shortly after the formation of the Conference. With the election of
President Kennedy, aid to distressed areas became a priority and
urgent program of the new administration, and Senate Bill Number ]
to establish the area redevelopment administration was introduced
by Senator Douglas of Illinois,

The Appalachian Governors Conference is proud to say that it
played a considerable part in the creation of the Area Redevelopment
Administration. Two of the Conference representatives—Mr. Harry
Boswell, Chairman of the Maryland Economic Development Com-
mission, and Md. John Whisman of Kentucky—were active members
of the task force which, under the leadership of Senator Douglas,
drafted the Area Redevelopment Act.

Moreover, the long-range approach advocated by the Conference
of Appalachian Governors was made a part of the legislation. It
was this aspect which I stressed in testimony before the Senate Com-
mittee, pointing out that as far as the Appalachian Region was con-
cerned what was needed was a "planned, overall attack on the basic
economic factors—transportation, water supply, education—to get
the region moving on the path to sound economic health, without
reliance on periodic emergency handouts which serve to keep the
patient alive, but offer no help of eventual cure. "

In that testimony, I also stressed the importance of highways for
the region, pointing out that we have only to look at the map to
see that for every dollar we have spent to get into this area, we have
spent millions of dollars to get around it. Fundamentally the economic
problems of the Appalachians will not be solved until the mountains
cease to be looked upon as a barrier between the Middle West and
and the Atlantic Seaboard. Good highways leading into and out
of the region can remove this isolation, and the Conference of
Appalachian Governors is doing everything it can to keep this fact
before the highway planners.

Following up on the stepped-up pace of activities with the new
administration, the Conference of Appalachian Governors decided to
hold its third conference in Washington in May of 1961. One of the
sessions of the conference was held in the White House and included
a lengthy and very useful session with President Kennedy.

Following that meeting, the President made this statement: "The
Appalachian Governors are to be complimented upon their resource-
fulness in the treatment of unusual multistate regional problems. It
is the first time an entire section of the nation has been organized

83