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Q. On South Africa, you have said you support majority rule. What do you mean by that?
A. I think it means that basically a one-man, one-vote provision should prevail, with mutual respect for majority and minority elements in the society. And this should be our ultimate goal. How rapidly it can be achieved is still to be determined, and I hope that it can be achieved by peaceful means.
Q. What are your thoughts about the relationship between your Administration and the new government in Peking?
A. I don't know yet if there is any urgency about resolving the differences that exist between the mainland and Taiwan. I would go into that very cautiously. We have a defense pact with Taiwan, the Republic of China, and we see the need to have good relationships with the People's Republic. I don't really know to what degree [Taipei and Peking] want to accommodate our commitments and at the same time search for a way to resolve their differences.
Q. Would you hope to continue the personal relationship between the President of the U.S. and the Chairman of the People's Republic?
A. Yes, I would hope so. I would certainly consider it one of my major responsibilities to pursue and continue the peaceful relationships we have with China [Taiwan] and the People's Republic.
Q. A European statesman predicted recently that Communists will join the Italian government in 1977 and the French government in 1978. How much does this matter to the U.S.?
A. It matters a great deal. And concerns me very much, depending on the degree of Communist participation in the government, and the loss of the respect and confidence of the citizens of those nations in the democratic processes that we prefer over Communism. Another factor is the degree of allegiance that might be shown by Communist leaders toward the Soviet Union and away from our own nation and from NATO. I think the best way to minimize the Communist influence in Italy and France is to make the democratic processes work, and to restore the confidence of the citizens in the government.
Q. What are your thoughts about yourself now, less than a month before the Inaugural?
A. I hope I can live up to the expectations of the American people. I've had a rapid learning process. You asked my wife whether we could be satisfied to live in Plains and not try to stretch ourselves beyond Plains. Well, I think we've managed to stretch ourselves a little.
* During their meeting at Vladivostok in November 1974, President Ford and Leonid Brezhnev reached a tentative agreement on the limitation of strategic offensive weapons.