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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