Mar. 6, 1963 - Following are some highlights of President Kennedy’s press conference today. (Pictured below is Mrs. Evelyn Lincoln, the President’s personal secretary, watching the conference on television.)
Legislation — The President called for citizen support of Administration bills on youth employment, medical and dental training, and mental health.
Nuclear Tests — Mr. Kennedy said the U.S. would not accept any nuclear test ban treaty under which the Soviet Union could continue to conduct a series of undetected underground tests.
Europe — The U.S. can defend Europe against Soviet attack with its own nuclear weapons, he said, but is putting forward the idea of a multilateral nuclear force in response to European concern.
Cuba — Mr. Kennedy said the “wisest policy” with respect to Cuba was centered on the isolation of communism in the hemisphere. A Caribbean war that might easily grow out of a blockade “is not to the national advantage,” he said. He feels the U.S. intelligence services did a good job in Cuba last fall.
Judges — Mr. Kennedy rejected a charge by Governor Rockefeller that he had named “segregationists” as federal judges in the South; he said appointees to the Federal bench in the last 10 years had “an extraordinary and very creditable record.”
