President of the United States.

Senator JAVITS. What do you think? You are here for confirmation. You are the man seeking confirmation. You have, for my money, the best sponsor in the Senate, our beloved colleague, Paul Douglas. Do you seek our confirmation on the ground that if the President will let you, you will keep both jobs? You are not resigning them, are you?

Mr. SHRIVER. I am here not to parade my credentials and I am very honored to have with me the senior Senator from Illinois. I am here only to respond to the extent that I can to questions on the jobs and the duties which are given to me. If the President of the United States considers it possible and desirable for me to handle both of these jobs, I certainly will give them both the maximum of my ability. That is not to say that either one of them is a part-time job.

Senator JAVITS. Do you think therefore, that if I, as a Senator, thought Poverty and Peace Corps were both full-time jobs, I should vote against you? Not that you are a bad man-I think you are a very good man-but that you are a very good man for one full-time job and not two full-time jobs.

Mr. SHRIVER. This is a matter of definition. I can remember: old days, Christy Mathewson used to pitch every other day. Ha very fine record. In one season, he won over 40 games. Somed other pitchers used to pitch every 4 days and those were full-time, but Mathewson just happened to be a very fine pitcher.

Senator DOUGLAS. May I interrupt to say the people from the sometimes underestimate the energy and ability of the Middle V Senator JAVITS. I would say to my friend from the Middle that westerners often underestimate the good sense of eastemes May I ask you, Mr. Shriver, now, whether you believe that can keep both these jobs and do equal justice to both of them withstanding that you, yourself, say they are both full-time jm Mr. SHRIVER. As I said a minute ago, Senator, all I can say is that I will give them both the maximum of my ability and time is a decision of the President of the United States to deter whether or not I am able to do both adequately in his judgment Senator JAVITS. But you are going to keep them, In your ment, you can do both adequately. You are not just a mart obeying the orders of the President; you are making up your that you can do this job well, is that not true?

[ocr errors]

Mr. SHRIVER. No, I am not a martinet, thank you, or I hope -anyway, or a puppet. But i am anxious to do what I ca in res to the President of the United States, as I thi ik nearly all citizė these United States are anxious to do. Therefore, I am going what he askes me to do to the extent of my capacity and ability. Senator JAVITS. Do you believe you can carry both jobs? Mr. SHRIVER. I think that is a question the President of the ULStates will be able to decide, and I will be able to decide, also, or L record.

Senator JAVITS. You have no question about it as you come to for confirmation? As far as you are concerned, you do not ki whether you can or cannot.

Mr. SHRIVER. That is not the question.

Senator JAVITS. That is my question.

Mr. SHRIVER. I understand. I am just trying to say the questi however, is whether the President considers it advisable and possit for me to do both jobs. Certainly, as long as I have both, which may be a short time, may be a long time-that is his judgment-I will c the best I can. I am not seeking and I have never sought either jet

Senator JAVITS. Well, you are going to be a high official of s Government. Do you wish us to believe that you have no opine about this matter whether you can handle both jobs? You are taking both jobs without an opinion that you can handle it?

Mr. SHRIVER. Well, there is on the record the fact that during the planning period for the poverty program, I have had responsibility for the planning of the program. It also might as well go on the record that during this period, I have also been running a foundation, the Kennedy Foundation, which is an important responsibility.

I am also very lucky in the fact that at the Peace Corps, we have an extraordinarily able staff of people who now have the substantial experience with the Peace Corps. As a matter of fact, we have five Associate Directors at the Peace Corps and for the last 3 months, all five of those jobs have been filled simultaneously for the first time since we started the Peace Corps. They are filled by men who have had substantial experience with the Peace Corps. So that the operation

of th days

an

said whe

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

e Peace Corps is no longer quite the same as it was in the first when we had to find and train a whole new cadre of people to run ntirely new program. That program, the Peace Corps, I have on a couple of occasions, is working embarrassingly well at a time n I am also devoting some effort to the antipoverty program. he Peace Corps is in fine shape and the men who are connected it are doing excellent work, so I think if it ever were possible for to work effectively, now is the time.

enator JAVITS. Am I to assume from what you now say that you believe you can do both jobs, notwithstanding that they are both -time jobs?

1r. SHRIVER. As I say, I do not feel that I should advance my nion about whether I can or cannot do something. There is a son responsible for the executive branch of the U.S. Government, President of the United States. His opinion is what is important re, not mine. All I am trying to do is to do the best I can in ponse to his recommendations.

Senator JAVITS. Now, we have a responsibility, too, to confirm u here in the Senate; if we do not confirm you, you do not get the b. I as a Senator sitting on the committee considering your alifications am asking you directly, do you believe you can handle oth jobs? It is not an answer to tell me the President believes it. am asking you whether you believe it. Do you or do you not? Mr. SHRIVER. All I can say is so far, I have.

Senator JAVITS. And you will not tell me whether you believe you

an or not.

Mr. SHRIVER. I am not going to take that position, Senator Javits, lespite that fact that you feel, evidently, that I should make a categorical statement on it, for several reasons: first of all, it is not ny decision. Second, I have run both of these jobs so far with a reasonable amount of success. Third, nobody can predict exactly what will happen in the future. It may be that 2 days from now, the President may relieve me of one of these jobs. He may relieve me 2 months from now. That is his decision to make. I certainly do not want to prejudice his opinion or his freedom of discretion or choice by making any statements here which presume anything.

Senator JAVITS. You do not want to advise us as to whether you pledge yourself in your own judgment to be able to handle both jobs, bearing in mind that though you have been active in the legislative end of this thing, you still have not run the poverty job. You now would run it if you were directing it. There are lots of things you have to do, which you know even better than I.

