1968 National Association of Educational Broadcasters convention; Frank Pace - Reel 1 of 2

And our national educational radio presents highlights from the 1968 convention of the National Association of educational broadcasters. The any big convention was held in Washington in November. This program was recorded by WMUR the American University. On it you will hear Frank Pace chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He was introduced by C. Scott Fletcher executive consultant of the end E.B. the honorable Frank pace Jr. was appointed this year as chairman of the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. An organization which is new. Unique. And has an enormous potential for benefiting all Americans. For all time. He was selected by President Johnson. But this was not the places first presidential appointees he was appointed secretary of the army by President Truman. President Eisenhower appointed him vice chairman

of the commission on national goals and he was appointed by President Johnson. Kennedy excuse me to the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board President Johnson has also asked Mr. Pace to serve on the committee on political activity. Of the government personnel. And. Also. On the administrative conference of the United States. I might add because all that known as the place and the various families of the Presidents realize that he has not only carried out and performed these missions admirably but he is also regarded as a close personal friend of all these family members the place was born in Little Rock Arkansas we're moving gradually the U.S. from the north east to the south and after graduating however from both Princeton and Harvard he practiced law in Arkansas until 1942. He served as a major in the United States Air Force from 42 until 46 and then came

to Washington. First he became executive assistant to the postmaster general of the United States then assistant director and subsequently director of the Bureau of the budget. After completing his role as secretary of the army he served from 1953 to 1963 with the General Dynamics Corp. And you know how that giant organization before miraculously. In the whole airspace movement. I was in was the pater's office once and he showed me a dollar bill on the dollar bill. As a result of the bet. But there will be not one mis carriage of one missile and how many were in fact me and he want to go. Home. Yes from Joe chariot of concept. So he was with the General Dynamics Corp. first his executive vice president then was president

ultimately as chairman of the board. For the. Past five years he has been and still is president of the International executive service corps. And this is financed both by private and public fun. Now this really amazing organization it is unique to is performing a series of constructive services continually and over 40 overseas countries. And this experience provides useful background for meeting the many problems of the corporation because it is a privately operated corporation with both public and private funds. Now don't wind up assignments have carried Mr. Pace to service with NATO and. To many other overseas assignments as well as in this country let me name three in this country of which he is particularly proud and I can understand why he is chairman of the board of the Air Systems Command. He is

president of the Association of the US Army and only last month. That organization or association held its conference or convention in this hotel and the place is on with assistance from Bill Holly and I had a delightful meeting with him. He was also a president of the National Institute of Social Sciences and last night at their annual dinner this institute on UB and Morrow Lindbergh. And General Charles Lindbergh. And last year the institute honored and recognized the five Rockefeller Brothers. Now. He. Has so many directorships that I'm not going to go into them. But it's interesting to note particularly in view of the list of honorary degrees which our first speaker of this convention has accepted Mr. Price has. Received no less than 14 honorary degrees and many of them are in the

Midwest and the south. But some are also in the northeast. If you think he's busy in international affairs national affairs regional affairs state affairs. You should see what they've got him fixed in Connecticut for. And if you'll go down the list in Greenwich Connecticut you'll see everything that you can think of that as a worthy cause and so we give you. A little national figure a great American who is at home in community fairs as much as he is in the national the honorable frank face. Thank you very much Mr lecturer I me say first how pleased I am to have been here dory presented the award by the Reader's Digest foundation I think this is compelling and valuable art. The gross structure

of our operation and I hope that we will for a long time to be the beneficiary of the Reader's Digest thinking in this Iraq also a lot of Tad you pleased I am to have so many members of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting here today I think it's a measure of tribute to this institution that so many of these people would be here for this lunch. I had to call Mrs. Harvey apologising for not being here and I'm sure I speak for our governor Saunders Milt lies and dark and Bob Benjamin Aaron apologizing for not being with you. Even more importantly I am extremely pleased to get the reports that have come to me about the present by. Our very small but I think remarkably competent stack at your meeting

has been my stance that because in many instances you are going to have to live with us in faith and trust. That is critically important that you know the kind of men who are making the decisions. Original later at least to expose you to a choice as to what you want to do and I think that as you were exposed to these men and whether you agreed with their judgment or not you could not question the fact that their dedication is equal to yours. That there are professionals of the hive and that their willingness to listen as well as to a grass augurs well for the future of all the things of this convention from my point of view that you know MOSI a relationship that grew up in this period was the most important. And now I think

in view of your very kind introduction Scotty gave me to tell you a story that will put you in perspective as to my copter. This relates to the day when I was director of the budget I came home late in the evening and my daughter Paula who was about nine said that he could you help me with my man and I said Why certainly darling it be no problem let's get at it. Hours later I had my coat off. Two hours later I had my shirt off. Three hours later we had the problem solved. The whack a mole a little earlier the next day you know I sit there. What did the teacher said. Well she said that unfortunately there were two off. She saw my face drop and she was a prescient little girl she said but daddy you really shouldn't be worried because the teacher said no more really. Fourth grade problems were

