Office of the Historian

58. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation1

Washington, September 8, 1965

PARTICIPANTS

  • Douglass Cater, White House
  • Charles Frankel

Mr. Cater called Dr. Frankel, said he had been trying to get the President to give a speech on the subject of Dr. Frankel’s memorandum re Task Force in Education and to kick this off with what could be a broad outline of the program as touched on by Dr. Frankel.2 He asked Dr. Frankel to take on the job of drafting such an outline, which Dr. Frankel agreed to do.

Mr. Cater mentioned that the President was speaking to the Smithsonian Institution gathering on September 18, at the large international Bicentennial Celebration.3 He thought that would be a good occasion for such a speech, in the presence of so many scholars from all over the world. Dr. Frankel also mentioned a Princeton speech as a good possibility.

Mr. Cater said he thought the Smithsonian seemed even more appropriate an occasion since he could tell all these foreign scholars that the President has given education the highest priority at home; it doesn’t stop at the water’s edge; that he wants to set up a special White House Task Force to bring all of us together, etc. Mr. Cater thought this could be an important speech and could set the guide lines that will permit Dr. Frankel to operate in a way useful to him in the future. Dr. Frankel asked how much he would want in the speech as to the announcement of a new doctrine; Cater mentioned it was hard for a President to announce a new Johnson doctrine, it should be written so that the press will say he announced a clear new initiative. Cater asked if he could have about 3000 words over the weekend which they could discuss on Monday at lunch.4 Said he had a call in to Smithsonian to get that institution involved in this too; suggested that Dr. Frankel [Page 166] might weave in some quotes as to why international education is an important thing.

Dr. Frankel mentioned two books that could be quoted from: Alfred North Whitehead, “The Aims of Education,”5 and Julian Benda, “The Treason of the Clerks”.6

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Files, Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Subject Files, 1966–1967, Lot 70D190, Entry UD UP 176, Box 14, International Education Program: President’s Task Force General. No classification marking. Drafted by “LL,” who is not further identified. A copy was sent to Ackerman.↩
  2. Not further identified.↩
  3. Reference is to Johnson’s September 16 “Remarks at the Smithson Bicentennial Celebration.” See Document 60.↩
  4. September 13. No record of this meeting was found.↩
  5. Reference is to the American educator, scholar, and writer. The Aims of Education was published in 1929.↩
  6. Reference is to the French philosopher and writer, whose first name is also spelled “Julien.” The Treason of the Clerks was published in 1927.↩