Mr. SHRIVER. I pledge myself to do the best of which I am capable, and I think on the record, the Senate, you included, would have reasonable cause to believe that I will do that.

Senator JAVITS. And you are not giving us the benefit of your conviction that you can do both jobs?

Mr. SHRIVER. No, sir; I am not giving you the benefit of my convictions; I am giving you the benefit of the President's convictions, which I think are a lot more important.

Senator JAVITS. With all respect, Mr. Shriver, I think we ought to have your convictions that you can handle both jobs. We are confirming you, not the President. He has recommended you. We have the power to confirm or deny the recommendation. I think we have a right to know whether or not you think this is a job you can do.

You are not giving us a direct answer. In my opinion, the satisfactory.

Now, let me ask you this: The program which you are gen in charge of calls for close cooperation, and in some insta gration with State programs. Yet the statute contains a ve on the part of States so that they can bar the program entire I think is terribly to be deplored, even though it may be very: sary in that particular State.

Now, can you give us any idea of the policy you will purs. effort to bring your program, notwithstanding these barrer the areas of individual States in which it deserves to be bro

Mr. SHRIVER. If I understand the question correctly, Sela is obvious we cannot bring the program into areas or State: Governor of that State wishes to exercise a veto over the prog any parts of his State.

With respect to cooperation with the States, the Community A Division of the task force has already had a number of meetings. Governors, other State officials, with mayors and others from looking toward cooperation both between the States and the of Economic Opportunity and between localities and the O Economic Opportunity. I know of no instance so far where any lack of cooperation between the States and this Office, the pla office, or between cities and this planning office.

Senator JAVITS. Do you have any plans in mind, any policy in mind, for turning over important parts of the administration law to the States?

Mr. SHRIVER. I do not think that it would be legally just Liab us to turn over, to use your phrase, the responsibility for the adr tration or other parts of this program to anybody. I feel that the reasons that the Senate and the House were both in suppe this program is the fact that there was one place in the Federal G ernment which they could turn to and hold that place and that per responsible for the administration and operation of the progrs. Therefore, I feel that we would be defaulting our duty if we just tur over, lock, stock, and barrel so to speak, the administration of t program to anyone.

Senator JAVITS. I did not use the words "turn over responsibilit You did. I used the words "turn over," as I recall it, "administrati or function" under the act. I did not have in mind relieving you the responsibility. I did have in mind having State agencies er out supervisory and other responsibilities under your responsibny within their States. Do you have any policy feeling on that subject

Mr. SHRIVER. So far, I do not think that there are any States tha have come to us and said that they wanted to administer this prograt within those States. As you well know, there are divisions of the Federal Government to whom we are going to assign management re sponsibilities for parts of this program under clearly defined rules and regulations. We certainly should consider that with States, but si this point, it is a hypothetical matter.

Senator JAVITS. As a practical matter, is it not a fact that with the State veto power, you would have to pretty much, if the State did request it, work something out which would be satisfactory to the State in terms of administration?

Mr. SHRIVER. We have always wanted to work cooperatively, as you have said, with the States and we are doing so.

or

[ocr errors]

enator JAVITS. May I ask you what regulations or other measures propose to insure equal opportunity without regard to race, creed, color in the Job Corps, community action, and other programs er your direction?

Ir. SHRIVER. In the administration of this act, we would be obvily bound by the terminology of the Civil Rights Act which provides tall programs conducted by the Federal Government be handled a nondiscriminatory basis, so we would do that with respect to S program.

Senator JAVITS. Under that section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which you refer, it is the Director to wit, yourself, who would ve to cut off Federal funds from any State participating program it practiced race discrimination, either as to its employees or as to s clients. May I ask you if you would be prepared to do that? Mr. SHRIVER. We would be prepared to follow the letter of the w, as well as the spirit of the law, which also, I think, includes a ause to the effect that if the purposes of the program can be better erved by not doing as you have just suggested, then it is within the iscretion of the Director of the Federal program either to do what you have proposed or to waive the requirement if the program would be better served. So that would be our method of dealing with this situation.

Senator JAVITS. You articulated my question very well yourself. I want to know what you think about how you ought to authorize or how you ought to exercise your discretion?

Mr. SHRIVER. Obviously, we are going to follow the spirit, as I said, as well as the letter of the law. Therefore, in every case, unless there is an overwhelming show of sentiment to the contrary, we are going to operate this on a nondiscriminatory basis.

Senator JAVITS. I appreciate that, and I would expect, Mr. Shriver, that you would place the burden of proof upon those who would have you not apply the, nondiscrimination spirit as well as the letter of the law.

Mr. SHRIVER. I think that was the intent of Congress in passing the statute, and certainly that is what we would follow.

Senator JAVITS. I appreciate that. One other question. There has been a lot of talk here about an assistant of yours who helped you in the legislative phases of this program named Adam Yarmolinsky. Is there anything which has occurred with respect to Adam Yarmolinsky which would disable him from serving the Federal Government in this or any other program in an appropriate capacity at the pleasure of the President?

Mr. SHRIVER. Nothing that I know of; no, sir.

Senator JAVITS. In other words, there is nothing that has occurred to bring about all these rumors, and I think it is only fair to this man who has been in public life for a long time to make that very clear in the record, which invalidates in any way his ability to serve the Government?

Mr. SHRIVER. None that I know of. The President has discretion to approve anybody he wishes.

Senator JAVITS. Including Yarmolinsky?

Mr. SHRIVER. Yes, sir.

Senator JAVITS. There are no actions of any kind or character taken in that direction, then?

« iepriekšējāTurpināt »