Presidential Papers, Doc#1368 To William D. Kerr, 9 November 1959. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
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Doc #1369

Document #1368; November 9, 1959
To William D. Kerr
Series: EM, WHCF, Official File 250-D
The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XX - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace
Part VIII: "Friends and Foes"; September 1959 to February 1960
Chapter 19: Khrushchev in America

 

Dear Bill:1 Thank you very much for your note of the sixth.2

I am attaching a letter from a gentleman who wrote to his Congressman as a result of a suggestion from you. (I am happy to say that his views and yours do not coincide). But I thought you would be interested to see at least one comment provoked by the speech you gave in New York on October fourteenth.3

As far as the television situation goes, I am in agreement with much of what you say, but I do not think that the President or the government can get into the business of deciding what kind of programs should be presented. As I said in my press conference the other day, the Justice Department is undertaking a study to see what laws, if any, have been broken, and the FTC is also conducting an independent investigation. But I do think that moral pressure upon the networks for the proper kind of programs for youngsters should come from the homes, schools, churches, and the many organizations in America who are dedicated to making our country a better place to live.4

With warm regard, Sincerely

1 William D. Kerr was an investment banker with Bacon, Whipple and Company in Chicago (for background see Galambos and van Ee, The Middle Way, no. 680). He was president of the Investment Bankers Association of America.

2 Kerr had written regarding a talk on inflation that Eisenhower had given to a breakfast meeting of representatives from forty-eight business and industrial organizations. The President had emphasized the importance of public opinion in an expanding but sound economy. The inspiration that the group received was "substantial," Kerr had written (Kerr to Eisenhower, Nov. 6, 1959, same file as document; see also Public Papers of the Presidents: Eisenhower, 1959, pp. 760 - 74).

3 The letter is not in AWF. In a speech at the annual dinner of the bankers association Kerr had urged a change in federal economic policy, calling for a balanced budget with a provision for debt retirement, an increase in the ceiling on interest rates on long-term federal debt, and an end to the upward wage-price spiral (New York Times, Oct. 15, 1959).

4 On November 2 an investigation of television quiz shows had culminated in the disclosure that contestants had been given the questions and answers in advance. Kerr had told Eisenhower that the situation was "a mess and must be corrected." He also asked Eisenhower to address the subject of the material presented on TV programs. "There are few things that menace the youth of our country to the extent that everyday television does," he wrote (see Public Papers of the Presidents: Eisenhower, 1959, p. 769; see also Galambos and van Ee, The Middle Way, no. 1751; and New York Times, Nov. 2, 3, 1959).

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. To William D. Kerr, 9 November 1959. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1368. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/second-term/documents/1368.cfm

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