(28 of 35)
The President of India died, and I called Mama to ask her to represent me there. When she answered the phone I asked her what she was doing. She said she was sitting around the house looking for something to do, and I said, "How would you like to go to India?" She said, "I'd love to go some day." I said, "How about this afternoon?" She said, "Okay, I'll be ready."
Admiral Hyman Rickover said if I would stick to principle on things like water projects and human rights, I would come out all right. He further commented, however, that I may not win re-election in 1980.
Harold Brown reported that during a meeting with Huang Zhen, head of the Washington liaison office of the People's Republic of China, Huang was particularly critical about our having changed strategic planning from a "2½ war" capability to a "1½ war" capability. When Harold pointed out that the other war plan had been designed for use against the People's Republic of China, the criticisms were attenuated.
I made some mistakes in dealing with Congress, and one that I still regret is weakening and compromising on legislation that first year dealing with some worthless dam projects. Signing this act was accurately interpreted as a sign of weakness on my part, and I regretted it as much as any budget decision I made as President.
On April 20,1977,1 addressed Congress on the energy crisis.
At the beginning of my speech, I stated that, because of the nature of the subject, I did not expect applause. This was one time Congress lived up to my expectations.
I received a call from some of the Senate leaders, who were closeted with Senator S.I. Hayakawa. I knew he was listening when they asked me if I needed to meet occasionally with the California semanticist to get his advice on African affairs. I gulped, thought for a few seconds and replied, "Yes, I really do!" hoping God would forgive me.
Mother had recently been to Morocco. She said she smelled all the 21 types of perfume in the palace dressing room where she stayed. King Hassan offered to give her some perfume, and she said, "No." She laughed and said, "You damn foreigners are all alike." He laughed also and gave her a kiss. I doubt that the King's been called a "damn foreigner" before, and I don't know anyone else who could get away with it.
We could not solve the problem of deliberate leaks. After Watergate, it seemed that every subordinate functionary in government wanted to be Deep Throat.
Although I was surrounded by people eager to help me, my most vivid impression of the presidency remains the loneliness in which the most difficult decisions had to be made. I prayed a lot—more than ever before in my life.
The meeting with the economists was a waste of time. They all expounded their own conflicting theories and seemed unwilling or unable to consider other views or deal in a practical way with the economic problems I was having to face every day.
I had lunch with Fritz Mondale. He thought that my comment concerning "whipping Kennedy's ass" in the battle for the presidential nomination was illadvised. His is kind of a lonely voice. Some of my staff members said it was the best thing for morale around the White House since the Willie