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This was the scene in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Sept. 30 when a group of farm editors from across the nation met with President Jimmy
Continued from Page 10
friendliness, and humble yet regal
dignity
How appropriate 1 That’s also the
exact image of our country warm,
friendly, humble, stately, and
dignified
Although originally somewhat
disappointed with the changes that
have taken place m the Presidency
since the previous Administration,
that image improved this week when
President Carter added a personal
touch to the visit It came in the form
of a thoughtful letter from the
President which I’ll proudly keep and
display, along with the pictures I took
of him
Relatively short on news material,
the series of meetings with Carter
Administration officials was designed
Meetings with USDA Secretary Bob Bergland are rather informal. The scene
above took place during a recent press conference with him in the Old Executive
Office Building, across from the White House Grounds in Washington, D.C.
Bergland allowed questioning on any agricultural issue for over an hour and
■ater inyited the group to join him at USDA headquarters a few blocks away
where the Commodity Credit Corporation was submitting its case as to whether
0 r not milk support prices should be raised. Bergland presided at this meeting.
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Impressions from our nation’s capital
to familiarize members of the press
with the Administration, its policies,
and goals The President obviously
believes strongly m public relations
and promotion
Aside from President Carter, one
of the best known men we met with
was USDA Secretary Bob Bergland
He’s an amazing individual,
possessing the talent of remem
bering faces and names of people he
meets only occasionally or even
rarely Casual and friendly in his
manners, he's not afraid of telling
anyone he doesn’t understand
something Like the President, he
does not convey the image of a
strong statesman However, while
President Carter appears to be
friendly and yet somehow mysterious
and hard to figure out, Secretary
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Carter and other members of the Administration
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Bergland comes across like a friendly
barber or storekeeper
A final interesting episode was
witnessed by a few farm editors
during the late afternoon of that
eventful and memorable day
Unscheduled for us by the White
House, it was nevertheless a meeting
which was open to the public
The session took place in a con
ference room of the USDA building,
just a few doors from Secretary
Bergiand’s office
Meeting in that smoke-filled room,
with all the drapes drawn shut, was
the board of the Commodity Credit
Corporation Members were seated
around the large conference table,
with Secretary Bergland seated at
one end Coatless, the USDA chief
listened to statements as to why or
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Shortly after the President of the United States took his seat, a small army of
cameramen literally stormed the Cabinet Room of the White House to record
portions of the press conference. Each participant of the press conference was
later furnished with one picture of the occasion. That’s the one at the top of the
page.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 15,1977
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why not milk support prices should
be raised Ten people were seated
around the table, with at least one of
them being a recorder for the
proceedings About 30 people wit
nessed the parliamentary
procedure Among them was Patrick
Healey, president of the National
Milk Producers Federation
The milk support price was
decided there that afternoon - a
decision which probably touches
every dairy farmer in the country
Possibly anticipating what the final
decision would be, a prepared news
release was ready for the taking,
even while the meeting was in
progress
There was a lot said that day which
I didn’t understand, but it was in
terestmg nonetheless
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