Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Opening Titles - “Thirty Minutes with Ronald Reagan, Governor of California and Elizabeth Drew (interviewer).” Elizabeth Drew asks about President Richard Nixon’s foreign policy with China. Gov. Reagan says the United States did not let Red China into the United Nations but realized that it couldn't stop entry. Gov. Reagan says nations who voted to admit China double-crossed the U.S. by voting to oust Taiwan, which the US wanted to keep in the UN. Gov. Reagan discusses actions with China after World War II and appeasement. Gov. Reagan says he supports President Nixon's re-election bid despite the Conservative opposition, which Reagan feels was based on Nixon's China visits. Reagan says Nixon is not appeasing communist China, but communicating, which can only help preserve peace, avoid the possibility of nuclear war. Reagan says the United States still supports Taiwan.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew ask California Governor Ronald Reagan if he's confident that President Richard Nixon will not undertake policies which would reflect poorly upon Gov. Reagan’s support for him. Reagan says he and Republicans will never support all of Nixon's policies but they will generally support them. Reagan says he disagrees with Nixon's welfare policies, favors his own reform policies in California, mentions the Family Assistance Plan (FAP). Drew asks if he believes Nixon will face political problems if Vice President Spiro Agnew is not on his reelection ticket. Gov. Reagan says Agnew is a good VP and a good man and should stay on. Nixon shouldn't drop Agnew out of fear that Democrats will use Agnew as a political issue.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew asks California Governor Ronald Reagan if President Richard Nixon can win California with only Republican votes. Gov. Reagan says no, discusses getting some Democrats to vote for Republicans. Drew asks Gov. Reagan his opinion on the recent statement made by Spiro Agnew about not liking his job as Vice President. Gov. Reagan says he can understand why, that some VPs are unsure of whether they should stay in their position for more than one term or move to a different one, like a cabinet position. Reagan says Nixon faced a similar ordeal as Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower. Gov. Reagan discusses the idea of urging Vice President Agnew to run for reelection.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew mentions a poll showing California Governor Ronald Reagan as the least popular of probable Republican choices for Vice President. Gov. Reagan says it indicates Californians want Reagan to remain Governor. Gov. Reagan says he hasn't noticed his political standing in decline as Governor. Reagan takes credit for California's Welfare Reform initiative, discusses public support for it. Regarding the poll, Reagan says it's natural for the people to become disgruntled with government.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew asks about the revelation that Reagan didn't pay any taxes in 1970. Gov. Ronald Reagan says his critics are demagogues who want to accuse him of tax evasion, discusses the lack of credibility of politicians promising to create funding by closing “tax loopholes.” Gov. Reagan says the only way to keep people from taking sides is by doing nothing. Drew asks Gov. Reagan why more people are leaving California than moving there. Reagan discusses state growth in past decades, and state demographic changes. Reagan talks about the declining birth rate in California. Drew bring up the issues of pollution and unemployment. Reagan says California has always had a higher rate of unemployment because its industries are not diverse enough, rely too much on the aerospace and defense industries. Gov. Reagan says California's unemployment rates are because of not being able to create enough jobs to keep up with population growth. Gov. Reagan says that even though pollution is talked about more in California than other states, the pollution in California is not that bad.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew asks California Governor Ronald Reagan what the aerospace industry can do. Gov. Reagan talks about California's industrial diversification beyond aerospace and defense, mentions rapid transit, modular housing, and other areas for aerospace diversification beyond defense. Drew asks Gov. Reagan if he has any plans for California’s economic development. Gov. Reagan says there is an active commerce department working with business in California and there is a lot of work being done in Washington D.C. to ensure defense contracts going to California. Mentions the downturn in state defense contracts, says it's not the fault of the recession but because President Lyndon Johnson’s administration steered too many defense contracts to the new aerospace industry in Texas. Gov. Reagan says even though California’s aerospace industry will remain large, it will never get back to wartime size. Reagan says California’s aerospace industry is in transition to a peace-time economy, with the Vietnam war winding down. Reagan says California needs more industries that are not as dependent on the government as the aerospace industry.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew asks Governor Ronald Reagan if he thinks that the United States could benefit Land Use Policy with more regulations on land use and development. Gov. Reagan discusses the issue of land policy and development, in relation to the new “hysteria” created by new awareness of ecology and the environment. Elizabeth Drew questions Gov. Reagan on air pollution in Los Angeles. Gov. Reagan says that pollution nationwide is getting better, not worse. Gov. Reagan says that he happens to be an environmentalist. Gov. Reagan says that California is taking the lead on ecologically sound development regulations for land use and suburban subdivisions.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
California Governor Ronald Reagan continues discussion on land use. He discusses the dangerous part of planning and controlling land, says the great basis of our individual freedom is ownership. Elizabeth Drew asks Gov. Reagan about the recent report by Ralph Nader on how land used by industry and agribusiness is ruining California. Gov. Reagan discusses Ralph Nader’s report, says the report is wrong, not based on fact, and unjustified. Drew mentions the California Supreme Court ruling that use of property taxes for educational funding is unconstitutional. Reagan says the ruling was a misunderstanding, that the issue is still in court. Gov. Reagan says he has tried to pass legislation to balance educational funding, is trying to place a floor on educational funding rather than a ceiling.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew asks California Governor Ronald Reagan about the campaign to cut the University of California’s budget. Gov. Reagan says that he has never cut the budget, only budget requests, which every other Governor before him also did. Gov. Reagan says he believes the priority is not to add to the people's tax burden so he must deny some University of California requests. Gov. Reagan says that he is not anti-education but admits to having disputes with the administration. He says they have increased the budget in the past five years. Drew mentions new fees being charged in addition to tuition, students being turned away, and the increasing difficulty of finding faculty. Reagan says those facts are propaganda put out by the university to get its budget adopted, that some U of C administration are paid better than some California government officials. Gov. Reagan says the University of California lost more good faculty members due to the riots on campus.
Thirty Minutes With Gov. Ronald Reagan
Elizabeth Drew asks California Governor Ronald Reagan why University of California campuses are quieter now. Gov. Reagan says most students never were part of the radical movement and grew sick of it; students are no longer fooled by the radicals. Gov. Reagan believes students are still critical of the establishment but realize burning down their own institutions is not the way to solve the problem. Reagan discusses whether he would run for U.S. Senate in 1974, declines to predict how he might feel in three years. Gov. Reagan discusses rumors that he may be interested in the ambassadorship to Great Britain in 1972. Drew asks Gov. Reagan if he would go back to the movies after politics. Gov. Reagan says, "No, I'm too old to take my clothes off." Drew closes the interview. Credits roll as Gov. Reagan and Drew continue talking.