558 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

A. That is true. I have not made this proposal nor have I suggested
it in any fashion.

Q. Governor, what kind of political climate did you pick up on
your western tour?

A. Well, actually, there's a great deal of interest in the coming
Republican Governors' Conference and in ascertaining whether there
will be any candidate development done at that time. I've tried to
indicate my feeling that it's unlikely that a great amount of informa-
tion is going to come out of this conference, at least information that
will be publicized. I don't think anything much is going to develop
until some of these primaries are run.

Q. At your last press conference you indicated that you thought that
Governor Rockefeller was using the right strategy as far as candida-
cies were concerned. Do you still feel that way?

A. Yes, I do, and I think he means it when he says he's not a candi-
date. The only type of candidacy that we can assume he's referring
to is the candidacy for the nomination. Now if he's offered the nomi-
nation without becoming a candidate, he is technically accurate in
saying he's not a candidate.

Q. Governor, apparently the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Com-
mittee is going to set up shop here after the first of the year. How do
you feel about this? What are your thoughts on this possibility?

A. I'd have to ask who the leaders are today. I've never really been
able to ascertain whether this organization has functioned in any
sense of continuity. I know they had Mr. Brown for awhile, they had
Mr. Carmichael for awhile and I made it completely clear that I do
not respect this type of leadership, nor will I deal with this type of
leadership under any circumstances. If they come up with leadership
of a type that is willing to be reasonable and responsible, I certainly
wouldn't foreclose the possibility of listening to these people and dis-
cussing problems with them so long as they have embarked upon a
course that I consider — that is reasonable. I think I made this clear
in my discussions with Mr. Gant of CORE. Previously some of the
CORE leadership wasn't exactly amenable to a discussion or a prob-
lem solving session; with Mr. Gant it apparently is. And my meetings
with him were good meetings. I'm willing to keep on investigating
the possibilities of communicating and assisting civil rights leaders as
long as the purposes that they are there to talk about are the ones that
are in the interest of the people of the State and not calculated to
inflame and disrupt civil order.