The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
A F B R e m a r k s f o r dinner
''roasting 1 1 S e c r e t a r y S i m o n
A p r i l 8, 1976
In r i s i n g to salute m y f r i e n d B i l l S i m o n , I a m p e c u l i a r l y
handicapped.
Unlike m o s t of those a s s e m b l e d h e r e , I s i m p l y do not
know whether he is the g r e a t e s t S e c r e t a r y of the T r e a s u r y s i n c e
G e o r g e Shultz.
What I do know is that he is presiding this y e a r o v e r a
g r e a t e r budget d e f i c i t than any f o r m e r S e c r e t a r y of the T r e a s u r y
JajriST e v e r a c c u m u l a t e d - - o r f o r that m a t t e r any Minister of
Finance anywhere.
It is still p r e m a t u r e , h o w e v e r , to r e g a r d Bill Simon as a
truly outstanding S e c r e t a r y of the T r e a s u r y .
F o r in spite of the
e f f o r t s b y the C o n g r e s s to r a i s e the F e d e r a l d e f i c i t to the 100
b i l l i o n d o l l a r f i g u r e that Bill Simon had p r e d i c t e d , it now a p p e a r s
that the d e f i c i t w i l l f a l l somewhat short of that coveted g o a l .
B i l l S i m o n ' s r e c o r d has been m a r r e d a l s o in other r e s p e c t s .
He has not b e e n s e e n on Capitol Hill on a Sunday o r two.
h a v e b e e n days when he m a d e only t h r e e s p e e c h e s .
b e e n c o n c e r n e d o v e r John Connally's o r
There
He has not
M ; e f f o r t s
to c o n t e s t the R e p u b l i c a n nomination f o r the p r e s i d e n c y .
And it
i s even r e p o r t e d b y a m e m b e r of the White H o u s e staff that Simon
o n c e i n f o r m e d the P r e s i d e n t that
pahssea by the C o n g r e s s
=tt s o m e IggEl pahs
actually d e s e r v e d to b e signed.
-2-
D e s p i t e these s h o r t c o m i n g s , B i l l Simon has c o m p i l e d a
r e c o r d j t h a t m e r i t s serious, n o t i c e .
In the f i r s t p l a c e , he is proving to b e a m o r e durable
Secretary! than even! Joe B a r r .
In the s e c o n d p l a c e , he spends s o little t i m e
A
that t h e v U . S . G o v e r n m e n t w i l l be s p a r e d the c o s t / o f polishing jif
f
f o r his s u c c e s s o r .
In the third place, he has set an e x a m p l e f o r the entire
T r e a s u r y staff by his angelically c a l m d e m e a n o r , and by the
d e c o r u m and chastity of his language.
cr
In the fourth p l a c e , he has m a d e jS. an i n v a r i a b l e rule
.5
JlfrTftfP* to c o m m u n i c a t e to ay&f r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of the m e d i a what
has r^t a l r e a d y been published in the Washington P o s t .
In the fifth place, unlike his p r e d e c e s s o r s , the thought of
t&uft
e v e r seeking e l e c t i v e o f f i c e has n e v e r entered his m i n d .
T h e s e a r e outstanding v i r t u e s , and I have mentioned t h e m
in the i n t e r e s t of truth.
But I a l s o cannot o v e r l o o k certain other r e p o r t s that have
c o m e my way:
that Bill Simon d r e a m s about governing New Y o r k
Cityj to s e e whether he could not m a t c h M a y o r B e a m e ' s p e r f o r m a n c e ;
that he has told his children that if R e a g a n ' s c a r e e r as an a c t o r has
ended, his own has hardly begun; that he no l o n g e r c r i e s out at night,
M I,
t o o , a m Henry Kissinger; 1 1 and, m o r e ominous still, that h e has
been r e c e n t l y h e a r d whispering to a picture on the w a l l , "Why not
J e r r v and m e at Kansas Citv? 11
-3-
A l l t h e s e a r e r u m o r s , and d e s e r v e only passing attention.
I can speak with m o r e authority on other m a t t e r s that I h a v e
investigated d i r e c t l y .
I can t e s t i f y that B i l l Simon has no m o r e l o v e f o r the Shah
I
of Iran than the Shah has f o r h i m .
I can t e s t i f y that Bill S i m o n ' s f a m i l y i s intactiand that h e
I
o c c a s i o n a l l y even s e e s t h e m j f o r b r e a k f a s t .
I can t e s t i f y that the S e e r e t t S e r v i c e i s npt yet p r e p a r i n g
an assault jon the m a r b l e p a l a c e of the F e d e r a l R e s e r v e .
And I can t e s t i f y , as the T r e a s u r y 1 s b a n k e r , that the U . S .
T r e a s u r y is indeed b r o k e , as Bill Simon said it would b e .
L e t m e c l o s e by saying, even if I violate the r u l e governing
this o c c a s i o n , that the r e l a t i o n s between the F e d e r a l R e s e r v e and
the T r e a s u r y h a v e n e v e r b e e n c l o s e r , that B i l l and I s e e this
c o u n t r y ' s financial p r o b l e m s in exactly the s a m e w a y , that this
country i s fortunate in having such a c o u r a g e o u s fighter f o r sound
f i n a n c e s in the T r e a s u r y post, and that I a m proud to b e his c o l l e a g u e
and f r i e n d .
Sfc
#
:{C
@FedFRASER