fifth grade. While I'm putting myself in perspective I think it might be wise if I also put the corporation in perspective. Because if I've been troubled and I have because of the responsibility of the board and myself Larry and this great venture one of the principal things that troubles me is that too much will be expected to quickly. We have to be all in my judgment with care and consideration and at the same time we must recognize that this is not an operation that permits of lag but there is I have prepared myself for the trip that I am taking to England and Switzerland and France to talk to

the Europeans. I was fascinated to find that the BBC had been in existence for 46 years. I was fascinated to find that its budget was two hundred seven million dollars and it employed 23000 people. And while we are not the BBC and have no intention of emulating the BBC it brought home to me a law on the road we have to travel very quickly. And how difficult that road. Now on the other side of the call and I should say to you in the six months that we've been operating in the most heartening thing that Mary has been quite honest I believe on the part of almost everyone I've come in contact with that this public broadcasting is a matter of critical importance to this country. I have every

hair and urge and desire to find a way to do this back to you. We have found it in the congressional branch where in the Senate the great help of senators Magnussen and pastoring and Jav and the incomparable tied to the next laughable. Met a great deal in the early day. Congressman staggers bringer glared and carried us through one of the most difficult periods in history. The president has been for the past philosophically and fiscally from the start. The caterer was of great health care. I've battled to that in the organization itself I've got nothing.

With the greatest of understand in dealing with your own and I'm sure in many instances in a place where those that didn't exist in the NE you are Jack White have recognized without hesitation as Ben Franklin said we hang separately or we hang together. In the individual station managers for helplessness. I have a willingness to use it on a local requirements and to recognize that what needs to be done and to get on with it despite the fact that it might run into some instance is in conflict with their own individual needs and desires. I found a sense of urgency on the part. Of my own bowl committees

of the board have not been formal committees they have been working committees and have put long hours and deep thought into how this situation might eventually be structured. And our job. Is to justify that reservoir of goodwill the likes of which are in my entire period in private and public life I have no I think it's also of great import to find that in every instance particularly young people are taken by the opportunities and the potential of public broadcasting. The fascinating thing that we have today hired only four people. KM So bases but

this is not because there's not an urge to serve. List this field is magic to young and middle aged. The decision is not lack either of or of design. It is born of them are saying that this is too important an operation to deal with cash and only know to have been tested and who want in terms of experience and psychological understanding of where we are going should be with the other thing and that over a lifetime. That if you hire five man and for good and one is bad you've made a bad arrangement. If they're going to play more difficult to disengage than it is to engage and we have proceeded in a calculated by in with care to move forward in this area.

I'm so troubled as I am by the fact that the future is still glorious but not so on media. I will say to you that my message is again the year that we must tighten our belts and do our our job market actively than ever before. I doubt I could address the moral wasp waisted audience economically in this world and ask them to tighten their belts hurts me as much as it did you. But that's the nature of the problem that we are new people. Having lived so all our lives and recognizing the intricacy and nature of the problems that we play most of our MUST be helpful to us and we lay hold

soundly the basis for the future greatness that can be public relative. Why I think you would want to hear from me my own sand of where the priorities lie and what we see coming and in this direction. And I don't have to say to you as I have said you individually and collectively that our first hour is to convince the Congress of the United States that we can manage this operation soundly in the fact that because if we do not do that then there is no meaningful quality to the corporation. And if there is no meaningful quality to the corporation the cause of public broadcasting has been set back by at least a decade. This is a job that the corporation cannot do it so that the job

that can only be done by the people to whom we are all the motley response even that the local people in the field who must make this work are not what you will be interested in where we are moving on long range Finance Committee of the board headed by you as has I think gone into this is exhaustive. Any committee that we had and we have come out with the conclusion that this is something that in terms of achieving the independence which is proper and right independence is not in this case the word of our independence under proper supervision. Gee having that degree of independence it is important that we earn it not demand and therefore I think we have to prove that we have the judgment

and possibly even the wisdom we have the managerial skill to take the monies that have been given and to prove that we can set a blueprint that will identify what can be done in a factory of lay and that data car. Why a inappropriate status is granted to the corporation to function in more uncontrolled makes. We will be talking to the leaders of the Congress. In order to ascertain they are saying both the timing and matter and I think we will come out in due time where a program that will prove satisfactory to most of the in this room and exact in their own way. And these lists of priorities are basically my own

are flexible. I plan to use the importance of developing the acceptance of the local station in the local community. In the top area of import as I have traveled around the country and visited the stations I am amazed that the community is not more aware of how compelling an answer to this local station is. I know of no single operate in the communities where this country was so much a primitive Boateng fuel for social good. I know of no situation where an individual who is a public mind can address seems Ralph to the problem of improving his community and actively as he can by supporting his local state. I think that fact has to become

an accepted fact in this nation. I think it is a justifiable assumption and I hope that we can help you bring this to be.